News politics 2008-06-13 Andanh.com

3 education groups back Beshear pension effort Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:02 EDT
Three Kentucky education groups are backing Gov. Steve Beshear's plan for a special legislative session later this month on public employee pension reform.

In a joint announcement Tuesday, the Kentucky Association of School Administrators, the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents and the Kentucky School Boards Association supported the Democratic governor's proposal to begin to overhaul the state's retirement systems in a possible session to begin June 23.

"This endorsement followed assurances by the governor's office that an issue of paramount importance to local school leaders -- any changes in the retirement system in which classified school employees participate -- will be thoroughly studied for action at a future time and will not be part of the proposed special session this month," the groups said in a statement.

The groups said their endorsement is also contingent on having "a place at the table -- which has not been the case so far."

The three groups are calling for:

McCain defends position on Florida measures Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:50 EDT
Republican John McCain was confronted Thursday about why he opposed an Everglades restoration measure that had broad support from Florida officials, including Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and GOP Sen. Mel Martinez.

McCain also drew criticism from Democratic rival Barack Obama for opposing another Florida priority, a national hurricane insurance fund.

Both issues are meaningful to Florida, a hotly contested state in presidential races because of its rich trove of electoral votes. In both instances, McCain sided against Florida officials and with President Bush, while Obama went the other way.

McCain said he couldn't support the Everglades measure because it was part of a massive, pork-barrel spending bill last year. The Arizona senator is a crusader against wasteful spending, a cause that helped push him to national prominence.

But he said he would have supported the measure on its own. He planned a boat tour Friday of the Everglades, the largest wetlands in North America and a fragile ecosystem with three dozen threatened or protected species. Its restoration is a politically charged issue in Florida.

People who might complicate Obama's campaign Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:10 EDT
Who's Tony Rezko? William Ayers? Few Americans know, but they probably will by Election Day.

Rezko is a Chicago businessman, convicted of more than a dozen charges this week. Ayers is a professor - and former member of the radical Weather Underground. Both have ties to Barack Obama and may well show up in anti-Obama ads you'll be seeing before long.

These days, presidential candidates can expect to have every personal relationship, new or ancient, inspected like a crime scene on "CSI." Then, if there's political hay to be made, a version of the details is quickly out.

Republican John McCain has his own potential problem people whom Democrats may try to exploit. In some cases, they have been for years.

For example, there's Charles Keating Jr., a wealthy savings and loan executive from Arizona who was the focus of a congressional ethics investigation in which McCain was ensnared in the 1980s. Rick Davis and Charlie Black, two men in the inner circle of McCain's campaign, are former lobbyists - hardly a crime but still fodder for critics who want to undermine McCain's self-portrayal as a senator fighting to lessen big money's influence on politics.

Obama revels in new status as presumed nominee Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:09 EDT
Barack Obama reveled Thursday in his newfound status as the likely Democratic nominee and signaled that Republicans face a fierce fight over Virginia this fall, a state long-held by the GOP.

"I'm proud of America for giving me this opportunity, but we've still got work to do," the Illinois senator told a crowd in this southeastern city of about a 20,000 on the Tennessee border.

Obama held two events in the Southern state where Democrats sense opportunity this year after several years of the party's inroads fueled by the population-swelling, liberal-to-moderate northern swath of the state.

The last time Democrats won Virginia in a presidential election was 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson was the nominee. George W. Bush comfortably won the state twice, but he lost the northern part to Democrat John Kerry four years ago. Voters there were critical in helping Democrats retain the governor's mansion in 2005 and seize a GOP-held Senate seat in 2006 that gave Democrats control of Congress.

Two top Democrats who have been mentioned as possible vice presidential candidates - Gov. Tim Kaine and Sen. Jim Webb - as well as Mark Warner, a former governor running for an open Senate seat, campaigned with Obama at an outdoor rally in the northern Virginia town of Bristow.

General election competitive states Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:46 EDT
An Associated Press analysis of the 50 states and the percentage-point margins of victory in the 2004 race between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Electoral votes are in parentheses.

BATTLEGROUNDS:

-Colorado (9): Bush by 5. Population growth and Hispanic voters give Democrats hope.

-Florida (27): Bush by 5. Always a hard-fought state given its large cache of votes.

-Iowa (7): Bush by 1. High Democratic priority.

Obama, McCain work to expand battlefield Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:27 EDT
Democrat Barack Obama hopes Virginia, a former GOP stronghold with a legacy of slavery and segregation, is fertile ground as he seeks to crack the Republican bastion of the South and become the first black president.

Republican John McCain won't yield there or elsewhere, setting up potential showdowns unseen in decades in certain states.

Virginia, where Democrats taste opportunity and Republicans play defense, is a prominent example of how the Electoral College map - and the fight to reach the requisite 270 votes for victory - has the potential to change from elections past as Obama and McCain square off over the next five months.

Both candidates argue that they appeal across the political spectrum and can expand the electoral playing field by making more states competitive than in previous elections. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, hopes to rally black voters in Republican-held Southern states, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina among them. McCain, the four-term Arizona senator, wants to fight for Democratic-held coastal states, including Maine, Washington and, perhaps, California.

The reality: If the election is as close as Republicans and Democrats alike expect, the competition will play out primarily in 14 states.

For Obama, the pros and cons of picking Clinton Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:46 EDT
Memo to Barack Obama: Now that you've named three people to help you pick a running mate, they surely will list the pros and cons of Hillary Rodham Clinton. And no doubt some kibitzers will do the same without your encouragement.

