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Pulling the Ads

December 31, 2007 8:26 PM

An odd turn of events today on the Huckabus.

Read about it HERE or watch our World News video HERE

And Happy New Year!

best

jake

December 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Was Obama Slamming Gore and Kerry?

December 31, 2007 7:58 PM

I got yapped at the other day by the Obama campaign after wondering if Sen. Barack Obama was unfavorably comparing Sen. John Edwards to Sen John Kerry, regarding being easily painted as a flip-flopper.

On Monday Obama suggested that Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore were divisive.

In an argument about his electability, Obama compared himself favorably with Sen. Hillary Clinton who is viewed negatively by nearly half the country. Obama is viewed far more favorably by independents and Republicans.

Then he said, per ABC News' Sunlen Miller, "I don't want to go into the next election starting off with half the country already not wanting to vote for Democrats. We've done that in 2004 and 2000. 47 percent of the country on one side, 47 percent of the country on the other . . . We don't need another one of those elections."

What say you?

-- jpt

December 31, 2007 in Weblogs | Permalink | User Comments (26) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Disses Trial Lawyers

December 31, 2007 5:47 PM

In a campaign appearance in Newton, Iowa, on Sunday, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., talked about as a community organizer, civil rights attorney and public official, he has always been committed to bringing about change. That was always more important to him than just making money, he said.

"That's why I didn't become a trial lawyer," he added, in a remark the Washington Post interpreted as a dig at multimillionaire trial attorney, and former North Carolina senator, John Edwards.

The comment has not endeared Mr.. Obama to the left-wing blogosphere.

Said Kos: "I am really starting to see Obama as someone who will rush to embrace every right-wing talking point against every Democratic constituencies."

Added Atrios: "Is there a right wing talking point Obama hasn't rushed to embrace? Going after trial lawyers? Jeebus."

And on and on.

Hmmm.

- jpt

December 31, 2007 in Weblogs | Permalink | User Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)

Huckabee Flip Flops on Going Negative

December 31, 2007 1:44 PM

The Huckabee campaign has taken a bizarre turn this afternoon.

The former Arkansas governor announced a press conference in Des Moines, Iowa Monday afternoon to launch a negative attack ad on his rival former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., and go after what he thinks are Romney's flip-flops.

But then, Huckabee said, he changed his mind. He didn't want to launch the ad.

Huckabee now says he will run a positive campaign, even though he's been calling Romney "dishonest" since Friday, spoke to the press surrounded by placards slamming Romney, and has a passage on his website comparing Romney to Seinfeld's lying friend George Costanza.

"It's never too late to do the right thing," Huckabee told reporters.

Huckabee took the unusual step of showing the media the anti-Romney TV ad, the one he said he told TV stations to pull from the airwaves.

The ad began like this:

HUCKABEE: I'm Mike Huckabee and I approved this spot because Iowans have the right to know the truth about Mitt Romney's dishonest attacks on me and even an American hero, John McCain.

NARRATOR: Romney's record? Over 700 million in new taxes. Left office with a deficit. No executions. Supported gun control. And Romney's government-mandate health plan provided a $50 co-pay for abortion.

HUCKABEE: If a man's dishonest to obtain a job, he'll be dishonest on the job. Iowans deserve better.

Huckabee said he knows some will view the decision to show the media the ad with skepticism -- a way to get TV play for the ad, regardless -- but he says he wanted to show the media there was indeed an ad, which campaign adviser Ed Rollins said cost the campaign $30,000.

He said he knows some will view the decision to show the media the ad with skepticism -- a way to get TV play for the ad, regardless -- but he says he wanted to show the media there was indeed an ad, which campaign adviser Ed Rollins said cost the campaign $30,000.

"The tone of the campaign has gotten out of control," Huckabee said.

Huckabee acknowledged that Romney's steady barrage of negative ads against him has hurt him in Iowa. But, he says, "the decision had to be made" to change the tone of the campaign.

December 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (51) | TrackBack (0)

No soup for you!

December 30, 2007 7:44 PM

In a sign that the Iowa Republican caucuses has taken a particularly dastardly turn, the campaign of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Sunday began comparing its chief rival in this state, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, to the most notorious of all fictional characters in modern pop culture -- George Costanza.

Referring to the 6th season episode of Seinfeld, "The Beard," in which Jerry is coached by George as to how he can beat a lie detector test (in order to maintain a claim that he had never watched "Melrose Place"), Huckabee's campaign said that the Romney standard for truth-telling is comparable to Costanza's memorable advice that closes this scene, from the February 9, 1995 episode:

JERRY: So George, how do I beat this lie detector?

GEORGE: I'm sorry, Jerry I can't help you.

JERRY: Come on, you've got the gift. You're the only one that can help me.

GEORGE: Jerry, I can't. It's like saying to Pavarotti, "Teach me to sing like you."

JERRY: All right, well I've got to go take this test. I can't believe I'm doing this.

GEORGE: Jerry, just remember. It's not a lie... if you believe it.

The Huckabee campaign then lists a litany of incidents of what it calls "Romney's pattern of economizing with the truth," including Romney's disputed assertion that he "saw" his father march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his faulting of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for failing "Reagan 101" for opposing President Bush's tax cuts -- when Romney at the time also said he didn't approve of the Bush tax cut proposals, yada yada yada.

Jason Alexander, who played Costanza, could not be reached to comment on what it's like to have his character compared to Mitt Romney.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

-- jpt

December 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (43) | TrackBack (0)

Trust Huckabee Goes After McCain

December 30, 2007 11:18 AM

The mysterious "Trust Huckabee" 527 has launched an anti-Romney ad in New Hampshire using past video of Mitt Romney talking about his former views in favor of abortion rights.

You can watch the ad here.

