Covering the Reporters Who Cover the White House

On May 1, 2009, In Government, Newspapers and Media, Politics, By Blake

Fishbowl DC notes that Tammy Haddad and BizBash Media CEO David Adler have launched a new project, WHCInsider.com. The two have teamed up with former ABC News producer Linda Schoumacher Rozett, former Variety Bureau Chief Bill Triplett and former 60 Minutes producer Holly Fine to create the website.

“The website will put a spotlight on the White House briefing room – so much has been a mystery until now,” Haddad told FishbowlDC. “We are going to lift the veil between the correspondents and the White House to explain who decides what and why,” she said.

On the national blog roll to your right. (Thumbs Up: DDB)

Would there by any interest in something like this in Arkansas?

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Plouffe: ‘Minority Leader Limbaugh’

On March 4, 2009, In Government, Newspapers and Media, Politics, By Blake

David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama, writes in today’s Washington Post about the flare-up within the Republican Party over Rush Limbaugh. He argues, “The 2008 election sent many messages. At the top: Americans wanted to turn the page on the politics of division and partisan pettiness, and they wanted a government — and country — that would put the middle class first. Watching the Republicans operate this past month, it would appear that they missed that unmistakable signal. Instead, Rush Limbaugh has become their leader.”

On “Morning Joe” this morning MSNBC political director Chuck Todd said that “Republicans are coming off their worst four year span in a generation” and they’re “looking for a leader.” Mike Barnicle, also on the show, agreed with Mr. Plouffe: Mr. Limbaugh’s in charge.

Regarding Republican leadership, Mr. Plouffe writes, “Limbaugh’s voice could be heard in the words of new Republican quarterback Eric Cantor, who says the GOP’s strategy will be to “Just Say No” — not for substantive or philosophical reasons but to advance Limbaugh’s strategy for failure.”

One thing is for certain: Mr. Limbaugh’s got to be loving this.

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NY Times: The You Tube Presidency

On January 26, 2009, In Newspapers and Media, Politics, Public Affairs, By Blake

Jim Rutenberg and Adam Nagourney of The New York Times explore “Organizing for America,” a new group created within the Democratic National Committee that will seek to keep the 13 million people who signed up for e-mail and text updates from Barack Obama’s campaign engaged in the political process.

The vision for the organization is, “an army of supporters talking, sending e-mail and texting to friends and neighbors as they try to mold public opinion” which is done in an effort to try and “bypass the mainstream news media and take messages straight to the public.”

The group is still very much in the early stages. It does not have a website and “the goal is to have a relatively small staff, with representatives in most, if not every, state, and to make up any shortfall in personnel with the use of technology.”

This is raising concern among the media community. “They’re beginning to create their own journalism, their own description of events of the day, but it’s not an independent voice making that description,” said Bill Kovach, the chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. “It’s troublesome until we know how it’s going to be used and the degree to which it can be used on behalf of the people, and not on behalf of only one point of view.”

Speaking of You Tube, Mr. Obama’s first video address, distributed via the popular online video site, has been viewed more than 800,000 times. The Republican response was also posted on You Tube. Notes NBC News chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd, “We’ve officially entered the 21st century presidency.”

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Note to Brummett: Comments matter

On December 5, 2008, In Arkansas, Newspapers and Media, By Blake

As I was browsing Swampland, a blog created for TIME magazine writers Joe Klein, Jay Newton Small, Karen Tumulty, Jay Carney, Michael Scherer and incorporating the work of Mike Murphy and Ana Marie Cox (of Wonkette fame), I noticed that Ms. Cox posted a quasi-farewell to that blog. In her note she thanks her fellow writers but also adds this, “I specifically appreciate . . . the commentors. Without you we are nothing.”

In his most recent column blasting “Choose Your News,” and, more specificially, blogging and anonymous comments, John Brummett writes, “Democratic news . . . net you such things as the online spreading via blog comments sections of horrible, absurd, vicious and disgusting rumors.”

