May 19, 2008
Sunday Snapshot -- General-ly Speaking
There continued to be talk of Pres. Bush's "appeasement" comment and how this influences a general election between Barack Obama and John McCain.
GOP strategist Ed Rollins: "This president has to realize that he is no longer on the ballot. He has to finish his seven months in office and move on. ... I think that it was inappropriate. I think it gave Obama an issue that he didn't have. I think it certainly stepped on the Hillary victories this week, which for our perspective, the longer the battle goes on, the better" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/18).
Obama supporter/ex-CO Gov. Roy Romer (D): "Ed Rollins said it was mistake, I'd say it's embarrassing. ... For Senator McCain not to disassociate himself clearly from that, I think, indicates that McCain's going to have a third Bush term, if he wins" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/18).
Bill Bennett: "We are, in fact, better than other countries. That is the problem. And just take this debate to another level. Does Barack Obama not believe that we are superior to these other countries? Is that why he's so ready to deal at the lowest common denominator?" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/18).
Obama supporter/ex-Sen. Gary Hart, asked if he is worried McCain and GOPers will make Obama look weak on nat'l security: "This was exactly the case made against John Kennedy, who, as we know, led this country a couple of years after that election through the most critical era of its history. And that was the Cuban missile crisis. So youth and inexperience was the charge Nixon made against Kennedy and they proved to be false. ... I am not going to listen to anybody in this administration talk about Democrats being weak on national security. They let this country down" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/18).
After the jump, GOPers face a tough political climate and pols talk Veepstakes (KATHERINE LEHR).
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), on Obama wanting to meet personally and without preconditions with rogue nations: "To say that without preconditions he would go to Ahmadinejad and sit down and negotiate I think is -- well, it shows weak judgment and, frankly, naivete" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/18).
Chris Dodd: "John Kennedy I think said it very well in 1961 in his inaugural address. 'You never negotiate out of fear, but you never fear to negotiate.'"
Dodd, on whether it's fair for Obama to link McCain with Bush: "Of course it is. ... John McCain is very much a supporter of where President Bush has been and where he is today. In fact, he changed his view on some of these major issues in the last number of weeks. ... So clearly, I think associating the policies of this failed administration with a candidate who embraces the same view is very legitimate" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/18).
Karl Rove, asked if it was smart for Obama to attack Bush for his "appeasement" comment: "Short term, very smart politics. ... Last week, he went into the West Virginia primary and the headlines were all being driven by Clinton. And I think he wisely said, 'Look, if I pick a fight with Bush and McCain on this issue, even if it's a stretch, I'll be able to dominate the headlines going into the Oregon and Kentucky primaries. Clinton can't afford to buy TV. I'm going to push her off the front page.' ... Broader frame, going up to November, I'm not certain it's a smart move. If the argument is who's a better commander in chief, who's going to be tougher on foreign policy, then the answer is going to be John McCain" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/18).
Mike Huckabee: "I've always believed in politics that the counterpunch is more effective than the punch. So if Barack Obama, instead of taking the punch, had deflected it and then used it as an occasion to say, 'He wasn't talking about me, but let me tell you what he should have been talking about,' I think it would have been a better political point for him. But, instead, he allowed himself to take the punch. And now the frame of this debate is whether or not he has the toughness that John McCain clearly does have to confront enemies. And I believe Obama made a serious tactical error in that" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 5/18).
GETTING TOUGHER EVERY DAY
With GOPers losing three congr. seats in special elections this spring, there was a lot of discussion about the worsening political atmosphere for GOPers.
FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R): "It's not a great trifecta, if you will. What we want to do is win, of course. But we need to realize that we need to win for the American people. ... The more we listen, the smarter we get. We need to, as a party, go back to our roots, if you will, make sure we understand we're the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party of Teddy Roosevelt, the party of Ronald Reagan, who had that wonderful optimism that people looked toward and were excited about and understood that there was greater hope, greater opportunity for the future. That's what the Republican Party stands for: lower taxes, less government and more freedom" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/18).
House Min. Leader John Boehner, on Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) saying this is the worst political environment for GOPers since Watergate: "Well, there's no question that the environment for Republicans is a difficult one. What I've been preaching to my colleagues now for over a year is that we have to be the agents of change."
Boehner, asked if he is staying in office despite suggestions to resign in the wake of recent special election losses: "I'm staying."