The ad also features a plug of a new attack website, "CannotTrustRomney.com," which features video clips of Romney making similar comments in favor of abortion rights.

Huckabee has disavowed the group "Trust Huckabee" which has conducted push-poll phone calls against his opponents.

Now the group threatens to tear at the alliance between Huckabee and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Right now Huckabee and McCain are praising each other and dissing Romney for launching attacks on them in, respectively, Iowa and New Hampshire.

But "CannotTrustRomney.com" also contains video of McCain discussing campaign finance reform and opposing the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage -- indicating they have their sights set on him as well.

-- jpt

December 30, 2007 in 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

The Passion of the Fred

December 30, 2007 10:36 AM

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn, accused some of my colleagues of "journalistic malpractice" just now on Fox News Sunday.

He's referring to coverage implying that Thompson said he's "not particularly interested in running for president," like this story.

As our awesome ABC News off-air reporter with the Thompson campaign advised us last night, and as Jim Geraghty at National Review points out that may not be the fairest characterization of Thompson's complete remarks.

The larger point Thompson seems to have been trying to make is that he's not interested in the process of running for president, but he wants to be president and thinks he'd be a good one.

He also said -- and this isn't new -- that those who have had fire-in-the-belly for the job aren't necessarily the people who should be entrusted with the job.

"I am not consumed by personal ambition," Thompson said. "I will not be devastated if I don't do it. I want the people to have the best president they can have…"

"I approach it from the standpoint of a deal," he said to a voter who wondered why he should caucus for Thompson, "of kind of a marriage. You know, if one side of the marriage has to be really talked into the marriage, you know, it's probably not going to be a very good deal for either one of them.

"But if you mutually think that this is a good thing — in this case, if you think this is a good thing for the country, the you have the opportunity to do some wonderful things together. I'm offering myself up. I'm saying that if I have the background, the capability and the concern to do this and I'm doing this for the right reasons.

"But I'm not particularly interested in running for president, but I think I'd make a good president. Nowadays, the process has become much more important than I think it used to be."

He went on to say, "if what people really want in their president is a super type A personality, someone who has gotten up every morning and gone to bed every night and been thinking about, for years how they can be president of the United States... someone who can look you straight in the eye and say they've enjoyed every minute of campaigning, I ain't that guy."

He concluded: "I've gone out of my way to be myself, because I don't want anybody to think they're getting something they're not getting. I'm not consumed by this process, I'm not consumed with the notion of being president. I'm simply saying I'm willing to do what's necessary to achieve it if I'm in sync with the people. And if the people want me, or somebody like me, I will do what I've always done with everything else in my life. I will take it on and do a good job."

That's Fred. Fred is Fred. He has disdain for the process. And I think probably most of us can understand why.

-- jpt

December 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (46) | TrackBack (0)

Was Obama Comparing Edwards Unfavorably to John Kerry?

December 30, 2007 8:32 AM

The Obama campaign says no, not at all, I'm way off base, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, has nothing but the deepest respect for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, the 2004 Democratic nominee.

And I'm sure behind the scenes all of the major Democrats -- Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC -- are trying to get Kerry's endorsement. He did win Iowa and New Hampshire, after all.

But listen to Obama's remarks Saturday about Edwards and see what you think.

In Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Obama talked about hypothetical match-ups between him and possible GOP nominees, and Clinton/Edwards with those nominees, arguing that these polls showed him as a stronger general election candidate.

Then he said, "we are less likely to win an election that starts off with half the country not wanting to vote for that candidate," clearly meaning Clinton.

"We are less likely also to win an election with somebody who had one set of positions four years ago and has almost entirely different positions four years later," Obama continued, speaking of Edwards. "We’ve been through that. It’s a problem and so if you are concerned with electability having somebody who has been consistent, who has opposed the war from the start so the opponent cant say he was for the war just like I was.Having someone who did not support NAFTA, did not support the China trade deal, did not support a banktruptcy bill that would make it tougher for people to make ends meet. That will give me the ability to go strong in the general election.  My intention is not just to have you elect a nominee, my intention is to have you elect a president."

Later Saturday in Keokuk, Obama said of Edwards, "Part of the problem that John would have in the general election is that the issues that he’s taking out now are not the issues or the things that he said four years ago, which always causes us problems in general elections."

To me that sounds like Obama is alluding to Democrats being less likely to win with a nominee who can be tarred as flip-flopping. Looking at a roster of Democratic nominees over the last 30 years -- Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Gore, Kerry -- I can only see one, Kerry, who was tarred as a flip-flopper.

Edwards, of course, was Kerry's vice presidential nominee.

The Obama folks say their man was talking about how President Bush campaigned as one thing as ended up being another. They point to a passage in his well-received Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in which he said: "We were promised compassionate conservatism and all we got was Katrina and wiretaps. We were promised a uniter, and we got a President who could not even lead the half of the country that voted for him. We were promised a more ethical and more efficient government, and instead we have a town called Washington that is more corrupt and more wasteful than it was before.”

I don't really see it.

To me, the subject Obama was addressing was who would be the best general election candidate. Seems pretty clear he was comparing Edwards unfavorably to Kerry.

And by the way -- it seems like a valid argument. Edwards, for all his strengths, does have a list of major issues he's changed his position on, and such is not really Obama's vulnerability.

But it's also risky to compare Edwards unfavorably to Kerry, who presumably still has some supporters here in Iowa.

But what do you think?

-- jpt

UPDATE: I understand some of you disagree with my take....so please explain to me whom Sen. Obama was talking about.

December 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (49) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday Night, Des Moines Embassy Suites

December 29, 2007 8:17 PM

Three stories for y'all...

HERE'S OUR WORLD NEWS REPORT rocking it out in Knoxville, Iowa, on the state of the race...