We happily fall into the second category, so we asked an array of political insiders, from all persuasions and parties, to offer their thoughts. Herewith, free of charge, is a summary of their responses.

Pro: She helps with white, working-class voters. They abandoned you in droves in key states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. Although they lean Democratic, many are threatening to stay home or vote for John McCain in November. Clinton appeals strongly to them, and she might help you keep Michigan and Pennsylvania in the Democratic column (from 2004) while boosting your chances to grab Ohio, Missouri and Florida.

Con: She undermines your core message. Your campaign theme from Day One was "Change." You made it clear you weren't referring only to the Bush administration but to a longer legacy of partisan warfare and endless score-settling in Washington. That reads "Clinton administration." Choosing Hillary Clinton may be a smart conventional move, but it smacks of predictable, old-school politics and it summons the ghosts of the divisive 1990s.

Pro: She has enough experience and political heft to convince voters she could be president at a moment's notice, the "threshold question" for a vice president.

And who would be in charge of Bill? Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Picture a cozy weekend at Camp David for President Obama, Vice President Hillary Rodham Clinton and their lively spouses.

They'd talk policy and politics in the confines of the rustic retreat. After the long campaign and all the bruised feelings, Michelle Obama could finally reach out to Bill Clinton, as she recently said she's been wanting to do.

To be exact, she said: "I want to rip his eyes out."

Then added: "Kidding."

They could bring along Obama's national security adviser, let's say Samantha Power. She's the foreign-policy specialist who had to leave the Obama campaign after calling Hillary Clinton a "monster."

Obama, McCain teams plan town hall meetings Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
John McCain asked Barack Obama to join him in 10 town hall meetings with voters in the coming months, and their campaigns began negotiations to make it happen.

McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, made the request Wednesday, the day after Obama clinched the Democratic nomination.

"We need to now sit down and work out a way that we can have these town hall meetings and have a great debate," McCain told reporters in Baton Rouge.

Campaign managers for the two sides later spoke by phone and agreed in spirit to participate in joint town hall appearances, McCain's campaign said.

"They both expressed a commitment to raising the level of dialogue, and they will be in close contact as we work together to make this idea a reality," said McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker.

Guessing game: Who will be the next Democratic vice presidential candidate? Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:04 EDT

The short list isn't so short. Democrat Barack Obama says when he's ready to talk vice presidents, he'll talk. He's met with a few candidates already. The presumed Democratic nominee has a committee of three, including Caroline Kennedy looking into the candidates. Here are some of those possibilities (in alphabetical order):

Evan Bayh: The junior senator from Indiana, Bayh comes from a political family.
His father, Birch Bayh, held the same position his son now holds, more than a quarter century ago.
Following law school, Bayh went to clerk for a federal judge. He took a break before he entered politics to practice law with a private firm.
From there, Bayh won his first state level election for Indiana.s Secretary of State.
He then ran twice successfully for the office of governor.
Bayh serves on the following committees: Banking, Housing and Urban; Armed Services; Select Committee on Intelligence; Special Committee on Aging and Small Business.
Bayh, a Clinton supporter, is a possibility for the VP slot.

Clinton will endorse Obama Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will endorse Sen. Barack Obama on Friday, bringing a close to her 17-month campaign for the White House, aides said. Her decision came after Democrats urged her Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to coalesce around Obama.

Clinton's aides said she would "express her support for Sen. Obama and party unity" at an event in Washington, D.C., that day. One adviser said that Clinton would concede defeat, congratulate Obama and proclaim him the party's nominee, while pledging to do what was needed to assure his victory.

A campaign official said Clinton has decided to keep her options open to retain her delegates and promote her issue agenda.

Her decision came after a day of conversations with supporters on Capitol Hill about her future now that Obama had clinched the nomination. Clinton had, in a speech after Tuesday night's primaries, suggested she wanted to wait before deciding about her future. But in conversations throughout the day Wednesday, her aides said, she was urged to step aside.

"We pledged to support her to the end," Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., who has been a patron of Clinton since she first ran for the Senate, said in an interview. "Our problem is not being able to determine when the hell the end is."

Capitol offices project shelved Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Facing criticism from lawmakers in his own party, Republican State Senate President David Williams indefinitely shelved a planned $448,997 renovation of an office suite for legislators on Wednesday, citing the "present financial constraints" in state government.

In a letter, the Burkesville Republican instructed Legislative Research Commission Director Robert Sherman "to take those steps necessary" to put off the planned remodeling of the Senate offices on the second floor of the state Capitol Annex office building.

The Herald-Leader first reported last week that the Senate office suites were slated to get additional meeting rooms with kitchens, a press conference area and a Senate lounge, as well as receive new electronics and appliances. The proposed new digs set off a storm of criticism from advocates of social service programs facing severe budget cuts.

At the time, Williams dismissed the criticism and denied any suggestion that budget cuts are inflicting real pain.

"We're in relatively good shape with our state budget, compared to what some other state governments are going through," Williams said last week. Regarding the Health and Family Services Cabinet and the Justice Cabinet, both of which are reporting sweeping program cuts, he said, "You're talking about people who you couldn't print enough money for. I don't accept the premise that they're cutting anything to the bone."

Clinton's exit a preoccupation for reporters Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:40 EDT
Now that Hillary Clinton has ended her bid for the presidency, political journalists are suddenly deprived of one of their favorite stories: When is she going to drop out?

