The Palin Rap on SNL

Absolutely MUST SEE.

Here's the link if you missed it.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/update-palin-rap/773781/

What's a 50 Cent Endorsement Worth?

In the too good to pass up category, rapper 50 Cent has endorsed Hillary Clinton for President.

The Politico reports.

If I recall, Fity' has previously given props to President Bush for being "quite the gangsta."

Yes, I admit it. 50 is on my Ipod.

Still, since Nelly is from St. Louis, I'll be more curious to see his statewide endorsements.

Novak: Bush Presidency "A Failure"

Conservative columnist Bob Novak told Tim Russert this weekend that he thinks George W. Bush's presidency has been a failure.

Novak appeared on Tim Russert's CNBC interview program to plug his new book, The Prince of Darkness.

"I think he's been a failure," Novak said when asked to rate the President. "I think this war, I thought it was a mistake to go into the war," Novak said. Novak also said Bush failed on social security reform and tax reform. "He came out for them, but didn't push them," Novak said. "He never understood this spending was running out of control, but the worst mistake was this war."

Also notable:

• On The Chris Matthews Show, John Heilemann of New York magazine predicted Fred Thompson would jump into the presidential race, but drop out by November.
• Mike Huckabee sent out a fundraising letter to supporters asking for donations of $35 or $70 dollars. Why that amount? Tickets to the Ames, Iowa straw poll next month cost . . . (drum roll) . . . 35 bucks. "It's important for our campaign to be able to provide Iowans that can't afford tickets to attend the Ames Straw Poll with the opportunity to participate," Huckabee wrote in an e-mail. The idea is, you buy tickets for people who will vote for you. Heck of a process eh? With Rudy Giuliani and John McCain bowing out of the poll, Mitt Romney will easily buy . . . ahem, win the thing. Huckabee needs a strong second place finish for any kind of momentum.
• Esquire magazine hands down wins the best political cover headline of the month. Its August issue blares: Can A White Man Still Be Elected President? On the cover, John Edwards.
  

Huckabee Aims For Top 3 in Straw Poll

It may be an expectation game, but former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says finishing in the top 3 in Iowa's August straw poll would be just fine.

Even though Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have said they won't actively contest the Ames straw poll, Huckabee told the Des Moines Register today he doesn't have to win the straw poll to be credible.

"We've never said we have to win the straw poll in order to be considered credible. We've got to do well," said Huckabee to the Register.

The former Arkansas governor said he'll be satisfied with a third-place finish if there isn't a large gap between the top three finishers.

The Ames straw poll is August 11th.

Line of the Day

"Bill Clinton sounds intimate and conversational when he's discussing energy policy. Hillary Clinton sounds like a policy wonk when she talks about her mother's childhood struggles."

--Mark Halperin, TIME political editor, in the July 16th edition.

Huckabee's New Digs

The Huckabee campaign has finally revamped its website.

Here it is.

Gephardt Endorses Clinton

Former Missouri Congressman and Democratic leader Dick Gephardt has endorsed Hillary Clinton for President today.

Why? Experience, experience, experience.

"She knows what it means to be a president. She's not a former president, but she's as close as you can be to that," Gephardt said.

Edwards' Party for the Planet

It may be the most significant moment for the climate since the discovery of oil.

That's how the John Edwards campaign is billing it. The campaign is urging people to participate in Al Gore's "Live Earth concert" this Saturday, a music event designed to raise awareness about the climate crisis.

Edwards, in coordination with MoveOn.org, is urging supporters to meet up to watch the global broadcast.

The Springfield Library Center on South Campbell will be the local site to rock for the planet. So far, 18 people are registered to participate locally.

In addition to the concert, participants will get to watch a special preview of presidential candidates answering MoveOn.org questions about the climate.

The Revolution Has Begun

The Ron Paul Revolution has begun in Springfield. Signs like the one above are popping up in yards and businesses around the area. In addition, I'm told Ron Paul supporters had a float in today's 4th of July parade.