And here's some dot-com stuff...an interview with Rudy Giuliani from this morning in Clive, Iowa...

...and a look at a certain clause that didn't make the cut of Barack Obama's new TV ad.

--- jpt

December 29, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Edwards ascendant?

December 29, 2007 9:36 AM

Who knows, but it's a tight three-way race here.

We spent the day with Edwards...here's the VIDEO OF OUR NIGHTLINE REPORT...

Here's our World News piece...

And here's our dot-com look at the interview...

What do you think of Johnny Reid Edwards?

-- jpt

UPDATE: Hey Katerina -- his birth name is Johnny Reid Edwards. No disrespect intended. That's his name.

And JL...I have indeed referred to Mr. Obama by his full name, including the Hussein. Try checking out this new thing called "Google."

December 29, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

AFSCME's at it again

December 28, 2007 2:10 AM

The New York Sun's Josh Gerstein reports that the pro-Clinton union AFSCME has launched its anti-Obama website at http://dontleavemeout.com.

AFSCME has been in the news lately for distributing fliers in Iowa faulting Sen. Barack Obama's health care plan for leaving millions of Americans uninsured, which it would do since it does not contain individual mandates.

Sen. Hillary Clinton's plan does, though she won't say what the penalties would be for those who don't abide by them.

And, as we've pointed out before, AFSCME has opposed individual mandates in the past, making this issue, shall we say, rooted more in politics than policy.

- jpt

December 28, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

SEIU, Wouldn’t Want To Be You

December 27, 2007 1:08 PM

More questions are being raised today about the relationship between the presidential campaign of former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, and a third-party group supposed to completely independent from the campaign.

An October 8 e-mail distributed among members of Service Employee International Union local chapters -- obtained by ABC News (read it HERE) and first reported by today's New York Times  –- seemed to indicate that some officials of the Edwards campaign may have expected help from this third party group, Alliance for a New America, contrary to campaign law.

The Edwards campaign, noting that no one from its campaign is on the email, denied any coordination at all and said any indication to the contrary is "false and misleading."

Alliance for a New America is being run by Edwards' 2004 campaign manager, Nick Baldick, who was a senior campaign adviser until earlier this year.

By registering as a 527, the group does not have to register with or disclose information to the Federal Election Commission. The group is running hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of pro-Edwards TV ads in Iowa.

A little context is needed here.

All the Democratic candidates were competing for the endorsement of 1.9-million-member SEIU International, but no one was counting on the endorsement more than Edwards, who has trailed in fundraising behind Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Just days before, on September 28, Edwards had announced that he was going to apply for federal matching funds, which Edwards would accept in exchange for which he would have to abide by spending limits. He needed that SEIU endorsement and the union's help.

On Monday, October 8, however, SEIU national President Andy Stern announced that the national union would not endorse any candidate. "Given the importance of this election, we are encouraging members and leaders to act on their passion for the candidates and get involved on a statewide basis," Stern said in a statement.

That same day SEIU Local 775 president David Rolf from Washington state wrote to other local chapter president who support Edwards.

The email contained notes from an October 6 "SEIU for Edwards" meeting. In addition to setting up "a coordinated press strategy" to roll out local SEIU endorsements with the Edwards campaign, Rolf writes that he and Cathy Singer-Glasson, president of SEIU Local 199 in Coralville, Iowa, plan to "visit the Edwards operation in Iowa on Wednesday" October 10 in order to "discuss with the Edwards campaign what specific support they’d like to see form us, give our new state-based strategy."

The very next paragraph discusses forming "a serious 527 legal structure."

One question deals with what exactly these SEIU members discussed with the Edwards campaign in that Wednesday meeting. The e-mail in general seems to discuss a state-by-state strategy, which the 527 was a part of.

The Edwards campaign argued that the email indicates that the SEIU members were putting up a firewall.

It's "an internal SEIU email about internal SEIU discussions and has nothing to do with the Edwards campaign," said spokesman Eric Schultz. The email, he said, indicated that "SEIU officials were having two separate conversations – one with the Edwards campaign to discuss perfectly legal member-to-member activities and another one internally about their own activities –- to try and link the two conversations together is false and misleading."

Schultz said that “as soon as SEIU officials informed us, later on, that some of their staff would no longer able to communicate with us about the campaign, we immediately stopped all conversation with them, as we legally had to. We found out about the existence of this outside group the same way the public did and we stand by our strong position that 527’s should have no role in the political process.”

Another question – for the group, not for the Edwards campaign -- 527s are supposed to be to educate the public, not to elect or defeat any candidate. But the formation of this 527, at least according to this email, seems to be all about electing Edwards. Is there anything fishy there? A call to the group’s spokeswoman was not returned.

A previous radio ad from the group featured a nurse named Beth Junk, who is also a member of Edwards’ Iowa Children and Youth Cabinet: "For years, the insurance companies, drug companies and their Washington lobbyists have blocked reform," Junk said in the radio spot. “It’s time someone had a plan to take them on."

-- jpt

December 27, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

Rudy Changes The Subject

December 27, 2007 9:14 AM

Moving on from the subject of his health to yours, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will launch his first national TV ad tomorrow, an ad featuring TIME Magainze's 2001 Man of the Year discussing terrorism and invoking the Sept. 11 attacks.

You can watch the ad HERE or view our Good Morning America spot about Giuliani changing the subject HERE.   

The ad was cut and distributed to the morning TV shows before an explosion took the life of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Polls indicate that Republicans trust Giuliani to handle terrorism more than any other candidate -- even here in Iowa where Giuliani is in a four-way dead heat for third place.

