Redstate

Posted at 12:47pm on Jul. 3, 2008 New boss Steve Schmidt set to tighten McCain's campaign

He'll keep but transform McCain's "regional managers"

By Mark Kilmer

Yesterday, John McCain put Steve Schmidt in charge of his campaign, while former campaign jefe Rick Davis was moved into heading the veep search, fundraising, etc. We had some questions, and we've now some answers, thanks in part to a McCain memo reported in a blog entry from Chris Cillizza, who seems to be having as much fun as Jake Tapper, albeit perhaps in a more Obama-centric manner.

Schmidt is strengthening the McCain national HQ in Virginia, which should mean a more focused, message-driven national campaign, although he evidently will not scrap the regional manager concept crafted by Davis, wherein eleven managers ran the campaign in specific geographic areas. But though the basic structure of the strange scheme will be intact, the more dangerous parts of the notion will be transformed:

Under the Schmidt regime, it seems as though these regional campaign managers will be far more like field operatives than managers of a specific geographic region.

Schmidt will also hire national political director and a field director. Of this, Schmidt writes in the memo obtained by Cillizza:

"These individuals will work with all of you and with [deputy campaign manager] Christian Ferry to increase our capacity to reach out to voters, build coalitions, identify supporters, and ultimately turn them out to the polls on November 4. We will be enhancing our headquarters political capacity to provide additional resources to you and your regions."

This sounds as if it could be similar to what Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman did for President Bush in 2004, which is a good sign. Some appeal, some GOTV, is more important now than it was in 2004, when Bush faced a political dud in JF Kerry.

Hopefully, Schmidt will have his operation ready to work full capacity by the time of the conventions, for though neither candidate has emerged as a clear front-runner as yet, one suspects that an energetic, precise, and talented organization such as Obama is believed to have will be on the top of its game when the campaign begins in earnest. McCain has to be ready to emphasize his strengths and to exploit Obama's weaknesses as the fly from out the woodwork.

Posted in Archived | campaign | McCain | Steve Schmidt — Comments (8)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:51pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Steve Schmidt takes over the McCain campaign

A new direction?

By Mark Kilmer

Steve Schmidt has assumed "full operational control" of the McCain campaign, the Washington Post tells us, with McCain reducing the role of current campaign manager Rick Davis, who will now concentrate on finding a veep. (This lays to rest the "Romney is leading" and "Palin is leading" and "Jindal is out" garbage from the media. How can one have a leader for a position if the process has not yet begun?)

Schmidt will take over just about everything else, according to two senior sources in the campaign. The political, coalitions, volunteer and communications departments will report to him, as will the regional campaign managers.

Several McCain advisers said they believed Schmidt intends to scrap Davis' plan to give the regional managers wide lattitude to run the operations in their states. Instead, the sources said they expect Schmidt to hire a political director and a field director -- two positions that are traditional elements of a presidential campaign.

What changes? Dunno. After his June 3rd speech, my thought was that McCain could us the late, great Mike Deaver. He's not available.

We'll see what magic the supposedly virtually unfettered Schmidt can work. What the almost comical tone of the Obama campaign so far, he should have plenty with which to work.

(And there is more from Jonathan Martin at Politico.com.)

Posted in 2008 | campaign | McCain | Steve Schmidt — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:02pm on Jul. 1, 2008 McCain: Obama would nominate bad justices.

Is it time to throw the Supreme Court under the bus?

By Mark Kilmer

We remember Kennedy v. Louisiana, in which the 5 in the 5-4 split Supreme Court ruled that the State of Louisiana lacks the discretion to apply the death penalty to those who rape very, very young girls. The same ruling applies to the five other States who deemed that such crime was so heinous to their communities as to warrant "the ultimate punishment."