I touched on this a bit yesterday, and I thought it relevant and insightful to point to Ms. Cox’s view. After all, she created Wonkette.com, one of the most popular and influential blog sites on the Internet. And she found her way to TIME magazine, of all places.

But as I also noted yesterday, endeavors like these are ruining journalism if you accept Mr. Brummett’s premise. Take that NY Times, MSNBC, Washington Post, The New Republic, Huffington Post . . .

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The Future of “Meet the Press”

On November 26, 2008, In Newspapers and Media, Politics, By Blake

The Los Angeles Times reports that NBC News will announce a permanent replacement for Tim Russert as early as Dec. 7.  Finalists appear to be NBS News reporter David Gregory and host of “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” on MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC, NBC News political director Chuck Todd, and PBS anchor Gwen Ifill.

With “Hardball” anchor Chris Matthews out of the running, will this push him into a 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race against Republican Arlen Specter?  Speculation is high enough that people are already polling yet.  When one election ends, another begins.

Personally, I’d like to see Joe Scarbrough take the reigns at “Meet the Press” (his recent dropping of the f-bomb on his program “Morning Joe” notwithstanding.)  But he does have a good thing going, so I can see why NBC would want him to stay put.

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Will race make a difference on Tuesday?

On November 2, 2008, In 2008 election, By Blake

Chuck Todd of NBC News, appearing on “Meet the Press,” believes that race will make a 1 to 2 point difference in the north and industrial midwest particularly in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  Latest polls show Obama up 7 points in Pennsylvania and 6 points in Ohio.

Previously, my thoughts on The Bradley Effect.

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What to expect

On November 1, 2008, In 2008 election, Arkansas, By Blake

NBC News political director Chuck Todd identifies the things he’ll be watching in all fifty states on election day.  Not much interesting news in Arkansas except that Todd notes Arkansas could be the only state that Obama loses that sports a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators.  He does think Obama loses the Natural State by less than 15 points, though.

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‘Arkansas is closing’

On October 15, 2008, In 2008 election, Arkansas, Politics, Voting, By Blake

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd just announced on Morning Joe the presidential race is tightening in Arkansas.  That’s certainly the trend in the South.  I wonder if the State Democratic Party will regret not doing much here, not to mention allowing Bruce Sinclair to jump to another state to help Obama?  Steve Harrelson of Under the Dome notes in the comments section below that some polling needs to be done here.

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Post-debate spin

On October 8, 2008, In 2008 election, Politics, Voting, By Blake

Chuck Todd of NBC News writes, “Part three of the four-part debate series is now over and the one big conclusion is that nothing’s changed in the race. And nothing changing is not a good result for John McCain.”

Roger Simon of Politico agrees, “So if you had to say somebody lost Tuesday night, it was McCain. Because he had to win and he did not. He is the one who has to change the current trajectory of the campaign, and he did not do that.”

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post: “No new ground was broken. Obama, smartly, stuck to a script to avoid any sort of flub that could change the general direction of the race, which is a trend in his favor.”

Taeggan Goddard of Political Wire: “Tonight’s debate wasn’t even close. Sen. Barack Obama ran away with it — particularly when speaking about the economy and health care.”

Mark Ambinder of The Atlantic: “CW says that John McCain had a 90 minute window to turn his campaign around – to put into play the McCain Resurgence Strategy, if you will, and if that’s the CW threshold, I don’t think McCain met it.”

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One state away?

On October 5, 2008, In 2008 election, Government, Politics, The Electoral Update, By Blake

Karl Rove says if the election was held today Obama would win.  This morning on “Meet the Press” Chuck Todd observed Obama currently has 264 electoral votes, one state away from winning the election.   The New York Times has Obama ahead 260 – 200 with 78 electoral votes in play.

I’ll get into the electoral math tomorrow morning with a new edition of The Electoral Update.

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The Palin Watch: Day . . .

