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November 8, 2008, 3:03 pm
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) counterpunch at the anonymous John McCain aides who have maligned her in the media gets mixed reactions from bloggers on the left and right, while liberals question Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-Minn.) attempt to stop some absentee votes from being counted in his narrow reelection race.
Palin has slammed the aides who have slammed her, Ann Althouse declares after Palin told reporters Friday that the anonymous aides are "jerks," and that allegations that Palin didn't know Africa was a continent or the members of NAFTA were "cruel" and "mean-spirited." Palin finally got something right by calling the aides out for what they are, AMERICAblog's Joe Sudbay declares, while Political Animal's Steve Benen says it was a mistake for Palin to keep the story in the news. And it seems everyone is out to get Palin, Hot Air's Allahpundit suggests, citing rumors that several McCain aides, in addition to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) campaign, could have made the allegations.
Coleman is out for a repeat of the 2000 presidential election, TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall decides after news that Coleman filed an injunction to stop the counting of 32 absentee ballots in Minneapolis. Open Left's Matt Stoller says Coleman's injunction proves Republicans don't care about Democracy, while Power Line's Scott Hinderaker thinks Democrat Al Franken's campaign could be trying to influence the vote-counting process.
And Anchorage Mayer Mark Begich (D) could surpass incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) as votes are counted in their narrow race, Nate Silver predicts at FiveThirtyEight. Stevens leads by 3,200 votes as ballots are still being counted, and Silver says Begich's lead among early voters could help him as those ballots are counted.
FROM THE BLOGS:
 Coleman Trying to Stop Vote Counting - Matt Stoller, Open Left
Stop Trashing Palin - M.J. Rosenberg, TPM Cafe
 McCain's Web Campaign - Dan Riehl, Riehl World View
Another State Chair Defends Palin - A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
Palin and Africa, Etc. - Dan Lowry, The Corner
Norm Gettin Squirelly - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
On Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin - RedState
Chambliss Uses 9/11 Footage in Latest Ad - SusanG, Daily Kos
Blue Dogs Want a Seat at the Table - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Aims to Act Swiftly Once in Office - Washington Post
Stinging Talk about Obama? Never Mind Now. - NY Times
Pelosi, Reid Urge for Extended Aid to Carmakers - Bloomberg
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November 7, 2008, 2:07 pm
President-elect Barack Obama's first post-election press conference is praised by liberals, while conservatives take offense at Obama's joke about Nancy Reagan.
Obama seemed disciplined and in control at his first press conference, Swampland's Joe Klein declares. Obama spoke before reporters and TV cameras after meeting with economic advisers, and Klein says the Democrat did not stray from one policy position he had taken during the campaign. Obama navigated reporters' questions easily, Firedoglake's Swopa asserts, while Political Animal's Steve Benen says Obama had an endearing moment when, after telling reporters he hopes his family's new dog will come from a shelter, Obama said shelter dogs tend to be "mutts like me"--an apparent reference to the Democrat's biraciality.
The Corner's David Freddoso accuses Obama of insulting Nancy Reagan after he was asked about consulting former presidents. After saying he has talked with all living former presidents, Obama joked, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances," and Freddoso says the joke was classless. Obama was apparently referencing Reagan's reported consultation with an astrologer, though The Weekly Standard's Mary Katharine Ham notes that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) reportedly tried to summon Eleanor Roosevelt during her time as First Lady.
And Sen. Robert Byrd's (D-W.Va.) decision to step down from his Appropriations Committee chairmanship gets mixed reactions in the blogosphere. Byrd showed class in stepping down voluntarily, writes AMERICAblog's Joe Sudbay, comparing the 20-year chairman to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who is Sudbay says is "begging" Democratic leaders to keep his post as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Townhall.com's Matt Lewis, meanwhile, suggests that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) "nudged" the 90-year-old senator toward stepping down.
FROM THE BLOGS:
At the Table - David Sirota, Open Left
Can You Feel the Love? - M.K. Ham, The Weekly Standard
Get Engaged for Saxby Chambliss - RedState
Boenher Makes His Case - Steve Benen, Political Animal
 Rumor Patrol: Plouffe for Senate? - Marc Ambinder
One for the Mutts - Adam Serwer, TAPPED
Lieberman with a Gavel: Unacceptable - Kagro X, Daily Kos
The First Big Gaffe?? - A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
What's Happening in Minnesota? - Power Line
It's Not a Negotiation - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Says Economic Stimulus Is First Task - The Hill
Jobless Rate at 14-Year High after October Losses - NY Times
Byrd Steps Down from Chairmanship - Washington Post
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November 7, 2008, 9:15 am
President-elect Barack Obama is already having an effect on the Iraqi government, Obama's blogging backers note. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Obama's White House chief of staff, is already the source of bad press for the incoming administration, conservative bloggers write. And with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden about to leave the Senate, the scramble for their seats is on, blogging pundits note.
Iraqi Shiite politicians are now taking seriously a proposed 2011 deadline for a U.S. troop departure now that they know that Obama and the Democrats will be in power, reports The New York Times.