"The Islamic terrorists would make a terrible mistake if they confuse our democracy for weakness," Giuliani says in the ad, in a close-up of his face interspersed with images of World War II, Iowa Jima, jesse Owens, and 9/11.. "Our democracy means we disagree with each other, but when you come and try and take away from us our freedom, when you try and come here and kill our people, we’re one and we’re going to stand up to you and we’re going to prevail."

The ad will run on Fox News Channel nationally, starting Friday, and on local TV in New Hampshire and South Carolina.  As of now it will not run in Iowa, where the caucuses will be held in seven days.

What say you?

-- jpt

December 27, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Hunting Huckabee

December 26, 2007 9:30 PM

We went out to Osceolo, Iowa, today where Mike Huckabee was hunting pheasant.

This Republican race gets curioser and curioser.

Watch the WEBCAST STORY HERE... or the World News version HERE...or read our DOT-COM STORY HERE.

What do you think about this GOP brawling?

-- jpt

December 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

'Amnesty' Push Polls Against Huckabee Tonight

December 26, 2007 6:36 PM

The conservative group opposing illegal immigration (and more moderate attempts to solve the problem), Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, is coming to Iowa tonight  to spread the word that Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and -- perhaps most important -- Mike Huckabee is, in the group's view, soft on this issue .

The group says as part of its media effort its leaders will be sending automated phone calls -- push polls, really -- to tens of thousands of Iowans that intend to spread the word that Huckabee has views on this subject that may not square with the average Iowa GOP voter.

You can listen to the call HERE .

The call is in the form of a poll, but it doesn't really seem designed to gather information as much as it is to spread it.

With ALIPAC, Mitt Romney, and the Club for Growth, Mr. Huckabee has a rocky 8 days ahead of him.

-- jpt

December 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (91) | TrackBack (0)

AFSCME, But That Doesn't Mean I'll Tell You

December 26, 2007 4:54 PM

Political Punch has gotten its hands on yet another Iowa mailer being sent by a pro-Clinton union that attacks Obama and makes it look like the attack is coming from Edwards.

You can see the mailer HERE.

The outside of the mailer has a "take a number" dispensary, and your number is "15,000,000."

Resembling a similar mailer sent by AFSCME, this flier says, "There are 15 million reasons why Barack Obama's health care plan is not up to the job ... John Edwards said that if we go with the Obama plan, 'as many as 15 million Americans would be without coverage.'"

The Obama campaign has taken issue with the claim that as many as 15 million Americans would go without health insurance under Obama's plan, an estimate from some non-partisan experts who say the number is largely due to the plan's lack of individual mandates.

But here's the rub -- AFSCME has long opposed individual mandates as well.

So, the mailing has nothing to do with the substance of the charge -- it has to do with defeating Obama and, one can only assume, making Edwards look bad in the process as well.

In a conference call set up by the Obama campaign last week, the executive director of the AFSCME chapter of Illinois, Henry Beyer, and a former official with the AFSCME chapter of Iowa, Carter Woodruff, pointed out the curious nature of the AFSCME mailing, since, as Beyer said, "we've always opposed individual mandates. Woodruff said the the mailer was a "desperate attempt to attack" Obama and "hypocritical."

The Clinton campaign said it had nothing to do with this mailer...or the previous one.

-- jpt

December 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Mitt Fits

December 26, 2007 10:23 AM

The New Hampshire Union Leader -- the biggest paper in the Granite State, where Mitt Romney and John McCain look to be neck and neck -- endorsed McCain a couple weeks ago.

But just in case Romney didn't get the message, they twist the knife in deeper today in an op-ed where they lambaste the former Massachusetts governor, saying New Hampshirites "can sense that the words are memorized, not heartfelt…the more Mitt Romney speaks, the less believable he becomes."

This follows Sunday's scathing Concord Monitor anti-endorsement, which called Romney a "phony."

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden's response to the Monitor dis was to note that the "Monitor's editorial board is regarded as a liberal one on many issues, so it is not surprising that they would criticize Governor

Romney for his conservative views and platform. Governor Romney has taken firm positions that are at odds with the board's support for drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, their position against school choice and their advocacy for taking 'Under God' out of the Pledge of Allegiance. The governor happens to disagree with the editorial board on all those issues, as do most Republicans in New Hampshire."

But the Union Leader is decidedly conservative….Will let you know what Madden's response is to today's dis, from the right.

-- jpt

UPDATE: Madden emails me back, writing, "Governor Romney is running for President as the 'full-spectrum conservative' in this race, as described by the editors of National Review, a widely respected conservative publication, in their published endorsement of him.

"Governor Romney has built a coalition of grassroots conservative support in. New Hampshire and across the country as a result of his advocacy for economic, social and national security policies that champion conservative Republican ideals.

"We respect the Union-Leader's right to voice their opinion, but the differences between Governor Romney and Senator McCain are clear. We disagree with Senator McCain's joining Democrats to vote against Republican plans for tax relief, his pro-amnesty immigration proposal with Senator Kennedy and his McCain-Feingold legislation which hurt conservative advocacy efforts."

December 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Crunch time

December 26, 2007 9:25 AM

Eight days until the Iowa caucus.

Eight candidates (as of now) with plausible paths to the White House.

Six of the eight fly to Iowa today -- Clinton, Edwards, Obama, Huckabee, McCain, and Thompson.

Second-tier candidates (poll-wise) abound and hope a strong finish here propels them to first tier status. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., for instance, has literally moved here. And Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, has money to burn.

Read more about it HERE or watch our GMA report HERE.

-- jpt

December 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Last-minute Xmas stories -- video

December 24, 2007 10:41 AM

'tis the day before Christmas...all the candidates have gone home...

So I sat down and wrote up this GMA poem.

*

Live from the frozen tundra of Des Moines, a Democratic fact check

*

And a live report from Council Bluffs on how candidates are sending out X-mas messages...and a state of the race.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year and best wishes for 2008!

-- jpt

December 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

More on That Anti-Romney Iowa TV ad

December 23, 2007 11:39 AM

As we reported on the blog yesterday, a group calling itself American Right to Life Action, is running TV ads against Mitt Romney here in Iowa on the Fox News Channel.

In Tuftonboro, N.H., Romney said about the ad, from ABC News' Matt Stuart, "I don't know who that is. I'd be interested to know who is really behind that group. I'm very proud that the Massachusetts Citizens for Life, which is the premier right-to-life group in Massachusetts, awarded me their leadership award. My record in being pro-life is very clear as the governor of Massachusetts and my guess is that there is some group that is pulling for another candidate and is trying to find some way to go after me and that is just the nature of politics."

Just got off the phone with Steve Curtis -- former chair of the Colorado Republican party -- who's the president of American Right to Life Action. He says the organization is not supporting any candidate, though his personal preference would be for Alan Keyes. He doesn't particularly like Mike Huckabee, either, he says. Or, obviously, Rudy Giuliani. He has no views of Fred Thompson other than he enjoyed his work on "Law & Order."

The group was formed in November during a summit in Denver with about 30 different anti-abortion leaders who are dissatisfied with the National Right to Life Committee. "Most of what they do isn't pro-life," Curtis says. He believes NRLC's push to pursue restrictions on abortion rights -- waiting periods, for example -- is a flawed policy.

"They're too political and not serious enough about the issue of abortion," Curtis says. "They support child-killing regulation bills." Curtis says "so long as the legislation ends with 'then you can kill a baby'" he thinks such restrictions are pro-abortion.

What does his group have against Mitt Romney? The former Massachusetts governor says he's changed his mind and now opposes abortion rights just like President Ronald Reagan and former Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill -- what's wrong with that explanation?

"The problem is he keeps changing back," Curtis says. "He flips and flops. What he says on the issue depends on where he's at and who he's talking to. We just flat-out don't believe the guy."

Curtis says the anti-Romney ad ran 192 times here on Fox News Channel in Iowa, at a cost of $12,000. They may triple that ad buy.

-- jpt

December 23, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)

When 527s Attack

December 22, 2007 9:24 PM

A look at the controversy at abcnews.com and on World News Saturday...

Brrrrr!

-- jpt

December 22, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Anti-Romney 527 Launches TV Ad

December 22, 2007 11:33 AM

American Right to Life Action -- a 527 group that believes National Right to Life Committee is too soft, and describes itself as existing "to provide leadership in the fight to advocate enforcement of God's enduring command, Do not murder (Luke 18:20)" -- announced this week it has started running a TV ad against Mitt Romney on the Fox News Channel in Iowa.

The ad can be viewed HERE or HERE.

The script reads:

Once upon a time there was a man named Mitt who said a very bad thing:

Romney: "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country"

Then he thought of campaigning in Utah and said something different. "I am NOT pro-choice!"

But when he came back to liberal Massachusetts:

Romney: "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose."

Then in 2004 he magically became pro-life, but only six months later:

Romney: "I am absolutely committed to my promise to maintain the status quo with regards to law related to abortion and choice."

The spell must have worn off.

Now he's on the campaign trail again, and he's back to being pro-life.

Romney: "I was pro-choice; I'm pro-life." ... "I changed my position" ... "I never said I was pro-choice."

Narrator: BR: Mitt Romney, willing to sacrifice children, lying for your vote.

Paid for by American Right-to-Life Action.

Kevin Madden, Romney campaign spokesman, says in response: "Governor Romney is firmly pro-life and he believes that the Republican Party must be a party that stands up for and protects the sanctity of life.   Like Ronald Reagan before him, Governor Romney has changed on the issue, but he has changed in the right direction. He will not apologize for being pro-life and he is grateful for those advocates of the pro-life movement who have welcomed him and support his pro-life position.   The pro-life movement is successful when it works to change hearts and minds. "

-- jpt

December 22, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

Mitt v Mike

December 21, 2007 9:50 PM

Going at it in Iowa like scorpions in a bottle. Read more HERE.

-- jpt

December 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Does Hillary Have a More Conservative Position on Illegal Immigration than Rudy?

December 21, 2007 4:26 PM

Giuliani's position on illegal immigration, as best I can discern from his statements and talking to his campaign:

1. Fence -- "We should do it by having a fence, a technological fence, as well as a physical fence, but the technological fence is more important. It should be used to alert the Border Patrol of the people coming to the border, and we should stop people from coming in." (Dec. 9 debate)

2. Tamper-proof ID card -- "Then we should have a tamper-proof ID card that everybody can get who wants to come into the United States legally.  We should accomplish that. When we accomplish that, when we have control of our borders, when we preserve the legality of immigration, we can then turn to the people that are here.  We can have them get the tamper-proof ID card." (Dec 9 debate)

3. Registration -- "The people that come forward can sign up."  (Dec. 9 debate)

4. Taxes -- "They can pay taxes, and then the people who don't are the people who are really the cause of concern."  (Dec. 9 debate)

5. Expel those who aren't cooperating -- "Those people should be expelled from the United States if they don't already leave." (Dec. 9 debate)

6. Expel criminals -- He often says any criminals (other than the criminality of being in the country illegally) need to be expelled immediately.

7. Fine -- "They should have to pay a penalty, because there should not be amnesty. It's a civil wrong. Civil wrongs are compensated by paying penalties." (March 23 interview with ABC News' Teddy Davis.)