On September 13, 2008, In 2008 election, Politics, Voting, By Blake

I’ve given up counting the days. Sarah Palin is not getting dumped from this ticket; far from it. She’s energizing Republican crowds in ways John McCain can’t. Chuck Todd of NBC News describes her as the “campaigner-in-chief” despite syating relatively hidden from the media with the exception of this announcement that she’ll sit down with FOX News partisan Sean Hannity. Here’s part II of her interview with Charlie Gibson.

A couple of big problems for Palin yesterday. First, Gibson did get her to admit that she once favored the infamous Bridge to Nowhere project. It’s going to be hard for McCain to push her as someone that will reform earmark spending with this now on the record.

There was also this news story that raises questions about her capabilities as a reformer.  Bloomberg notes, “Palin’s office approved a state job for a friend and campaign aide with whom she shared a land investment, financial records and interviews over the past two weeks show. She hired a former lobbyist for a pipeline company to help oversee a multibillion-dollar deal with that same company.  She named a police chief accused of harassment to head the state police. And she sent campaign e-mails on her city hall account while serving as mayor of Wasilla — conduct for which she later turned in an oil commissioner on ethics charges.”

And voters must contemplate how she intends to accomplish this reform (for the record, McCain has set this stage: he said on “The View” that Palin would “reform the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and Independents in Washington”). Her husband, Todd Palin, was just supoened by a bipartisan committee in connection with the dismissal of Alaska’s public safety director. The dismissed employee says that Mr. Palin sent him intimidating e-mails and phone calls about his continued employment. An independent investigator and a Republican called for the subpoena, so it’s hard to cry politics.

This comes along with the release of many documents that show that as Mayor of Wasilla she had a direct hand in making women that were victims of rape pay for their medical exams.

She’s also flip-flopped on climate change. Two weeks ago she said, “I’m not one, though, who would attribute [climate change] to being man-made.” Talking to Gibson she whistled a different tune. She noted that there is evidence “attributing some of man’s activities to potentially causing some of the changes in the climate right now.” McCain’s position is much stronger. He has noted on many occassions that human emissions are the primary cause for global warming.

I’m not one to think that voters really care about what Mr. Palin did when he wasn’t fishing in Alaska. Still, with the McCain-Palin turning to slash and burn tactics, Mr. Palin’s actions will have an ancillary impact on undecided voters who are looking for a more positive tone. Also, in the spirit of fairness I make a note of it. Republicans went hard after Tipper Gore and Elizabeth Edwards not to mention Hillary Clinton and Teresa Heinz Kerry in the past.

But the latter two issues should raise flags with independent voters. While I’ve said before that it is unlikely that Palin does more than rally the Republican base, the McCain campaign clearly disagrees with me. They’re expecting Palin to have a big impact. Women’s issues and climate change are big time players in the undecided world.

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MSNBC replaced Olbermann and Matthews with David Gregory

On September 8, 2008, In Culture, Politics, Public Affairs, By Blake

MSNBC has made a decision to remove Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from the co-anchor chairs of its political coverage.  They will be replaced by David Gregory who recently was given the show “Race for the White House” nightly at 5:00 p.m.

Early last week I corresponded with a reader who wanted to know why I liked MSNBC’s political coverage so much.  He thought that the cable network had, unwisely, move too far to the left.  As I indicated to him, I don’t think it’s any secret that Olbermann was trying to become the left’s version of Bill O’Reilly.  It worked, apparently, because “Countdown” saw its ratings grow.  But I do agree that by using the antics of his show during the on-air political coverage, Olbermann bogged the network down in needless partisanry.  Replacing him was a smart move, even if Gregory is a little dull.

As for Matthews, I’m not sure he was ever the anchor type.  Tim Russert never served in the anchor chair; he was always brought in to provide substantive political commentary.  That should have been Matthews’ role from the beginning.  I think this move suits him much more than it does Olbermann.  Do people really care what he has to say, especially when you have Eugene Robinson, Pat Buchanan, Rachel Maddow, Mike Barnicle, Andrea Mitchell and Lawrence O’Donnell all there to provide analysis?

