In VA-35, Both Campaigns Predict Tight Race

The race to replace 35th District Delegate and Democratic Attorney General candidate Steve Shannon is within a 2-point margin – or at least it was two weeks ago, according to polls conducted for Republican candidate Jim Hyland.

Hyland’s margin, described by his campaign manager Kevin Conroy as “within the margin of error,” reflects a tightening of the race since a July benchmark poll, when pollsters Barry Zeplowitz and Bill Lee of TelOpinion Research indicated in a confidential memo posted on Hyland’s website that Hyland held a 7-point lead 43 percent to 36 percent lead, with 21 percent undecided. The memo did not indicate the size of the sample or whether “likely voter” filters were used.

Read more at Collins on Politics

Republican Party Needs To Roll Forward Not Back

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

Former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, senior policy adviser for the 2008 McCain Presidential Campaign; Jim Pinkerton, senior adviser for the 2009 Huckabee Presidential Campaign, former domestic policy aide to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and contributor to Fox News; Reihan Salam, fellow at NAF and author of "Grand New Party: How Conservatives Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream"; and David Gray, director at the Workforce and Family Program at NAF met today to discuss how the Republican Party can move on from their 2008, Presidential, election defeat.

David Gray opened the debate by asking the panel how the Republican Party needed to reflect on their 2008 performance. There was mixed consensus amongst the panel as Douglas Holtz-Eakin focused on the economy as being the downfall for the Party in the election campaign.

Holtz-Eakin said, "Right after the convention we were leading in the polls and then the wall street breakdown occurred. Then people started to look backwards." He claimed that in the election the Republican's lost every age group except the 85 and over, every minority group, working woman and college students.

Jim Pinkerton also blamed the economy, stating he felt the "recovery plan was a bad move," adding that "on competence the Republican Party deserved to lose." Describing how he felt , he said the party should "move forward" from their defeat. Adding, "I would advise the Republicans to fight global warming and fight tax increases to the death." Pinkerton also claimed that national security would have to be an key issue for the Republicans.

Reihan Salam said that concentrating on global issues would hep the Republican Party progress. He said: "the Republicans need to think outside the box purely in carbon price."

Holtz-Eakin further said that the Republican defeat had led some conservatives to believe that a return to the "Reagan handbook" would help the party. "I think the party is at a significant moment and replaying the 1980's handbook would not be useful." Holtz-Eakin insists that the party should move forward instead if looking back. He said, "we need to be more appealing to a wider demographic. We need to have a message for urban areas. We have to restore the integrity."

Holtz-Eakin also blamed mixed messages among the electorate for creating a downturn in Republican support in the election. In order for the Republican party to move forward Holtz-Eakin suggested, "we need to be for education reform...we need to send the message that we are here for the kids of America." He concluded saying, "you have to have a role for government, you have to be proud if it and the Republicans need to define that role."

White House Briefing

For weeks, the administration has been lowering expectations about the economy, saying the third quarter report on gross domestic product would be rough.

It was. It fell 0.3% between July and September, the weakest figure in seven years. And the White House outlook? Things are probably going to get worse.

"There's no question the economy has weakened significantly," admitted Eddie Lazear, chairman of the president's council of economic advisors. "We've got a few tough months ahead of us,"

Lazear said parts of the U.S. are undoubtedly in a recession, but declined to say if the entire country is. By definition, a recession occurs when the economy shrinks for two quarters in a row.

But Lazear said the administration's recent actions, notably the massive $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP will help move the economy in the right direction.

Dividends

Meantime, White House press secretary Dana Perino was subjected to a barrage of questions about why banks dipping into the TARP trough for much needed capital continue to pay dividends to shareholders.

"You know, some people think only rich people get dividends. That's not true, she said." Perino pointed out that "mutual funds, schoolteachers" and others get dividends through investments they hold.

Where's Bush?

The silence is thunderous. President Bush is, perhaps not by choice, staying off the campaign trail and keeping quiet about the race to succeed him - a race now down to its final hundred hours. He'll spend the weekend at Camp David with the First Lady, but will return to the White House to watch returns on election night.

When will the president hold a news conference to comment on the election?

"I don't know," says Perino. "You'll probably hear from me first though, on Tuesday night."

