Mike Gravel announces for Libertarian nomination: March 26th, 2008

Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel has abandoned his bid to be the Democratic presidential candidate and now hopes to be the nominee of the Libertarian Party. Gravel said he is joining the Libertarian ranks because it “is a party that combines a commitment to freedom and peace that can’t be found in the two major parties that control the government and politics of America.

“My libertarian views, as well as my strong stance against war, the military industrial complex and American imperialism, seem not to be tolerated by Democratic Party elites who are out of touch with the average American; elites that reject the empowerment of American citizens I offered to the Democratic Party at the beginning of this presidential campaign with the National Initiative for Democracy,” he said in a statement. In an e-mail to supporters, Gravel, 77, wrote, “I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views.”

Texas Rep. Ron Paul is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party but is running as a Republican presidential candidate. Paul was the Libertarian Party presidential candidate in 1988. 15 candidates are on the slate for the Libertarian Party nomination, which will be determined at the May 22-26 national convention in Denver, Colo.

A Libertarian Party spokesperson said Gravel isn’t “a perfect libertarian” but he supports essentials of the party — opposing a military draft, empowering the American voter and standing against “the war of American imperialism.”

Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama: March 21, 2008

Declaring that Sen. Barack Obama is an "extraordinary American," Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico endorsed Obama for the Democratic nominee for president. Richardson sought this year's Democratic nomination for president himself.

Richardson praised Obama for his speech this week on race in America, saying "he appealed to the best in us." "As a Hispanic-American, I was particularly touched by his words," Richardson said, putting his arm around Obama and declaring in Spanish that he is "a man who understands us." Richardson is the nation's only Hispanic governor. Hispanics have tended to support Sen. Hillary Clinton in her quest for the Democratic nomination.

Obama and Clinton both lobbied Richardson for his endorsement after he dropped out of the race January 10. Richardson called Clinton Thursday to tell her of his decision, Clinton's campaign said. The campaign shrugged off Richardson's endorsement of her rival. Richardson was secretary of energy and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Bill Clinton. He said he remains friends with the Clintons, and watched the Super Bowl with Bill Clinton this year.

Richardson's endorsement may be more important for its influence on superdelegates, the nearly 800 Democratic party officials whose backing will be essential for either candidate to win the party's nomination. As a governor, Richardson is a superdelegate.

Richardson is the second former Democratic presidential contender to endorse Obama, after Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Two other former candidates, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, have remained neutral. None of the dropouts has endorsed Clinton.

Republican vice presidential speculation: March 13, 2008

Following is a Boston Globe columnist's opinion on McCain's V.P. choices. OnTheIssues.org predicts Mark Sanford as the best choice demographically and to complement McCain's strengths and weaknesses. CNN favors Haley Barbour and the Conventional Wisdom seems to favor Charlie Crist -- but please look over their issue positions and decide for yourself!

HERE'S MY RANKING of the 20 candidates - from weakest to strongest. (with scores, where 100 is the best)

BOTTOM 10: Haley Barbour 55% Mike Pence 57% John Boehner 60% Mitt Romney 62% Rudy Giuliani 63% John Thune 64% John Kasich 65% Rob Portman 66% Lindsey Graham 67% Tom Ridge 68%

TOP 10: Mark Sanford 70% Elizabeth Dole 71% Sam Brownback 73% Chris Cox 75% Kay Bailey Hutchison 76% Colin Powell 78% Mike Huckabee 79% Condoleezza Rice 80% Charlie Crist 81% Tim Pawlenty 85%

McCain's VP search committee has yet to set its own criteria for screening candidates, so don't order your McCain-Pawlenty bumper sticker yet. Meanwhile, Pawlenty might find comfort and hope in what McCain said about him during the 2006 campaign: "This is the kind of leadership that I'd like to pass the torch to."

Todd Domke is a Boston area Republican political analyst, public relations strategist, and author.