A study shows the only campaign topics that got more attention the past two months were Barack Obama's talkative former minister, the Pennsylvania primary and the fallout from President Bush's remarks about appeasement while in Israel.

More time was spent talking about when Clinton might call it quits than about how the candidates might deal with the war in Iraq, the high price of gasoline, home foreclosures or the sputtering economy. Or about anything that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain said or did during April and May, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's analysis of political coverage in newspapers, on Internet sites and on television news.

This doesn't even count the frenzied days after the Iowa caucuses in January, when there was so much media discussion about whether Clinton's campaign would end if she didn't win in New Hampshire that many experts believe a backlash against it was a factor in her victory.

The coverage embittered the Clinton campaign and, in the eyes of one veteran journalist, should provoke some soul-searching.

No summer break for McCain, Obama Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:40 EDT
While many people will work on their tans this summer, or on summer reading lists or on not working too hard, two exceptions - John McCain and Barack Obama - and their underlings will be working.

Working industriously on an election that only one can win.

With 11 weeks to the start of the Democratic convention - and the GOP event just days later - Republican McCain and Democrat Obama will be focused on strategy, fundraising, shoring up weak spots and exploiting opportunities to prepare themselves for the sprint to Nov. 4.

Here's what they'll be worrying about:

Shrinking the electoral map.

Both parties duck on immigration Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:43 EDT
The tricky politics of immigration, an issue once seen as a driving force of the 2008 election, have relegated it to a back but hot burner in the presidential campaign debate and paralyzed Congress on the topic.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama support giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, a position that strategists see as crucial to winning over Hispanics. But Republican and Democratic candidates are also wary of alienating white conservatives and blacks who oppose granting legal status or benefits to people who broke the law to come to the United States.

The searing rhetoric from opponents who brand that idea as "amnesty" has made the topic virtually untouchable, according to strategists and lawmakers.

"Politicians from both parties are caught between Lou Dobbs voters and Latino voters. Presidential candidates will avoid this issue - both of them - and when they can't avoid it, they'll straddle," said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a coalition pushing for an immigration overhaul. "It doesn't pay as an electoral issue."

The high-profile Dobbs is a CNN host who has used his early evening show as a platform to protest illegal immigration.

Obama family joins neighbors for a lake shore bicycle ride Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:40 EDT
Barack Obama joined family and neighbors for a bicycle ride along the shores of Lake Michigan on Sunday.

Obama, who last week claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, capped his victory with a quiet, long weekend at home in Chicago.

The Illinois senator and his wife, Michelle, rode to a neighbor's house with their daughters, Malia and Sasha, on Sunday and the group then headed out for the ride along the scenic lake shore. But the outing was cut short by a downpour.

Obama's brief respite from the campaign was scheduled to end Monday with a speech in Raleigh, N.C., and an evening fundraiser in St. Louis. The speech will launch a two-week tour of the country focused on economic issues.

Presidential election mostly will be about Obama Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:58 EDT
The presidential election will be about many things. Mostly, it will be about Barack Obama.

Millions of Americans are ready for change. But many aren't comfortable with the man who's calling for it, at least not yet.

Obama's ability to reach a comfort threshold with large numbers of those voters - backers of the defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton among them - will have a huge impact on whether he defeats Republican John McCain in November.

Both candidates know this full well.

Speaking on the "NBC Nightly News" last week, Obama said that the Republicans want "to paint me as a very risky choice as President, partly around national security, but partly around cultural issues and, you know, he's got a funny name. And we don't know where he's coming from. ... I think that's going to be the race they run."

McCain's free ride over, but he worked hard to exploit it Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:53 EDT
For nearly three months now, as Democrats quibbled and quarreled in their quest for a presidential nominee, Republican John McCain had a luxury rare in politics: time.

Time to unite a party often suspicious of him, to sketch a vision for the country, to hone attacks on Democrats, to raise money. Time, in short, to prepare for a general election campaign free from intramural squabbling in his own ranks as the rivalry between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton preoccupied the enemy.

Now, with Democrats set to nominate Obama and the general election campaign under way, McCain's free ride is over. Whether he made the most of the opportunity won't be known until Election Day. But in this north-central Missouri town of fewer than 400, in a Republican-leaning part of an important swing state, some undecided voters looked blank when they were asked about the presumptive nominee.

"I don't know much about McCain," offered Sherry Anderson, an upholsterer and undecided voter in LaClede.

Agreed Ronald Thomas, who works for a nearby bedding company: "I haven't really heard much about him."

Clinton backers eager to blame the media Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:04 EDT
Bettyjean Kling is tough, she's mad and she's about ready to kick some MSNBC butt.

"Chris Matthews, I can't even look at him anymore," Kling spat as she waited for Hillary Rodham Clinton to take the stage. "What's the name of that other nut?"

"Keith Olbermann," said a friend.

"Keith Obama-man," growled Kling, a retired teacher from Shippensburg, Pa.

Clinton's campaign valedictory was "the very definition of bittersweet," said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., a longtime Clinton supporter, who insisted that the greater goal of a Democratic White House would unite those who gathered on a steamy day in the cavernous main hall of the National Building Museum.

Yarmuth challenges voters on race Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:04 EDT
U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth addressed the racial overtones from Kentucky's Democratic presidential primary, urging state Democrats Friday night to challenge voters who dismiss presumptive nominee Barack Obama simply because he's black.

Yarmuth, of Louisville, cited exit polling that showed one in five Kentucky Democrats said after voting in the May 20 primary that race was a factor in their decision. Ninety percent of those who said so voted for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton instead of Obama.