The President did find a receptive audience today, though, attending graduation at the FBI academy, then visiting Marine Squadron One - home of Marine One, the presidential helicopter.

Mrs. Bush, for her part, visited New Orleans today, her 20th visit to the Gulf region since Hurricane Katrina. She visited an elementary school and announced a grant to help rebuild school libraries in the region. Perino said it would probably be Mrs. Bush's final visit to the region as first lady.

McCain and Obama Speak at Columbia University

On the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, presidential nominees Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), spoke at the ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum in New York. This event was held to open the two-day ServiceNation Summit, which aims to promote a culture of service in the United States. The two candidates spoke about their views on what service and civic engagement are.



The event was held at Columbia University, in New York. According to the Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper, only 100 seats were allocated for students. The rest were reserved for donors and dignitaries. Several students told Talk Radio News that the seats were dolled out in a lottery system. Columbia accommodated student overflow seating outside the Low library (picture above). University officials had no comment.

The Governor of New York, David Paterson, introduced the event, speaking on the importance of service. He mentioned how fortunate the United States is that both presidential candidates know the great importance of civic engagement.

The moderators, Richard Stengel of Time and Judy Woodruff of 'the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer', asked Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama similar questions on the issue of service and their views on it. The two candidates largely agreed on all issues, differing mainly on the role of government in promoting service.

Both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama expressed what 9/11 meant for them and the rest of the United States: they stressed the unity that the terrorist attacks brought, with Obama commenting that 9/11 demonstrated America's ability to "come together." The candidates also agreed that 9/11 had been a perfect time to lead change in government and encourage a greater culture of service, by tapping into the spirit of volunteerism that was created.

Both candidates stressed the need to reform Washington. Obama remarked that "we are not on the right track", and McCain drew attention to the fact that 84% of Americans believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction; he declared that his long career in Washington made him especially able to "fix it."

The importance of military service to the two candidates was clear throughout the discussions, though both stressed the importance of civilian service also. Obama stressed the need for a foreign service, for example, to help in war-torn regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan by improving health and infrastructure.

The difference between McCain and Obama, however, was clear in their opinions on the role of government in encouraging service. McCain emphasised the strength of faith based organisations and private companies in the response to Hurricane Katrina, referring to his own theory of government that the government should not do what the private sector is capable of doing already. Obama, on the other hand said that "government should expand,", for example by creating a Clean Energy Corps to mobilise civilians in the bid to make energy cleaner.



Still, both candidates insisted that the issue of service was non-partisan and of vital importance: Obama said that one of his primary objectives, and one of the main reasons why he is running for president, is that he wants to lift up opportunities for service in the United States.

Third-party candidates unify, Bob Barr snubs

Third-party presidential candidates held a press conference today at the National Press Club. In attendance were Ron Paul (no longer a presidential candidate), Cynthia McKinney (Green Party candidate), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party candidate), and Ralph Nader (Independent). Bob Barr was expected but did not appear; see below for more.

The candidates held the press conference to announce agreement on a list of principles, including ending the Iraq war, no more national debt increases, investigation into the national reserve system, and protection of privacy and civil liberties. They also explained their reasons for splitting from the major parties and criticized the Commission on Presidential Debates. Ron Paul gave an idea for a better way of determining debate elligibility: if you're on the ballot in enough states that you could theoretically get enough electoral votes to win, you're in.

Paul also mentioned that he had gotten a call from the McCain campaign yesterday asking him to endorse McCain. Paul said the campaign had offered him no policy concessions in return. Paul refused to endorse, saying today that the request "didn't make a whole lot of sense" and laughing.

Nader was asked why Bob Barr was not attending and if he really agreed with the principles. Nader said he had spoken with the Barr campaign this morning and they had indicated Barr would be there.

Barr, however, did not attend and instead called his own press conference an hour later. At Barr's press conference, he said that having "bold, specific leadership" was the way to get policy changes made, not by presenting "an amorphous agenda." He did not want to appear with the other candidates because he did not want to "dilute" his message. Barr also mentioned he had offered Ron Paul the VP spot on the Libertarian ticket, but he had not heard a response. I asked Barr if his actions today should be taken as an indication that he would be unwilling to compromise if elected, and he said it should "absolutely" not be taken that way; he said compromise is necessary.

The statement of principles (which does not include Bob Barr's name) can be found here.