Barack Obama felt the wind on his finger and told his audience that he disagreed with the Court's majority, but in a speech to the National Sheriffs Association in Indianapolis, John McCain pointed out that if elected, Obama would nominate justices like those who ruled in favor of the child rapists:

McCain acknowledged that Democrat Barack Obama had also disagreed with the decision that struck down a Louisiana law allowing capital punishment for people who rape children under 12. Obama said he believed carefully crafted state laws permitting execution of child rapists do not violate the Constitution.

Nevertheless, McCain asked: "Why is it that the majority includes the same justices he usually holds out as the models for future nominations?"

"My opponent may not care for this particular decision, but it was exactly the kind of opinion we could expect from an Obama court," the Arizona senator said.

Indeed, when asked by CNN in May what kind of justices he would nominate, Barry answered: Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and David Souter. Throw in the tremulous Anthony Kennedy and the antique and rusty John Paul Stevens, and there is your Court majority who sided with monsters.

I think that time has come for Obama to toss these justices under the bus; after all, they are not the Breyer, Ginsburg, and Souter he's known. Right?

Posted in 2008 | McCain | Obama | Supreme Court — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:24pm on Jun. 23, 2008 I'm sorry, but both Obama and McCain are unrepentant lefties.

Folks, this is not just an opinion.

By Mark Kilmer

Most Americans will vote for either John McCain or Barack Obama on November 4th, which means that most Americans will vote for a lefty. No matter what the rhetoric flying from either campaign, both McCain and Obama are unapologetic lefties. And this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Bear with me.

Both Presidents Reagan and Clinton were also lefties. Jimmy Carter? Aside from our current President, he was the last righty to be elected.

It is evidently true. Lefties comprise about 10% of the population, while – including the next President – 5 Presidents of seven since 1974 will have been lefties.

Researchers who have studied handedness have found links to genetics and to brain function, but there is no prevailing theory to explain the plethora of left-handed commanders in chief in recent decades.

Yet the trend is more than a statistical anomaly, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Daniel Geschwind, said.

"It's definitely not an accident. The chance is less than one in a thousand," he said.

Before 1974, just two presidents were known definitively to be left-handed: James Garfield and Harry Truman.

I write, pitch, and bat with my right hand, so I think I'll sit this Presidential election out. Concentrate on down-ballot stuff where we have some decent right-handed candidates.

Posted in 2008 | lefties | McCain | Obama — Comments (24)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:09am on Jun. 21, 2008 MI Morning Commentary: MI Unemployment National News...McCain Proposed Energy Independence...Nuclear Power

By saul anuzis

136 Days until Election Day

June 21, 2008

MORNING UPDATE:

MICHIGAN'S UNEMPLOYMENT MAKING NEWS...Governor Granholm said "in five
years, you'll be blown away," but many Michigan families are being
blown away now as the state reported the highest monthly jobless rate
(8.5 percent) in 16 years. In addition, 23,000 more people have lost
their jobs since October when Granholm and the Democrats pushed through
the largest tax increase in state history. 
Obama is promising more of the same for America.

If you like what Jennifer Granholm has done to Michigan, you'll love
what Barack Obama will do to Michigan.  It didn't work here...won't
work nationally.

ELLY PETERSON...had a nice tribute and obituary written about her in the NY Times.  I only met Elly a few times when I first got involved in politics.

McCAIN PROPOSES ENERGY INDEPENDENCE...NUCLEAR POWER...America wants
peace and prosperity. We need to become less dependent on foreign oil
and have more domestic sources of power. Cheap, reliable and affordable
energy will change the world. More below.

CARD CHECK...Protect workers' right to a secret ballot. The vast
majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a
right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a
union. Last year the House Democrats passed a bill that would strip
American workers of the secret ballot. A new bill should be introduced
reaffirming that right, and it should be brought up again and again
until marginal Democrats are forced to vote with the American people
against the union power structure.  And this, coming from a Teamster.

GINGRICH...3 WAYS TO LOWER GAS PRICES...a practical, realistic approach to lowering the price of gas...NOW!