"In recent weeks, racial bigotry has reared its ugly head. We've been labeled -- perhaps unfairly, perhaps not -- one of the most racist states based on exit polling," Yarmuth told 1,000 Democratic faithful at the party's Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Lexington.

"I can only hope and pray that when Sen. Obama takes the Oval Office next January, those who are offended or intolerant of his race are at least open to being impressed by his talents," Yarmuth said, sparking applause from the crowd that visibly tensed up when Yarmuth began wading into the sensitive subject.

He urged Democrats to challenge those who say they won't vote for Obama because he is half black.

Young voters: Obama's race as an asset, non-issue Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:59 EDT
For young voters, Rosa Parks' refusal to sit at the back of a bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955 is schoolbook history. Even the racially charged 1992 riots in Los Angeles are a distant memory.

The United States is far from a blueprint for racial harmony, but for today's young adults - all born after segregation was outlawed in the mid-1960s - race is not the issue it once was.

They have grown up with Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan among their highest-profile and wealthiest role models. And in their everyday lives, they are much more likely than their elders to have friends of another race, studies show.

Is it any wonder, then, that young adults have been the most willing age group to support a black man for president?

Primary exit polls conducted for The Associated Press illustrate the generational shift that has helped Barack Obama secure the Democratic presidential nomination. About 56 percent of Democrats younger than age 30 supported Obama. That number dropped steadily with each age bracket to a low of 30 percent for voters 65 and older.

Clinton to help Obama in state Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:03 EDT
Regardless of whether U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes the Democratic vice presidential candidate, she's expected to campaign for nominee Barack Obama this fall in Kentucky, which she won in last month's primary by 35 percentage points.

"Yes, Senator Clinton will come back and be a part of the Kentucky political process and will do whatever she can, whether it's visiting Kentucky or calling her donors and supporters to ask them to do what it takes to make sure Senator Obama is elected," said Jonathan Hurst, the Clinton campaign's Kentucky political director.

Obama, as the Democrats' presidential candidate, starts the general election race in Kentucky with a huge mountain to climb. A Herald-Leader/WKYT poll last month showed him trailing Republican John McCain by 25 points in the fall campaign.

Last week, a SurveyUSA poll of 400 Clinton supporters in Kentucky revealed that they would be more than twice as likely to support Obama if Clinton were his No. 2.

Just 21 percent of the Kentucky-based Clinton backers interviewed said they plan to vote for Obama, but that jumped to 57 percent if Clinton joined the ticket.

First lady says she admires Clinton's 'grit and strength' Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:40 EDT
First lady Laura Bush said Monday she admired the "grit and strength" Hillary Rodham Clinton demonstrated in the Democratic Party's long, hard-fought primaries, but said she would want to see a Republican woman as president.

She also came to the defense of Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, who's been harshly criticized by Republicans for saying last February in a Wisconsin campaign appearance that for the first time in her adult life she's proud of the United States.

"I think she probably meant 'I'm more proud,' you know, is what she really meant. You have to be very careful in what you say. Everything you say is looked at and in many cases misconstrued," she said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." In fact, Michelle Obama later clarified the remark, saying she had always been proud of her country.

Mrs. Bush flew to Slovenia on Sunday after making an unannounced trip to Afghanistan - her third as first lady - to rally international aid for the war-weary Afghans. President Bush left Washington on Monday for Slovenia for his final U.S.-European Union Summit. He and Laura are also traveling to Germany, Italy, France, England and Northern Ireland.

In her interview, Mrs. Bush said she's been paying close attention to the 2008 election.

Conway to create unit to fight cybercrime Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:04 EDT
Attorney General Jack Conway is creating a new investigative division in his office to fight cybercrimes, such as identity theft and attempts by sexual predators to lure children.

The state's top law enforcement official also is renaming and restructuring the Kentucky Bureau of Investigations -- an agency former Attorney General Greg Stumbo created that received much publicity for its investigation of hiring practices in former Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration.

Conway announced the moves Thursday at a news conference at Collins Elementary School.

The new cybercrimes division will have six investigators. Besides investigating sexual predators, identity thieves and people who steal from consumers via Internet scams, the division will train police officers throughout the state in processing evidence from computers and cell phones.

"It's imperative that we reach out to investigators across Kentucky to make sure they are discovering and preserving crucial evidence that could lead to successful prosecution," he said.

New Yorkers 0-for-3 in 2008 presidential race Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:20 EDT
Damn Yankees.

After 19 months of primary campaigning, that seems to be the attitude of the nation's voters. A year ago, three New Yorkers - Republican Rudy Giuliani, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and independent Michael Bloomberg - loomed large in the presidential sweepstakes. With Clinton's departure from the race, they officially have gone 0-for-3 - a shocking bagel hole for the Big Apple.

In January 2008, Clinton and former New York Mayor Giuliani were seen as the clear front-runners of their respective parties. They had the big names, the big money and big leads over their rivals.

Waiting in the wings was Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent and billionaire mayor who seemed ready to bet a chunk of his personal fortune on a third-party bid.

For all those advantages, the Empire State contingent wound up with zilch.

Obama hammers McCain, Bush on economy, gas prices Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:35 EDT
Democrat Barack Obama on Monday seized on heightened concerns about the economy, tying John McCain to the Bush administration's recent record of soaring gasoline prices and slumping employment.