Pres. Bush endorses John McCain: March 5, 2008

President Bush endorsed Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain on Wednesday, two bitter rivals from the 2000 presidential race joining together now in hopes of preventing Democrats from winning the White House this fall. Bush's embrace of the Arizona senator as the party's next standard-bearer comes a day after McCain clinched the GOP nomination by getting the requisite 1,191 convention delegates. Republicans won't officially nominate McCain until early September at the GOP's national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

With his low poll ratings and an unpopular war on his shoulders, Bush could hurt McCain with some groups, while helping with others. "They're not going to be voting for me," the president said. "I've had my time in the Oval Office." "It's not about me," Bush said. "I've done my bit."

McCain's Washington visit amounted to a victory lap of sorts after a bruising 16-month Republican presidential primary. He was visiting not only the White House he hopes to occupy but also the Republican National Committee headquarters that he essentially assumes control of now that he's the expected GOP nominee. He was essentially laying claim to the entire force of the Republican Party apparatus as he plots his general election strategy and sets in motion his campaign — and that of the party — to keep a Republican at the White House helm.

For McCain, the general election campaign starts now even though Democrats still haven't chosen a candidate. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton continue a protracted battle for their party's nod, leaving McCain an opportunity to unify his party. To that end, Bush's support sends a strong signal to GOP critics of McCain to fall in line. The GOP's conservative base has resisted rallying around McCain, long viewing him skeptically for working across the aisle with Democrats on issues that the right flank detest. Bush is the head of the Republican Party and he remains a well-liked figure with GOP rank-and-file. Thus, he could be an asset in raising money and rallying the GOP base for McCain. However, his job performance rating is at a low point and he is unpopular with the general public.

Mike Huckabee withdraws: March 5, 2008

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is calling it a day -- he's dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Huckabee made the announcement to his supporters in Texas after John McCain clinched the needed number of delegates.

Huckabee says he telephoned McCain and offered not only his congratulations, but his commitment to both him and the Republican Party.

Huckabee praised McCain, saying he has run "an honorable campaign because he is an honorable man."

This week's Primary results: March 4th, 2008

Below are the delegate counts for each state contested in the week of Feb. 19th.
• These figures are estimates -- as are all delegate counts!

• Texas had TWO votes, a primary and a Democratic caucus later in the same day. Voters could vote in either or both. Clinton won the primary by 1.46 million votes to 1.36 million votes; Obama won the caucuses by 24,000 votes to 19,000 votes.

• McCain has secured the Republican nomination by surpassing the "magic number" of 1,245, which is half the pledged delegates at the RNC convention, when one adds in Romney's delegates now pledged to McCain and recent superdelegate pledges.

• Neither Obama nor Clinton has secured the Demcoratic nomination by surpassing their "magic number" of 2,025.

• The remaining primaries are unlikely to push either Obama or Clinton over the "magic number," so the nominee will be determined by the superdelegates, and by the decision on seating delegates from Florida and Michigan.

Democratic debate before Ohio primary: Feb. 26, 2008

Health Care    Hillary Clinton: Include everyone, to avoid cherry-picking and its hidden tax.    Barack Obama: Voluntary universal participation, like in Medicare Part B.    Hillary Clinton: Without a universal mandate, it's not universal health care.    Barack Obama: Insurers are happy to have a mandate; issue is affordability.    Barack Obama: Hillary's plan must either be enforced, or leave out people.    Hillary Clinton: Obama's plan includes mandate on 150 million parents.

Ralph Nader announces for president: Feb. 24th, 2008

MR. RUSSERT: Would you prefer, as an American citizen, to have Barack Obama or John McCain as president?

MR. NADER: What I prefer as an American citizen?

MR. RUSSERT: Yes.

MR. NADER: You're asking me? I'm running for president, for heaven's sake.

MR. RUSSERT: But as a citizen.

MR. NADER: I would prefer that the American people organize, that whoever is president, they give that person backbone.

Democratic debate before Texas primary: Feb. 21, 2008

Foreign Policy    Barack Obama: Meet with Cuban leaders only with agenda of US interests.    Barack Obama: Cuba: Loosen restrictions now; normalization later.    Hillary Clinton: Meet with Cuban leaders only after evidence of change.    Hillary Clinton: Diplomacy with Iran & Cuba, but no presidential meetings.

Government Reform    Barack Obama: Lobbyists & special interests have strangle-hold on agenda.

Health Care    Hillary Clinton: Make it illegal to discriminate against sick people.

This week's Primary results: Feb. 19th, 2008

Below are the delegate counts for each state contested in the week of Feb. 19th.
• These figures are estimates -- as are all delegate counts!

• Washington state held a Democratic primary, but the previous Washington caucuses assigned all the delegates.

• The "Territories/Abroad" information summarizes several separate primaries:

• Puerto Rico, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands held Republican primary through Feb. 24.

• The 'Democrats Abroad' primary was held by mail-in ballot through Feb. 21.

George Bush Sr. endorses John McCain: Feb. 18, 2008

George H.W. Bush stood shoulder to shoulder with John McCain on Monday, offering an endorsement to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Mathematically, statistically, symbolically and politically, McCain is just inches from winning the nomination, and the former president’s endorsement offers a signal that the Republican powerhouse family is coalescing around the candidate. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has already endorsed McCain for president.

“I did not come here to tell any other candidate what to do, a very wise man once said influence is something you always have until you actually try to exert it,” Bush said from the Houston Hobby Airport in Texas, where he was joined by his wife, Barbara.

“Now is the right time for me to help John in his effort to start building the broad-based coalition it will take for our conservative values to carry the White House this fall. His character was forged in the crucible of war. His commitment to America is beyond any doubt, but most importantly he has the right values and experience to guide our nation forward at this historic moment,” said the former president.

McCain campaign officials say they expect the current President Bush to endorse the candidate once he has numerically clinched the nomination.

Asked whether he thinks the Bush endorsement spells the end of his campaign, Mike Huckabee said endorsements don’t speak for the base.

Mitt Romney endorses John McCain: Feb. 14, 2008

A week after ending his own presidential bid, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney yesterday endorsed John McCain, his onetime bitter rival, all but assuring the Arizona senator will have the delegates he needs to secure the Republican nomination.

Both sought to paper over that acrimony yesterday, saying their shared fear of Islamic terrorism and of the Democrats winning the White House dwarfed even major disagreements on immigration and other issues. "It's time for us to put aside our differences and focus on the places where we think we have common ground, and to select our nominee and to go forward on a unified basis," Romney said at a brief news conference in Boston. "Right now the Democrats are fighting. Let's come together and make progress while they're fighting."

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who trailed McCain by 600 delegates even before Romney's endorsement, said yesterday that he is not convinced all of Romney's delegates will support McCain. Many of them, he suggested, will support him instead. As long as his supporters want him to stay in the race and promote conservative principles, Huckabee plans to do so until someone officially reaches the delegate threshold.

Potomac Primary results: Feb. 12th, 2008

Below are the delegate counts for each state contested in the Potomac Primary.
• These figures are estimates -- as are all delegate counts!

• We add in a row for newly pledged superdelegates so that our figures match the mainstream media's reports for Obama taking the lead in total delegate count. (We average CNN, ABC, AP, and our own estimates).

• Voters should keep in mind that momentum does not vote -- only delegates do. We would call the Democratic race a tie, because...
  1. John Edwards has 26 pledged delegates, who would most likely vote at the Convention as Edwards asks them to.
  2. The delegations from Florida (210 delegates) and Michigan (156 delegates) are currently not allowed to vote, but that is subject to change by ruling from the convention.
  3. Superdelegates are under no obligation to reveal their preference until the convention, and 466 superdelegates have not done so (only 252 have).
  4. 76 more unpledged add-on delegates (another category of superdelegate) will be selected at state conventions.
  5. Each one of those categories of delegates more than account for the difference between Obama and Clinton, and hence if the Convention were held today, the winner would be unpredictable.

Super Weekend results: Feb. 9th-10th, 2008

Below are the delegate counts for each state contested on Super Weekend.
• These figures are estimates -- as are all delegate counts!

• * The GOP primary in Louisiana has no delegates awarded because no candidate achieved 50% of the vote.

