2008

The New York Times offers another look at the role President Clinton is taking in his wife's campaign for president. From the lede:

Bill Clinton’s connections, and his endless supply of chits, only begin to capture his singular role in his wife’s presidential candidacy, advisers and friends of the couple say. He is the master strategist behind the scenes; the consigliere to the head of “the family,” as some Clinton aides refer to her operation; and a fund-raising machine who is steadily pulling in $100,000 or more at receptions.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

From Greg Sargent at TPMCafé:

- Here's a glimpse into the reunion dinner that longtime Al Gore aides and friends had in DC recently. The bottom line: they don't think Al will run.

- NPI Fellow Joe Trippi gave an interview on the Edwards campaign and the Iraq strategies of other campaigns.

From the Wall Street Journal:

- Here's a quick look at the financial disclosures of presidential candidates and their campaigns. Specifically, the piece looks at which candidates have disclosed their tax returns and which campaigns disclosed their bundlers (supporters who raise a lot of money and bundle it together).

- Warren Buffett discussed ways in which he'd support Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a recent interview:

“If there’s anything I can do to help either of these people become president, I’d be delighted to do it, and I think I’d be doing something for the country. They’re out there 14 hours a day under very unpleasant circumstances. If they want me to help them raise money, I’d do it. If they ask for advice, I’d be glad to give it,” he said, adding that he expects to provide the most help in the candidates’ fund-raising efforts.

Here's video of Buffett's comments (about 5 minutes into the interview):

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

As part of its Impact channel, MySpace is hosting "Presidential Town Hall" meetings on college campuses across the nation from September through December. 12 candidates (7 Republicans and 5 Democrats) will participate in the meetings, answering questions from MySpace users who submit their questions over IM. From the article in the Wall Street Journal:

The town hall meetings are part of a plan to get the "MySpace generation" engaged in the political process, says site co-founder Chris DeWolfe. MySpace, like video Web site YouTube.com, is proving to be a lively campaign stop for candidates, especially as they court the youth vote. If roused, the group could become a potent force in elections. Mr. DeWolfe says that 85% of MySpace users world-wide are old enough to vote.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Bill Richardson introduced two new clever ads today that, like the others, highlight his résumé. The first, "Job Interview," is airing in Iowa; and the second, "Tell Me," will be online-only. Check them both out below:

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Together, PrezVid and washingtonpost.com have launched a blog called "Channel '08" to chronicle video of all types related to the campaigns. To give you a taste of what's there, here are two videos of John McCain's recent visit to the Google campus. The first is an interview with Steve Grove, YouTube's News and Politics Editor, and the second is a conversation with Dr. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. Check them out and feel free to comment below:

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Mitt Romney is going up on the air with a new ad entitled "Now Is The Time." From the Romney campaign's press release:

The ad highlights Governor Romney's support for strengthening our armed forces to meet a new generation of global challenges. Governor Romney has proposed expanding our armed forces by 100,000 soldiers and committing at least four percent of the gross domestic product to military spending.

The ad will begin airing today in Iowa, New Hampshire and on national cable networks.

Check out "Now Is The Time" below:

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

John Edwards is going up on the air in Iowa today. Chris Cilliza has more here. Of note: the buy is in both broadcast AND cable.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

In addition to offering a critique of the US auto industry on its home turf, Barack Obama delved into his energy plan yesterday. The Detroit Free Press has a good article which covered his speech to the Detroit Economic Club, including a mention of why Obama chose to make the speech in Detroit (a decision which won him the endorsement of Michigan State Senator Hansen Clarke):

"I'm making this proposal ... because I don't believe in making proposals in California and giving a different speech in Michigan," he said.

More from Obama's speech:

"While foreign competitors were investing in more fuel-efficient technology for their vehicles, American automakers were spending their time investing in bigger, faster cars," Obama told a Detroit Economic Club luncheon at Cobo Center. "And whenever an attempt was made to raise our fuel-efficiency standards, the auto companies would lobby furiously against it, spending millions to prevent the very reform that could have saved their industry."

...

"Our goal is not to destroy the industry, but to help bring it into the 21st Century," Obama said. "So if the auto industry is prepared to step up to its responsibilities, then we as a country should be prepared to help."

As the Washington Post notes, however, Obama faces a tough position regarding his energy policy. As a Senator, Obama supports coal-to-liquids technology, a policy which angers environmentalists. Cathy Duvall, national political director of the Sierra Club, explains his situation further:

"Senator Obama right now is balancing two tensions. First off, he is a senator from Illinois, whose job it is to represent . . . one of the biggest coal-producing states in the country. On the other hand, he's also a presidential candidate and needs to demonstrate the leadership needed to move our entire country in the direction to tackle tough questions like energy independence and global warming."

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

In a speech yesterday at the Heritage Foundation, Rudy Giuliani stayed away from any controversy, instead choosing to cover issues that would be well received by the audience. The Washington Post has more:

Fresh from the first debate among 2008 Republican presidential hopefuls, where he acknowledged that he respects "a woman's right to make a different choice" on abortion, Giuliani avoided subjects on which he and his audience were likely to disagree intensely.

Instead, he talked at length about the need for tax cuts, control of federal spending and freedom. His remarks on freedom got a lot of applause, as did his pledge about the 42 percent of civilian federal employees set to retire during the next two presidential terms.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Oh the places I could go with a title like that. Anyways, the Wall Street Journal reports a potential conflict of interest between two of Giuliani's companies: Giuliani Capital Advisors and Giuliani Security & Safety. More in the lede:

A pair of companies owned by Rudy Giuliani represented both a debtor and a creditor in a recently concluded bankruptcy proceeding, a potential conflict of interest that wasn't disclosed to the federal judge overseeing the case, records show. The matter could heighten pressures on Mr. Giuliani's presidential campaign to be more forthcoming about the candidate's stable of businesses, their clients and the services they provide.

More bad news for Rudy: he didn't win the YouTube primary.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.