I still submit that “Morning Joe” is the best morning show in America, and absolutely the best for political junkies.  Last week, I kept count and it had fifteen guests on the program over the course of three hours.  There was an even balance of Democrats, Republicans and bi-partisan members of the press.  They also have Chuck Todd, the best political analyst in the business, on there every day.  If you missed the show this morning, they unveiled some new technology that will help them track changes in the electoral map.  It really is worth watching every morning regardless of your politics.

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The Palin Watch: Day Five

On September 2, 2008, In Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

The Sarah Palin watch continues.  On day five, the media is still obsessed with how she was picked.  That’s not good for John McCain’s campaign.  The focus is on two issues:  1) Palin’s qualifications and 2) McCain’s process for making the selection.  Despite the gushing that has come from conservative circles, this has knocked the campaign completely off message.  What’s their campaign theme now?  Having listened to several McCain spokespeople over the weekend it is clear they don’t have one.

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post addresses the first question.  “So, at 72 and with a history of cancer, how could McCain choose a vice presidential nominee who has, let’s face it, zero experience in foreign affairs? Being the nominal commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard doesn’t count, unless you think Vladimir Putin is about to order an invasion across the Bering Strait.”

David Brooks of the New York Times continues, “He [McCain] needs a near-equal who can turn his instincts, which are great, into a doctrine that everybody else can predict and understand. Rob Portman or Bob Gates wouldn’t have been politically exciting, but they are capable of performing those tasks. Palin, for all her gifts, is not. She underlines McCain’s strength without compensating for his weaknesses. The real second fiddle job is still unfilled.”

John Dickerson of Slate addresses the second question.  “But it’s not just journalists who have questions. Undecided independent voters may, too—not just about Palin, but about McCain’s judgment and decision-making process. With each new surprise, the pressure increases on Palin to perform well and validate McCain’s instinct. It’s the first most important thing she can do for her new boss.”

According to Chuck Todd of NBC News, McCain was prepared, as late as Sunday night, to pick Joe Lieberman.  McCain campaign advisor Charlie Black told him that the Republican National Convention would “blow up” and McCain changed his mind.  As Todd notes, McCain had one meeting with Palin, took a walk with his wife, Cindy, and then offered her the job. 

Elizabeth Bumiller of the New York Times goes in-depth behind the vetting process of Palin.  Conclusion: there wasn’t much.

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Democratic National Convention: Day One – - UPDATE IV

On August 25, 2008, In Arkansas, Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

The 2008 Democratic National Convention officially kicks off this afternoon in Denver, Colorado. There is a lengthy list of speakers on the program today, and the prime time speaker will be Michelle Obama at 9:35 p.m. CST. The Chicago Tribune opines that Mrs. Obama needs to define herself in her speech tonight. Margery Eagan of the Boston Herald believes tonight is damage control time for Mrs. Obama. “What she must do is convince Americans that she and her husband are not what many suspect they are: holier-than-thou radicals with chips on their shouldlers.”

The Convention should be full of plenty of lofty rhetoric, but the Boston Globe argues that the Democrats need to balance glamour with grit. Sean Wilentz, writing for Newsweek, echoes these sentiments. And the Convention comes with complication, as Rich Lowery of the New York Post notes in a piece headlined, “All About Hillary.”

Some thoughts about online coverage:

For Arkansans looking for happenings from the convention, check out House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson’s blog “Under the Dome.” Also, Harding University professor Mark Elrod will be providing updates to Arkansas Business.com from Denver.

The Washington Post and Newsweek have teamed up to provide daily live video broadcasts online everyday from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 10:00 p.m CST.

New York Times Carpetbagger David Carr will be covering the convention for the New York Times.

Other blogs I’ll be checking very regularly: Mark Halperin of TIME; Ben Smith of Politico; Chuck Todd of NBC News; Swampland collective: Joe Klein, Karen Tumulty, Jay Newton-Small, Ana Marie Cox, Jay Carney, Michael Scherer and Mike Murphy; and Chris Cillizza of “The Fix” at the Washington Post.

I will be updating here continuously over the next four days. I’ll add some live blogging features for many of the primetime speeches beginning tonight.

