Opens fundraisers to press; lobby groups barred from giving
Politico Jun 5, 08 12:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama moved today to make his campaign more transparent, in keeping with his theme of bringing change to Washington. Obama will open all his fundraisers to the press, Politico reports. He’s also cleaning up his party’s fundraising efforts; starting today, the Democratic National Committee, like Obama’s campaign, won’t accept money from lobbyists or political action committees.
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Face-to-face showdowns could echo Lincoln-Douglas, Obama adviser suggests
Time Jun 4, 08 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain challenged Barack Obama today to fight mano a mano in a series of 10 intimate town-hall meetings between now and the Democratic primary in late August. The Republican's invitation, delivered in a speech and said to be modeled on a proposed Kennedy-Goldwater series, would be “free from the regimented trappings, rules, and spectacle of formal debates.”
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analysis
Halperin runs down what the 2 top Dems are underestimating
Time Jun 4, 08 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Mark Halperin runs down what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton aren’t counting on the day after the nomination was secured: For Obama: How intensely Clintonites feel about Hillary. Delaying his VP pick will only exacerbate the Obama-Clinton scrutiny. The sensitivity of the former first couple. The intense scrutiny he'll now face. How much distaste Camp McCain has for him. How the GOP has been waiting for this moment. How November will be about challenges facing the next prez.
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Also, the lime-green background didn't go over well
Huffington Post Jun 4, 08 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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McCain’s pre-buttal to Obama’s clinching speech last night didn’t go down well on either side of the press corps aisle. A sampling of the negative reactions, via Huffington Post: Obamacan Andrew Sullivan laughs off Mac’s joust at Dem divisions, and says his “opening gambit in the general election was…underwhelming.” Lefty blogger Atrios can’t believe the bright green background which made McCain “look like the cottage cheese in a lime jello salad,” calling the aesthetics “dreadful.”
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Analysis
Dem finally clinches
the nomination—now the real work begins
Guardian (UK) Jun 4, 08 11:14 AM CDT
(Newser)
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It wasn’t easy, but a bruised Barack Obama has finally wrapped up the Democratic nomination. The Guardian ’s Michael Tomasky knows what he needs to do next: Redefine himself. Obama has a lot of time now to remind us why he inspired people in the first place. Define John McCain. The honeymoon should be over for the GOP nominee; Obama can attack him pointedly on Bush, Iraq, and his growing array of flip-flops.
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He also distances himself from President Bush
Politico Jun 3, 08 7:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain took full aim at Barack Obama tonight, now that "pundits and party elders" have declared him to be the Democratic nominee, Politico reports. He ridiculed Obama for repeatedly trying to link him to President Bush's policies and trumpeted his independent credentials. Obama has bought into "so many failed ideas," he said, including the current Bush-backed energy bill. Before the stump speech, though, he lavished praise on Hillary Clinton.
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ANALYSIS
'Low-info' voters, soft-pedaling hosts want personal details
Newsweek Jun 3, 08 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
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You know where they stand on gas prices, but what about pantsuits and family pets? Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama are making the rounds of daytime talk shows and celebrity gossipfests, courting "low-info" voters—those mostly white, working class, and undecided folks who haven't been paying much attention to the campaign. And besides pulling in millions more viewers than Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, softer shows also go easier on guests, reports Newsweek .
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Republican mocks plan to talk 'as if it were some sudden inspiration;' Dem hits back
Chicago Tribune Jun 2, 08 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain smacked Barack Obama on Iran today, telling a pro-Israel lobbying group the Democrat wanted to meet with “the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism … as if it were some sudden inspiration.” As the Republican proposed to lead a world divestment campaign echoing that against South African apartheid, he said a President Obama, meanwhile, would get “an earful of anti-Semitic rants.”
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ANALYSIS
Tone-setting blogger stuns GOP by taking
a shine to Obama
Politico Jun 2, 08 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The powerhouse news-aggregating Drudge Report is surprising its loyal fan base by straying from typically conservative output, Politico observes. Editor Matt Drudge had gained the affection of Republicans and ire of Democrats through previous election cycles, but this time the reclusive blogger has displayed a certain fondness for Barack Obama, while damaging Hillary Clinton and John McCain's presidential bids.
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Candidate emphasizes economy in big ad buy; Obama still waiting
Wall Street Journal Jun 2, 08 7:39 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Right now, John McCain has America’s commercial breaks all to himself, and he’s using them, reports the Wall Street Journal. McCain spent $170,000 Wednesday, which puts him on pace for $1.2 million per week, after spending $1.5 million over the past two months. Most of that money is flowing into Ohio, and to a lesser extent other battleground states, and hammering an uncharacteristic issue: the economy.
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commentary
Hopeful flubbed on troop math and 'quiet' Mosul—but keeps pleading his case
Washington Post May 30, 08 7:49 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain has been dabbling in truthiness this week, Michael Dobbs blogs in the Washington Post . McCain said US troops were “drawn down to pre-surge levels" in Iraq, and cities like Mosul were "quiet"—but in fact, troop levels remain higher than before the surge, and Mosul's quiet is often broken by car bombs and other fatal strikes.
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analysis
Six of the top 10 hits for the candidate are negative
Los Angeles Times May 30, 08 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain is losing the YouTube election in a landslide, writes James Rainey in the LA Times. A search for Barack Obama turns up a "swoon fest" of videos showing him at his “uplifting best,” but querying McCain's name nets these winners: A debate miscue juxtaposed with a Miss Teen USA contestant’s infamous stumble on geography.
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