DC’s Mac Daddy

It has been a long road. Now, at 12:37 AM on election day, just after the first votes of the day have been cast in New Hampshire, I will make my predictions. Here we go:

Obama:

Washington - 11
Oregon - 7
California - 55
Hawaii - 4
New Mexico - 5
Minnesota - 10
Iowa - 7
Wisconsin - 10
Illinois - 21
Michigan - 17
Vermont - 3
New Hampshire -4
Maine - 4
Massachusetts - 12
Rhode Island - 4
Connecticut - 7
New Jersey - 15
Delaware -3
Maryland - 10
DC -3
New York - 31
Colorado - 9
Virginia - 13
Pennsylvania - 21
Florida - 27
Nevada - 5

McCain:

Idaho - 4
Wyoming - 3
Utah - 5
Alaska - 3
South Dakota - 3
Nebraska - 5
Kansas - 6
Oklahoma - 7
Texas - 34
Louisiana - 9
Arkansas - 6
Montana - 3
North Dakota - 3
Mississippi - 6
Alabama - 9
Tennessee - 11
Kentucky - 8
West Virginia - 5
South Carolina - 8
Arizona - 10
Missouri - 11
Indiana - 11
Georgia - 15
North Carolina - 15
Ohio - 20

The final tally leaves Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States with the electoral college at 318 - 220

In the Senate, I see a close race to 60. Democrats will hold all of their seats. Republicans will definitely lose in Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire and Colorado. That will leave us at 55 Dems (including Sanders and Lieberman) with a few toss ups. Here is how I see the 7 toss ups

AK - Dem
OR - Dem
NC - Dem
GA - Rep
KY - Rep
MS special - Rep
MN - Rep

The final tally will be 58 - 42 Dems (with Lieberman and Sanders Dem)

The final House tally will be : 250 - 185 in favor of Dems

Since I last posted, the 2008 Presidential election has come into focus. For Obama, he made a solid VP choice, put together a good convention, outperformed in the debates and kept it together in the midst of the economic crisis.

McCain started out well. His VP choice grabbed the attention from Obama and he put on a very good convention. As a matter of fact, McCain was tied to slightly ahead after his convention. Then, the wheels fell off. His VP pick turned out to blow up in his face, his attacks make him look like a grumpy old man, his erratic behavior during the economic crisis made him look unable to handle the pressure of the Presidency, and his debate performance was not good enough.

In the end, the race looks finished. Actually, it was finished weeks ago. You see, economics trumps everything else in politics. If the wallets become lighter, people will demand change. They will pick the person who will turn the economy around, no matter what questions they have about that person. Obama is that candidate. McCain hasn’t helped himself any, but, in reality, he didn’t have a chance anyway. Not with our economy on the brink of disaster.

Next week, I will give my final electoral college predictions, state by state.

The Week of Monday July 7:

Editors Note: Since we here at DC’s Mac Daddy have no desire to debate whether or not Americans are whiners or if Senator Obama should have his nuts cut out, we are changing the format for this week. Instead of discussing the top 3 issues of the week, which were all gaffes by surrogates/advisers, we have decided to give an update on the state of the race by looking at the recent poll numbers.

National Polls

The usefulness of national polls are debatable. While I agree that these current numbers are by no means a reflection of who will win in November, I personally think they are valuable at this stage of the race because they give us an idea of who has the momentum.

I am happy to report that Sen. McCain is the one holding the momentum. It is true that Obama is still leading in these polls. The RealClearPolitics average of national polls currently has the Senator from Illinois up by 3.8 points. Think about that. 3.8 points, in this political environment, is shocking. Obama should have a bigger lead, no doubt about it. This has to scare Democrats.

The numbers not only show that McCain is close, but the trends also favor the Senator from Arizona. The lead has been cut nearly in half from 7.1 points on June 29. On July 6, Obama’s average number peaked at 48.7%. It currently sits at 46.4%. McCain’s number average number was as low as 40.3% on June 29. Now, it sits at 42.6%. This suggests that Americans are not only questioning Obama’s ability to be President (his number moving down) but it also suggests that Americans are slowly but surely buying into McCain’s candidacy (his number moving up). It will be interesting to see if Obama can stop these trends in coming weeks.

