WASHINGTON—NPR’s Michel Martin just asked a very interesting question about support for a federal law to guarantee a right of return to residents of New Orleans and other gulf regions hurt by Hurricane Katrina..based on United Nations standards dealing with internally displaced populations.
Most of the eight sidestepped a direct answer about a policy of a right of return—a phrase usually used for refugees in other countries. Bill Richardson Mike Gravel said yes; Joe Biden said no. The others talked about federal government failures.
WASHINGTON—At the third Democratic presidential debate, eight 2008 primary rivals are talking about race at Howard University, the nation’s top historically black school.
The first question: Is race the most intractable issue? This is asked in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down Thursday putting new limits on voluntary school integration plans on the grounds of discrimination against white students.
WASHINGTON--This Democratic debate is called the All-American Presidential Forum moderated by Tavis Smiley. This event is at Howard University, a traditional black institution and co-sponsored by PBS.
Radio host Tom Joyner just introduced Smiley. Joyner plugged Smiley's book, Covenant with Black America. Right now Smiley is pitching his book. So far its nine minutes into the so-called debate and none of the eight Democrats have said a word. Haven't even seen them on the stage.
Now Smiley just introduced Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. It's eleven minutes in and....finally the candidates are coming on stage, introduced by Patrick. Now they are posing for pictures. It's 12 minutes eaten up.....and they are still not behind the podiums.
WASHINGTON--The 2008 fund-raising showdown between White House rivals Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is driving fund-raising to record levels of giving. With the second quarter closing on Saturday, Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a memo the campaign expects to take-in at least $27 million, with Obama collecting "significantly" more in April, May and June.
"We expect to bring in about what we did in the First Quarter, or slightly more, which should put us in the range of $27 million. To put that figure in some perspective, it is more than any Democrat has ever raised in the second quarter of the “off” year. While that figure is record setting, we do expect Senator Obama to significantly outraise us this quarter. Bottom line is that both campaigns will raise a great deal of money and that we will have all the resources we need to compete and win," Wolfson said.
In Washington on Thursday at a fund-raiser aimed at women, Michelle Obama said the crowds coming to see Obama show "This is not curiosity, this is a movement."
The Obama campaign estimated that events in the Washington area on Wednesday and Thursday hauled in $1 million for Obama. Michelle Obama quipped that one of her daughters calls the Secret Service personnel assigned to Obama "Secret people."
The Obama campaign is on track to report about $30 million in second quarter donations, according to unofficial estimates from fund-raising observers. Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is lowering expectations, gauging second quarter collections at $9 million. A few weeks ago the Obama campaign was floating a $20 million number.
Meanwhile, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe is engaging in a bit of media baiting in mounting a straw man argument in a direct e-mail appeal to supporters, designed to spur donors to give in time to run up second quarter numbers.
“Media pundits and Washington insiders are already speculating about our end of quarter fundraising totals," Plouffe wrote. "They claim the money we raise by this Saturday, June 30th, will determine the success or failure of our campaign," Plouffe wrote.
For years, the Senate has resisted electronic disclosure of campaign finance reports. The House has electronic filing requirements as do presidential candidates, political parties and political action committees. The Senate sticks out as the body out of step with the rest of federal government, if not the modern world.
It seems obvious, in this age of the Internet, that the era of just filing paper copies of reports is over. There are big filing cabinets over at the Federal Election Commission headquarters in Washington stuffed with hard copies of the reports. But news flash to the Senate -- the bricks-and-mortar way of doing business has long ago been supplemented with the 24-hour virtual universe.
WASHINGTON -- A day after a new television ad debuted for White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) aimed at Iowa voters, the union official in it was removed from the spot at his request.
Chicago-based Tom Balanoff, the president of SEIU Local 1, was in the original version of an ad about Obama's years in Chicago as a community organizer.
CHICAGO-- Here are three stories about a Chicago Democratic fund-raiser, Myron Cherry, his ties to the controversial Tony Rezko, under indictment for public corruption and his connections to White House hopefuls Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)
Clinton and Obama hold dueliing fund-raisers in Chicago today.
CHICAGO--Here's the latest political advance calendar for White House hopeful Sen. Brack Obama (D-Ill.) and wife Michelle.
Readers guide: Please note the campaign only lists a selection of political events it deems in its interests to reveal; the weeks ahead schedule does not include any events related to Obama's senatorial duties.
How to decode: When a listing notes a city the candidate or his wife will be in with the phrase "no public events," that is the clue that the Obama's are in a town for a fund-raiser that they are not eager to generate press on.