And yes, someone put this sign in the KY3 frontyard.

So who are the people behind this area's Ron Paul support? And what are they trying to tell me?

Giuliani Outraises Romney

Rudy Giuliani raised $17 million dollars during the second quarter fundraising period, and has $18 million cash on hand, according to a press release out by his campaign.

Mitt Romney is reporting $20 million dollars for the second quarter -- but here's the catch. He loaned himself $6.5 million, according to The Politico. That means he raised $14 million dollars, and now has $12 million dollars to spend.

The shape of the Republican field becomes more intriguing each day.

McCain May Accept Public Matching Funds

Sen. John McCain's announcement that he only raised $11.2 million dollars this quarter was disappointing enough for McCainiacs.

But the news that McCain has just $2 million dollars on hand has changed the nature of his campaign strategy.

Here's more from the conference call today with Campaign Manager Terry Nelson and Strategist John Weaver:

"At one point, we believed that we would raise over $100 million during this calendar year, and we constructed a campaign that was based on that assumption. We believe today that that assumption is not correct," said Nelson.

"I'd like to say that the campaign is seriously considering accepting public-matching funds," said Weaver.

"In the coming weeks, you'll hear John leading the charge to change the status quo in Washington, where nothing but the protection of special interests gets done. He's going to challenge our party and our country to let him end the out-of-control spending, which has shamed the Republican Party and wrecked our country's budget," said Weaver.

"We will win this nomination by being the most aggressive campaign in the early caucus and primary states by presenting the best candidate, the best message, and the best messenger," said Weaver.

Other tidbits from the presser:
*McCain will participate in the Ames debate, even though he's not playing in the straw poll.
*Campaign Manager Terry Nelson has agreed to work for free for the next few months.
*McCain will now spend more time in the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. More than he's been over the last few months. Team McCain believes these three states will still determine the trajectory of the nomination.
*They believe they would qualify for about $6 million in public matching funds.

McCain Campaign Shake-Up: Just $2 Million Cash on Hand

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican John McCain reorganized his campaign Monday, cutting staff in every department as he raised just $11.2 million in the last three months and reported an abysmal $2 million cash on hand for his presidential bid.

50 or more staffers are being let go, and senior aides "will be subject to pay cuts."

Manager Terry Nelson: "We confronted reality and we dealt with it in the best way that we could so that we could move forward."

The beginning of the end?

Baracking the Record: Obama Raises $32.5 M

Sen. Barack Obama announced on Sunday he had raised $32.5 million for his presidential campaign in the past three months, the biggest quarterly fund-raising for any Democrat ever in a pre-election year.

$31 million is reserved for the primary battle against Sen. Hillary Clinton and the six other Democratic candidates.

Clinton has not released her figures yet, but the campaign says it expects to raise around $27 million. Her breakdown between primary and general election cash is not clear.

"Mrs. Clinton has won the first half politically of this election season, but financially, Obama's winning," said NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd on this morning's Meet The Press.

Show Me The Money!

2nd Quarter Presidential fundraising is almost complete.

The official numbers will trickle out over the next hours and days.

But why wait? The numbers are leaking out here and there. Campaign aides are dutifully lowering expectations. But here's what's being projected by the chattering class . . .

THE DEMS
*Hillary Clinton - The campaign has already let supporters know on its blog that Hillary will bring in around $27 million. But if these campaign staffers are doing their job right, she'll haul in more than that. Maybe $30 mil? Now, that's lowering expectations!
*Barack Obama - Will he outraise Hillary again? And how much is he reserving for the general? Reports are he'll haul in between $25 and $30 million. But watch his donor total. He's already added 140,000 new donors this quarter.
*John Edwards - He pulled in some last minute cash from his wife's tit-for-tat with Ann Coulter on Hardball. But Edwards is expected to lag far behind Hillary and Obama, bringing in between $9 and $10 million. They again, the Edwards camp could be bluffing. Still, his campaign has maintained it doesn't need the big "celebrity money" to compete. The goal is to raise $40 million by time Iowa rolls around.
*Bill Richardson - The New Mexico Governor has already announced he has raised $7 million.

THE REPUBLICANS
*Rudy Giuliani - The Giuliani people aren't talking. The best guess I could find comes from The Atlantic Monthly, which projects between $14-$17 million. But either way, expectations will be much higher this quarter because he's the national frontrunner. Key question: How close will he be to Romney's total?
*Mitt Romney - Here's another campaign downplaying expectations big time. Which makes you wonder. Odds are he won't hit the $21 million he raised in round 1. He's loaning money to his campaign and has a high "burn rate" with a paid staff of 200, and all those pretty campaign ads already running in Iowa and New Hampshire. Still, look for him to top the G.O.P. list. Look for Romney to raise between $15-$18 million.
*John McCain - The McCainiacs are saying they will miss their goal. And you've got to believe them. The immigration debacle probably didn't help. The campaign's goal was $10 million, and word is they are having trouble getting there. The political press want to write this poor guy's obit. I'm not ready to count him out yet. Look for around $10 million.
*Fred Thompson - He won't report because this latecomer doesn't have to. But it's fair to say he's still building a base of fundraisers that's probably hurting all the other Republicans in the field.
*Mike Huckabee - A half a mil was all he could manage during the first quarter. Could he hit $2 million or more for quarter 2? You'd think with his band groupies alone?

Yeah, What He Said: The Dem "Debate" Lovefest

Sen. Hillary Clinton received screams from the crowd and a partial standing ovation Thursday night when she said the country's current view on the AIDS epidemic would be radically different if the disease afflicted young white women the way it does young black women.

"Let me just put this in perspective. If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34, there would be an outraged, outcry in the country," Clinton said to the mostly black crowd at Howard University during the third Democratic presidential debate.

It was the emotional line of the night, during a lackluster, poorly organized debate shown on PBS, which failed to crystallize or elicit differences between the 8 Democratic contenders.

The Format
First, the semantics. The debate got off to a ridiculously slow start, with lots of pomp and circumstance by the university and PBS that didn't need to be televised. Like PBS doesn't already have a boring reputation? What a way to lose potential viewers off the top!

Another problem: Each candidate got to answer every question. And throughout the debate, the candidates reiterated the same points made by their rivals and often said, "I agree with everything just said." It was a waste of time, and made for bad TV.

As David Gergen put it, "this was a lovefest, not a slugfest." And will the issues of African American voters raised tonight carry into the candidates platforms or campaign stump speeches? Probably not in Lilly white Iowa and New Hampshire. But time will tell.

Now, a capsule of the memorable moments of a debate that will be soon forgotten.

Education & Poverty

"If I'm president I'll do away with the war on drugs," said candidate Mike Gravel, making the case that drugs are a public health issue, not a crime issue.

To combat poverty, John Edwards outlined more specifics than others. He wants to significantly raise the minimum wage and strengthen the right to organize.

"When you've got a bill called No Child Left Behind, you can't leave the money behind," said Sen. Barack Obama.

Dennis Kucinich wants to cut the Pentagon budget by 15% to free up education dollars. "Stop cutting war, start funding education," Kucinich said.

Gravel said that was too modest. "I think we cut a little more than 15%," Gravel said. "21 million Americans could have a 4 year college scholarship for the money we've squandered in Iraq," said Gravel.

"The people on this stage are all guilty," Gravel said in a reference to the war in Iraq.

Sen. Clinton gave a response we've heard before. "I really believe it takes a village to raise a child," Clinton said.

HIV/AIDS Prevention
Bill Richardson looked sweaty, hesitant and even lost at some times in this debate. But none of his answers baffled me more than his initial response about how to prevent a 17-year-old African American from contracting HIV/AIDS.

"We have to use needles . . .," Richardson said. Huh? Richardson then got his footing and went on to credit President Bush for his work and funding of battling AIDS in Africa.