One more comment on the national polls. Since the first week of May, Obama has led in all but 2 legitimate head to head national poll against McCain. Those two registered ties. So, although the momentum might be with McCain, the polls still show Obama as the favorite. Can he keep that status heading into the convention? Chances are, he will. The question is: How big of a favorite will he be at that time?

Battleground States

Oddly enough, McCain’s momentum in the national polls has not translated into momentum in the state polls. There are two potential explanations to this. First, state polls are not taken as frequently so they have not captured the momentum yet. This would mean that we should see McCain’s momentum in the next round of state polls. Second, McCain does not have momentum is not coming from areas that he needs to win in order to be the next POTUS. The truth be told, nobody really knows which it is right now. However, once we find out which it is, we will have a better idea of where this race is going from here.

So, let’s take a look at 2 key regions.

Midwest

I am going to throw Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri into this section. The RealClearPolitics averages have Obama winning in three of those states (PA +7.7, OH +4.5, and MI +2) and McCain winning in one (MO + 2.5). However, the most recent polls from all of those states (later June/early July) show Obama picking up support compared to polls taken in early June.

These states will again play a big role in the election. PA is expected to go to Obama and it will be difficult for McCain to really make a run there. Ohio, where the 2004 election was decided, would also have to be in Obama’s camp at this point, simply because of the economic situation there. However, McCain has a better chance at making a run at OH than PA. The surprise might be MI, which I believe is McCain’s best chance currently. He seems to have a great relationship with the residents of that state and his numbers appear to be holding up. They might look even better if he goes with Romney as his VP. Missouri is a state that Bush won twice and McCain probably needs. If MO starts tilting towards Obama, it is a sign that he is starting to pull away from McCain.

West

In this category, we have Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. According to experts, this region has the best chance to produce a state that is this year’s Florida or Ohio. These states have been tilting Democratic in recent elections. However, McCain is a from the region, which could help. In the end, the results in these 3 states could be determined by Hispanics, a group that could pose problems for both candidates.

So far, the polling has been sparce in these 3 states. In Colorado and New Mexico, Obama has been leading anywhere from 2-9 points in the few polls taken since May. He is considered a slight favorite in these two states, which both went Bush in ‘04 (Colorado also went Bush in 2000).

Nevada has given McCain a little more hope. The RCP average has the race dead even at this stage, but the latest 2 polls have McCain up by 2 and 3 points. With a relatively large Mormon population, this could be another state where the Romney VP pick could help McCain

Intrade

One final measure of the current state of the election is the political prediction market over at Intrade. Currently, traders are giving Obama a 65.9 price and McCain a 31.1 price. This suggests that Obama is the heavy favorite amongst those putting their money on the election. It is also important to note that these numbers have been moving in Obama’s favor since he locked up the Democratic nomination. Given the political atmosphere in America, it should be no surprise that traders see Obama as the favorite.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Obama is still considered the favorite. He maintains a slight lead nationally, has small but consistent leads in important states and his heavily favored by traders. However, the national polls suggest that McCain might be picking up some steam. It will be interesting to see if that potential momentum comes through in the next round of state polls. If it does, we could be setting ourselves up for an intense Fall. If not, it could be dismal few months for the Republican hopeful.

The Week of Monday June 30:

Going South

Senator McCain spent a few days this week south of the border. First, McCain made a stop in Colombia and stopped in Mexico before returning home for the 4th of July. I am truly baffled by this. It seems that McCain made the trip to make the point that free trade is important to the American economy. With a trade agreement with Colombia on the table and NAFTA facing pressure, this is an important topic. However, is he attacking the issue the correct way?

Before I continue, let me say that I agree with McCain. Free trade is important to America’s future. It will allow us to take advantage of opportunities around the globe and it will keep us competitive in the era of globalization. However, McCain needs to frame the debate in a way that focuses on the benefits to Americans. By going to Colombia and Mexico instead of Ohio and Pennsylvania, Americans might think that McCain cares more about the other nations involved in the trade deals.

Meanwhile, Obama will continue to go to the states negatively affected by NAFTA and talk to the people about making life fair to them. So, if you are a voter in Ohio, who do you pick? The guy who is in Mexico talking about the benefits of a trade agreement that cost you your job or the guy that is in your backyard promising help. Of course, the latter. So, my advice to McCain would be to talk to Americans. Tell them, that while some jobs might disappear, the benefits will far surpass the negatives of trade. Then, he must come up with a transition plan for those that have lost their jobs.