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November 7, 2008, 5:12 am
This year's voter turnout, which wasn't much of an improvement over the turnout four years ago, leads bloggers to offer different approaches to Republicans looking to improve on John McCain's showing. Barack Obama's inner circle during the campaign will become his brain trust in the White House, bloggers note. And Obama's new presidential transition website looks just like his campaign site, according to conservative bloggers.
Between 126.5 million and 128.5 million Americans voted this year, which isn't much more than the 124 million who voted in 2004, reports CNN's Martina Stewart. McCain got about the same number of votes from Republicans as President Bush did four years ago, which means that he could have done better by winning more independent voters, writes Townhall's Michael Medved. But Slate's Mickey Kaus sees evidence that culturally conservative Republicans stayed home. Republicans could improve by calling for a tougher stance against illegal immigration, Kaus writes.
Obama's campaign strategist David Axelrod and campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs will join Obama's White House staff. MyDD's Jonathan Singer hopes that they're as good at governing as they were at campaigning. But Axelrod, a political operative like Karl Rove, could politicize the White House, writes PoliGazette's Michael van der Galien, who notes that Obama has yet to include a moderate Republican in his team.
Obama's new transition website may be hosted on a government web domain, but it looks just like his campaign site and even takes visitors' e-mails for possible use in mailing lists, writes Hot Air's Ed Morrissey. TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall notes that Obama, through his website, has already accomplished one radical change: he has put the vice president's office back in the executive branch, not in the legislative branch, which is where Vice President Dick Cheney had it.
FROM THE BLOGS:
Turnout Same or Only Slightly Higher - M. Stewart, Political Ticker
Where's That Turnout Boom? - Jim Geraghty, The Campaign Spot
CNN Finds 26 Million Voters - Michael Medved, Townhall.com
Sound of One Hand Sat On - Mickey Kaus, Kausfiles
Axelrod, Gibbs to Join White House - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Axelrod to Go to White House - M. van der Galien, PoliGazette
Change You Can Give Your Personal Info For - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Obama Campaign Site Gets a '.Gov' - Amanda Carpenter, Townhall
Truly Radical - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Democrats Craft Economic Plan - Washington Post
Obama Prepares for Presidency As Margins Widen - LA Times
Lieberman, After Backing McCain, Meets With Reid on Future - WSJ
Feingold Could Lead Foreign Relations - The Hill
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November 6, 2008, 2:36 pm
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) new job as President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff is a sign Obama will govern as a centrist, bloggers say. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), meanwhile, has no leverage to help him keep his committee chairmanship, according to liberals.
By selecting Emanuel, Obama has sent a message that he may not be in lock-step with the party's liberals, The Weekly Standard's Matthew Continetti writes, noting that Emanuel's fierceness may be directed more at libeal Democrats than at Republicans. Emanuel has close ties to key centrist and conservative Democrats in Congress, and his chief-of-staff nod may be an overture to those wings of the party, Marc Ambinder suggests.
Just because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has not yet come to a decision on Lieberman, that doesn't mean Lieberman has any power in negotiating with the Democratic leader, MyDD's Josh Orton warns. After meeting with Lieberman today, Reid said he had not reached a decision on whether Lieberman will keep his Homeland Security Committee chairmanship or membership in the Democratic caucus, and Political Animal's Steve Benen contends that with 56 Senate seats, Dems don't need Lieberman like they did in the 110th Congress.
And after the initial surprise of anonymous John McCain aides' claims that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) didn't know the members of NAFTA or that Africa is a continent, conservative bloggers doubt the story's accuracy. Palin must know the basic facts about NAFTA, as it would have had an impact on her husband's commercial fishing business, Mary Katharine Ham writes at The Weekly Standard, while National Review's David Frum says there are many possible innocent explanations for not knowing that "South Africa" and "Southern Africa" are different things.
FROM THE BLOGS:
Palin on the Leaker - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Nicole's Knifework - David Frum, National Review
McCainiacs Vs. Palin - Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner
Reid Plays It Smart - Brian Faghnan, RedState
The Real Danger of Lieberman - David Sirota, Open Left
Running as an Obama Democrat - kos, Daily Kos
Team Player - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Priorities - Ezra Klein
Axelrod's New Role - Marc Ambinder
Dateline Baghdad - David Continetti, The Weekly Standard
IN THE NEWS:
Emanuel Agrees to Be Obama's Chief of Staff - The Hill
Bush to Meet with Obama on Monday - Washington Post
Want a Security Post? Say Nothing. - NY Times
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November 6, 2008, 8:08 am
Vacancies in House and Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle leave liberal and conservative bloggers jockeying for their favorite candidates. President-elect Barack Obama
Archived under:
Midday Blog Roundup
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November 6, 2008, 5:05 am
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is still the talk of the blogosphere even though the Republican ticket lost Tuesday. Anonymous John McCain aides have irritated conservative bloggers by leaking to the press that Palin failed to know basic facts and went on a shopping spree more extensive than previously reported. The GOP dissension is delighting liberal bloggers. And two names floated for Barack Obama's cabinet earn criticism from bloggers on both sides.
