STATE STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/us/politics/10campaign.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Michigan
Next, G.O.P. Rivals Turn to the Economy
Published: January 10, 2008
By MARC SANTORA and ADAM NAGOURNEY
PONTIAC, Mich. — Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney sped to Michigan on Wednesday and turned their focus to the slowing economy as they headed toward the next showdown in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.Mr. Romney dropped his television advertising in two other important battlegrounds, South Carolina
and Florida
, to focus his spending on Michigan
in hopes of averting another major defeat. Mr. McCain, whose campaign until now has operated by necessity as a wide open but low-cost insurgency, adopted a carefully choreographed series of rallies as it scrambled to gather the money and the organization it needs to take advantage of his victory in New Hampshire
on Tuesday.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090489
Romney, McCain woo Mich.
voters
Romney drops ads in Fla.
, S.C. to focus efforts here
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit
News Washington
Bureau
John McCain came to Oakland
County
on Wednesday hoping to build on the energy from his New Hampshire
victory, while Mitt Romney's campaign said it is halting ad spending in other states to focus on Michigan
. McCain and Romney have sought political advantage here for months, but a third candidate -- Mike Huckabee, who has visited only twice during the campaign -- began airing ads on state TV stations just six days before Tuesday's high-stakes primary.As Michigan enjoyed its first day in the Republican campaign spotlight, McCain and Romney hit the campaign trail -- Romney after a morning fundraising event in Boston at which his top fundraisers called donors across the country to push for renewed financial support. Aides said his "National Call Day" raised $5 million, including $1.5 million available for the primary campaign and the rest limited to use if he wins the nomination.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/NEWS15/80109103
GOP candidates address Mich.
concerns as primary nears
January 9, 2008
By KATHLEEN GRAY and DAWSON
BELL
GRAND RAPIDS - Mitt Romney says he's feels comfortable back in a state where the people have "no funny accents"; John McCain promised to keep his Arizona paws off our sweet seas and Mike Huckabee decided to make Tuesday's Michigan Republican presidential primary a three-man race. Those were the highlights today as the state finally took the main stage, at least among Republicans, in the presidential nominating sweepstakes. Meanwhile, a new poll, conducted Sunday and Monday, suggested the three candidates are in a tight race.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/OPINION01/801090425/1022/POLITICS
GOP race brings drama to Michigan
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Detroit
News Editorial
For Michigan
's Republican voters, the next week will be everything they could have hoped for in a political campaign. The state is now pivotal to the GOP nomination, just as predicted when state GOP leaders bucked the national party and moved up the primary to Jan. 15. As the candidates head into Michigan
, it is a different kind of election year, far more competitive and suspenseful than any race in decades. That dynamic energized voters in New Hampshire
and resulted in a high voter turn-out Tuesday. Expect the same in Michigan
, at least on the Republican side. Except for Hillary Clinton, who won an upset victory in New Hampshire
over Barack Obama, the Democrats bypassed the state. That seems now to be a poor decision, especially for Obama, who misses a chance to quickly regain his momentum.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24358
McCain Wins and Michigan
Awaits
On to Michigan
-- And What?
by John Gizzi
Posted: 01/09/2008
Manchester
, NH
--Within two hours of the victory statements of Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain last night, political eyes and speculation turned to Michigan
and its primary January 15. "The bottom lline is there is no clear leader and the race is wide open," Michigan State GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis, who was at the Raddison Hotel media center here, told me last night. Noting that polls right up to the New Hampshire balloting showed Mitt Romney, born and raised in Michigan, the front-runner in the Water Wonderland's Republican primary, Anuzis said "we could have a situation after January 15 in which Romney, McCain, and Huckabee have all won one major contest." He added that while the South Carolina
primary January 19 would be important, "there will be no clear front-runner for the nomination until at least 'Super Tuesday' [February 5]."
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-27/1199893867185480.xml&coll=7
Focus turns to Michigan
Candidates begin blitz leading up to primary
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
BY PETER LUKE
LANSING
-- After a second disappointing loss in less than a week, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney now comes to the state where he was born to fight for his political life. New Hampshire
victor John McCain seeks to rekindle the backing he received in a 2000 primary victory that stunned Michigan
's Republican establishment.
Romney and McCain were kicking off today what will be a frenetic week of campaigning in advance of Tuesday's GOP primary. For Republicans overall, the fluid nature of the GOP contest for president validates the state party's efforts to boost Michigan
's political relevance by making it the first big state to vote in 2008.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1199889999325700.xml&coll=6
GOP turns its focus to Michigan
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By Ted Roelofs, The Grand Rapids Press
Following a second disappointing loss in less than a week, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney now comes to the state where he was born to fight for his political life. The former Massachusetts
governor campaigns today in East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids
with his political fortunes heavily riding on Tuesday's GOP primary.