Some fund-raisers are sometimes listed; some are not. For example, on Monday Obama has a fund-raiser in Chicago; on Thursday Michelle Obama is the star of a fund-raiser for her husband in Washington. That's a clue that she will probably be there all day since Obama and his Democratic rivals are at a presidential forum at Howard University in Washington that evening.
Senate and House Democratic leaders — and the Democratic presidential candidates — are standing in solidarity with organized labor.
As the Senate debates the top agenda item of labor, the Employee Free Choice Act, designed to make it easier to organize in the workplace, it does so with the backing of virtually every top Democrat.
WASHINGTON -- A Democratic primary is shaping up in the north suburban 10th congressional district, where Dan Seals, the 2006 nominee, will have to defeat newcomer Jay Footlik, who served in the Clinton White House, for the nomination to run against Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.).
The Code Pink anti-war demonstrators, who stalk Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Capitol and get close enough to shout anti-war slogans in her face, showed up to protest her speech at the Take Back America conference Wednesday.
A handful -- seemed less than a dozen right in front, where Clinton could see them -- held up their signs, "Lead Us Out of Iraq Now!" and booed, but not as much as last year. And this time, there were Clinton supporters in the crowd who vocalized to balance them out.
Most central; Clinton in 2007 is not the Clinton of 2006 or the years before. Clinton addressed this strongly anti-war group protesting the war in Iraq herself.
WASHINGTON -- In a final push to run up second-quarter fund-raising numbers, White House hopeful Barack Obama just scheduled another fund-raiser in Chicago on Monday -- at almost the same time that chief rival Hillary Rodham Clinton will headline an event in her hometown.
WASHINGTON -- At two forums on Tuesday -- sponsored by AFSCME and the progressive Campaign for America's Future -- Democratic White House rivals drew distinctions between their anti-Iraq war positions.
WASHINGTON--Here it is--the latest list of hosts for White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's fund-raiser in Chicago on Monday night at the Palmer House Hilton.
Last Tuesday I asked Clinton what it would mean to her campaign if chief rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) outraises her in the second quarter; he is on track to do just that.
"Nothing at all," she said.
click below for the invitation with the updated names of hosts.
WASHINGTON--The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, deftly using humor and Bill Clinton, produced a teriffic video with a Soprano ending to mark the unveiling of the official campaign song--"You and I" by Celine Dion.
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to limit damage within the Indian-American Democratic community, White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Monday it was a "screw-up" and "stupid" and a "mistake" for his campaign to issue a memo slamming ties rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and her husband, Bill, have to India and Indian-Americans.
"In sum, our campaign made a mistake," Obama said in a statement released through a group of Indian-American supporters called South Asians for Obama '08.
"Although I was not aware of the contents of the memo prior to its distribution, I consider the entire campaign -- and in particular myself -- responsible for the mistake."
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to limit damage within the Indian-American Democratic community, White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Monday it was a "screw-up" and "stupid" and a "mistake" for his campaign to issue a memo slamming ties rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and her husband, Bill, have to India and Indian-Americans.
"In sum, our campaign made a mistake," Obama said in a statement released through a group of Indian-American supporters called South Asians for Obama '08.
"Although I was not aware of the contents of the memo prior to its distribution, I consider the entire campaign -- and in particular myself -- responsible for the mistake."
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to limit damage within the Indian-American Democratic community, White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Monday it was a "screw-up" and "stupid" and a "mistake" for his campaign to issue a memo slamming ties rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and her husband, Bill, have to India and Indian-Americans.
"In sum, our campaign made a mistake," Obama said in a statement released through a group of Indian-American supporters called South Asians for Obama '08.
"Although I was not aware of the contents of the memo prior to its distribution, I consider the entire campaign -- and in particular myself -- responsible for the mistake."
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Growing up, Patti Solis Doyle, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, could hear the rumble of the L train running in the alley behind her home at 1726 W. 21st.
Today, Doyle is the manager of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, lives in an affluent Washington neighborhood and sends her two children to one of the best private schools in the city.
In a rare look inside the White House campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), the Sun-Times has learned she — or former President Clinton — has booked at least 26 fund-raising events between May 31 and June 30, the end of the second fund-raising quarter.
Despite the fund-raiser sprint, there is the prospect chief rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will beat Clinton in second quarter fund-raising. I asked Clinton what this would mean to her campaign and Clinton replied: “It would mean nothing to my campaign. Nothing at all.
WASHINGTON--In the wake of a Senate stalemate over the immigration bill--ending any prospects of passage for the time being--Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) the House lead on immigration, pleads with the Senate on Friday to not give up.
Gutierrez: "Senators must get back to the table, and they must get this done."