Sen. McCain, Americans are looking for answers to their economic woes. How are you going to give them an answer while in Colombia?

New Leadership

I, along with many other Republicans fearful of utter annihilation in November, have been criticizing McCain’s general election campaign. It is no secret that McCain faces an uphill battle this fall. To win, he needs a campaign strategy that has the power to carry him up that hill. So far, he has not found that strategy.

Well, maybe McCain finally came to his senses. This week he scaled back the responsibility given to his campaign manager Rick Davis and gave control of day to day activities to Steve Schmidt. Schmidt is a veteran of successful campaigns. He was on President Bush’s 2004 re-election staff and he was a top adviser to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s campaign a few years ago.

It is too early to tell if the switch is working, but the idea of switching things up is good. The campaign was clearly in a funk, actually it was going nowhere fast. To get things started, Schmidt needs to focus on a couple of things. First, he needs to have McCain talk about specific economic policies every day from now until November. Second, he needs to bring discipline to the campaign. Finally, he needs to bring back what has worked in the past. Last summer, McCain was in a similar position. He was down and being counted out. He got back into the race and won the nomination by talking directly to the people. He needs to do that again. Schmidt has to get him to do it.

Move to the Middle

Ever since securing the Democratic nomination, Sen. Obama has started to move a little more to the middle on certain issues. We saw another case of that this week when the Senator from Illinois said that he will continue to refine his policy on Iraq after his upcoming trip to the country. That’s interesting since he has promised to end the war and was even bringing up withdrawal proposals in the Senate.

Obama is in a tough spot on Iraq. For starters, he’s not ending the war early in his presidency. He knows that he can’t do it. Furthermore, whether you think that the war should have happened or not, it is becoming clear that McCain’s plan (aka the surge) to increase troop levels in Iraq has worked. Positive developments out of the country have significantly outweighed the negatives in recent months. To this point, on “This Week,” Stephanopolous did not have any casualties from Iraq to report in his “In Memoriam” segment this week. He stated that it was the first week that he has been able to say that in years.

However, Obama’s tough spot does not only apply to Iraq. Many analysts are saying that this election will be decided by independents. Obama has recently taken positions, like the Iraq comment, that would put him closer to the middle of the political spectrum. This, in theory, will attract these independents.

However, Obama risks losing some of the excitement from the left that propelled him to the nomination. Even with the positive news, liberals want an end to the war. Leftists see this election as an opportunity to move America closer to the socialist country that they want it to be. Everyday, Obama is talking a little less like the person who can do it for them.

The funny thing is that Obama can probably keep his true socialist stances and still be in good shape. He had strong support from independents in primaries. This came from his magical oratory that gave people hope again. That is what people want, a reason to believe in the future.

Obama, as the heavy favorite, has a lot of pressure not to blow this election. By trying to move to the center, he might disappoint the supporters that have been the backbone to his campaign. At the same time, he could open himself up to constant flip flop and the “he’s a regular politician” attacks. If this happens, he could disappoint the independents that are looking for hope and change. Of course, if he stays true to his socialist ideas, independents may decide that he is a little too liberal.

Even as the favorite, Obama still has a difficult task. He has a lot of work to do to become President. If he picks the wrong strategy, he might lose his chance and be remembered as Michael Dukakis Jr.

Last week, I discussed the fact that McCain needs a running mate who is well versed in economic issues and can connect with the people on those issues. He needs this for political purposes, which is why Mitt Romney is a potential choice. Otherwise, why would McCain be considering somebody he hates? Anyway, he can’t win without that type of pick because he has proven that, in his own words, he “still needs to be educated” on the number one issue in this election.

Now, we have to focus on what Obama needs in his running mate.

Some people say he needs a female to bring along the Hillary supporters. A name that keeps popping up is Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. I’m sure she’s a decent person and a good Governor, but this would be a bad pick. She brings nothing to the game other than being a female. Are we sure that’s enough to bring the Clinton supporters home? On that note, what about Sen. Clinton herself? Umm…no.