Arizona Sen. John McCain also was to speak in West Michigan this morning, fresh off his triumph over Romney in New Hampshire
's primary. With 96 percent of the vote counted, McCain had 37.2 percent to 31.6 percent for Romney.
http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1199826910267890.xml&coll=8
Michigan
's primary will play an important role
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Muskegon
Chronicle Editorial
The upcoming Michigan
primary election has been called many things -- stupid, insulting, visionary, worthless -- but by sheer force of will it's now a piece of the big picture of this year's presidential puzzle. Iowa
's stunning results last Thursday coupled with New Hampshire
's results today guarantee our state will be heard from in the national dialogue that will ultimately result in the party choices. Democratic Iowa
caucus-goers chose first-term Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Republicans in the Hawkeye
State
went with Baptist minister and former Arkansas
governor Mike Huckabee. The two winners clash again in more hostile surroundings today in New England
, targeted by other front-runners seeking victories.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090454
McCain kicks off Michigan
sprint
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Gary Heinlein / Detroit
News Lansing
Bureau
WATERFORD
-- Buoyed by his victory Tuesday in New Hampshire
's Republican primary, John McCain pledged Wednesday to a crowd of Oakland
County
supporters that he would work to aid the victims of Michigan
's economic downturn. "We are a nation that doesn't leave our people behind," the Arizona
senator told 300 or more people at Oakland
County
International
Airport
. McCain repeated his position that workers who lose their jobs to global competition or technology should be compensated for lost wages, and a touted plan to replace what he calls an outdated unemployment and job-training system with training from community colleges tailored to local workforce needs.
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/01/mccain_stumps_at_grand_rapids.html
McCain stumps at Grand Rapids
airport
January 09, 2008
BY LAURIE KELLMAN
GRAND RAPIDS -- Fresh from New Hampshire victories, John McCain campaigned in Grand Rapids, He counted experience, knowledge and judgment as his calling cards in the contests ahead. "I can throw a dart at a map of the world and show you a place where there's national security challenges," he said on the flight to Grand Rapids
. "I'm the only one that's been involved in these issues for the last 20 years." Speaking to several hundred boisterous supporters at the Grand Rapids
airport, McCain noted the state's job losses and pronounced federal programs to help displaced workers a failure. "None of them work," he said. "I will develop programs that work."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100375
Cox may rue leaving McCain
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Charlie Cain / Detroit
News Lansing
Bureau
LANSING
-- Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox may live to rue the day he bailed out on John McCain when the Arizona
senator's presidential campaign was circling down the drain last summer, according to some political observers. Cox quit as chairman of McCain's Michigan
campaign in September -- just days before 1,500 Michigan Republicans were to gather with McCain and the other GOP presidential hopefuls at a Mackinac Island
leadership conference.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MA_ROMNEY_MICHIGAN_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Romney gets hero's welcome on return to Michigan
By GLEN JOHNSON
AP Political Writer
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- Mitt Romney got a hero's welcome as he returned to his birth state of Michigan on Wednesday, and the Republican presidential contender predicted a win next Tuesday after a pair of opening losses in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. "I've watched with concern as I've watched Michigan go through a one-state recession," the former Massachusetts governor told a crowd of several hundred who greeted him in this city's Gaslight Village. "It's just not right, and we need to have somebody who cares very deeply about this state - and I do."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hAWD_zB3_RzCIVVeao207KrMPexAD8U2IQJ80
Romney Tries for Michigan
Turnaround
January, 9 2008
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
LANSING
, Mich.
(AP) — Like the big car companies in his native state of Michigan
, Mitt Romney could use a rebound. He's hoping to tap into the economic unease here to help revive his presidential chances in next Tuesday's primary. In return, Michigan
is hoping to make sure he'd be a friend in the White House. Early in the campaign, Romney looked almost as strong as the U.S.
