Obama’s speech watched by 38 million viewers.
Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) acceptance speech last night reached a quarter of America’s households, according to Nielsen Media Research. In all, with over 38 million viewers, “more people watched Obama speak than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final ‘American Idol’ or the Academy Awards this year.” The AP notes that “Obama’s audience might be higher,” since Nielsen didn’t estimate how many people watched on PBS or C-SPAN.
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Scandal-Plagued Ted Stevens Endorses Palin For VP, Says He’s ‘Known And Worked’ With Her ‘For Over A Decade’
Scandal-Plagued Ted Stevens Endorses Palin For VP, Says He’s ‘Known And Worked’ With Her ‘For Over A Decade’
In a statement announcing the choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, Sen. John McCain’s campaign emphasized that “in Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system.” But that claim was undermined today when Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), who was indicted last month for not reporting gifts from an Alaskan oil company, endorsed her as McCain’s vice president. Stevens said that he had “known and worked” with Palin for “over a decade”:
Senator Stevens said: “It’s a great day for the nation and Alaskans. Governor Palin has proven herself as a bright, energetic leader for our State and will bring the same energy to the Vice Presidency. She will serve our country with distinction - the first Alaskan and first woman on the Republican ticket. I share in the pride of all Alaskans.
“I have known and worked with Sarah for over a decade - from her service as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, in her role as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors, and most recently as our Governor. She is attentive to her job and family, brings people together, and is able to make tough decisions.
But Palin was unable to make a “tough decision” after Stevens, who had supported her run for governor, was indicted. In July, she told reporters that it “would be premature” to call for his resignation. She just wants him to give “a fuller accounting” of his relationship with VECO Corp., the oil services company that gave him unreported gifts.
Palin also has ties to VECO. When she ran for lieutenant governor in 2002, “she gathered $5,000 — or about 10 percent of her campaign fund — from Veco officials or their wives,” including $500 from CEO Bill Allen. Allen gave Stevens expensive gifts over the years, including “a new Viking gas grill and a new tool shed full of tools.”
McCain’s choice of Palin follows Bill Kristol’s lead.
McCain’s choice of Palin follows Bill Kristol’s lead.
Earlier today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) surprised many people by selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. But not everyone may have been surprised. In June, Fox News ran a segment predicting that “gas prices will plummet” immediately when “John McCain announces his VP pick.” Fox’s ridiculous claim was based solely on Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol’s prediction that McCain might pick Palin as his VP. Watch it:
Kristol also predicted that if McCain did choose Palin, she would “persuade him that we have to drill in ANWR and have an aggressive drilling program across the board.” With conservatives hoping for McCain to flip-flop on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, will McCain follow Kristol’s advice on that as well?
McCain’s VP Choice Is Under Ethics Investigation For Abuse Of Power In Alaska
McCain’s VP Choice Is Under Ethics Investigation For Abuse Of Power In Alaska
In Dayton, OH today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will announce that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be his vice presidential running mate. Palin, who entered office in 2006 after running as a reformer, is touted by conservatives as being “a politician of eye-popping integrity.”
But Palin’s reformer image took a hit last month when she was accused of attempting to get a state trooper fired. That state trooper was her former brother-in-law who had gone through “a messy divorce” with her sister. After the trooper’s boss wouldn’t act on the governor’s request, she fired him. Though Palin says she doesn’t “have anything to hide” and she “didn’t do anything wrong there,” an investigation has found that one of her aides pushed the firing:
Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday revealed an audio recording that shows an aide pressuring the Public Safety Department to fire a state trooper embroiled in a custody battle with her sister.
Palin, who has previously said her administration didn’t exert pressure to get rid of trooper Mike Wooten, also disclosed that members of her staff had made about two dozen contacts with public safety officials about the trooper.
Palin’s scandal envelops her in the constellation of scandal-plagued lawmakers currently serving in Alaska. Here’s a brief overview:
Sen. Ted Stevens: Last month, long-serving Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was indicted by a federal grand jury “with seven counts of making false statements for failing to disclose” gifts of over $250,000 from the oil services company VECO Corp.
State Sen. Ben Stevens (R): The senator’s son, Stevens is being investigated by the FBI for his involvement in “an alleged payment scheme involving fisheries legislation brought by his father.” When VECO’s Bill Allen “pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges, he stated that almost a quarter of a million dollars in consulting fees paid to the younger Stevens was in fact bribery.”
Rep. Don Young (R): Last year, it was revealed that the senior House Republican was “under criminal investigation” involving “possible political favors for a company in Alaska.” In April, Young’s legal fees exceeded $1 million.
Last week, Palin placed her boards and commissions director, Frank Bailey, on paid leave while the investigation into the suspect firing continues.
UPDATE: In 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens endorsed Palin. Watch his ad endorsing her:
ER doctors say Goodman’s ‘uninsured’ claims are ‘reckless.’
ER doctors say Goodman’s ‘uninsured’ claims are ‘reckless.’