Someone in the McCain camp told Fox News that the GOP vice presidential nominee thought Africa was a country and didn't know the countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement. Unnamed sources also told Newsweek that Palin went on a shopping spree for herself and her family using a donor's money and low-level staffers' credit cards. The anonymous trashing of Palin is disgusting, especially since she helped energize conservatives and worked her heart out for McCain's campaign, writes Michelle Malkin. RedState's Erick Erickson vows to track down the leakers and make them political lepers by constantly reminding the GOP base about their conduct. Erickson's initial list includes McCain campaign spokeswoman Nicolle Wallace, strategist Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon, McCain's advertising guru during the primaries.
The leaks suggest that the McCain team is trying to pin Tuesday's loss on Palin, writes Political Animal's Steve Benen. One McCain staffer, Randy Scheunemann, was fired for trash-talking about his fellow staffers to Palin, reports CNN. With all the infighting, it's going to be a fun week to watch, writes AMERICAblog's John Aravosis.
The handful of reasons why Obama shouldn't have Lawrence Summers reprise his role as Treasury Secretary include the notion that Summers would represent a look back to the past and his remarks at Harvard questioning women's inherent capacity to learn about science, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall. Obama's preferred choice of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), a partisan operative, as White House chief of staff shows that the Obama's theme of "new politics" is just rhetoric, writes RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh.
FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain Campaign's Classless Cowards - Michelle Malkin
Operation Leper - Erick Erickson, RedState
Full-Scale Kneecapping - Ace, Ace of Spades HQ
McCain Aide Fired for Trash-Talking - J. Aravosis, AMERICAblog
'Wasilla Hillbillies Looting Neiman' - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Trying to Bury Her - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Summoning Summers? - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Emanuel Isn't New Politics - Pejman Yousefzadeh, RedState
Suggestions for Obama's Transition Team - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Turns to Building Leadership Team - Wall Street Journal
For Obama, No Time to Bask in Victory - New York Times
Democrats Vow to Pursue Aggressive Agenda - New York Times
Dems Lower Expectations - The Hill
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November 5, 2008, 2:47 pm
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
Archived under:
Day's End Round-Up
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November 5, 2008, 8:42 am
Infighting and soul-searching begins on the political right in the wake of a major electoral defeat today, while the Democratic majority is yet to fully come into focus, liberal bloggers acknowledge. Both sides meanwhile debate President-elect Barack Obama
Archived under:
Midday Blog Roundup
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November 5, 2008, 5:26 am
On the morning after Barack Obama's historic victory, conservatives are wondering what's next for them and the country. Obama gets to govern with Democratic majorities in Congress, making it more important that Republicans stay strong in opposition to him, according to conservative bloggers. While Republicans lost seats in the House and Senate, it could have been worse, according to bloggers on both sides. And though many expected historic turnout, the final numbers weren't much better than the 2004 totals, bloggers write.
Obama and the Democrats could govern from the center and help the country, or they could follow their instincts and rule from the left, which would backfire and help get Republicans back into office, writes The Corner's Jonah Goldberg. Fiscal conservatives' first assignment should be to oppose Democrats on a new stimulus, windfall profits tax, bailouts for states, new foreclosure prevention measures and more federal loan guarantees for corporations, writes Michelle Malkin. Those on the right should hold Obama to his pledge in the third debate to have a "net spending cut," writes The Volokh Conspiracy's David Bernstein.
As it stands Wednesday morning, Democrats will gain five seats in the Senate and about 20 seats in the House. But their gains could have been bigger, especially in the Senate, where they need a few more seats to prevent GOP Senators from blocking progressive legislation, writes MyDD's Jerome Armstrong. Republican Sens. Ted Stevens (Alaska), Gordon Smith (Ore.), and Norm Coleman (Minn.) might defy expectations and all hold onto their seats, notes Contentions' Jennifer Rubin. Those GOP wins and the modest Democratic gain in the House would send the message that America doesn't want too much change, Rubin writes.
With the 2008 national voter turnout likely falling short of the 2004 total of 123 million Americans, this year's story is that the electorate's composition has shifted from being more Republican to being more Democratic, writes Contention's John Podhoretz. Turnout sucked, perhaps because Republicans stayed home, writes kos.
FROM THE BLOGS:
Okay, Now Govern - Jonah Goldberg, The Corner
Sour Loser - John Derbyshire, The Corner
Gird Your Loins, Conservatives - Michelle Malkin
Post-Election GOP Agenda - David Bernstein, Volokh Conspiracy
Congratulations, President-Elect Obama - Ross Douthat
Senate Trio - Jennifer Rubin, Commentary
I'll Sort of Miss Chris Shays - John J. Miller, The Corner
Next Day Down-Ballot- Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Turnout Sucked - kos, Daily Kos
Unhistoric Turnout - John Podhoretz, Commentary
McCain's Concession Speech - Jonathan Cohn, The Plank
OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Is Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls - New York Times
Obama Sweeps to Historic Victory - Wall Street Journal
Hard Choices and Challenges Follow Triumph - Washington Post
Several Senate Races Remain Nail-Biters - The Hill
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