8. Back taxes -- "They should pay the back taxes." (March 23 interview)

9. Learn -- "And if you ultimately find a way to make them citizens, then there should be a very, very strong requirement that they speak English, read English, write English, and understand American history." (March 23 interview)

Clinton's plan as she described last night:

1. Fence -- "I think we've got to fix our borders. I've been voting for that and saying that for several years. We have to have a tougher border security program, we have to have more technology and personnel along the boarder. We have to know who is coming into our country and keep track of them and keep out people who shouldn't be coming in."

2. Punish employers -- "Secondly, people would not come to this county if they didn't think there would be a job waiting for them. So our employers have to have much tougher penalties and sanctions if they employ people who are here illegally. Because the only way we will convince people not to come is if they know it will be very, very hard to get a job and I think we've got to increase the fines and the sanctions so that it really does cost employers a lot if they hire people who don't have the proper documentation."

3. Improve the situation South of the Border -- "When I'm president I'm going to see what I can do to get all of those countries to our South, all the leaders to create more jobs for their people – people would not leave their families, they would not leave their villages if they thought they had a decent shot at a better life…"

4. Registration -- "I think we have to tell these folks to come out of the shadows and register every single one of them."

5. Expulsion -- "If they committed a crime in the country they came from or in this country we have to deport them immediately, no questions asked, no legal process – you put them on a plane you send 'em back to where they came from. "

6. Back-taxes -- "You have to pay back taxes and I mean all back taxes"

7. Fine -- "You have to pay a fine."

8. Learn -- "You have to try to learn English."

9. Wait -- "You have to wait in line, and you may have to wait in line for 10, 12, 15 years."

10. Keep Your Nose Clean -- "You have to stay out of trouble."

11. Contribute to Society -- "You have to be productive."

"And at the end of that period you could be eligible to be a citizen."

Even if Giuliani's proposal has the tamper-proof ID card, to me it sounds like Clinton's position is more conservative than Giuliani's in that citizenship comes later, employers are punished, the illegal immigrants have to go to the back of the line and wait an extensive period of time, stay out of trouble, and be productive.

Hmmm.

-- jpt

December 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

Tucker + Ron Paul = Bliss

December 21, 2007 3:13 PM

If you read one political story today, let it be Tucker Carlson's on-the-road journey with Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, at The New Republic.

I agree with Andrew, I forgot how good a writer Tucker is, too.

-- jpt

December 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Quiz Answer

December 21, 2007 1:53 PM

The candidate who made the below proposal on illegal immigration yesterday is Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY.

Thanks to ABC News' Eloise Harper for transcribing the quote.

Now … fun Friday activity …compare and contrast with Clinton's answers during the Univision debate.

-- jpt

December 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Quiz: Talking Tuff on Illegal Immigration

December 21, 2007 10:06 AM

Former White House advisers -- Matthew Dowd who worked for President Bush, and Lanny Davis who worked for President Clinton -- talked with us about how Rudy Giuliani is handling his health care crisis. Read more about that HERE.

Yesterday here in Iowa a woman whose daughter had been killed by an illegal immigrant driving drunk asked a presidential candidate about the issue.

The candidate's response was quite interesting, complete with a push that rounding up 12-to-14 million illegals and deporting them "sounds good" but would be difficult to implement.

"Here's what I would do," said the candidate, "I think we've got to fix our borders. I've been voting for that and saying that for several years. We have to have a tougher border security program, we have to have more technology and personnel along the boarder. We have to know who is coming into our country and keep track of them and keep out people who shouldn't be coming in."

The candidate continued: "Secondly, people would not come to this county if they didn't think there would be a job waiting for them. So our employers have to have much tougher penalties and sanctions if they employ people who are here illegally. Because the only way we will convince people not to come is if they know it will be very, very hard to get a job and I think we've got to increase the fines and the sanctions so that it really does cost employers a lot if they hire people who don't have the proper documentation.   

"Thirdly, you know, there are lots of problems that communities like Tipton have to end up paying for because the federal government has failed --education costs and health care costs and law enforcement costs. So I think the federal government, its their failure, for the costs of illegal immigration.

"Number four, when I'm president I'm going to see what I can do to get all of those countries to our South, all the leaders to create more jobs for their people – people would not leave their families, they would not leave their villages if they thought they had a decent shot at a better life...

"But finally -- and this is the big problem everybody gets all tangled up with -- what do we do with the people who are already here? We have estimates from 12-to-14 million people who are here illegally...

"Now, some people say, 'OK round everybody up and deport them.' That sounds really good. I hear that on TV, I hear it on the radio. But let me ask you how that actually works. You see, I don't want to tell you something that sounds good and then have you wake up later and say, 'Wait a minute --nobody said it was going to cost that much or be that hard.'

"The best estimates I have are that if we even tried to round up 12-to-14 million people it would cost at least 200 billion dollars, it would take tens of thousands of new federal law enforcement officials. It would take a convoy of 200,000 buses stretching 1,700 miles and it would take a lot of invasion of your privacy rights. Because if we were serious about rounding everybody up and they would have to knock on every door of every business and every home throughout  Iowa and throughout America. I think Americans would stand for that for about a nanosecond."

Continued the candidate: "I think we have to tell these folks to come out of the shadows and register every single one of them. If they committed a crime in the country they came from or in this country we have to deport them immediately, no questions asked, no legal process – you  put them on a plane you send 'em back to where they came from. "

But, the candidate continued, "if they have been here working, if they have not gotten into trouble, then I think we have to be really hard and say, 'Look you came here illegally and here's what you have to do if you expect to stay. …You have to pay back taxes and I mean all back taxes,...you have to pay a fine, you have to try to learn English, and you have to wait in line, and you may have to wait in line for 10, 12, 15 years. You have to stay out of trouble. You have to be productive. And at the end of that period you could be eligible to be a citizen."

