Inside the candidates' rides
CBS Aug 4, 08 2:22 PM CDT
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Barack Obama’s new campaign plane oozes luxury—at least for Obama. The candidate’s section of the 757 is decked out with leather recliners, a dining booth, and a small table kept stocked with up-to-date newspapers, CBS reports. "O-Force One" is so far beyond the typical charter jet that, after this, “Air Force One may seem a tad claustrophobic,” joked one frequent campaign flier.
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Washington Post Aug 4, 08 1:17 PM CDT
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Buoyed by recent Democratic gains in Virginia and President Bush's unpopularity, Barack Obama is taking aim at the once reliably red stronghold, the Washington Post reports. John McCain’s campaign is optimistic that he will carry the state, which Bush won twice by wide margins, but a top adviser cautions that even though the state has gone Republican since 1964, you can’t just “add water every 4 years.”
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Careful timing around convention schedules could turn focus to GOP
Politico Aug 4, 08 12:30 PM CDT
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John McCain probably will let Barack Obama make his vice-presidential pick before he does, Politico reports. GOP strategists hope that by making his announcement after Obama’s convention acceptance speech, McCain will be able to shift media focus toward his own campaign, as well as playing off the Democratic pick. "If they go first, you have more information," says an adviser.
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Most doubt outcome of election will change their personal finances
Washington Post Aug 4, 08 10:22 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Low-income workers favor Barack Obama over John McCain by a whopping 2 to 1 margin, a new Washington Post poll shows, but they doubt that Obama or any other politician will improve their lives. Obama owes much of his edge to overwhelming support from black and Hispanic voters, but even among whites he holds a 47%-37% lead, contradicting the popular perception that he will struggle in that demographic.
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Opinion
Senator considers do-no-harm and
shake-things-up approaches: Kristol
New York Times Aug 4, 08 10:01 AM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain’s campaign is divided when it comes to a running mate, and William Kristol speculates in the New York Times about the four strategies being discussed: Defeat Obama straight up —If McCain thinks he’s winning, he’ll pick a “do no harm” widely-liked, uncontroversial running mate, like Tim Pawlenty or Rob Portman. Accentuate Obama's inexperience —Here McCain would pick a tested governor, like Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge. McCain likes Ridge more, but the ex-Pennsylvania governor is pro-choice.
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Attack on Barack way to pick a prez, grumbles Mac contributor Kathy Hilton
Huffington Post Aug 4, 08 2:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Paris Hilton's mom has written a scathing response to John McCain's ad comparing Barack Obama's popularity with the tabloid celebrity of Paris Hilton . McCain campaign contributor Kathy Hilton rips the ad as a waste of time and money in a blog in the Huffington Post.
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Fiscal conservative could spice up
GOP campaign
Politico Aug 3, 08 5:32 AM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain is considering Virginia congressman Eric Cantor for the vice-presidential slot on his ticket, according to a campaign insider. As Barack Obama vets Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as a possible No. 2, the state could turn into a vice-presidential battleground, Politico reports. Cantor, who has been a champion McCain fundraiser, is a leading Jewish Republican and fiscal conservative who could add some spice to the campaign.
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Analysis
Democrats try to avoid race war with McCain
New York Times Aug 2, 08 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Race has once again crept into the presidential race this week, and Barack Obama did his best to ignore it, the New York Times reports. John McCain’s campaign accused Obama of “playing the race card…from the bottom of the deck” when the Dem said McCain might attack him because he “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.” But Obama resisted retaliating, trying to prevent a racial firefight.
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Negative turn generates anger toward candidate
Time Aug 1, 08 5:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A new Obama campaign memo obtained by Time documents Republican disapproval of the McCain camp’s recent tactics. Some highlights: Pat Buchanan on the commercial juxtaposing Obama, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton: "Look, this is not an effective ad.” Ed Rollins: “John needs to be the deliberate, experienced veteran and not the grumpy old man.”
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Maybe the typical American will have trouble identifying with a 'beanpole'
Wall Street Journal Aug 1, 08 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser)
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No matter how long the 2008 campaign drags on, we'll never see Barack Obama as we did Bill Clinton in 1992: drenched in sweat and jogging into a McDonald's. Obama's fit—skinny, even—and a bit of a gym rat. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the notion of presidential fitness and wonders if the typical American might find a "beanpole guy," as one voter described him, a little alienating.
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New Republic Aug 1, 08 3:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Steve Schmidt is the new captain of the McCain campaign ship, which an ex-operative compares to the "Pirates of the Caribbean." Known as a taskmasker and carrying the seemingly oxymoronic reputation of a moderate Karl Rove protégé, Steve Schmidt isn't showing his hand just yet. The New Republic tries to dig a little deeper.
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Candidate says 'Big Oil' can help foot the cost
Politico Aug 1, 08 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama unvield an "emergency" plan for the economy today that includes $1,000 rebates for families or $500 for individuals to defray rising energy costs, Politico reports. The money would come in part from "windfall profits from Big Oil," the campaign says. Obama would pump another $50 billion into state governments and the national infrastructure to repair roads, bridges, and schools.
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