Some people say he needs someone with a foreign policy background. Wesley Clark was mentioned, but he probably hurt himself with those “McCain’s military service means nothing” comments. Another big name is Jim Webb. Webb was the Democrats darling after grabbing Senator George Allen’s seat. However, we must remember that he beat Allen by a tiny margin even after the “macaca moment.” Also, while he has served in the military, he has little government experience, only being in the Senate for a short period of time. Needless to say, I’m not sold on him.

Some people say Obama needs a Catholic to secure what could become an important swing group. Two names pop up here and they also add to the foreign policy muscle too. First is Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware. The Catholic from Delaware has been a leader on foreign policy issues in the Senate for years and, during his short stay in the primary, he proved that he is extremely well versed on the issues. However, he has a problem. He can’t shut up. His mouth gets him in a lot of trouble, thats not what Obama needs. Second, John Kerry. Senator Obama, please pick John Kerry!

Other people say that Obama needs a governor to bring executive experience to the ticket. One from a swing state might help out too. I’m thinking specifically of Govs. Rendell (PA), Kaine (VA) or Strickland (OH). These could be solid picks. However, there are two problems. First, no foreign policy help at all. The second problem is that picking a running mate solely to pick up a state is not a wise choice. That one state might not be enough to win and you’re not even guaranteed to win it with one of these on the ballot. So, to be picked, one of these guys would really have to show that they could appeal to people across the country.

So, since I shot down a bunch of choices, you must be wondering what I think Obama needs. For Obama, I do not think he needs to pick a running mate for just one of these issues. Obama is the heavy favorite and one can argue that he doesn’t have a glaring weakness like McCain does on economic issues. So, with that in mind, I think Obama needs to take this opportunity to pick someone who would simply be a good executive. Picking someone who Obama feels could run the country instead of picking someone who he feels would help him win the election would show a great deal of maturity on Obama’s part. It would show that he is a leader and that’s what America wants right now. Of course, this person could also help him out politically.

With that in mind, I have two possible picks. My runner up would be New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He hits on many of Obama’s “needs” that I described above. He is a governor. He’s from a swing state and could help with New Mexico and possibly throughout the West. He has a great deal of foreign policy experience. He is Catholic and Hispanic, two big swing groups this cycle. His role in the UN, President Clinton’s cabinet, and as Governor shows that he can run the country if needed. However, he has two big problems. First, the former Clinton guy came out for Obama, which means it will be difficult for him to bring the Clinton folks into the Obama camp. Second, he wasn’t that impressive during his primary campaign. As a matter of fact, in many of the debates, he sounded like a moron.

So, with Richardson coming in second, my pick for the best running mate for Obama is…

Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. This guy seems to have it all. He is safe, no stupid mistakes to date. He was an early, strong backer of Clinton so he should have a connection with her supporters. As a member of the Armed Services committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence, he has the foreign policy experience. He’s even on the Small Business and Banking committees, so he is well versed on the number one issue in America, the economy. Finally, he was a two term Governor of Indiana before coming to the Senate. So, he has executive experience and he might be able to put the state into the swing category. Well, he’s not Catholic, but that’s not a problem. He is a guy that has proven he can be an executive, he has experience with the most challenging issues facing America, he can help unite the party and the country (he is considered moderate). I think Americans would trust Evan Bayh to run the country. For all those reasons, he is the best pick for Obama’s running mate.

The week of Monday June 23:

Second Amendment Ruling

The big news this week was the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Washington DC handgun ban was unconstitutional. The ruling, which was the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on the second amendment, will have a big impact on the 2008 election.

The ruling gives us a direct comparison between the candidates themselves. McCain, like many Republicans, has been a solid advocate for an individual’s right to own a gun throughout his career. Senator Obama, on the other hand, has tried once again to take a pragmatic position after the ruling. It was clear throughout his career, and throughout the primary season, that Obama has been as anti gun as you could be. However, in a peculiar statement after the ruling, Obama claimed that he has always believe that the second amendment gave individuals the right to own guns and that he was happy that the court gave guidance on the type of laws that can be implemented to avoid crime.