Launching a two-week economics tour in a state the GOP usually considers safe, Obama warned that McCain's policies on taxes, spending and energy would continue the nation's slump, which some fear is already a recession. He called for new taxes on oil companies and wealthy individuals, along with $1,000 tax cuts for most working families.

With the presidential general election now fully engaged, McCain pushed back, saying Obama's bid to end the administration's tax cuts for upper-income earners would only worsen the economy. He is airing TV ads in key states on the Iraq war, which he sees as a better issue this fall. But he took questions on the economy from donors in Virginia on Monday, and planned a speech Tuesday to small-business owners in Washington.

With many voters blaming Bush for the economic woes, Republican candidates for federal and state offices are scrambling to distance themselves from the bad news without abandoning core principles such as low taxes and modest government intervention in activities like banking and lending.

Democrats are trying to cut off any escape routes.

Group files complaint against McCain campaign Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:05 EDT
A group that supports public financing of campaigns filed a federal complaint against John McCain's presidential campaign Monday, calling for an investigation into two financial transactions involving two top McCain aides.

The Federal Election Commission complaint by Campaign Money Watch, a group that has received financing from Democratic leaning donors, questions payments from former finance chair Tom Loeffler to campaign finance director Susan Nelson. It also questions the reduction of a debt to a Web services firm co-owned by McCain campaign manager Rick Davis.

"A campaign manager renegotiating a debt with a company he partly owns raises serious conflict of interest questions," said David Donnelly, the director of Campaign Money Watch.

Donnelly also questioned whether Loeffler's payments to Nelson amounted to an illegal subsidy to a campaign staffer. Loeffler is a lobbyist and former congressman and Nelson is a former associate of Loeffler's lobbying firm. The campaign has said the payments, first reported by Newsweek, were for legitimate work and were legal.

Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers called the complaint "baseless."

McCain opens fundraiser to media Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:45 EDT
Republican John McCain reversed course Monday and allowed the media into three private fundraisers, including an event where he chided Democratic rival Barack Obama for his reluctance to agree to a series of joint town-hall meetings.

The $10,000-per-ticket reception for the presumed Republican nominee, the national party and several state parties marked the first time McCain, a champion of open government, had allowed reporters into his fundraisers. The four-term Arizona senator had kept such events off limits to the media for months with little or no explanation.

The event and a $1,000-a-ticket luncheon raised $800,000 for McCain and the GOP.

McCain also held evening fundraisers in Washington and McLean, Va. His campaign said it had raised more than $2 million during the day, some of which will fund McCain's bid for the White House.

In Richmond, McCain reiterated his offer to Obama to join him at a town-hall meeting and field questions from voters. McCain said he'd meet Obama wherever and whenever, then suggested this week in New York.

Racial attitudes pose challenge for Obama Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:00 EDT
Joyce Susick is the type of voter who might carry Barack Obama to the White House - or keep him out. A registered Democrat in a highly competitive state, she is eager to replace George W. Bush, whom she ranks among the worst presidents ever.

There's just one problem.

"I don't think our country is ready for a black president," Susick, who is white, said in an interview in the paint store where she works. "A black man is never going to win Pennsylvania."

Susick said her personal objection to Obama is his inexperience, not his color. "It has nothing to do with race," she said.

If Susick is right about Pennsylvania voters, it presents a major hurdle for the presumed Democratic nominee. Democrats have carried Pennsylvania in the last four presidential contests, and Obama would have to offset a loss of its 21 electoral votes by taking Republican-leaning states from John McCain.

Polls suggest mixed effects of Clinton on ticket Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:40 EDT
Lots of Democrats love Hillary Rodham Clinton. Yet plenty of Republicans, conservatives and all-important independents can't stand her, suggesting possible pitfalls for Barack Obama should he make her his vice presidential running mate.

The intense dislike for Clinton suggests that besides support from women and others she could bring to the ticket, she might make it harder for Obama to win over some independents, a pivotal swing group in the November election against Republican John McCain. It also means she might push some Republicans and conservatives to vote against the Democrats - or donate money to the GOP - who might otherwise lack motivation to do so because of tepid feelings toward McCain.

A substantial 32 percent of independents strongly dislike Clinton, 10 points more than say so about Obama, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll conducted over the last several months. Independents, a group that both Obama and McCain won during their party primaries this year, comprised a quarter of voters in the 2004 election and have been closely contested in every presidential election since 1992.

In addition, 67 percent of Republicans have very unfavorable views of Clinton, 24 percentage points more than feel that way about Obama. Among conservatives the spread is similar - 58 percent say they feel very negatively about her, 18 points more than say so about Obama.

Few conservatives and Republicans are going to vote under any circumstances for Obama, the Illinois senator who clinched the Democratic presidential nomination last week and already has advisers culling possible running mates. But both parties will be trying to discern whether putting Clinton on the ticket might in some ways backfire.

Obama veep vetting team looks at retired military Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:03 EDT
Barack Obama is considering former top military leaders among his possible running mates, according to senators who met Tuesday with the Democratic presidential candidate's vice presidential vetting team.

North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad told The Associated Press that the team asked him about potential candidates from three broad categories - current top elected officials, former top elected officials and former top military leaders.

Conrad would not disclose which names they discussed, and the Obama campaign has been keeping the process a closely guarded secret.

"We talked about many names," Conrad said, including "some that are out of the box, but I think would be very well-received by the American people, including former top military leaders."

A running mate from the military ranks could help address concerns that Obama lacks foreign policy experience, having served just three years in the Senate. It could also provide a counterpoint to the military bonafides of the Republican ticket, which will be led by Vietnam war hero John McCain.