UPDATE: Sen. Ted Kennedy is now rumored to give a speech at the Convention tonight.

UPDATE II: Hillary Clinton will release her delegates on Wednesday. Also, rumors abound that the symbolic roll call vote for her won’t happen after all.

UPDATE III: If you’re curious about the seating chart, here it is. Arkansas is in the back behind Minnesota.

UPDATE IV: Bill Clinton will speak about national security. Huh?

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Veepstakes in its final week? – - UPDATE VII

On August 18, 2008, In Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

With the conventions right around the corner, both presidential candidates are expected to make announcements regarding their VP selections. Ben Smith and Glenn Thrush of Politico note that Obama is likely to make his pick later this week or sometime over the weekend. This weekend on Meet the Press, NBC political director Chuck Todd suggested that the events in Russia may have changed the game a bit for Barack Obama. George Stephanopoulos indicated on This Week that Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was leading the pack. Biden made a trip to Georgia this weekend which he discussed with the Obama campaign according to the Washington Post. This morning on Today Andrea Mitchell indicated that Obama is looking for someone who can really stand up to the Republican attacks. Picking someone who is a novice to national politics would be problematic, she noted. According to the Financial Times, the short list includes: Biden, Tim Kaine, Kathleen Sebelius, Bill Richardson, Sam Nunn, Evan Bayh and John Kerry.

Over at Swampland, Jay Newton-Small reviews the released list of speakers. Interestingly, Sen. Jack Reed who traveled with Obama to Iraq, hasn’t been listed yet as a speaker. Neither has Kerry whom a Boston news station has also mentioned a legitimate candidate for VP or Gen. Wesley Clark. Clark is said to not be attending the convention according to Steve Clemons of the Washington Note because the Obama campaign informed him that there would be no role for him there. If you assume that those already announced to speak will NOT be the VP, Biden is out of the race. He’s scheduled to speak on Wednesday, the same day as the VP.

On the Republican side, Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe reports efforts by Mike Huckabee to diminsh the chances of Mitt Romney as John McCain’s vice presidential pick. Huckabee is quoted as saying, “”I think there are better choices for Senator McCain that have the approval of value voters. The issue is that in many ways, Mitt Romney has had very definite swings of position. Not just on one or two things, but on many of the issues.”

The same Financial Times story suggests Tom Ridge as someone McCain is closely considering. Previous reports have suggested Sen. Joe Lieberman, Romney and Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

UPDATE: The New York Times is reporting that an announcement could come as early as tomorrow morning regarding Barack Obama’s VP pick. The story indicates that Obama has made up his mind and it will be one of three candidates: Biden, Kaine or Bayh. This morning on Today, Chuck Todd indicated that all signs were pointing to Biden and that members of Biden’s staff felt confident that this was his best shot to make the ticket.

The Politico reports that John McCain will announce his VP selection on August 29th, the same day he turns 72. This is also the day after Obama accepts the nomination in Denver.

UPDATE II: All signs are pointing to Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as Obama’s VP pick. Mark Halperin of TIME notes that Biden’s staff sent out an e-mail requesting updated contact information for all of Biden’s supporters. Howard Fineman of Newsweek writes, “My bottom line is this: Barring a big surprise or last-minute change of heart, the choice is likely to be Sen. Joe Biden of Deleware, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.” The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Obama campaign has reserved the Old State Capitol in Chicago to showcase the ticket on Saturday. This is the same place Obama kicked off his campaign in 2007. They will then embark on a tour of battleground states before heading to the Democratic National Convention.

UPDATE III: High level Republican sources tell Halperin that former Penn. Gov. Tom Ridge is out of the running to be McCain’s VP.

UPDATE IV: Biden tells reporters “I’m not the guy.”

UPDATE: V: Blogfather Jerome Armstrong of MyDD.com predicts that Tom Daschle will be Obama’s pick. Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga is also predicting Daschle.

UPDATE VI: Is Joe Lieberman going to be McCain’s VP pick? The Politico reports that Lieberman is “very much in the mix” to be the No. 2 on the Republican ticket.

