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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: campaign adviser

campaign adviser stories: 18 news summaries

Carville to Advise Karzai Challenger

Says move shouldn't be seen as US looking for change in Afghan leadership

(Newser) - James Carville is headed to Kabul to advise one of Hamid Karzai’s challengers in Afghanistan’s upcoming election, Bloomberg reports. Carville has close ties to Hillary Clinton, but says the move shouldn’t be seen as a sign the Obama administration is pushing for a leadership change. “I... More »

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Afghanistan Hamid Karzai campaign adviser James Carville election Afghanistan war Ashraf Ghani Abdullah Abdullah

(Newser) - The man who ran John McCain's campaign said his defeat was nearly preordained, reports Politico. It was "the strategic equivalent of throwing a football through a tire at 50 yards,” said Steve Schmidt. Given the ascendancy of Barack Obama—"the unfinished Bobby Kennedy campaign"—the unpopularity... More »

analysis

Obama Sneaks Power Back
Into the Mix

Adviser who called Clinton 'monster' lands national security role

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s national security team seems to consist entirely of people known for speaking their minds, observes Ben Smith of Politico, and none moreso than new NSC staff member Samantha Power, best known for calling Hillary Clinton “a monster.” She was booted for the incident, but that... More »

McCain Hires Strategist Who Smeared Him

Tucker Eskew, part of party's 'darker side,'  attacked Mac in 2000

(Newser) - Republican strategist Tucker Eskew, who helped smear John McCain in the 2000 primaries, is now on board the GOP candidate’s campaign and will prep Sarah Palin for her role, reports Jake Tapper on ABC News. “He's one of the best and most collaborative talents in Republican politics,”... More »

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John McCain campaign adviser smear campaign Republican strategist Election 2008 political strategists

OPINION

McCain's a Mystery Even
to Himself

He's fuzzy on number
of houses, unreliable as his own spokeman

(Newser) - A mystery called John McCain lurks at the heart of the presidential race, Eugene Robinson writes in the Washington Post. The candidate remains "undefined" and "full of contradictions," Robinson writes. In fact, with McCain's bizarre admission that he isn't sure how many houses he has, "there... More »

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John McCain Republican campaign adviser campaign issues Election 2008

Bill Sad Over Hillary's Loss: Obama Adviser

Edwards' affair drowns out talk of Russia on Sunday shows

(Newser) - The buzz on John Edwards' love affair drowned out talk of Russia's conflict with Georgia on today's morning talk shows, Politico reports. On Fox News Sunday, an Obama campaign topdog said Bill Clinton is still reeling from his wife's primary loss, and Karl Rove claimed on Face the Nation... More »

 Chicago Ties Sustain Obama 

Key aides, friends go way back in Obama's hometown

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s Chicago home base has provided the candidate with a wealth of influential allies who serve him in a variety of ways, from the political to the personal, the Washington Post reports. While some play official campaign roles or are informal advisers, others keep Obama grounded on his... More »

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Barack Obama Chicago campaign adviser David Axelrod

'Sergeant Schmidt' to Whip McCain Camp Into Shape

Tough-talking GOP veteran takes the helm at HQ

(Newser) - The man Karl Rove nicknamed "Bullet" and John McCain calls "Sergeant Schmidt" has taken over day-to-day control of McCain's campaign, and his no-nonsense style is expected to make an immediate impact, Politico reports. Steve Schmidt, a hardworking veteran of the Bush and Schwarzenegger campaigns, is famed for his... More »

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John McCain Republican campaign adviser Rick Davis campaign manager Steve Schmidt

Obama Campaign Fixes Gender Balance

New female hires
should help him reach out to Clinton voters

(Newser) - Barack Obama's campaign has been getting more women on board at high levels, Politico reports. Female activists welcome the new hires, while campaign insiders say the "boy's club" image that dogged Obama's campaign during the primaries was never correct. Among the biggest names are Patti Solis Doyle, former campaign... More »

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Barack Obama women campaign adviser Patti Solis Doyle campaign staff

McCain's
Media Chief
Steps Down

McKinnon doesn't
want to work
against Obama

(Newser) - John McCain's top media adviser is keeping his promise and stepping down from his role in the senator's campaign, the Washington Post reports. Mark McKinnon said last year that he had no desire to work against Barack Obama if he became the Democratic nominee. Insiders say the departure of the... More »