On Wednesday, John Goodman, who was an architect of Sen. John McCain’s health care plan, made the audacious claim there are no “uninsured” people in America because Americans have access to emergency rooms. The American College of Emergency Physicians has issued a statement calling Goodman’s statement “reckless“:
“We urge the McCain campaign to rethink the reckless suggestion by Mr. Goodman that the tragedy of uninsured patients can be erased by the magic of emergency departments,” said Dr. Lawrence. “Emergency physicians can and do perform miracles every day, but taking on the full-time, medical care for 46 million uninsured Americans is one miracle even we cannot perform. Access to care in the emergency department is no substitute for the comprehensive health care reform policy that should be at the heart of the platform of any presidential campaign.”
The McCain campaign has claimed that Goodman’s “philosophy on health care” is “clearly out of step with John McCain.” But as The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn has noted, McCain’s health care plan “is perfectly consistent with Goodman’s statements, which have represented mainstream conservative thinking on health care these days.”
McCain campaign denies Goodman is ‘an advisor.’
McCain campaign denies Goodman is ‘an advisor.’
Yesterday, McCain health care architect John Goodman told the Dallas Morning News yesterday that there are no “uninsured” people in America because Americans have access to emergency rooms, which is a radical view of health care in this country. Now, the McCain campaign is trying to distance itself from Goodman, telling The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn that “he is not an advisor“:
Although the Morning News article reported Goodman as a McCain advisor, the McCain campaign says he is NOT an advisor. That’s obviously a big distinction so I’ve corrected the item, which described Goodman as part of the campaign, as well as the update below. I apologize for the error.
But in July, when Goodman wrote a WSJ op-ed praising McCain’s health care plan, he was labeled “an unpaid adviser to the McCain campaign” by the paper.
Rove ’speaks regularly with the McCain campaign’ and ‘lunches two or three times a month’ with Bush.
Rove ’speaks regularly with the McCain campaign’ and ‘lunches two or three times a month’ with Bush.
Despite the fact that he talks “fairly regularly” with top advisers to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), former Bush political guru insists on denying that he is an informal adviser to McCain’s campaign. But in a new article, Time magazine highlights how “dialed in” Rove is with McCain’s campaign efforts:
In private, Rove speaks regularly with the McCain campaign, where his former protégé Steve Schmidt is now the manager. He’s also dialed in at the Republican National Committee, run by Mike Duncan, another former aide. And he still lunches two or three times a month with President Bush.
As ThinkProgress has previously noted, one reason Rove may be reluctant to admit his ties to the McCain campaign is the fact that he is also reported to be “developing outside groups” to help Republicans and John McCain in November. It is illegal for outside groups to coordinate with campaigns.
Fox: Bush might not speak at RNC on Monday because of Gustav.
Fox: Bush might not speak at RNC on Monday because of Gustav.
President Bush is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention on Monday, but with Tropical Storm Gustav expected to hit Gulf coast, the White House is beginning to hint that President Bush might not speak that day. Fox News’ Bret Baier reports today that there “are conversations underway” at the White House about whether Bush “will in fact speak on Monday.” Watch it:
Tax Expert: McCain’s Tax Cuts Are Aimed At The Rich ‘Even More So Than Bush’s Were’
Tax Expert: McCain’s Tax Cuts Are Aimed At The Rich ‘Even More So Than Bush’s Were’
In 2001 and 2003, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) opposed President Bush’s tax cuts, arguing that he couldn’t “in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us.” But since then, McCain has ditched his concern about policies tilted towards the wealthy and now wants to double Bush’s tax cuts.
Examining McCain’s shifts on taxes today, the Wall Street Journal’s Martin Vaughan writes that “an apt description” for McCain’s tax proposals would be to say “that the wealthy would benefit most.” In fact, as the Cato Institute’s Chris Edwards points out, McCain’s proposals are aimed at the wealthy “even more so than Bush’s”:
McCain’s apparent bent towards deeper tax cuts at the higher end of the income scale in his recent campaign proposals surprised many who recall his rejection of the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts.
“McCain’s proposals this year are consistently pretty supply-side, even more so than Bush’s were,” said Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute.
Earlier this year, the non-partisan Tax Policy Center found that McCain’s economic plan “would primarily benefit those with very high incomes.” In fact, under McCain’s plan, John and Cindy McCain would get a $300,000 tax break while middle class Americans would save only $319. The McCains save $60,016 more under McCain’s tax plan than under Bush’s.
In their more candid moments, McCain’s supporters admit that he is doubling down on Bush’s tax policies. In May, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) said that McCain’s “tax policies” would “be in effect a third Bush term.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told ABC News in June that McCain’s policies would “absolutely” be an “extension” and “enhancement” of Bush’s.
Brooks: ‘Most of the delegates’ at the DNC sound like ‘a North Korean pep rally.’
Brooks: ‘Most of the delegates’ at the DNC sound like ‘a North Korean pep rally.’
On the PBS Newshour this evening, New York Times columnist David Brooks opined about the possibility of “unity at the Democratic National convention, claiming that while there are vocal supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) at the convention, “most of the delegates here have been fed these talking points here and they sound like a North Korean pep rally.” Watch it: