| President Obama: President Obama officially launched his reelection campaign on Saturday with a campaign that can be best described as Hope, Change and Fear according to slate. Mixing his 2008 rhetoric with a fear of impending doom if Romney is elected seems to fuel this campaign cycle for him. Obama on negativity has never been his strong suit though. Julia: This article seems to put the Julia campaign by the Obama team into context like no other article. In many respects, the ideological purity shown by each side on their interpretation of Julia is a fascinating examination of our current politics and a defense of each side's views on these issues. Incumbency: President Obama, like pretty much every other incumbent, has the power of incumbency giving him a leg up in the presidential race. This seems like a logical benefit any incumbent receives unless they are horribly unpopular, but at that point nothing might save them otherwise. Pennsylvania: Democratic strategists seem worried that President Obama is not spending enough time trying to shore up Pennsylvania. Others seem to be buying into the traditional conventional wisdom Ohio and Florida fall before Pennsylvania to a Republican. I think it would be smart for any candidate to fight hard in all three. Swing States: Speaking of swing states, the New York Times does a very good job articulating why the nine swing states cannot be viewed uniformly and provides us with examples of how they could break in different fashions depending on how the election plays out. France: In case you did not know, there was a presidential election yesterday in France. Francois Hollande beat incumbent Nicholas Sarkozy to become the second Socialist Party president in French history. His victory ends the 24 year electoral deficit of the Socialist Party. Congress Maine: Independent US Senate candidate and frontrunner Angus King is warning that he might face an onslaught of negative ads from both parties as they fear a truly independent voice in Washington. I think King is overstating his impact. His lead is a function of a Maine love affair with indepdendents like him that predates the current political climate. Indiana: Senator Dick Lugar is in a fight for his political life and he is certainly acting like he is losing it. During the final weekend of the campaign, he has been putting out calls for support and assistance as his campaign is down in the polls. Cheney: Liz Cheney seems to be very fixated on politics at the moment. With her impending move back to Wyoming, it seems like she is ready to follow in her father's footsteps and run for some office in Wyoming. I expect to see her on a VP shortlist someday. States Wisconsin: In case you did not know, Wisconsin voters are heavily engaged in politics. Apparently 1 out of every 6 voters has been to a political rally recently while the average in the nation as a whole is around 1 in 20. The recent political drama in the state seems to be fueling political activism at a new level. More Wisconsin: Beyond being politically active, it appears the organized labor candidates to recall Walker are losing steam very quickly. While I believe it will be close, I think Walker's opponents are very quickly losing steam and it leans Republican right now. PA-Senate: Melissa Hart wants to make a return to elected politics, but apparently she wants the field cleared for and does not want to campaign for the party's endorsement for the special election to replace convicted felon State Senator Jane Orie. In the very crowded field Hart would be the favorite so I am not sure why exactly she is supposedly whining about having to appeal to people in this safe Republican district. |