Senator Obama is trying to jump towards the center on the issue, and with good reason. Obama failed to win primaries in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky, all states that are have major support for the right to own a gun. Obama wants to challenge in those states, and it would be very difficult to do so while being against gun ownership. This issue is also big in Western states, like Colorado, where this election might just be decided. Obama does not want to jeopardize these states, and the Presidency, because of the gun issue. This whole ordeal shows that Obama is a very smart politician. He knows how to play the game. Maybe this will work, but it also could give McCain another piece of ammunition in his attempt to paint Obama a standard politician.

Second, this case also brought to the forefront the fact that the next President will have a major influence on the make up of the Supreme Court. This, in my opinion, could also help McCain. Social conservatives, who have not supported McCain in great numbers, do not want to waste their 20 + years of hard work that they have put in to make the Court more conservative. To keep the Court conservative, they will have to back McCain. If they don’t, they might lose out on cases involving abortion and marriage, which are most dear to them.

Seal of Disapproval?

Recently, the Obama campaign held an event that included an odd piece of art work. On the podium in which Obama spoke from, there was a seal that looked awfully close to the Seal of the President of the United States, except that it had Obama taglines and his website on it. Later, the Obama campaign admitted the seal was a mistake, and it has not appeared again.

Boy, was this ever a mistake. McCain, and other Republicans (Karl Rove), have been pushing this idea that Obama is an elitist. And what does Obama do, he goes out and gives them evidence to use. The seal could be interpreted in two ways. It could mean that Obama has a huge crush on himself or that Obama does not respect the office of the President. Either way, this does not bode well for Obama.

In many of the past elections, especially in recent years, Americans have shown the desire to elect a person who they consider one of them. They do not want to elect the man that looks down upon them, who thinks he is better than them. They do not want an elitist.

They also want someone who respects the office of the Presidency. While they do not want the man to be elite, Americans want the office of the Presidency to be elite. Americans will not tolerate a person messing around with the office’s image. For this reason, many argue that Clinton cost Gore the election in 2000. Many also say that Bush ruined the office’s image, which could cost McCain the election in 2008. Obama, in a way, seems to be denigrating the office by fiddling with the office’s logo.

Will this whole incident hurt Obama’s chances in 2008? Probably not, at least not by itself. However, it does give the McCain camp one more piece of evidence to support their argument that Obama is an elitist.

Courting Latinos

Obama and McCain drew headlines for their speeches to a Latino group in Washington DC this week. As mentioned earlier, the Presidency could be won in the west this year. That fact will make the Latino vote extremely important in this year’s election. In my opinion, this does not bode well for McCain.

The big issue for this group, of course, is the status of illegal immigrants. McCain has taken stances that have been seen as positive by Latino groups in the past. As a matter of fact, McCain and Obama would both support comprehensive immigration reform (This is still true for McCain even though he tweaked his position during the primaries). However, McCain still faces a disadvantage with this group and this is because of the Republican party.

The Republican party, instead of taking a pragmatic approach to the issue of illegal immigration, has taken a completely ideological stance that the American public is not really interested in anymore. Tom Tancredo and those like him have really hurt the Republican brand out West with their anti immigrant positions. Latinos will not put up with this and the could take it out on McCain, even though he does not belong to the Tancredo wing of the party. Considering that this population is growing extremely quickly, Republicans could regret their position on this issue for many years down the road.

McCain could be saved by the fact that Obama has some problems with this group also. Senator Clinton defeated him in many Southwestern states because of her overwhelming advantage among the group. It will be interesting to see if Obama can capitalize on the mistakes by the Republican party on the all important immigration issue. This is something we will have to focus on throughout the summer and the fall.

or he is going to go down quick and hard. I ran a better student council campaign in high school (ask me later).

The Senator from Arizona is spending the July 4th Congressional recess in Colombia and Mexico. Guess what…nobody cares. McCain doesn’t need to be traveling the world now. He should be holding multiple town halls a day across the country, talking to Americans about the issue most important to them. It is clear that issue is the economy. American’s are struggling. They will vote for the candidate who will give them a better life. McCain needs to get serious on the economy. Enough with the gimmicks, he needs serious ideas that will promote short term relief and long term growth. He needs to give Americans hope again.