So take a guess? Who was this candidate? Answer will be posted later today.

-- jpt

December 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (20) | TrackBack (0)

How to deal with a crisis

December 21, 2007 10:04 AM

Former presidential advisers weigh in on how Giuliani is handling his health crisis -- WATCH THE FREE VIDEO HERE.

-- jpt

December 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Huck-a-spears

December 20, 2007 11:24 PM

"It's a tragedy when a sixteen year old who is not really prepared for all the responsibilities of adult life is gonna now be faced with responsibilities of honest to goodness adult life," said Iowa GOP frontrunner, former Arkansas Governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee.

He was talking about Britney Spears' younger pregnant sister Jamie Lynn.

"I respect that apparently she's going have the child," Huckabee continued, per ABC News' Kevin Chupka. "I think that's the right decision, a good decision and I respect that and appreciate that.  I hope its not an encouragement to other 16 year olds to think that that's the best course of action."

Concluded Huckabee about the star of Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101," "At the same time I'm not going to condemn her -- there will be plenty of people in line to do that and I'm looking for the shortest lines," he said. "I just hope that she will make another right decision and that is to give that child all the love and care and kindness that she can."

MTV, meanwhile, wonders if this unborn child's conception was legal, given boyfriend Casey Aldridge's advanced age (he might be as old as 19).

-- jpt

December 20, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (52) | TrackBack (0)

round up

December 20, 2007 10:47 PM

A holy war in Iowa....

Hillary prepares to attack Obama on the web...

Is Obama returning the favor?...

Rudy is rushed to the ER but information as to why is not forthcoming...

-- jpt

December 20, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Dropping Oppo, Part 6

December 20, 2007 11:10 AM

Our report on the Mike Huckabee/Mitt Romney Iowa Holy War can be viewed HERE and read more about it HERE and HERE.

Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign has bought some domain names for websites to be used to attack her challenger, Sen. Barack Obama. Read more about that HERE.

In addition, Political Punch has obtained a new Romney mailer for New Hampshire voters, one focusing on illegal immigration and attacking three of his GOP rivals, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Read it HERE. 

With well-produced graphics resembling a Passport, the mailer reads "ONLY ONE CANDIDATE HAS A DETAILED PLAN TO STAMP OUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION," an iffy claim at best since most of the candidates in the GOP race have detailed plans, especially McCain who led the charge for the ill-fated immigration reform bill.

Romney, the mailer says, believes in "No amnesty or special pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants" as well as "No benefits" for undocumented workers, as evidenced by Romney's having "Vetoed tuition breaks for and opposed plans to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants."

By contrast, the mailer says that Huckabee "Supported a free pass" by backing "a special pathway to citizenship" and "Supported benefits" for illegal immigrants having, as governor, "supported using tax dollars to aid illegal immigrants, including scholarships and in-state tuition."

Romney's reference to Huckabee supporting a pathway to citizenship is based on remarks Huckabee made in May 2006, not on the immigration reform proposal Huckabee introduced this month that requires a more arduous process for undocumented workers to become citizens. As governor, Huckabee did support in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, as well as making them eligible for merit scholarships.

The mailer says that McCain as well "Supported a special pathway to citizenship" and supported benefits, the mailer charges, having "Voted to allow illegal immigrants to collect Social Security benefits."

The mailer quotes from a National Review op-ed describing McCain as "pro-amnesty," a charge with which the Arizonan disagrees and one not supported by any legislation or proposals McCain has introduced. The vote on Social Security benefits dealt with a vote in May 2006 on whether or not current law -- which allows illegal immigrants who eventually become documented workers to receive credit for future Social Security benefits  -- should remain. Romney's description of it seems a mischaracterization, since by the time these workers collect Social Security benefits they are no longer illegal immigrants.

Giuliani, the mailer charges, "Protected illegal immigrants" by supporting the establishment of a "zone of protection" for them, and "supported policies that gave in-state tuition to illegal immigrants."

As Mayor of New York in 1996, Giuliani did in fact push for a "zone of protection" for illegal immigrants in a speech, and while he inherited policies allowing undocumented immigrants tuition to New York City's public colleges, he reaffirmed them as mayor.

The mailer is decorated with stamps reading "ACCESS GRANTED" and "BENEFITS PERMITTED" for Romney's three rivals, while Romney's "passport" is stamped with "AMNESTY DENIED" and "BENEFITS REFUSED."

What say you?

-- jpt

December 20, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Hucka-boom-BOOM

December 19, 2007 11:16 PM

More on the fight between Huckabee and Romney in Iowa HERE.

--jpt

December 19, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Is It Sexist to Discuss Hillary’s Wrinkles?

December 19, 2007 10:30 AM

Prompted by an unflattering photo of the 61-year-old senator that appeared on Drudge, commentators are discussing not only how Sen. Hillary Clinton looks in that shot (you can view it HERE), but whether the discussion is sexist or appropriate at all.

Rush Limbaugh started much of this conversation, saying “Americans are addicted to physical perfection, thanks to Hollywood and thanks to television.  …There is this thing in this country that, as you age -- and this is particularly, you know, women are hardest hit on this, and particularly in Hollywood -- America loses interest in you, and we know this is true because we constantly hear from aging actresses, who lament that they can't get decent roles anymore, other than in supporting roles that will not lead to any direct impact, yay or nay, in the box office.”

Noting that “the presidency ages the occupants of that office rapidly," Limbaugh asked, "Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?  And that woman, by the way, is not going to want to look like she's getting older, because it will impact poll numbers. It will impact perceptions.”

Maureen Dowd discussed this in her New York Times column today as well, calling it “Hillary’s latest hurdle: the Old Hag routine.”

