Barack Obama: Latest News on the Former President - Page 242

Jun 21, 2008 3:22 PM CDT

Obama Campaign Fixes Gender Balance

New female hires should help him reach out to Clinton voters

(Newser) - Barack Obama's campaign has been getting more women on board at high levels, Politico reports. Female activists welcome the new hires, while campaign insiders say the "boy's club" image that dogged Obama's campaign during the primaries was never correct. Among the biggest names are Patti Solis Doyle, former campaign...

'Redneck' Lawmaker Gives
Obama Unlikely Boost

Jun 21, 2008 2:41 PM CDT

'Redneck' Lawmaker Gives Obama Unlikely Boost

Webb helps Dem's credibility on national defense

(Newser) - Jim Webb, Virginia’s firebrand junior senator, is becoming Barack Obama’s wing man for courting pro-military and national defense voters. A respected war veteran and best-selling novelist, he is also among the more colorful candidates for Barack Obama's VP slot. But the politician who calls himself a "redneck"...

Where Are the Feminists for Michelle?

OPINION

Jun 21, 2008 1:12 PM CDT

Where Are the Feminists for Michelle?

Their sense of outrage doesn't seem to apply to black women

(Newser) - Like strong women before her, Michelle Obama has been “demonized” in the press—so why aren’t feminists coming to her aid? asks Mary C. Curtis in the Washington Post. Feminists spoke out when Hillary Clinton faced sexism in her campaign—but the cause hasn’t embraced women of...

McCain, Obama Raise $21M Each

Jun 21, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

McCain, Obama Raise $21M Each

Dem suffers slowest fundraising month of the year, campaigns with Clinton next week

(Newser) - John McCain nearly matched Barack Obama’s fundraising intake last month, granting the presumptive Republican presidential nominee “a level of parity that would have been unimaginable just a few months ago,” MSNBC says. McCain scored $21.5 million while Obama, whose fundraising slumped to its lowest levels of...

Obama Grabs 15-Point Lead Over McCain: Poll

Jun 20, 2008 8:21 PM CDT

Obama Grabs 15-Point Lead Over McCain: Poll

Youth vote gives hopeful long-awaited bump

(Newser) - Breaking out of a tight race, Barack Obama registered a 51% to 36% lead over John McCain in the newest Newsweek nationwide poll, released today. Obama's bounce, expected after Hillary Clinton conceded him the Democratic nomination, comes courtesy of younger voters, who prefer him by 66% to 27%. Among registered...

McCain Misfires by
Targeting Prosecutions

OPINION

Jun 20, 2008 6:35 PM CDT

McCain Misfires by Targeting Prosecutions

Instead of trying to paint Obama as wimpy negotiator, McCain should stick to Iraq

(Newser) - Terrorism may be the one issue on which John McCain out-polls his presidential rival, Jonathan Chait writes in the New Republic, yet he has faltered by slamming Obama's call to prosecute terrorists. None other than 9/11 hawk Rudy Giuliani wanted prosecutions too—and other options, like guns and bombs, don't...

MoveOn Axes Big-Money Fundraising Arm

Jun 20, 2008 3:17 PM CDT

MoveOn Axes Big-Money Fundraising Arm

MoveOn folds 527 group to match Obama's pledge

(Newser) - One day after Barack Obama became the first candidate since Watergate to reject general election public financing, a prominent liberal grassroots group has disbanded its 527 operation. "We, like Senator Obama, believe that this election can be won by ordinary Americans giving small donations,” MoveOn said in a...

'Swift Boating' Fears for Obama May Be Premature

Jun 20, 2008 1:35 PM CDT

'Swift Boating' Fears for Obama May Be Premature

Third-party groups aren't appearing on the horizon

(Newser) - Democrats fretting over a reprise of the swift boating that marked the 2004 campaign may be hearing false alarms, Politico reports. Third-party organizations, aka 527 groups, have thus far been unable to drum up enough opposition to Barack Obama to fund an offensive. It's early yet, but antagonists like T....

Forget the Small-Donor Myth: Big Money Still Rules

Jun 20, 2008 12:05 PM CDT

Forget the Small-Donor Myth: Big Money Still Rules

Big money men still Obama and McCain's bread and butter

(Newser) - Barack Obama often talks about how much money he’s raised from small donors, even describing it as “a parallel public financing system.” But while Obama has indeed raised record sums from little guys, big donors have kept pace, writes Jay Mandle of the Washington Post, predicting that...