McCain says Obama policies are bad for business Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:49 EDT
John McCain said Democratic rival Barack Obama is bad for business in a speech to small business owners. McCain said Tuesday that Obama's policies would mean higher taxes and higher overhead costs. The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting also criticized Obama for pledging to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

McCain said small businesses make the economy run and that his Democratic rival would slow the creation of new jobs.

"You work hard in small businesses to grow and create new jobs and opportunities for others," McCain said. "The federal government shouldn't make your work any harder."

Economic issues have taken center stage in the early presidential race. Obama argues that McCain's policies are no different from those of President Bush, and he blames those policies for the slumping economy.

Obama has pledged to end the Bush administration's tax cuts for upper-income workers and has called for new taxes on oil companies and wealthy individuals, along with $1,000 tax cuts for the middle class tax.

Obama ramps up search for a running mate Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:30 EDT
Barack Obama ramped up his search for a running mate on Monday, consulting with one congressional ally by phone and dispatching members of his vice presidential vetting team to the Capitol for meetings. Sen. Dick Durbin said he had spoken with Obama, his fellow Illinois senator.

Jim Johnson and Eric Holder, who comprise two-thirds of the group Obama has asked to help guide his search, met separately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Rahm Emanuel of Illinois.

Obama's campaign announced last week that he has asked Johnson, Holder and Caroline Kennedy to help guide the search.

None of the congressional leaders involved in the meetings have figured in speculation about a possible running mate, suggesting that the day's conversations were designed to seek advice. Durbin and Emanuel are barred from being on the ticket because the Constitution requires that the presidential and vice presidential candidates be from different states.

Johnson himself became a subject of campaign controversy during the day after a weekend report in The Wall Street Journal that he had received loans from Countrywide Financial Corp. with the help of the firm's chief executive, Angelo Mozilo.

Clinton conundrum: Would she help or hurt? Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Lots of Democrats love Hillary Rodham Clinton. Yet plenty of Republicans, conservatives and all-important independents can't stand her, suggesting possible pitfalls for Barack Obama should he make her his running mate.

The intense dislike for Clinton suggests that besides support from women and others she could bring to the ticket, she might make it harder for Obama to win over some independents, a pivotal swing group in the November election against Republican John McCain. It also means she might push some Republicans and conservatives to vote against the Democrats -- or donate money to the GOP -- who might otherwise lack motivation to do so because of tepid feelings toward McCain.

A substantial 32 percent of independents strongly dislike Clinton, 10 points more than say so about Obama, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll. Independents, a group that both Obama and McCain won during their party primaries this year, comprised a quarter of voters in the 2004 election and have been closely contested in every presidential election since 1992.

In addition, 67 percent of Republicans have very unfavorable views of Clinton, 24 percentage points more than feel that way about Obama. Among conservatives, 58 percent say they feel very negatively about her, 18 points more than say so about Obama.

Other groups with significantly stronger negative feelings about Clinton than Obama include whites under age 30, male college graduates, white men and whites earning at least $100,000 a year.

Campaign focus on economy Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
The presidential campaign turned to the economy Monday, with record gasoline prices and a spike in job losses putting Republican John McCain at a distinct disadvantage.

Democrat Barack Obama seized on the topic, launching a two-week economic tour to highlight his differences with McCain on taxes, spending priorities and other issues. At every turn he is tying McCain to President Bush, whose approval ratings are consistently low.

McCain pushed back, saying Obama's bid to end the Bush administration's tax cuts for upper-income Americans would only worsen the already struggling economy. He is airing TV ads in key states on the Iraq war, which he sees as a better issue this fall. But he took questions on the economy from donors in Virginia on Monday, and planned a speech Tuesday to small business owners in Washington.

With many voters blaming Bush for economic woes, Republican candidates for federal and state offices are scrambling to distance themselves from the bad news without abandoning core principles such as low taxes and modest government intervention in banking, lending and other economic activities.

Democrats are trying to cut off any escape routes.

Lambert to oversee senior judge program Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Departing Chief Justice Joseph Lambert will be appointed to oversee a work program for retired judges, court officials said Monday.

Lambert retires June 27, and his successor, Justice John D. Minton, will appoint Lambert to be chief judge of the senior status judge program, Administrative Office of the Courts director Jason Nemes said.

The senior judge program was created in 2000 to clear case backlogs. Retired judges work part-time for five years in exchange for a significant increase in retirement pay.

The chief senior judge position has been vacant since May 16, when Judge William Wehr completed his five years of service.

Like Wehr, Lambert will have access to an AOC employee to help him with his administrative duties, Nemes said. Lambert will work with chief regional judges to coordinate scheduling of senior judges.

Okla. Dem calls Obama liberal, declines to endorse Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:53 EDT
Democratic Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma said Tuesday Barack Obama is "the most liberal senator" in Congress and he has no intention of endorsing him for the White House.

However, Boren will vote for Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August and will vote Democratic on Nov. 4.

"I think this is an important time for our country," Boren said in a telephone interview. "We're facing a terrible economic downturn. We have high gasoline prices. We have problems in our foreign policy. That's why I think it's important."

Boren, the lone Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegation, said that while Obama has talked about working with Republicans, "unfortunately, his record does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion."

Boren, a self-described centrist, is seeking a third term this year in a mostly rural district that stretches across eastern Oklahoma.