SLATECARD...AN EASY WAY TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR FRIENDS...Slatecard
was designed to allow easy, online way to contribute and support our
candidates for federal office. Please take a minute to check it
out...and hopefully help.

FUNDRAISER...2008 Max M. Fisher National Republican Leadership Award
Dinner...Please join President George W. Bush and the Michigan
Republicans as we honor the life of Max M. Fisher at the Max M. Fisher
National Republican Leadership Dinner on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at
Laurel Manor in Livonia. Click here to reserve your tickets now!

Posted in Archived | Energy | Granholm | McCain | Michigan | Nuclear | Unemplyment — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:14pm on Jun. 13, 2008 REDSTATE ROUNDTABLE #13: What John McCain Underestimates

Does The Leader Have The Troops?

By Robert A. Hahn

This Roundtable concerns Mark Halperin's piece concerning What John McCain Underestimates.

Thomas Crown: The "Major League vs Little League" difference between Obama's infrastructure and his own. This is the only one that worries me. Obama's actually a fairly crappy politician from any standpoint but organization. McCain is actually a pretty good politician from any standpoint but organization.

Moe Lane: He's an organizational god? Then why didn't he win California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, or Massachusetts?

Thomas Crown: No, he's not crappy at organization. There's a difference. He's not Bush in 2000. He's Clinton in 1992.

More...

Posted in 2008 | McCain | Redstate Roundtable — Comments (32)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:42pm on Jun. 12, 2008 Earth to McCain: Crude Oil Speculation Department

There’s more to this than you can investigate

By blackhedd

Senator McCain is quoted as having said in a television interview that speculators have contributed to the recent high prices for crude oil.

McCain acknowledges that he can’t judge how big the effect of speculation is. Very few people actually know the answer to the question, and they’re not talking. McCain also believes there should be a thorough investigation.

Ok, fine, let’s convene a blue-ribbon panel and buy them some expensive lunches and air travel so they can produce a report three years from now that no one will read and contains no action items anyway.

Until then, let me fill you in a bit.

Keep reading…

Posted in CFTC | Crude Oil | Economy | futures markets | McCain | speculation — Comments (18)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:35am on Jun. 10, 2008 Obama Is Running For Jimmy Carter's Second Term

Where's That Killer Rabbit

By California Yankee

In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, McCain said Obama seems to be running for a second Carter term:

Williams: Is it going to be tough to run with an incumbent party for the White House, given this economic backdrop?

McCain: I-- I think it's-- it's tough. But I think the American didn't, people didn't get to know me yesterday. They know me. They know that I have fought for restraining spending, which Senator Obama has been a big part of, with earmarking (UNINTEL) projects. They know that I have been a strong fiscal conservative, and they know I understand the challenges that they face.

They need a little break from-- from their gasoline taxes, and they -- and they know that -- we've got to get spending under control. And we've got to become independent of foreign oil. Sen. Obama says that I'm running for a Bush's third terms. It seems to me he's running for Jimmy Carter's second. (LAUGHTER)

Read on, there is more.

Posted in 2008 | Jimmy Carter | McCain | Obama — Comments (18)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:09pm on Jun. 4, 2008 McCain Invites Obama To Debates [Updated. Cruelly.]

If We Can Only Tear Obama Away From His Teleprompter

By California Yankee

On a conference call with bloggers this afternoon, Senator McCain congratulated, Senator Obama and announced that he invited Obama to a series of weekly town hall meetings:

Dear Senator Obama:

In 1963, Senator Barry Goldwater and President John F. Kennedy agreed to make presidential campaign history by flying together from town to town and debating each other face-to-face on the same stage. In Goldwater's words, those debates "would have done the country a lot of good."

Read on there is more.

Posted in 2008 | debates | McCain — Comments (58)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:30pm on May 29, 2008 RightMichigan.com interview with Carly Fiorina

By RightMichigan.com

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

RightMichigan.com's Dennis Lennox sat down for an exclusive interview with Carly Fiorina at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce's Mackinac Policy Conference on the morning of May 29, 2008.