Boehner, on whether NRCC Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) is staying: "He's staying. ... We know the kind of changes that need to be made in order to help our members and help our candidates go out there and do their best in a very difficult environment" ("This Week," ABC, 5/18).
Bill Bennett, on GOPers being in deep trouble: "This is almost a unanimous resolution. The problem is that a lot of Republicans say we're in serious trouble, we're doing the wrong thing, and they vote for something like this farm bill. So they've got to stop behaving this way if they condemn that kind of action. This is what you call cognitive dissonance, you know, not reacting to your criticism of yourself. They have got to make clear what their priorities are. They've got to come up with a sound agenda. John McCain, interestingly, seems to be escaping a lot of this wrath and is still, despite all the problems of the Republican Party, running close to even with Obama. So the notion that he is the same as George Bush does not seem one that's persuasive to the American people" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/18).
GOP strategist Ed Rollins: "We have, kind of, lost our way. We think we have to run every campaign from Washington, with Washington consultants. And the truth of the matter is, there's a lot of very first rate people out there. We have not recruited the good candidates this cycle. We have not recruited, not raised the money like we used to, and unfortunately we are losing young people and not registering new ones, which, I think, is the death knell for the long term" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/18).
Karl Rove: "Well it's bad. ... The Republicans have got three things they need to do. ... Strategically, they better get their act together with an aggressive agenda of reform here at home about the things people are talking about around the kitchen table. ... We've got great answers, Republicans do, on this, but they better get their act together in laying this out in a comprehensive way. ... In addition, they have to be very clear about the consequences of victory and defeat in Iraq. And finally, they need to show sharp contrast with the Democrats" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/18).
Mike Huckabee: "It is in trouble. ... I can't sit here and tell you it isn't in trouble. ... If there is a sort of silver lining in this very cloudy sky of ours -- it is that John McCain is not the traditional, establishment Republican. Thank goodness he's going to carry our banner this fall" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 5/18).
VEEP, VEEP
A number of Sunday guests were asked about the VP spot.
Joe Biden: "There's going to be all kinds of speculation. I'm up for reelection. I'm running for reelection to the United States Senate. I'm chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. I've made it clear I'm not looking for that job."
ABC's Stephanopoulos: "But you won't turn it down?"
Biden: "Anybody that's asked by their nominee to be their running mate, you'd have to consider it. How could you just blow it off? You can't do that. But I don't anticipate that happening" ("This Week," ABC, 5/18).
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA): "I'm not interested in doing that."
NBC's Russert: "But if Senator Obama or Senator Clinton asked you, you'd be open?"
Webb: "I would highly discourage them is probably the best way to say it."
Russert: "But you wouldn't be General Sherman and say no?"
Webb: "At this point, no one's asking, no one's talking, and I'm not that interested, so" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 5/18).
Huckabee, asked if him being VP would help McCain: "I don't know. I mean, he's the only one who can know that. And I'm not trying to be coy about it, but the truth is running for vice president is not something one does. ... There's no one I would rather be on a ticket with than John McCain. ... All during the campaign, when I was his rival, not a running mate, there was no one who was more complimentary of him publicly and privately. He was my number two choice. I want to make sure you know he was my number two choice" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 5/18).
A SPOONFUL OF CHOWDER...
There were multiple mentions of Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) 5/17 seizure.
Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), asked what he can share about Kennedy's condition: "Not a lot. I called Vicki, his wife. I did not get her, but I spoke with two of my colleagues who did speak with her. She sounded, according to them, very optimistic. The first reports about a massive stroke turned out not to be accurate. ... I'm optimistic, but that's just based on my native optimism. I don't have any reason to know exactly what the situation is, other than what I've read. ... I spoke with Barack Obama, who spoke with her, and with Chris Dodd, who spoke with her. And they both tell me she seemed optimistic" ("This Week," ABC, 5/18).
Chris Dodd: "I think the reports sound good. ... There'll be some tests on Monday, but he seems to be doing well and we just hope for the best for him and we're confident he will be fine" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/18).
Dem strategist Bob Shrum: "He was sitting up in bed eating take-out food from Legal Sea Food, wishing he could go sailing, and watching the Boston Red Sox. He had a restful night, and I'm told that he'll probably have a really restful day unless we say something on this show that upsets him" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 5/18).
Fox's Wallace: "Red Sox and chowder -- that sounds like the best medicine" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/18).