Lunsford would handle energy bill differently Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford told party faithful this weekend that he was frustrated by his Republican opponent's handling of legislation aimed at curbing gases that have been linked to global climate change.

He specifically criticized tactics employed by Republicans, led by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, to delay debate on the bill by having the Senate clerk read the 492-page legislation aloud on Thursday.

"I want my tax dollars spent a little differently than that," he said at the state party's Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner Friday in Lexington.

McConnell and Senate Republicans, however, had said they resorted to that only after their efforts to suggest amendments to the anti-pollution bill were denied. Some Democrats also complained about being unable to change the legislation.

Lunsford told the Herald-Leader Friday night that he thought McConnell had an issue with Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and used the bill like "a political football." He echoed those remarks later Friday night during his speech

Lawmakers signal progress on pension Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

Legislative leaders have reached a tentative agreement on a plan to overhaul the state retirement systems and appear ready for a special law-making session on the issue to begin June 23.

After several hours of closed-door negotiations Monday between House and Senate leaders, House Speaker Jody Richards and Senate President David Williams said leaders plan to contact lawmakers overnight to assess the plan and expect to announce its details Tuesday.

Neither leader would release specifics, but Williams, R-Burkesville, said he expects it will include a schedule to address the $26.6 billion unfunded liability in the retirement systems.

Richards said the plan does more than what Gov. Steve Beshear outlined, but Williams said it "falls far short" of past Senate proposals.

McCain pushing free trade; plans speech in Canada Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:24 EDT
John McCain is bullish on free trade. The country isn't. Yet McCain doesn't miss many opportunities to reproach Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama's emerging opposition to international trade deals.

McCain is such an avowed free trader that he is scheduled to address the Economic Club of Canada next week in Ottawa to assert his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Such an appearance helps McCain burnish his foreign policy credentials. But trade can also carry great risks, especially in election battlegrounds such as Ohio and Pennsylvania where many voters blame trade deals for job losses.

Canadian officials are watching the election attentively, too. Obama, who four years ago declared NAFTA had been beneficial, recently talked about reopening NAFTA to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards. McCain has been thumping Obama on that, arguing that such a step not only would hurt trade, but undermine the credibility of the United States abroad.

"You know what message that sends? That no agreement is sacred to him," McCain told reporters Thursday in Boston.

Poll: Many in world look to U.S. election for change Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:09 EDT
People around the globe widely expect the next American president to improve the country's policies toward the rest of the world, especially if Barack Obama is elected, yet they retain a persistently poor image of the U.S., according to a poll released Thursday.

The survey of two dozen countries, conducted this spring by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, also found a growing despondency over the international economy, with majorities in 18 nations calling domestic economic conditions poor. In more bad news for the U.S., people shared a widespread sense the American economy was hurting their countries, including large majorities in U.S. allies Britain, Germany, Australia, Turkey, France and Japan.

Even six in 10 Americans agreed the U.S. economy was having a negative impact abroad.

Views of the U.S. improved or stayed the same as last year in 18 nations, the first positive signs the poll has found for the U.S. image worldwide this decade. Even so, many improvements were modest and the U.S. remains less popular in most countries than it was before it invaded Iraq in 2003, with majorities in only eight expressing favorable opinions.

Substantial numbers in most countries said they are closely following the U.S. presidential election, including 83 percent in Japan - about the same proportion who said so in the U.S. Of those following the campaign, optimism that the new president will reshape American foreign policy for the better is substantial, with the largest segment of people in 14 countries - including the U.S. - saying so.

One down, more to go for Republicans aiding McCain Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:24 EDT
Having worn down Barack Obama in one dispute this week, Republican operatives are helping John McCain hit other targets, sometimes without waiting for his cue.

Republican activists see the aggressive efforts as a way to help McCain's presidential campaign - which some regard as less nimble and opportunistic than it should be - compete with Obama's superior fundraising and well-regarded national organization.

To be sure, Democratic surrogates are helping Obama, their party's presumed nominee. But Republican activists scored the bigger win this week when they forced a top Obama adviser to step down. They are vowing to use it as a blueprint to hammer Obama on other issues.

The Republican National Committee was quick and relentless in jumping on an article published Saturday in The Wall Street Journal, which questioned favorable mortgage loans obtained by Jim Johnson. A former chairman of mortgage lender Fannie Mae, Johnson was leading Obama's effort to select a running mate.

Obama largely ignored the criticism on Monday and Tuesday. But on Wednesday, Johnson stepped down.

Political Play: Unlikely endorsement Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:41 EDT
Republican John McCain has won the backing of at least one foreign leader, but not because of his experience in international affairs.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi likes McCain because of his age.

Berlusconi, at a news conference in Rome with President Bush, was asked who he wants to see as the next U.S. president.

"I cannot express any preference with regard to an electoral campaign going on in another country," Berlusconi began.

"However, I suppose I could express my own personal preference for one of the candidates: the Republican candidate," Berlusconi said. "And this is for a very selfish reason, and that is that I would no longer be the oldest person at the upcoming (Group of Eight summits), because McCain is a month older than me."

Clinton's youngest supporters see glass half full Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:09 EDT
For all the older supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton who may have been depressed, deflated, wistful or angry about her exit from the presidential race, there's an upbeat 17-year-old who doesn't feel the dream of a woman in the Oval Office has slipped away.

Quite the contrary.

"I look at it as a glass half-full," says Bethanie Livernois of Coppell, Texas, at 17 just one agonizing year too young to vote. "This is somebody who could be shaping the way for me. The fact that she came this far shows me that definitely, in my lifetime, I'm going to see a female president."