In addition to talking directly to Americans, he can do something else to show his seriousness on the economy. That is to pick a Vice Presidential candidate with one or more of the following qualities:
1. An unquestionable knowledge of economic and business issues
2. A history of making positive economic and business decisions
3. An ability to communicate with Americans on economic issues.

Currently, Carly Fiorina is a hot name. The thinking is that the former CEO of Hewlett Packard can talk business and attract women. That’s a fine theory, but I’ve seen her talking. She’s a joke. Big mistake to choose her.

So, now that I slammed a potential candidate, let me give you a three people, who may sound like jokes at first, but should be seriously considered by McCain.

First, Mike Huckabee. I believe there was a bit of a misconception about Huckabee’s success. Conventional wisdom says that the evangelicals carried him to second place. Sure, they backed him big (and they would definitely back McCain if Huckabee is on the ticket). However, I think there was more to his candidacy than the every day church crowd. I believe that the Huckabee candidacy took off because of his ability to connect with people on kitchen table issues. No Republican talked more about the hardships facing Americans than Huckabee. He was sincere and you got the sense that he cared about the little guy. He developed specific ideas (a mix of economic and social policies) to get America back on its feet. This is what people want. They want someone who feels their pain and who is going to make it go away.

Next, Mitt Romney. Yes, Mitt has downside. However, there are very few Republicans who understand business and economics as well as he does. There are also few Republicans that have had as much success as he has in the business world. The problem would be his ability to connect with the common man. Mitt might be a little too perfect, a little too upper class. However, that should help McCain with the low tax crowd. If Mitt can combine that with an ability to connect with people on economic issues (like he did in Michigan), he could be a great asset.

The final, and best, “economy” candidate I would recommend to McCain would be…New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He probably understands economic issues better than Romney and he has been much more successful in the business world. He has turned an NYC deficit into a surplus. He has real ideas, not gimmicks, to combat global warming. Most New Yorkers would say that his administration has greatly improved their standard of living. In a 2007 article, The New York Times highlighted some of his economic stances. He is pro free trade, stating “The things that we have to worry about is this protectionist movement…” He also understands the competition in the global economy, stating “The rest of the world is catching up, and, there are people that say, surpassing us. I hope they are wrong. I hope those who think we are still in good shape are right. But nevertheless, the time to address these issues is right now.” He also feels for the working class, stating “This society cannot go forward, the way we have been going forward, where the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing,”

Mayor Bloomberg will bring some negatives. Some Republicans won’t trust him.

However, he could have a lot of appeal with those worried about the economy. He also has tremendous appeal with Independents. Since these two groups will decide the 2008 Presidential election, Michael Bloomberg might be McCain’s best choice.

The Week of Monday June 16, 2008:

Obama’s Nomination Bounce

A big part of running a successful campaign is managing expectations. After Senator Obama clinched the Democratic nomination in early June, the expectation was that he would get a bounce in the polls. Some pundits thought it would give him a double digit lead, others said it wouldn’t be that big. Obama avoided the conversation.

It turns out that Obama did get a small bounce. On June 3, the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average of polls had Obama leading by 1.4% points. Currently, the RCP average has Obama leading by 5.8%. However, the Obama campaign’s poor expectation management may have halted some major momentum that he carried into the general election.

The problem is that Obama left open the following questions: Why, with the current economic situation and anti-Republican sentiment in America, is the race this close? Why, with all of the momentum from his historic victory, did he only gain 4 points on McCain? Obama should be using his vast amount of resources (money and volunteers) to jump out to a big lead and essentially end this race early. If Obama lets McCain stick around, more questions will pop up about his ability to win and his ability to lead. His campaign’s inability to meet expectations may force America to turn to an old war hero to be Commander in Chief.

Obama Opts Out

This week, Obama announced that he would opt out of public financing for the general election, being the first major candidate to do so since the days of Watergate. The decision was probably quite easy. It means that he can use the hundreds of millions of dollars he will raise. It also means that the more than 1 million donors he currently has will continue to have their voices heard. In my opinion, these individuals should have the ability to express themselves in our political process.

There will be consequences that will come along with this decision. Obama had promised to take big money out of the political process and strengthen public financing for campaigns. He even signed a pledge that he would take public financing in the general election. By breaking that pledge, he opened himself to attacks from Senator McCain and the Republicans. It will be interesting to see if McCain can exploit this effectively and how long it will still be useful. If done correctly, I think McCain can use this attack during the entire campaign. If he can paint Obama as a man with no credibility, the American people will not vote for him, even if they agree with his ideas.