UPDATE VII: John Heilemann of New York magazine suggests that the backlash from the GOP around the potential for McCain taking a pro-choice VP will lead to Mitt Romney being selected as his running mate.  He wonders, “Isn’t it possible that McCain and his people are engaged in a bit of elaborate gamesmanship designed to make Evangelicals more grateful than they otherwise might be for the selection of that guy?”

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Obama, McCain and Race

On August 1, 2008, In Culture, Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

Race, it appears, has taken center stage of the 2008 presidential election.  This morning, network and cable news showed clip after after clip of Barack Obama addressing the issue during campaign events.   Interestingly, it seems that Obama has tried to step on out the issue of race saying “”Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, he’s not patriotic enough, he’s got a funny name, you know, he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”

This has prompted a flurry of responses today from the more conservative members of the media.  Charles Hurt of the New York Post notes, “ommitted the worst blunder of his campaign by wrongly accusing President Bush, John McCain and other Republicans of trying to make voters fear him.”

The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal opines, “It would be not only good for this campaign but also in Senator Obama’s political self-interest if he dropped this unattractive implication about his opposition. The more he tries to use race as a shield from criticism, the less he’ll look like a potential leader of the entire country and more like a traditional liberal playing racial politics.”

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said, “Look, what’s really bizarre about this is Obama is accusing the Republicans of something that they haven’t done, or McCain of something he hasn’t done.”

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post takes a different view.  ” Of course the McCain campaign isn’t really offended that the first black major-party candidate for president in American history might mention this distinction from time to time. The idea is to slow Obama down before he runs away with this thing, and the weapon of choice is handfuls of mud.”

Today on “Morning Joe,” NBC News political director Chuck Todd noted that every day that race is the topic is a bad day for Obama.  Over at First Read, he re-iterated this point: “The Obama campaign doesn’t want the race issue to become an overarching theme of the campaign.”

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The morning after

On June 4, 2008, In Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

The early morning headlines involve Hillary Clinton not conceding last night.  On “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarbrough asks an Obama campaign staffer, “Are you bothered that she didn’t give it up?” He continues, “it’s not really a unifying message.” And this: “she didn’t get the memo.” Also on the program, Harold Ford, Jr. said, “I thought she was wrong last night.”

Roger Simon of Politico notes that Barack Obama’s first test is “handling Hillary.”  Michael Powell of the New York Times evaluates Obama and observes,

“He turned down a prestigious federal appellate court clerkship while at Harvard to work as a community organizer. He wrote an autobiography at the age of 33, and another 11 years later. He brushed aside a liberal mentor who stood in his way in Illinois. After just two years in the United States Senate, he announced that he would run for the presidency and then upended a Democratic Party powerhouse.”

What went wrong for Clinton?  Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post, Jackie Calmes of the Wall Street Journal and John Dickerson of Slate all weigh in.

The Think Tank focus group liked Clinton’s speech.  They might have been off-base.  Scarborough hated it.  So did Dahlia Lithwick of Slate. And Maureen Dowd of the New York Times.

The VP talk for Clinton has begun.   BET founder Bob Johnson will pressure Congressional Black Caucus to urge Obama to pick Clinton according to Mark Halperin. Peter Nicholas of the Los Angeles Times writes that Clinton is willing to take it, but “doesn’t have a lock on it.”  Ron Fournier of AP admits that she wants the VP, and maybe more . . . or not.  Seth Colter Walls of Huffington Post states Obama won’t pick a VP until July.  Chuck Todd of NBC News said on “Morning Joe” that if Obama doesn’t take a woman, McCain will.  Dick Morris has an op-ed about why Obama should avoid putting Clinton on the ticket.

In an e-mail to supporters this morning, Clinton states, “Whatever path I travel next, I promise I will keep faith with you and everyone I have met across this good and great country.”

I guess we’ll wait and see.

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Will Huckabee drop out and challenge Mark Pryor?