DUMB AND DUMBER
On "Meet the Press," NBC's Russert brought up Huckabee's comments at a 5/16 speech to the NRA. Huckabee, in his speech: "But the reality is -- and I'm worried, because, frankly, within the ... (crash in background) ... that was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak, and somebody aimed a gun at him and he, he dove for the floor."
Russert: "Now, many who have been concerned about the security of Senator Obama took great offense to that."
Huckabee: "It was a dumb, off-the-cuff remark. There was a Bobby Knight incident going on backstage with a chair that fell, made a terrible noise, distracted the crowd. I apologized for it immediately. ... Anybody that knows me knows that I would never, ever try to inject something like that to create any dangerous moment for any candidate, I don't care who it is. ... It wasn't the first dumb thing I've ever said and ... it won't be the last dumb thing I've ever said" (NBC, 5/18).
ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP
The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed Bush's "appeasement" comment and WH '08, including Obama publicly professing his faith.
Mike Huckabee: "I think it's interesting that nobody's jumping on Obama for this very blatant cross in his ad. And I took grief for months, I'm still taking it, over something that wasn't even a cross. It was a bookshelf, for heaven's sakes. ... It shows, though, that there are two sets of rules that sometimes we play by. And if Republicans even get near a church, we're accused of embracing it. Frankly, I'm delighted to see Obama talk about his faith. I don't have any problems with it. In fact, I am refreshed by it, I applaud him for it, I welcome it."
GOP strategist Mike Murphy: "I see Obama is trying to reach out to a voter group that, so far in the primaries, he's had great trouble with, and I understand why he's doing it. I don't think he's being disingenuous. ... I think embracing culturally conservative voters is a good strategy for him. Whether or not, in the ultimate analysis, he'll line up on the policy issues they care about is a very open question, and I think it's still a point of great vulnerability for him in an election."
DLC chair/'06 TN SEN nominee/ex-Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D): "I think what Barack Obama's done here in Kentucky and is doing in other parts of the country is a smart thing. I hope he's not afraid to talk about it, because the more Democrats are willing to share and be open about these issues, I think the more likely it is voters will say, 'I'm going to listen to them on economic policy, national security and foreign policy issues'" (NBC, 5/18).
The "This Week" roundtable discussed Bush's "appeasement" comment and WH '08.
Wall Street Journal's Noonan, on Obama focusing on his faith: "I think he's also thinking of the future. And he maybe is realizing that Americans look at him, find out something of his background. Raised in Hawaii and Indonesia. For the past 40 years he didn't really share, Obama, the American experience in a lot of ways that other people did, in cultural ways, almost being entwined with the country. I think he realizes that's his problem now. So, he's going back to major American facts and symbols and saying they are part of me. I embrace them. I am fully part of them. ... I kind of hate that stuff to tell you the truth. I hate that. You know, I'm posing. That's what Mike Huckabee did in Iowa. You know, it's me and Jesus. I don't like it when it's too obvious and too vulgar."
Dem strategist Donna Brazile: "People think he's a Muslim. There are 10% of the people believe he's a Muslim. So, I think what he's trying to say with that cross, is that I'm a Christian. I think that's what it is" (ABC, 5/18).
The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed Bush's "appeasement" comment and WH '08.
Weekly Standard's Kristol: "Obama mentioned 10 times in 10 minutes Bush and McCain in the same sentence. ... I think he's overdoing it. ... The Democratic campaign has the assumption that Bush is so toxic that if you just say to the American people a million times, 'Bush-McCain, third Bush term, McCain agrees with Bush on A, B or C,' the American public is going to go, 'Aaah! We can't have a -- no more Bush!' Well, maybe. I think the American public in an open seat presidential election, no incumbent on the ballot, looking at McCain and Obama, by October will make a forward-looking decision about who they want to be president. And I think the Obama team is overdoing the utility of a sort of simple-minded linking of Bush with McCain" (5/18).
The "Late Edition" roundtable discussed Bush's "appeasement" comment, WH '08 and MS 01.
CNN's Bash, on McCain's 5/17 "SNL" appearance: "He has been pining to get back on that show, since 2002, when he sang Barbra Streisand songs. And luckily, we didn't hear that again. ... The other thing that John McCain did on that show, in two separate sketches, is make fun of his age. He tried to, kind of, pull the air out of the balloon on this very, very real issue that he has, the fact that he would be the oldest president ever elected" (5/18).
Posted at 09:07 AM
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