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May 25, 2007
Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, got big laughs in the last Republican presidential debate with his one-liner about the expensive ($400) haircuts of Democrat John Edwards: "We've had a Congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop," Huckabee said.
Huckabee thought the joke had legs, so he's tried to turn it into a fund-raising opportunity. He's asked supporters to donate to his campaign the amount they spend on their haircits. He aims to collect contributions from 400 people by 5 p.m. tomorrow. (The campaign said he was already near that target by yesterday.)
"While I used humor to illustrate my point, the fact is, most hard-working Americans have to budget for everyday expenses such as getting a haircut," Huckabee said in a statement. "I hope my supporters will use this opportunity to weigh in with the campaign while having a little fun."
Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter at 04:24 PM
May 25, 2007
As they say, the top three issues in the 2008 presidential race are Iraq, Iraq, and Iraq.
Two leading Democratic candidates for president, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, voted against the war funding bill that came before Congress yesterday, drawing rebukes today from Mitt Romney and John McCain, both of whom have supported President Bush on the Iraq war.
Romney said their vote "defines their lack of leadership and serves as a glaring example of an unrealistic and inexperienced worldview on national security that is regrettably shared by too many of their fellow Capitol Hill Democrats." McCain said their votes "may win favor with MoveOn and liberal primary voters, but it's the equivalent of waving a white flag to al Qaeda."
So Obama then hit back with his own statement criticizing both of them. "Governor Romney and Senator McCain clearly believe the course we are on in Iraq is working, but I do not," Obama said. "And if there ever was a reflection of that it's the fact that Senator McCain required a flack jacket, ten armored Humvees, two Apache attack helicopters, and 100 soldiers with rifles by his side to stroll through a market in Baghdad just a few weeks ago."
McCain, of course, couldn't let that stand and just released a counter statement that tries to highlight Obama's thin experience in the Senate. To wit:
"While Senator Obama's two years in the US Senate certainly entitle him to vote against funding our troops, my service and experience combined with conversations with military leaders on the ground in Iraq lead me to believe that we must give this new strategy a chance to succeed because the consequences of failure would be catastrophic to our nation's security."
Wait, that wasn't all. You can almost see McCain smirking as he wrote the kicker: "By the way, Senator Obama, it's a 'flak' jacket, not a 'flack' jacket."
Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter at 01:58 PM
May 25, 2007
Fred Thompson -- Law & Order star, former Tennessee senator, and likely late entry into the Republican presidential contest -- has just poached one of Mitt Romney's key conservative supporters in Congress.
US Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who's been with Romney since January, announced today that she is jumping ship and will now back Thompson if he runs.
Blackburn, as reported by The Hotline, had said this to say in a statement: "Fred Thompson is a man of uncommon talent, character and judgment. He is a proven statesman and public servant. He is the right person for these challenging times ... I sincerely hope that Fred Thompson will choose to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States."
That's gotta smart a little over at Romney HQ, which trumpeted Blackburn's support back in January: "With extensive experience in the public and private sectors, Congresswoman Blackburn will provide valuable insight as I move forward," Romney said in a statement at the time. "As a rising star among conservative leaders, I am proud that she has joined my exploratory committee as a senior adviser."
Thompson's entry into the race is sure to shake up the GOP field. Romney better hope Blackburn's defection is an aberration.
Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter at 01:04 PM
May 24, 2007
The Senate's immigration reform bill has already caused a great deal of friction between Mitt Romney and Arizona Senator John McCain, a leading proponent of the legislation. After Romney came out against the bill, McCain promptly blasted him for flip-flopping.
Romney's tough talk against the Senate proposal -- and against illegal immigration in general -- may be playing well in some states, but two interesting pieces this week look at whether it could hurt him in Florida, a key early primary state in 2008 that he has courted aggressively.
The Miami Herald reports that Romney's position puts him at odds with GOP leaders in the state. This follows an excellent piece by ABC's Rick Klein looking at whether Romney's hard line on immigration has damaged his relationship with former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a beloved figure among many conservatives who has steered key staffers to Romney's campaign.
Immigration hasn't been nearly as radioactive on the Democratic side, but The New York Times has an interesting piece today looking at the immigration position of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who has come out against the compromise bill, though for far different reasons than conservatives have.
Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter at 05:44 PM
May 24, 2007
All the presidential candidates will have moments they'd like to do over. Mitt Romney's already had several. Here's a new one: a faux pas last week at a fund-raiser outside Atlanta.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Romney, despite his aggressive courtship of Christian conservative leaders, mistook Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition leader, for Gary Bauer, the influential activist and former presidential contender.
Romney was making introductions when he motioned to Reed and said, "Why it’s good to see Gary Bauer here." Romney caught himself, the paper reports, but still couldn't summon Reed's name and went on to the next introduction. Romney reportedly apologized to Reed afterward.
A major gaffe? Probably not. But needless to say this kind of thing isn't going to help Romney attract conservative leaders to his campaign.
(Hat tip to Jonathan Martin at the Politico.)
Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter at 11:54 AM
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