On February 7, 2008, In Arkansas, Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

He’ll drop out (at some point), but will Mike Huckabee’s next step be to return to Arkansas and challenge the popular first term Senator?  Surely not, although Daniel Nawsaw, writing for The Guardian, raises the issue,

Also, the Arkansas Republican party has yet to announce a challenger to Democratic senator Mark Pryor, who is up for re-election in the fall. Some in that party would like to see Huckabee return to the state to take him on or challenge Democratic senator Blanche Lincoln in 2010.

I have strong feeling that Huckabee’s going to do all he can to get the No. 2 spot on the Republican ticket.  If he can’t (although I still think he will), he’d be smart to head to the speaking circuit and make a little cheese.  With Waterworld, I mean Mitt Romney, dropping out and promising to run again in 2012, Huckabee might want to think about how to best deal with that (coming out and working hard for John McCain and the Party is a critical first step that Romney, in typical fashion, overlooked).

Let the speculation begin.

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Romney suspends his campaign

On February 7, 2008, In Arkansas, Government, Politics, Voting, By Blake

According to CNN and The Politico. Here’s the full AP story. “If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or (Barack) Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror,” said Mitt Romney.

What does this mean for the Republicans? My first thought is that it paves the way for John McCain. He already had a statistical advantage making it almost impossible for either Huckabee or Romney to beat him. Romney had money, so he always lingered as a threat. But with him out, it’s only McCain and a poorly financed, but well-liked Mike Huckabee left.

What will Huckabee do? Will he take on McCain or will he too politely withdrawal so that McCain can begin focusing on unifying the Republican Party and preparing for a difficult fight come the fall?

It’s hard to say. Huckabee doesn’t have a lot of money to campaign in the upcoming states. After Louisiana on Saturday, not a single southern state votes until March 11 when Mississippi residents head to the polls. Between now and then, Huckabee would have to find wins in Kansas, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont. Right now, I don’t see that happening.

And Huckabee’s got to be thinking about the VP spot. His stock is never going to be higher than it is today. Continuing to hang around may end up harming his chances to be on the ticket.

A quick scan doesn’t show any recent polls in any of these states. If you happen to see any, please pass them along.

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South Carolina takes its toll on Huckabee campaign

On January 23, 2008, In Arkansas, Government, Local News, Politics, Voting, By Blake

Matthew S.L. Cate, writing for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette today, notes that Huckabee has stopped advancing travel costs for members of the media and cut salaries for many on the campaign staff. “It’s not a bad sign. It’s just that we’re scaling back,” said Alice Stewart, Huckabee’s campaign spokesman.

On KUAR this morning, Ron Breeding and Hendrix Professor (and Perspectives guest) Jay Barth talked about the Huckabee campaign. Barth pointed to the slow goings of Huckabee’s campaign as a product of not winning in South Carolina.

The New York Times reports that Huckabee is “pulling back” in Florida due to a lack of money. “On Tuesday, though, the Huckabee campaign acknowledged that its chronic shortage of money might be catching up to it,” writes David Kirkpatrick.

Huckabee also appears to be losing media attention. One of the motivators behind cutting press travel was that only 15 of the 50 seats were occupied by members of the media on the last trip. “”A 50-seat plane for 15 people doesn’t make sense,” Huckabee said, noting that his press coverage has thinned since his Iowa caucus victory was followed by losses to Arizona Sen. John McCain in New Hampshire and South Carolina,” writes Charles Babington of the Associated Press.

Chuck Todd of MSNBC.com’s First Read also comments: “Huckabee’s lack of money and organization is finally catching up to win. To put it simply, he’s running of out of money.”

While money may be a problem for John McCain and Rudy Giuliani (Giuliani also cut staff), both of those campaigns have a chance to plow through by winning Florida. But that’s not the case for Huckabee who doesn’t have enough money to run television ads in Florida. Dwindling resources and media interest with Tsunami Tuesday on the horizon isn’t a good scenario for Huckabee. If he isn’t able to turn it around, we can point to the loss in South Carolina as the cause.

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