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Barack Obama John McCain campaign adviser campaign Republican strategist Election 2008

Valerie Jarrett: Obama's Sounding Board

Senior adviser is even-keeled, fiercely loyal, straight-talking

(Newser) - One of the strongest voices in Barack Obama's camp is that of longtime friend and confidante Valerie Jarrett, the Wall Street Journal writes. The woman who was once Michelle Obama's boss is now "practically a sister" to the couple, and her political savvy has proved invaluable to Obama's campaign—... More »

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Barack Obama Chicago Michelle Obama campaign adviser 2016 Olympics Valerie Jarrett

 Obama Gears Up
 for GOP Smears 

Camp McCain is seeking ways to attack without seeming racist

(Newser) - John McCain is prepping for a smear campaign this summer while camp Obama, ever cool and controlled, awaits the first strike. "It's going to be Swift Boat times five on both sides," said one McCain adviser who expects Obama to return fire. McCain's challenge is to hit above... More »

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Barack Obama John McCain campaign adviser voters smear campaign campaign advertising campaign David Axelrod campaign etiquette

David Axelrod: Obama's Mastermind
—and No. 1 Fan

He gets passionate about his candidates

(Newser) - David Axelrod isn’t just a political hired gun. Instead, Barack Obama’s chief strategist backs his candidates with the same passion he reserves for his beloved Cubs and Bulls, the Washington Post reports in a lengthy profile. “He loves his candidates when he starts. He’s usually... More »

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Barack Obama campaign adviser Obama 2008 campaign staff David Axelrod political strategists

The Tug of War Over John McCain's Soul

Neocons, pragmatists battle for influence with Republican candidate

(Newser) - Republican “pragmatists” are growing uneasy seeing John McCain consorting with prominent neoconservatives, the New York Times reports. They fear McCain’s foreign policy isn’t as crystallized as it seems, and could be influenced by neocon advisers like John Bolton. “It might be too strong to say a... More »

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John McCain pragmatism campaign adviser John Bolton neocon foreign policy Henry Kissinger McCain 2008 Election 2008

Karl Rove, Ken Mehlman Advise McCain Campaign

More Bush buddies work for senator

(Newser) - Major Bush pals Ken Mehlman and Karl Rove are jumping aboard the Straight Talk Express, both informally advising John McCain, a top aide to the GOP hopeful tells Politico. Mehlman, who ran Bush’s 2004 campaign, is an unpaid, outside adviser, while Rove recently donated to McCain and had... More »

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John McCain Karl Rove Republican GOP campaign adviser Election 2008 political strategists Ken Mehlman George W. Bush

Meet Obama's Karl Rove

Axelrod is the brain behind the senator's campaign

(Newser) - Even as Hillary Clinton shakes up her campaign staff, Barack Obama’s top adviser enjoys the standing of a man who, one political observer says, “ain’t going to be fired.” David Axelrod is Obama’s version of Karl Rove, the LA Times reports in a profile of... More »

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Barack Obama campaign adviser Obama 2008 campaign staff David Axelrod

OPINION

GOP Hopefuls Face Post-Bush Quandary

Openness to diverging views would help, Newsweek says

(Newser) - Amid debate jabs and funding worries, GOP presidential hopefuls have a bigger problem: what kind of Republican to be in the impending post-Bush era. Newsweek’s Evan Thomas explores their recent mis-steps, and urges them to be humble and open to diverging views—the opposite of Bush's "yes man"... More »

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Cabinet GOP campaign adviser Republican Party Abraham Lincoln Republican candidate Eisenhower George W. Bush

Carville: Rove Cost GOP
a Generation

Sticking to base was demographic disaster, Clinton adviser says

(Newser) - Impressive electoral record aside, Karl Rove's strategy of aggressively courting the GOP base has soured an entire generation on the Republican Party, James Carville argues in the Financial Times. Bill Clinton's storied strategist says "theocratic underpinnings" of Rovian strategy are behind polls showing a nameless Democratic presidential candidate favored... More »

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Bush administration Karl Rove Republican GOP campaign adviser James Carville Election 2008 George W. Bush

18 Stories