Chanhassen Villager - National Politics - Comments

Hillary Rodham Clinton and

FAdams — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:45:39 -0500

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama are scheduled to step onstage Friday in New Hampshire, their first joint campaign appearance and their first public display of rapprochement.

The two were flying together Friday aboard Obama's campaign plane to a rally in Unity, N.H., population 1,700—a carefully chosen venue in a key general election battleground state, according to news reports.

Focus on the Family’s Dr.

FAdams — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:58:16 -0500

Focus on the Family’s Dr. James Dobson ripped into Barack Obama, saying that Obama terrifies him. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee warned that the Illinois senator’s views on such issues as partial birth abortion takes away the equality of unborn children, and that Obama makes him uncomfortable.

Democratic presidential

FAdams — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:58:19 -0500

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he'll bypass the federal public financing system in the general election.

Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee in waiting, has taken steps to accept the public funds in the general election. Obama has vastly outraised McCain, however, and would likely retain that advantage if McCain accepts the public money, according to media reports.

The public finance system is paid for with the $3 contributions that taxpayers can make to the presidential fund in their tax returns.

Coleman leading race for

FAdams — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:23:19 -0500

Coleman leading
race for senate seat

The Star Tribune cites a Survey USA poll of 700 Minnesota adults that has found Sen. Norm Coleman would win a three-way match over DFL challenger Al Franken and former Gov. Jesse Ventura.

Forty-one percent of poll respondents said they would support Coleman, compared with 31 percent for Franken and 23 percent for Ventura.

Ventura has said he is considering running. The deadline for filing is mid-July.

People lose again to

FAdams — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:35:05 -0500

People lose again to political status quo

It looks like the big media, partisan spinsters, and news clips that are taken out of context and broadcast continuously will once again rule the public discourse in this year's presidential election and that voters will once again not actually see and experience the two presidential candidates having a real live discussion about issues.

Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain have reportedly failed to agree on joint town hall appearances that would be unscripted with questions from voters in the audience.

Searching for party

FAdams — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:00:08 -0500

Searching for party unity

The Hill is reporting that "while some conservative Democrats have yet to endorse [Sen. Barack]Obama and didn’t back Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, there are both centrist and conservative Republicans representing various parts of the country who are not embracing [Sen. John] McCain...

"Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.)."

A spokesman for the McCain

FAdams — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:11:56 -0500

A spokesman for the McCain campaign clarified a letter it sent earlier this month indicating it had no interest in meeting Dr. Billy Graham, Newsmax reports. The spokesman said they had been in contact with Graham's son to arrange a meeting.

On Monday, Larry Ross, a spokesman for Graham, issued a statement to the press.

"It would be highly unusual and out of character for Mr. Graham to initiate such a meeting... it has been his personal policy through the years to avoid partisanship by meeting with representatives from both parties to address spiritual concerns," Ross stated.

McCain declines meeting with

FAdams — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:57:57 -0500

McCain declines meeting
with Billy Graham

Newsmax reports that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain has declined an invitation to meet with Rev. Billy Graham.

See the text of the letter from the McCain camp by clicking on the following link.
http://w3.newsmax.com/mccain/

For almost six decades, the 89-year-old Graham has been America’s most influential preacher and evangelist, a man sought out by every president since Harry Truman, according to the report.

During the 2000 Republican primary race, McCain called evangelical Christians “agents of intolerance.”

Al Franken won endorsement

FAdams — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:04:45 -0500

Al Franken won endorsement for the U.S. Senate on Saturday from Minnesota Democrats to challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton

FAdams — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:05:02 -0500

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is moving to suspend her campaign and endorse Sen. Barack Obama on Friday after Democrat members of Congress urged her Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to coalesce around Mr. Obama, according to media reports.

Obama calls for

FAdams — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:29:58 -0500

Obama calls for undivided
capital of Israel, Jerusalem

The French News Agency reported on Wednesday that in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC) Democratic presumptive nominee Barack Obama said Jerusalem must remain the "undivided" capital of Israel.

"Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided," Obama told the vast annual policy conference.

Obama drew a standing ovation as he arrived to address the mighty US-Israel lobby, and also addressed perceived suspicion of him in some sectors of the Jewish community.

McCain challenges Obama to

FAdams — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:22:28 -0500

McCain challenges Obama to town hall meetings

The Washington Post is reporting that Republican Sen. John McCain has challenged his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, to a series of 10 joint town hall meetings, starting next week in New York City.

McCain delivered a letter to the Obama campaign, proposing that the two men fly to the first town hall meeting in the same plane as symbol that they are "embracing the politics of civility."

According to the Post, McCain "said he envisions a series of town halls based on an agreement that Barry Goldwater and John F. Kennedy had to hold similar forums before Kennedy was assassinated."

Obama in St. Paul The cheers

FAdams — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:34:20 -0500

Obama in St. Paul

The cheers didn't stop easily for Sen. Barack Obama Tuesday night as he addressed a packed crowd at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul.

He dedicated the night to his grandmother and then declared himself the Democrat nominee for president.

"After 54 hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end," he said.

Bringing a message that "change must come to Washington," he called his campaign for president "a journey that will bring a new and better day to America."

"We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future," Obama said. "In just a few short months the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda."

The crowd booed at the mention of the Republican Party, and Obama cited differences between himself and the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

"We must be as careful gettin gout of Iraq as we were careless getting in, but start leaving we must," he said. "It's time to refocus our efforts... we must once again have the courage and the conviction to lead the free world... that's what change is."

The crowd chanted "Yes we can."

"We may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first," he said.

Barack Obama has effectively

FAdams — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:11:23 -0500

Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, based on national news reports.

Clinton to concede Sen.

FAdams — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:59:08 -0500

Clinton to concede

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, according to media reports. According to reports, most campaign staff will be let go and will be paid through June 15. However, in a formal statement, the campaign made clear the limits of how far she would go in Tuesday night's speech. "Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination," the statement said.

National Politics

FAdams — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:18:57 -0600

There's so much happening on the national political scene everyday that I think it deserves a blog all its own. Feel free to post news content and informed dialogue.