Edwards gave some specifics on how to combat HIV/AIDS. Fully funding a cure. Fully funding the Ryan White law. Making sure Medicaid covers AIDS drugs and treatment. He got good applause for this.

Obama talked about how the more African Americans fall into poverty, the more likely they are to contract diseases. He offered a broader cultural look at battling disease.

Gravel offered . . . ending the war on drugs? Again.

Clinton gave her boffo answer that brought women to their feet.

Sen. Joe Biden said he is working to get black men to understand that it is not "unmanly" to wear a condom, and to get women to understand it is ok to say no to men's sexual advances. Kinda of an odd ball statement. But he was trying to talk about changing the culture in the black community as well. Then, as Biden always does, delivered this sugarplum:

"I got tested for AIDS, I know Barack got tested for AIDS. There's no shame in being tested for AIDS," Biden said. "It's an important thing. The community's engaged in denial," he said.

Obama's quick response:

"I got to make clear. I got tested with Michelle when we were in Kenya and Africa. So I don't want any confusion here about what's going on," Obama said in response to laughs from the crowd.

Funniest moment of the night.

Taxing the Rich
Most candidates agreed that repealing the Bush tax cuts would be a priority, although both Clinton and Obama were very careful with their answers. They know what they say now on taxes will be held against them by Republicans in a general election.

Obama said "blacks don't want charity, they want fairness."

"None of you are going to live in your lifetime to see our system of taxation changed based upon what you've heard here," said Gravel.

Sen. Chris Dodd promised to give tax breaks to companies who decide to stay or locate in inner cities. Richardson said he would reward companies that pay higher wages, and offered a tax holiday for technology start-ups.

Blacks & Criminal Justice
"The justice system is not colorblind," said Obama. "It requires some political courage because often times you are accused of being soft on crime when dealing with these issues," said Obama, responding to a question about racial disparities in the justice system. (Again, he's thinking general -- outloud).

"We need to seek to end mandatory minimums. We know who's serving those mandatory minimums," Kucinich said.

Sen. Chris Dodd said mandatory minimum sentences have been a disaster. He wants to eliminate the distinction between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. "That will make a big difference on who goes to jail in this country," Dodd said.

Right to Return To New Orleans?
Most candidates said they would support a law that would give residents "the right to return to New Orleans." Clinton didn't directly answer. But she did use strong terms to castigate the Bush administration. She said the administration has neglected the rebuilding of New Orleans with almost "criminal indifference."

Edwards wants to allow the people of New Orleans to rebuild the city, by giving them jobs and insurance -- instead of bringing in multi-national companies to do the rebuilding.

Outsourcing Jobs
Biden said eliminating tax breaks alone won't keep jobs in America. Richardson said the focus should be on raising science and math standards in our schools.

"One of my first acts in office will be to cancel NAFTA and the WTO," Kucinich said. "A Democratic administration started NAFTA. A Democratic administration will end it."

Genocide in Darfur
Another big tough girl moment for Clinton here on what to do to stop the killing in Darfur.

"We should have a no fly zone over Sudan. Because the Sudanese government bombs the villages . . . We should make it very clear. We're putting up a no-fly zone, if they fly into it, we'll shoot down their planes. It's the only way to get their attention," Clinton said.

Biden emphasized the U.S. should put American troops on the ground to stop the carnage.

"I believe that fighting genocide is more important than sports," Richardson said about his suggestion to boycott China's 2008 Olympics if the country doesn't agree to do more on the Darfur issue.

"We have to look at Africa not just after a crisis happens," said Obama.

"If Darfur had a large supply of oil, this Administration would be occupying it right now," Kucinich blasted.

And then this parting shot from Gravel . . .

"We have to have a president that has moral judgement. Most of the people on this stage with me do not have that judgement and they've proven it by the simple fact of what they've done," Gravel said.

All in all, because no one won; Clinton won.

