Reexamining Rudy’s Florida Strategy

For months now, the campaign of Rudy Giuliani has been trying to get America to stop paying attention. Don’t worry about the former New York mayor’s declining state and national polls. Don’t mind the winners of the early contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina. Don’t even focus too much on all the [...]

In the Arena

McCain’s Lost Weekend

Manchester The polls still have John McCain comfortably ahead of Mitt Romney in the New Hampshire primary, but I don’t believe them. For one thing, McCain has just dragged himself through two of his worst debate performances ever. For another, Mitt Romney–even though under assault constantly in Saturday night’s debate–has had two of his best [...]

SwampCast Extra: Throwing McCain a Curve on the Straight Talk Express

It’s true, the back of the bus can get very cozy, and not just as in crowded. A core group of reporters has been with him long enough that we could start a band or a book club, so entrenched are the inside jokes and personal references. But that doesn’t mean it’s always an easy [...]

Clinton and Obama

I saw them both speak today, Clinton in Nashua, Obama in Salem. Each was impressive. Hillary drew a large crowd to the same high school gym where Obama had drawn a horde the day before (I’ll leave it to others to argue over whose crowd was bigger and whose had more actual New Hampshire residents). [...]

Obama’s High Crimes and Misdemeanor

This is the Hillary campaign’s latest shot across Obama’s bow: An “apparent violation” of New Hampshire election law. Among other things, “The call does not identify its sponsor — the Obama campaign — for 38 seconds. State law requires the sponsor to be named within 30 seconds.” The bill of particulars after the jump. UPDATE, [...]

Tale From the Trail

Nancy and I went our separate ways this morning, but I ran into her as we were waiting for an Obama rally to begin here in Derry. She went to a Hillary Clinton event this morning at the same Nashua high school that Obama packed yesterday–and found another huge crowd. She also came across a [...]

Equal Time for Mitt

A rep from the Romney campaign called me yesterday to point out that Romney’s not the only one attacking another candidate. He cited McCain’s web ads in particular but also said the attacks were coming from surrogates. It’s true that McCain’s jabs at Romney are not getting the same coverage as Romney’s jabs at McCain. [...]

In the Arena

The Triumph of Hope Over Experience

If Hillary Clinton watches this Frank Luntz focus group, she’s got to be tearing her hair out. To my ears and eyes, she had the substance part of the program knocked, but Obama seemed more authoritative, more presidential. Classic contest of style v. substance and, in the television age, style always wins. But Luntz’s group [...]