Tim Russert Wins the Obama-Clinton Debate in Cleveland February 27, 2008

If you’ve read my two previous blog entries on this debate, you know who I think won it. Tim Russert won it.
He asked questions of Hillary Clinton that were virtually guaranteed to make her look bad.
He largely played footsie with Obama. The Illinois senator easily deflected the more difficult questions he posed. [...]

The Obama-Clinton Debate in Cleveland – II February 27, 2008

LIVE
Obama danced around when Russert asked him whether he would stick to his pledge to accept public financing in the general election.
Russert then went after Clinton for her failure to release her tax returns. She stumbled a little bit on that issue.
These questions favor Obama in my view. His position on public [...]

The Obama – Clinton Debate I February 27, 2008

LIVE
We’re about a half hour into this debate and Obama is pretty much having his way.
He’s been helped in no small measure by moderator Brian Williams and Tim Russert.
They directed the first question on health care to Clinton.
Then they turned around and directed the second question on the North American Free Trade Agreement to [...]

Presidential Campaigns Can Be Addictive February 25, 2008

Ralph Nader announced on Meet the Press today that he would run for President.
He has absolutely no chance to be elected. The simple fact is that he’s addicted to running for President.
People recall his 2000 campaign. Prominent ultra-left-wingers such as filmmaker Michael Moore and former Texas Agriculture Secretary Jim Hightower urged voters to [...]

Hillary Clinton Is Dying the Death of One Thousand Cuts February 20, 2008

Barack Obama is slowly draining the life out of Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the presidency.
He beat her today in Wisconsin by more than ten points. It doesn’t bode well for Clinton that she couldn’t hold the loss to single digits.
That’s because the state has a large number of blue collar voters. Those folks [...]

Huckabee Wins the Kansas Republican Caucus February 10, 2008

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won the Kansas Republican caucus today.
No surprise. No big deal.
I say that with no disrespect to him. He’s run a fantastic campaign on very limited resources.
It’s just that he’s not going to be the Republican nominee for President.
Let’s break down the No-Surprise and No-Big-Deal parts of this analysis. Then [...]

McCain and Huck Come to Kansas February 9, 2008

The Kansas Republican Party rolled the dice when it decided to hold its caucus the Saturday after Super Duper Tuesday.
It won its gamble today when Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Mike Huckabee campaigned in the state.
Huck got the fun started this morning when he appeared at Mid America Nazarene University in Olathe. He [...]

Blame St. Louis for the Faulty Projection of Clinton as the Winner in Missouri February 7, 2008

The Associated Press projected Hillary Clinton as the winner of the Missouri Democratic Primary a little after 10 p.m. on Super Duper Tuesday.
KCTV5 immediately reported this news. We talked about her apparent win during the newscast and in our election special.
There was good reason to trust the projection. The Associated Press rarely makes [...]

A Preview of the Missouri Primary February 5, 2008

Polls taken in the closing days of the campaign suggest that John McCain and Hillary Clinton have slight edges heading into the Missouri Primary tomorrow.
It’s important to remember, though, that polls have been notoriously unreliable this primary season. Who can forget the polling debacle in New Hampshire?
Even Clinton’s internal polling showed she was going [...]

A Preview of the Democratic Caucus in Kansas February 5, 2008

Barack Obama has a big organizational advantage in Kansas.
In a caucus state, it’s all about identifying supporters and convincing them to participate. That’s where Obama’s paid staff will make a huge impact.
He has more than a dozen paid field representatives working in the Sunflower State. They’ve organized volunteers to canvass neighborhoods and to [...]