Said Dowd: “When men want to put down a powerful woman in a sexist way, they will say she’s a hag or a nag or a witch or angry or hysterical…. some conservative pundits who disagree with a woman on matters of policy jump straight into an attack on the woman’s looks or personal life….

“Women are still scrutinized more critically on their looks, which seem to fluctuate more on camera, depending on lighting, bloating and wardrobe.”

On the CBS Early Show, Meg Oliver referred to this as a “question of sexism in politics.”

MSNBC’s David Shuster referred to “some rumblings that certainly the stuff on the Drudge Report and the stuff that Rush Limbaugh's been saying, is totally over the line, is sort of generating some sympathy” for Clinton.

On The View, Barbara Walters noted that “ there was a woman named Margaret Thatcher -- remember her? -- British prime minister? Came in at 53, left at 65.  Golda Meir? I mean, hardly a sex symbol -- took office at 71, left at 76, came back again, and then Indira Gandhi, how she took office at 48, left at 59, took office again at 62.”

Clinton in person looks loads better than that photograph, but Limbaugh's point seemed to me to be that this is a sexist culture that judges women more harshly on their looks as they age, and he wondered how that would impact Clinton's run. Honestly it hadn't occurred to me until now…

What do you think?

-- jpt

December 19, 2007 in 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (25) | TrackBack (0)

'When Fascism Comes to This Country, It Will Be Wrapped in the Flag Carrying a Cross'

December 19, 2007 8:48 AM

Greetings from Des Moines!

Last night on World News we took a look at Rudy Giuliani's absence from these early states. Read about it HERE or watch our report HERE.

In other news...

Asked what he thought about Mike Huckabee's Christmas message TV ad in which he invokes Christ and a bookshelf behind him forms a cross, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, told Fox & Friends "I haven't thought about it completely but, you know, it reminds me of what Sinclair Lewis once said. He said, 'When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag carrying a cross.' Well, I don't know whether that's a fair assessment or not, but you wonder about using a cross like he is the only Christian or implying that subtly. So, I don't think I would ever use anything like that."

Giuliani, on the other hand, has made a Christmas message web video ad of his own, in which he spoofs Huckabee a touch, saying because he's so busy campaigning he's getting everybody the same gift. "A safe America, lower taxes, secure borders, job growth, fiscal discipline, strict constructionist judges, and probably, I don’t know, a fruitcake or something."

What do you think of Paul's reaction? Rudy's ad?

-- jpt

December 19, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (36) | TrackBack (0)

ABC News and Facebook

December 18, 2007 9:48 AM

Learn more about this partnership by watching the free video HERE from today's GMA.

- jpt

December 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The Latest Attacks -- Dropping Oppo, part 4

December 17, 2007 11:06 PM

Two weeks and three days until the Iowa caucus … and the hits just keep on comin'….

1) WHEN CLINTONS ATTACK

AP is reporting that Team Clinton is preparing television ads in New Hampshire, criticizing Sen. Barack Obama's health care plan.

This follows Clinton's anti-Obama literature mailer.

2) CLINTON OFFENDED BY OBAMA MAILER?

Obama's campaign has started distributing mail in New Hampshire in which he pushes back against that Clinton mailer characterizing his health care plan as one born from weakness and GOP talking points.

ABC News has obtained the Obama mailer 

The Clinton campaign is characterizing the mailing on its Web site as "attacking Hillary on health care, and falsely claiming that his health care plan covers everyone."

It's quite a stretch to say the Obama mailer attacks anyone. It does not. It decries "misleading attacks (that) may be textbook Washington, but they're exactly what stops us from ever solving the problem." And that's a veiled reference to Clinton. But that's about it. Pretty tame.

The Obama mailer does make some questionable claims. It implies that his plan would "provide health care for every American," when non-partisan experts say it clearly would not, since, unlike Clinton's plan, it contains no individual mandates. (Clinton, for her part, has not said how she would penalize those who fail to observe the mandate.)

The Clinton campaign accuses Obama of claiming "that Hillary previously praised Obama's plan." Actually, what Obama said was that Clinton had praised Obama.

"Slipping in the polls, CLINTON IS NOW ATTACKING OBAMA," Obama's mailer says. "A few months ago, HILLARY CLINTON PRAISED OBAMA, saying, of all the Democrats, 'We are all in favor of universal health care.' "

That's hardly praising Obama, or his plan.

But to call this an "attack" piece - especially from a campaign engaging in some real gutter politics as of late - requires "a willing suspension of disbelief," as Clinton once said of Gen. David Petraeus.

3) REID OFFENDED BY MCCAIN RADIO AD?

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., released a new radio ad in South Carolina (Listen Here) where the announcer introduces Iraq war- and McCain-supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., by saying "Seven months ago, Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid said the war in Iraq was lost. Well, he was wrong."

In response, this evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., issued a statement, saying, "While I understand that Sen. McCain is doing everything he can to breathe life into his presidential campaign, these kinds of attacks – and his consistent support of a failed strategy that has kept our troops mired in an endless civil war – will only further undermine his credibility with voters. Democrats have given the troops a pay raise, increased funding for veterans, and most importantly, have fought to give our soldiers what they deserve – a strategy for success. We will continue to challenge Bush Republicans like Sen. McCain, who push a failed war strategy that makes us less secure at home and weakens us abroad."

It's pretty spurious to claim that McCain was attacking Reid in his ad. He wasn't.

He was just stating a fact. In April, Reid said, "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week."

4) OBAMA SUPPORTERS OFFENDED BY KERREY?

Clinton supporter and former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb. - on the heels of comments he made Sunday, in which he raised Obama's Muslim roots - appeared on CNN today and referred to the "secular madrassa" where Obama was educated.

"I've told Barack Obama when I've met with him. It's something th