Bloomberg Defends Obama Before Jewish Audience

Jun 20, 2008 11:45 AM CDT

Bloomberg Defends Obama Before Jewish Audience

NYC mayos asks Floridians to be vigilant against false rumors

(Newser) - NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg today urged Jewish voters in Florida to denounce and speak out against false rumors that paint Barack Obama as a secret Muslim, the AP reports. Bloomberg—mentioned as a potential VP for both White House contenders—spoke out against the campaign that plays off "fears...

Obama's a Pragmatist,
Not a Reformer

Analysis

Jun 20, 2008 11:06 AM CDT

Obama's a Pragmatist, Not a Reformer

His decision to opt out of public financing is right in character

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s decision to opt out of the public financing system shouldn’t come as a surprise, writes Politico’s Ben Smith. Obama has been inching away from the money for a long time now, proving once again that he’s not a traditional reformer—he’s a pragmatist....

Elian Case Returns to
the Spotlight

Jun 20, 2008 10:10 AM CDT

Elian Case Returns to the Spotlight

Great-uncle criticizes role of Obama aides in custody fight

(Newser) - When the battle over whether to send young Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba raged in 2000, Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator nowhere near the fray. But two of the candidate's current advisers played a role, and that connection has some Cuban-Americans ready to protest the senator's speech this...

Clinton to Campaign With Obama Next Week

Jun 20, 2008 9:05 AM CDT

Clinton to Campaign With Obama Next Week

Joint event coming next Friday

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will campaign together for the first time next Friday, Obama's camp revealed today, in a step toward unifying a fractured Democratic Party after a bruising primary fight. A day earlier, Obama and Clinton also plan to meet in Washington with some of her top contributors...

Death Knell Tolls for Campaign Finance

ANALYSIS

Jun 20, 2008 7:48 AM CDT

Death Knell Tolls for Campaign Finance

Obama snub of public cash highlights weakness of system

(Newser) - Barack Obama's decision to forgo public financing for his presidential campaign represents the biggest challenge yet to the troubled, loophole-filled system. But while the Illinois senator is now poised to spend a record amount to win the presidency, the explosion of Internet donations that have propelled his campaign might actually...

Dr. Obama and Mr. Hyde

opinion

Jun 20, 2008 5:20 AM CDT

Dr. Obama and Mr. Hyde

'High-minded' candidate is also cutthroat political animal

(Newser) - Barack Obama has two faces: there’s the "high-minded" liberal “Dr. Barack” and the politically calculating, win at-all-costs “Fast Eddie Obama,” writes David Brooks in the New York Times. The split personality clearly emerged in Obama’s announcement that he won’t accept public financing—a...

How Obama Could Get Gored

analysis

Jun 19, 2008 3:04 PM CDT

How Obama Could Get Gored

As in 2000, Dem could win popular vote, lose Electoral College to Republican

(Newser) - Observers are speculating about a split decision in November, with John McCain winning the presidency while Barack Obama takes the popular vote—and Harry Siegel, in Politico, says the chances might not be that slim. Obama looks likely to build massive margins in coastal states (already safely Democratic) while making...

Clyburn Is
the Perfect Ally for Obama

Jun 19, 2008 1:56 PM CDT

Clyburn Is the Perfect Ally for Obama

Dem whip brings consensus-building record to campaign

(Newser) - Jim Clyburn is exactly the kind of ally Obama needs. A pioneer in his own right, the first Southern-raised black majority whip has a strong record of building consensus among blacks, whites, Hispanics, and people of all faiths. He's the action to complement Obama's lofty words, reports Politico—and holds...

McCain Blasts Obama for Declining Funds

Jun 19, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

McCain Blasts Obama for Declining Funds

But Dem blames Mac for having to opt out of public financing

(Newser) - Following fast on Barack Obama’s decision to abandon public financing, a McCain rep said the Dem has failed “the true test of a candidate”—whether he'll stick to his word, Time reports. But Politico notes that an Obama rep blamed McCain: “Our campaign counsels met, and...

Obama Opts Out
of Public Financing

Jun 19, 2008 9:24 AM CDT

Obama Opts Out of Public Financing

Says system 'as it exists is broken,' and opponents 'masters at gaming' it

(Newser) - Barack Obama has opted out of public financing in the general election, the AP reports, reversing a joint pledge made last year with John McCain to spend only the $84 million in taxpayer cash between the party conventions and Election Day. While McCain appears set to accept public financing, Obama...

For Obama the Nominee, Even More Discipline

Jun 19, 2008 8:37 AM CDT