Convention will seek
to define candidate
and attack McCain
New York Times Aug 25, 08 6:12 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Democratic convention opens tonight, not quite the coronation envisioned only a month ago as twitchy party grandees push Barack Obama to make his case forcefully to a still-skeptical electorate—using the spotlight to draw the strongest possible distinctions between himself and John McCain. "The stakes of this election will be made very clear," chief strategist David Axelrod promised the New York Times .
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Her Florida speech seems lackluster, worrying partisans
New York Times Aug 22, 08 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Yesterday Hillary Clinton gave a speech in Florida, site of her uncontested primary victory, and urged Democrats to vote for Barack Obama in November. But as the New York Times reports, many at the rally found her support for the presumptive nominee lukewarm at best. In a room full of her supporters, the sentiment prevailed that Clinton's performance was more perfunctory than heartfelt.
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ANALYSIS
Candidate focuses on boosting top-to-bottom health through better infrastructure
American Prospect Aug 19, 08 1:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama is running as an “outsider candidate” fed up with partisan politics—yet he is, ironically, perhaps the most party-focused presidential candidate in history, Dana Goldstein and Ezra Klein write in the American Prospect . Obama has moved much of the Democratic National Committee apparatus to Chicago, rebuilt its fundraising infrastructure, and is even training organizers for other Democratic campaigns.
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Loopholes allow lavish bashes for lawmakers
Wall Street Journal Aug 16, 08 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Tough new rules aimed at weakening the influence of lobbyists won't keep Democrats and Republicans away from some of the most lavish convention parties ever seen, funded by those seeking to influence legislation, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dozens of loopholes allow lawmakers to skirt the legislation by accepting gifts from lobbyists and attending their glitzy, star-studded bashes.
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Campaign avoids state's Hillary-loving, white Democrats
New York Times Aug 15, 08 6:32 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama has a novel strategy in Arkansas, a Southern state that likes Democrats: He's not there. The presumptive nominee has no Arkansas office and hasn't even visited in 2 years. Yet analysts aren't surprised, noting that conservative Democrats heavily favor Hillary Clinton and backed President Bush the past two elections. Arkansas also skews whiter than other Southern states, with only a 16% black population.
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Dems likely to pick up
a dozen seats in Congress, parties say
New York Times Aug 14, 08 8:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Up to a dozen Republican Congressional seats in the Northeast could fall to Democrats this November, and the New York Times looks at some of the tightest races in the region, where a well-financed Democratic party has won ever more supporters. "There could be a dramatic political realignment in the Northeast if Republicans don’t head it off right now," said one GOP representative.
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ANALYSIS
Obama approves language that finds 'common ground'
Washington Post Aug 13, 08 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The Obama campaign is reaching out to Catholics, evangelicals, and other anti-abortion swing voters by adjusting the language of the official Democratic platform on the controversial issue, Alec MacGillis writes in the Washington Post . The new party plank moves "closer to the middle ground where most Americans reside—not wanting to criminalize abortions, but wanting to reduce the number performed."
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Rejuvenated local Dems bode well for Obama campaign
Economist Aug 1, 08 11:14 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Ohio is the ultimate swing state: Since 1960 no president has been elected without winning its electoral votes, and in 2004, by the narrowest of margins, it delivered George W. Bush a second term. But this time around, Democrats are confident of their chances, the Economist reports. The state party has been rejuvenated after a long spell in the political wilderness.
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Nobel prizewinner perfectly poised
to take spotlight
Reuters Jul 31, 08 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The Democrats haven't finalized the lineup for their upcoming convention in Denver, but one man seems certain to land a central role in the proceedings: Al Gore. Once mocked for his wooden style, Gore now enjoys even higher approval ratings than Barack Obama, Reuters reports. Tickets for a recent Gore lecture were snapped up in less than 24 hours.
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Second night will be
'Hillary night' to mark women's vote
CNN Jul 31, 08 2:34 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton will deliver the main address on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, reports CNN. Insiders say the erstwhile candidate will be accompanied on stage with all female senators for a speech marking the 88th anniversary of the day women won the right to vote. "Tuesday night is Hillary night," said one supporter.
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OPINION
Maybe there's not enough room for both elites and blue collars
American Jul 24, 08 5:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Democrats are undoubtedly ascendant in the US, Joel Kotkin writes in the American , but the demographic shift that made it so may undermine the party in the near future. That’s because the working-class party of FDR is now chock-full of elites—two constituencies with different values. The richer Dems don’t care deeply about economic justice, and those with less money don’t see eye-to-eye with the party’s well-educated professionals.
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Hillary adviser will counter Rove with regular commentary
New York Times Jul 8, 08 7:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Howard Wolfson, a top strategist for HIllary Clinton's campaign and one of her most visible television surrogates, has found a new employer, and it's not Barack Obama. Wolfson will become a contributor to the Fox News Channel, appearing on multiple programs. His move to Fox echoes a general feeling among Clintonites that the network, once considered the scourge of Democrats, treated Hillary better than other news organizations during the primary.
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