Presidential Campaign

This week, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) launched her first presidential campaign TV commercial. The commercial will air in Iowa and in it, Clinton refers to people neglected by the government as "invisible."

"Americans from all walks of life across our country may be invisible to this president," Clinton said. "But they’re not invisible to me and they won’t be invisible to the next president of the United States."

In this campaign video, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) in his 9th campaign video asks Iowa voters to participate in the upcoming Iowa Straw poll on Aug. 11.

"Washington politicians in both parties have proven they can't control spending, and they won't control our borders," Romney said. "I will, but I need your help to do it."

In this video, The Hill's Jonathan Kaplan provides insight as to what the 2008 democratic presidential candidates were doing to bolster support from liberal bloggers at the YearlyKos Convention.

Jonathan E. Kaplan, a staff writer for The Hill, is covering the YearlyKos convention and will provide periodic updates on the Congress Blog.

Following the YearlyKos debate, the Democratic presidential candidates (except Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who raced back to Washington to cast votes and Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., who did not attend) held "breakout" sessions with liberal bloggers and activists who had signed up earlier this week.

Each room had a distinct feel and look. The McCormick Place Convention Center is massive so it was possible to catch glimpses of each candidate.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) were assigned rooms closest to the ballroom where the debate was held. Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), the 2004 vice presidential nominee, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) met in rooms 15 minutes away.

(For a synopsis of New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton's breakout session, please see the previous post).

Obama's room was jam packed with fans and reporters, cameras and campaign aides. He thanked the crowd and then invited questions, and scores raised their hands. Read more...

Jonathan E. Kaplan, a staff writer for The Hill, is covering the YearlyKos convention and will provide periodic updates on the Congress Blog.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) did not make a grand entrance to the podium Saturday at the YearlyKos Convention, but the bloggers, activists and perhaps skeptics cheered her as she walked on stage.

While the other five Democratic candidates in attendance will meet in smaller groups after the Presidential Leadership Forum, Clinton met before the forum. She is headed shortly to fundraisers in the Hamptons.

This crowd, leery about her support of the war and her tendency to blur distinctions between liberal and conservative policies, showed no sign of displeasure. With some gentle humor and self-deprecation, Clinton put the room at ease. Read more...

Jonathan E. Kaplan, a staff writer for The Hill, is covering the YearlyKos convention and will provide periodic updates on the Congress Blog.

Before I head off to Time Magazine’s party a few blocks from the McCormick Place Convention Center, here are a few highlights from the days’ events.

First, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) had been scheduled to participate in the "candidate forum" on Saturday, but she had not planned a post-forum with the bloggers here. That's changed. To see why, click here.

Second, fireworks flew during a panel discussion between bloggers and some members of the so-called Mainstream Media (MSM). The bloggers ripped the media for a host of sins relating to its coverage of the run-up to the Iraq war and not holding the Bush administration accountable.

Finally, I've sat in on panels talking about the emergence of a new politics and innovations in campaigning. Right now, I’m listening to Joe Trippi, an advisor to former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.) in 2004, Stephanie Cutter, spokeswoman for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, and Jerome Armstrong, the founder of mydd.com. Simon Rosenberg, the president of NDN, the New Democratic Network, is moderating the discussion, which is centered on how the Internet has changed campaigning.

Jonathan E. Kaplan, a staff writer for The Hill, is covering the YearlyKos convention and will provide periodic updates on the Congress Blog.

The netroots will work to elect a “long-term Read more...

Jonathan E. Kaplan, a staff writer for The Hill, is covering the YearlyKos convention and will provide periodic updates on the Congress Blog.

The Democratic National Committee is conducting training for convention-goers interested in becoming delegates to next year’s convention in Denver, and the process, while arcane, is fascinating.

With so many competitive campaigns, there is talk here that the primary season might not be settled after Feb. 5, when California, New York, Illinois and New Jersey hold their primaries. Because Democrats award delegates on a proportional basis, a candidate does not need to come in first to stay in the race.

So the states that did not rush to move their primaries forward, such as Ohio and Texas, could benefit if the race is still up for grabs.

(Republicans have a winner-take-all system and fewer delegates). Read more...

In this video, music mogul Quincy Jones explains why he's endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president. The brains behind Michael Jackson's hits of the 1980s and the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in the 1990s says he'd "go to the ends of the earth" for Clinton.

In this video posted by Rep. Tom Tancredo's (R-Colo.) presidential campaign, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is asked about his views on immigration. Romney at the end of the video hints at supporting temporary and guest worker programs, which many lawmakers against the idea have called "amnesty"