But outside the Clinton comment on AIDS and the Obama-Biden exchange, this debate was a snoozer. The reason to have these debates is to offer distinctions for voters trying to learn about who to choose. Debates are important, but so are the formats you govern them with. This one needed some work.

The Republicans are supposed to do this format on PBS on Sept. 27th. Really? We will see if they show up to an audience or panel that may be ready to attack.

Hillary: Obama Will Raise More

We're 2 days away from the 2nd quarter presidential fundraising deadline and the expectations game has begun.

Sen. Hillary Clinton's Communications Director is already lowering the bar on the campaign blog.

"We expect to bring in about what we did in the First Quarter, or slightly more, which should put us in the range of $27 million. To put that figure in some perspective, it is more than any Democrat has ever raised in the second quarter of the "off" year. While that figure is record setting, we do expect Senator Obama to significantly outraise us this quarter," writes communications director Howard Wolfson on the campaign's blog today.

I always feel a bit queasy when I write strictly about money when measuring a candidate. It just seems wrong that we put so much of an emphasis on dollar amounts.

But that being said, the conventional wisdom is that if Sen. Barack Obama is able to outraise Clinton for a second consecutive quarter, it's a big story.

Another Dem Debate Tonight

The third Democratic presidential debate will air tonight on PBS at 8 p.m. CT.

From MSNBC's First Read:

"For the third time this campaign season, the eight Democratic presidential candidates -- Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Kucinich, Obama, and Richardson -- participate in a debate. This time, it’s from Howard University in DC, and it airs on PBS at 9:00 pm ET. Organizers are billing the event as the first “panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color” in primetime: PBS’ Tavis Smiley, NPR’s Michel Martin, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr., and USA Today’s DeWayne Wickham. And the candidates will be asked questions on health care, Katrina relief, the economy, and the environment."

Romney, Edwards Hold Iowa Leads

Mitt Romney and John Edwards continue to lead their party rivals in the first-in-the-nation state of Iowa, according to a new Strategic Vision poll released today.

The former Massachusetts Governor leads nearest rival Fred Thompson 23%-17%. Rudy Giuliani is now third at 14%, but has been steadily losing ground in the Hawkeye State. John McCain sits at 10%. In the second tier, Tommy Thompson (6%) edges out Mike Huckabee (5%).

On the Democratic side, John Edwards continues to maintain a lead. Edwards leads the field with 26%. Barack Obama clocks in at 21%, and Hillary Clinton takes 20%. Bill Richardson wins 11%. Still, right now, it looks like any of the top 3 Dems could win Iowa. It remains a do-or-die state for Edwards.

The poll results are based on telephone interviews with 600 likely Republican caucus goers and 600 likely Democratic caucus goers, aged 18+, and conducted June 22-24, 2007. The margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

Branson to Host G.O.P. in 2008

Branson has been selected as the host city for the 2008 Missouri Republican Party State Convention.

It will be held from May 30 to June 1 at Branson’s Chateau on the Lake.

“Next year will be an exciting one for Missouri Republicans and Branson is the perfect community in which to be selecting our delegates to the Republican National Convention and adopting our state platform," said party chair Doug Russell.

Branson was chosen by the 11-member Site Selection Subcommittee of the Missouri Republican State Committee during meetings in Kansas City this past weekend. The Republican National Committee has tentatively assigned Missouri 58 delegates and 55 alternates to the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4, 2008, where the Republican nominees for President and Vice President will be selected.

McCain To Expand Organization in Missouri

Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign plans to expand its political organization in Missouri over the next few weeks, according to a campaign e-mail.

The campaign plans to hold informational meetings around the state to provide updates on the campaign, according to the e-mail send out by McCain's Midwest Regional Political Director Ben Golnik.

Does this mean McCain will devote more resources to larger states that will cast ballots near or after February 5th?

The latest Mason-Dixon poll in Iowa has McCain at just 6%. That puts him in 5th place - behind Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani -- and even Mike Huckabee.