Carly Fiorina is the Victory '08 chairman for the Republican National Committee.

A former CEO for Hewlett-Packard, she has extensive private sector experience and is one of John McCain's top economic surrogates. She is attending the Mackinac Policy Conference as a featured speaker.

Posted in Breaking News | Carly Fiorina | Mackinac Island | McCain | Michigan — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:38pm on May 29, 2008 New Poll: McCain sans Mitt beats Obama in Michigan

By Mark Kilmer

John McCain is beating Barry in Michigan, according to a new poll conducted by EPIC-MRA, but there is a caveat.

The poll, commissioned by Detroit's WXYZ-Action News, was of 600 likely Michigan voters, and the margin of error is four points. It showed McCain leading Obama by the margin, 44% - 40%. Among Michigan independents, McCain puts on the hurt, pulling ahead of Obama by thirteen points, 41% to 28%.

Posted in 2008 | McCain | Michigan | Obama — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:22am on May 28, 2008 MI Morning Update: MI Dems Trying to Have it Both Ways on PBA - Obama's Auschwitz Remark - McCain Running New Ad in MI

By saul anuzis

160 Day until Election Day

May 28, 2008

MORNING UPDATE:

PRO-LIFE DEMOCRATS...an oxymoron. Pro-life Democrats are playing games with a bill to stop partial birth abortions (SB 776), even though there is overwhelming, bipartisan support for this bill in the House...they pass the bill with no enforcement provisions. So when a Democrat tells you they are against taxes and for life...they are probably lying on both accounts! Their record speaks for themselves.

Posted in ad | Auschwitz | McCain | Michigan Republican Party | Obama | Partial Birth Abortion | Republicans | Saul Anuzis — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:59pm on May 26, 2008 John McCain's Sedona picnic

67 species of birds or a veepstakes?

By Mark Kilmer

John McCain invited several people to his ranch in Sedona, New Mexico Arizona, this weekend. There were old primary opponents like Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, and Mitt Romney. There were some prominent Republican governors, like Bobby Jindal and Charlie Crist. FedEx CEO Fred Smith was there. Lindsay Graham, of course, made it, as was Joe Lieberman. Former eBay boss Meg Whitman was there. And McCain advisor Charlie Black.

And there were others.

The nation's political press decided that this was a tryout for McCain's veep spot, while Lindsay Graham, appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, told host Bob Schieffer that his best Senate buddy was just showing off his ranch and its 67 species of birds. (NOTE: I here use "press" as a generic term for the media.)

There have been other recent get-togethers at the McCain ranch, including a recent one with Minnesota Tim Pawlenty, Mel Martinez, Trent Lott, and Utah Governor Jon Hunstman. (That was in early March, with little press coverage.) Martinez cannot be veep, as he was born in Cuba.

My two bits this Memorial Day, after my solemn embrace of the memory of those who gave everything to preserve our ongoing republican (small r) experiment, is that this McCain event strikes me as a cute sort of trick. We're not going to have any better idea of who is and who is not on the any list based on any guest list to a sleepover in late May. (I like Fred Smith, but he has a day job.)

I think Utah's Huntsman, a Mormon McCain supporter, would make a fine veep, but is he out of consideration because he was invited to the wrong meeting? (After all, he agrees with McCain, and most of the rest of the media-saturated nation, on AGW.)

I'd like to think, again, that this was a trick.

Read On…

Posted in 2008 | McCain | ranch | Veepstakes — Comments (38)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:50am on May 23, 2008 Obama Picks A Fight, McCain Finishes It

By California Yankee

Fear of encouraging a troop exodus caused quite a debate over a generous expansion in the education benefits of the G.I. Bill.

The Congressional Budget Office, in its cost analysis, estimated that the proposed improved benefits would result in a 16 percent drop in re-enlistments.

Posted in 2008 | GI Bill | McCain | Obama — Comments (52) / Email this page » / Read More »