This young Clinton fan, already contemplating a career in politics, seems to be taking some of the candidate's own words to heart: She's looking at that glass ceiling, not totally shattered but almost, and seeing 18 million new cracks, one for each of Clinton's hard-won votes.

Polls taken during the grueling primary season showed a clear generational trend among female Democratic voters: The older the voter, the more likely she was to have backed Clinton.

Analysis: Obama feels way in handling advisers Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:11 EDT
One was gone within hours. Another lasted a few days. The most famous hung on for weeks.

In dealing with associates who have dragged him into controversies, Barack Obama has shown great patience with a longtime friend, but much less forbearance with those whose ties are weaker.

The varying approaches suggest the likely Democratic presidential nominee is feeling his way on how to handle staff crises. He also is learning that it's one thing to set high standards for conduct, and another to enforce them in the imperfect worlds of politics and personal friendships.

On Wednesday, Obama parted ways with adviser Jim Johnson, one day after shrugging off Republican criticism of the man who had led his search for a running mate. GOP aides denounced Johnson steadily after a weekend Wall Street Journal article cited loans he had received on favorable terms from a company embroiled in the nation's mortgage crisis.

Obama ignored them on Monday, and largely dismissed them on Tuesday. Johnson, who had conducted similar searches for previous Democratic presidential candidates, was an unpaid volunteer with a "discrete task," Obama said.

Military leaders on Obama VP list Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:03 EDT
Barack Obama is considering former top military leaders among his possible running mates, according to senators who met Tuesday with the Democratic presidential candidate's vice presidential vetting team.

North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad said that the team asked him about potential candidates from three broad categories -- current top elected officials, former top elected officials and former top military leaders.

Conrad would not disclose which names were discussed, and the Obama campaign has been keeping the process a closely guarded secret.

"We talked about many names," Conrad said, including "some that are out of the box, but I think would be very well-received by the American people, including former top military leaders."

Obama has a three-person team managing the vetting process that includes one-time first daughter Caroline Kennedy, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and Jim Johnson, the former CEO of mortgage lender Fannie Mae.

McCain, Obama tout cures for system Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:03 EDT
Susana Espinoza of San Diego is a poster child for what's wrong with American health care.

The 45-year-old mother of two earns about $39,000 a year, but can't afford employer-based health coverage for herself and her sons. And she earns too much for her children to get coverage under Medicaid or California's state children's health-insurance program.

So in an unfortunate compromise that leaves her feeling guilty, Espinoza covers only herself through her job-based plan; her children go uninsured.

When her older son broke his arm playing flag football several years ago, Espinoza borrowed money from friends and took out costly payday loans to cover the $1,800 medical bill. More than three years later, "I'm still paying off the loans," she said.

Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain think they have solutions to Espinoza's problem.

McCain slams foe's economic policies Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:03 EDT
Presumptive Republican Presidential candidate John McCain blasted Democratic rival Barack Obama's economic policies on Tuesday, calling them bad for small business and American families.

While outlining his own economic plans to the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small businesses, McCain criticized Obama for vowing to renegotiate provisions of the North America Free Trade Agreement, proposing a tax increase for Americans making over $250,000 and for advocating a greater government role in the nation's health care system.

"No matter which of us wins in November, there will be change in Washington," McCain said. "The question is what kind of change? Will we enact the single largest tax increase since the Second World War, as my opponent proposes, or will we keep taxes low for families and employers?"

Obama's campaign accused McCain of distorting the Illinois senator's proposals. Jason Furman, Obama's economic policy director, acknowledged that taxes would increase somewhat for families with annual incomes of more than $250,000.

But he added: "You're talking about less than two percent of the population" and said those impacted still would feel less of a tax burden than during the Clinton administration.

Cheney's false comment on oil drilling attacked Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:24 EDT
Vice President Dick Cheney's office acknowledged on Thursday that he was mistaken when he asserted that China, at Cuba's behest, is drilling for oil in waters 60 miles from the Florida coast.

In a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Cheney said on Wednesday that waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, long off limits to oil companies, should be opened to drilling because China is already there pumping oil.

"Oil is being drilled right now 60 miles off the coast of Florida," the vice president said. "We're not doing it, the Chinese are, in cooperation with the Cuban government. Even the communists have figured out that a good answer to high prices is more supply."

He cited his source as columnist George Will, who last week wrote: "Drilling is under way 60 miles off Florida. The drilling is being done by China, in cooperation with Cuba, which is drilling closer to South Florida than U.S. companies are."

Congressional Democrats pounced on the vice president's remarks and were backed up by independent energy experts, who called the assertion hyperbole at best and a falsehood at worst.

Clinton backers warming to Obama Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:03 EDT
They may not be falling in love, but they're falling in line.

Prominent supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton are embracing Barack Obama, literally and figuratively, even though some remain bitter about her loss in a presidential primary process that they feel treated her unfairly.

In several key states this week, Obama is being joined on stages by top Democrats who, a few weeks ago, were working to deny him the nomination.

"I know I'm late, but I am on the train," North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said Monday in introducing Obama in Raleigh. "I'd rather be a bum on the boxcar of the Obama train than at the front of the bus with John McCain," he said of Obama's Republican opponent.

A few in the crowd of 900 briefly booed Easley, whose endorsement of Clinton failed to stop Obama from an easy win in the May 6 primary, which all but doomed the former first lady's hopes.

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next

Chinese Dir