• ** The GOP caucus in Washington is contested (Huckabee claims that the race was declared a victory for McCain before voting ended).

Republican speeches to CPAC: Feb. 7, 2008

Abortion    Mike Huckabee: Will lead fight for constitutional ban on abortion.    Ron Paul: Define life at conception in law, as scientific statement.

Families & Children    Mitt Romney: Child development enhanced by having a mother & father.

Foreign Policy    Mike Huckabee: Impeach judges who yield on our sovereignty.    Mitt Romney: Unless US changes course, we'll no longer be superpower.

Homeland Security    Mitt Romney: Raise military spending to 4% of our GDP.

Principles & Values    Mike Huckabee: Not exiting; I didn't major in math; I majored in miracles.    Mitt Romney: Withdrawing from race to help McCain beat Democrats.

Technology    Mike Huckabee: Post every federal expenditure on Internet without 24 hours.

War & Peace    Mike Huckabee: Islamofascism must disappear from the face of the earth.    Mitt Romney: To Jihadists, democracy is blasphemous since people make law.

Welfare & Poverty    Mitt Romney: Opportunity is in our DNA; dependency is death to initiative.

Mitt Romney withdraws from presidential race: Feb. 7, 2008

I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.

I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face evil extremism.

Super Tuesday Green Party results: Feb. 5th, 2008

Below are the delegate counts for each state reporting Green Party results for Super Tuesday.
• These figures are estimates -- as are all delegate counts! -- we assume delegate counts are directly proportional to votes cast.

• The Green Party race receives no coverage in the mainstream media, so our estimates are the best available.

• In several states, "Howie Hawkins" appears on the ballot as a stand-in for Ralph Nader, who has not formally declared (but has formed an exploratory comittee). Mr. Hawkins runs a Draft Nader website.

• The Green Part Convention, to be held in Chicago from July 10 to 13, will have approximately 836 delegates in attendance.

• Therefore, the "magic number" to win the nomination is 419 (half the delegates plus one).

Super Tuesday results: Feb. 5th, 2008

Below are the delegate counts for each state contested on Super Tuesday.
• These figures are estimates -- as are all delegate counts!

• Our Democratic Party estimates exclude Michigan delegates because they will likely not be seated.

• Our delegate estimates do not include delegates from candidates who have withdrawn. Some will likely transfer to remaining candidates.

Understanding Super Tuesday: Feb. 5th, 2008

The caucuses and primaries on Feb. 5 may determine the two major parties' nominees. Because the process differs in each state, OnTheIssues.org offers this guide to understanding how the delegates are allocated.
• Each state determines its own rules for selecting delegates. In several states, the two major parties could not agree on a date (so the other party's primary or caucus is on a date other than Feb. 5).

• The red numbers on the left indicate the number of delegates to the Republican Convention at stake. The total needed for nomination is 1,245 delegates out of 2,488 expected at the convention.

• The blue numbers on the right indicate the number of delegates to the Democratic Convention at stake. The total needed for nomination is 2,025 delegates out of 4,049 expected at the convention (The Democratic Convention simply has more delegates than the Republican Convention -- the proportions by state are pretty much the same).

• The "district delegates" are awarded proportionally, based on the popular vote, usually within the Congressional District. (See "WTA" and "WTA-CD" below for non-proportional systems). The "Other Delegates" are awarded based on statewide popular vote totals, and/or the individual preferences of superdelegates. The "other delegates" tend to favor party insiders.

• Now comes the complicated part: the "Type of voting". This is where all the campaign strategy comes in. Each campaign will focus on states where the type of voting favors their candidate. The type of voting in each state is determined by each state party, depending on how much democracy they think the voters demand.

• A "primary" means any citizen can vote individually, at any time of day, at a pre-designated voting place, and your vote is secret.

• A "caucus" means you must show up at a semi-public location, usually a school or public building, at a specific time of the day, and plan on staying for an hour or more. Caucus votes are generally NOT secret.

• Caucuses allow much less democracy than primaries. Parties favor them because they cost less, and favor party insiders. Caucuses exclude voters such as people who must work at the time of the caucus. They also favor the candidate with better organizing abilities (since you must get your voters to a particular place at a particular time).