Senator Lindsey Graham tried to start that process this morning on Meet the Press:

Brian Williams: Does this mean the public finance system is broken forever?

Lindsey Graham: It means that Barack Obama’s word is broken forever.

2004 vs. 2008: A Shift in the Issue that Matters Most

It has been nearly 7 years since the September 11 attacks. America has not been attacked on its home soil since that time. So, how big of an issue will this be in 2008? John McCain hopes that it is as important as it was in 2004. However, the time since the last attack and the economic situation in the country may have taken terrorism off of the minds of most Americans.

Even so, McCain tried to paint Obama as weak on terror nearly every day this week. McCain’s thought is that his strength on the issue of terrorism is his strength against Obama. The problem is that McCain not only has to show that he is better against terrorism but he also has to show that Obama will not keep America safe against terrorism. That is an extremely difficult task.

Right or wrong, terrorism is not the most important issue in America anymore. The economy is the most important and Americans will accept a President who is “good enough” on terrorism if that person is better on the economy. So, my advice to McCain would be to shift his focus towards developing a very specific set of ideas that will improve the US economy and the quality of life in America. He needs to do it quick.

You may have noticed that the posts have lagged in recent months. Since Senator Clinton refused to drop out when she had essentially lost, there was weeks of nothing to talk about. Even in defeat, she frustrates America.

We here at DCs Mac Daddy have good news and better news. The good news is that the we no longer have to focus on the importance of the pant suit. Now that Senator Obama has secured the Democratic nomination, the general election has begun. Every day, the candidates will engage in petty arguments that will make a 2.5 mile hike filled with bickering seem like a walk in the park.

The better news is that we are going to be bringing all of the action to you with two new features. Every weekend, we will discuss the three topics that shaped the week that was in the battle between The Old Man and Hussein. We will review the issues, the fights, the 527s, the surrogates and much much more. Then, we will include a second weekly post devoted to the men and women who could follow in the foot steps of the one and only, Dick Cheney. We will provide you will all of the latest rumors on the possible Vice Presidential picks.

The 2008 Presidential election continues the long tradition of America referring to the current election as the most important election of our lifetime. You can’t afford to miss this. That’s why we will bring you all of the action.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” The part of the Declaration of Independence that begins with those words is the foundation on which the United States of America is built. Those words turned America’s war for independence into something bigger. Those words started the American Revolution.

While America won it’s battle for independence, the ideas of the Revolution, the ideas that Jefferson so elegantly wrote about, were never fully realized. Throughout our history, minorities have struggled to gain equality in America. None more so than African Americans. America’s greatest sin was undoubtedly that of slavery. This horrible and immoral practice went against everything America was built on.

Slavery showed that the goals of the American Revolution had yet to be accomplished. However, the Revolution was not dead. Those who believed in the ideas in the Declaration, like Frederick Douglass, continued to fight to make them reality. The American Revolution continued on January 1, 1863 when Lincoln freed the slaves, but as we would learn, it would not finish there. Discrimination continued but so did the Revolution. American heroes, such as Martin Luther King Jr, continued to push for equality of all people.

232 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there has been much progress towards an America where all people are viewed as equals. Still, there are pockets of racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination in our country. So, the American Revolution continues. Today, I am happy to say that the ideas of the Revolution are closer to becoming reality.

At 9 PM last night, with the final polls closing in South Dakota, Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America. Senator Obama is the first African American to be the nominee of a major American political party for the country’s highest position. We have come a long way in those 232 years.

The beautiful thing about Obama’s victory was that it had little to do with his race. Obama won because of his vision for the country. He was not judged by the color of his skin but by the content of his character.

As we head towards November, race will inevitably play some role in the campaign. Some people will be tempted to vote for or against Senator Obama because of his race. However, if we are to build on what happened tonight, Americans need to cast their votes for or against the Senator from Lincoln’s home state based on his ideas for leading the country, not based on the color of his skin. If Americans can do this, and I believe they will, we will take a giant leap towards the goals of the Revolution, no matter if Senator Obama wins or not.