• An "open primary" or "open caucus" means more democracy. "Open" means citizens can vote in either party's primary, regardless of their party registration.

• A "closed caucus" or "open caucus" means less democracy. You can only vote if you are registered with the party in question; no "cross-over" is allowed. Closed voting tends to favor the party insiders' favorite.

• A "semi-open" system means SOME people can cross-over. For example, in Massachusetts, people registered as "Independent" can vote in either primary, but people registered as "Democrat" may not vote in the Republican primary.

• "WTA" indicates a "winner-take-all" vote. Some Republican votes assign ALL the state's delegates to the one winner. Most states are "WTA-CD" -- winner-take-all within Congressional districts. We only mark the confusing "WTA-CD" states, where the two parties differ -- and California, which is widely reported as WTA but it is, in fact, WTA by district. WTA votes tend to anoint the party insiders' favorite.

• We simplify the list for compactness -- each state has its own variations.

Mitt Romney wins Maine GOP caucus: Feb. 2, 2008

The table below shows the number of delegates resulting from the Maine Republican caucus.

The Maine caucus is "winner-take-all", i.e., the winner of the popular vote gets all the delegates (not in proportion like other caucuses).

Candidates ranked by     Maine popular vote	Maine.     delegates	Total committed     delegates, with Maine
Romney	18	88
McCain	0	95
Paul	0	6
Huckabee	0	29

Source: Delegate estimates from numerous news services.

Ralph Nader forms Exploratory Committee: Feb. 1, 2008

Would be 5th bid for the White House

His name alone is enough to send even the most mild-mannered Democrats into paroxysms of rage, still smarting from their defeat in 2000 when George W. Bush won the election by beating Al Gore in Florida by just 537 votes. Standing as a Green party candidate, Nader took some 97,000 votes in the Sunshine State, triggering outrage among Democrats who believed he had siphoned off ballots from Gore.

Vote "raider" and "spoiler" were some of the more printable names hurled at Nader by his critics. "Political bigot," shot back Nader this week, as he launched a presidential exploratory committee to see if he can attract enough support and funds to launch his fifth bid for the White House as an independent. "They scapegoated me," Nader told AFP in an interview. "They are congenitally unable of avoiding the scapegoat tag. Instead they should look in the mirror and ask why they lost."

"One of our priorities is civil liberties and the candidates' right to get on the ballot," Nader said. "When 98 percent of people voted for the president in the Soviet Union, whose name was the only one on the ballot, everybody laughed. But in 90 percent of votes for the House of Representatives there is essentially only one candidate."

Source: AFP News Service
Click for complete Ralph Nader issue stances.

Democratic debate before Super Tuesday: Jan. 31, 2008

Hillary vs. Obama, first one-on-one

Health Care    Barack Obama: Against enforcement mechanism for mandating insurance.    Hillary Clinton: Taxpayers pay for drug R&D, not drug companies.    Hillary Clinton: Mandate insurance AND make it affordable for all.

Principles & Values    Hillary Clinton: The next president faces a stack of problems on day one.

Tax Reform    Barack Obama: I'm not bashful about it: wealthy will pay more taxes.    Hillary Clinton: Wealthy should go back to paying pre-Bush tax rates.

Source: Excerpts from Super Tuesday Democratic debate
Click for complete debate coverage.

Republican debate in California: Jan. 30, 2008

Last Republican debate before Super Tuesday

Budget & Economy    John McCain: Things are tough now, but we're better off than in 2000.    Mike Huckabee: We're worse off than in 2000, due to Congress' over-spending.    Ron Paul: We're worse off than in 2000, due to Bush & Congress.

Tax Reform    Mitt Romney: Raised service fees like highway ads, from $200 to $2,000.

War & Peace    John McCain: Don't let enemy lay in the weeds until we leave.    Mitt Romney: Never, ever supported specific timetable for exit from Iraq.

Source: Excerpts from Super Tuesday Republican debate
Click for complete debate coverage.