car companies in the 1960s, flushed with cash, blessed with good looks and know-how. But after coming in second in Iowa
and New Hampshire
, Romney returned to Michigan
Wednesday badly needing a win to counter his losses to John McCain and Mike Huckabee. He won the Wyoming
caucuses last weekend, but that lightly contested race didn't seem to help him in New Hampshire
, where he came in 6 percentage points behind McCain.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS/801090485
Romney feels 'at home' back in Michigan
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Gary Heinlein / The Detroit
News
EAST GRAND RAPIDS -- Mitt Romney started his pre-primary Michigan
drive in staunchly Republican western Michigan
, shaking hands in a trendy shopping village before conducting a town hall meeting. His mission is to avert a third second-place finish in the state-by-state presidential selection process by winning the state his dad once governed. "This is the place I feel comfortable, the place I feel welcome and the place I feel at home," he told a crowd while standing on a chair in a brick plaza outside a restaurant in East Grand Rapids' Gaslight
Village
. "And the place I feel absolutely confident is going to launch me in my bid for the presidency."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/NEWS06/80109061
Tom Monaghan endorses Romney
January 9, 2008
By CHRIS CHRISTOFF
Domino’s Pizza founder and Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan has endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for president. In a release from the Romney campaign, Monaghan praised Romney as a proven leader in business, the Olympics and politics. Monaghan in 1998 sold his majority interest in Domino’s Pizza to Bain Capital, a Boston
investment fund that Romney founded. “As someone who values the importance of faith in one’s life, I recognize in Mitt his deep religious convictions which will serve him well in facing the critical moral issues facing our society,” the release quotes Monaghan. “I believe he will stand firm on the pro-life issues and for the traditional family values that our country was founded on and which are so critical to the nation.”
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090423
Romney loss heats up Michigan
race
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Gordon Trowbridge And Deb Price / Detroit
News Washington
Bureau
Mitt Romney will return to his native state today, fighting for the life of his presidential campaign against a resurgent John McCain, whose victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire
primary means crucial momentum headed into Michigan
's Jan. 15 primary. "We celebrate one victory tonight and leave for Michigan
tomorrow to win another," McCain told supporters in New Hampshire
, promoting chants of "Michigan
! Michigan
!" McCain won a stunning upset in Michigan
in 2000 and hopes to cement his political comeback here in 2008. McCain campaigns today in Grand Rapids
and Oakland
County
, and has an intense schedule of appearances leading up to the primary -- as does Romney.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090376
Huckabee steps up efforts to woo Mich.
Ex-Ark. governor's ads hit TVs; he hopes to clear taxes stance at speech to Detroit Economic Club.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit
News Washington
Bureau
Mike Huckabee said Tuesday he plans to make a significant effort in Michigan
's Republican presidential primary, with television ads hitting the air today and a high-profile speech Friday to the Detroit Economic Club. "We're taking it very seriously," Huckabee said of next Tuesday's primary here. "Polling numbers have given us a lot of encouragement. I think that's probably a stunning surprise, knowing that we've not spent an enormous amount of money there, I've not made repeated trips there, and we don't have paid staff there." The former Arkansas
governor made the comments during a conference call with Detroit News editorial writers. Huckabee was in New Hampshire
, the site of Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary.
http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2008/01/huckabee_plans_birch_run_stop.html
Huckabee plans Birch Run stop
January 09, 2008
by Beata Mostafavi, The Flint
Journal
Raised in a small town, one-story rental house, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's "average guy" appeal will woo voters when he visits Birch Run Friday, supporters say.In the first major local presidential campaign stop by a top contender in recent weeks, the former Arkansas governor who swept the Iowa caucuses will speak at the Birch Run Expo Center days before the state's Tuesday primary. "We believe in Mike. This gentleman relates to the average individual," said supporter Bill Voorheis, of Thetford
Township
, who arranged the visit and is "friends with the Huckabee family."
"He came from a background where he had nothing. He has empathy for people here. Whether it's a Reagan Democrat or a Republican, people can feel comfortable with him."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090375
Scant ballot riles Democrats
Party faithful in Michigan
who don't like choices mull uncommitted votes, picking from GOP slate
.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit
News Lansing
Bureau
Sharon Applebaum would love to vote for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in Michigan
's Democratic presidential primary next Tuesday. But she can't. Edwards isn't on the ballot. Neither is Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. They're among the Democrats who pulled their names off the ballot in deference to the traditional early primary calendar, where Iowa
, New Hampshire
and the national party call the shots and the states usually fall in line. The only top contender on Michigan
's ballot is New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090487
Levin: Jury's still out on success of state's early primary
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit
News Lansing
Bureau
LANSING
-- The true test of whether Michigan
made progress in breaking the stranglehold of New Hampshire
and Iowa
on the presidential selection process will come this summer at the National Democratic Convention in Denver
,
U.S.
Sen. Carl Levin said today. If the Michigan
delegation is seated at the convention, as Levin expects, it will be a signal to other states that there are no dire consequences for holding an early primary. "That's the final proof, when our delegates are seated in Denver
," Levin said in a news conference at Michigan Democratic Party headquarters in Lansing
. "Keep your eye on that. That's when the ice breaks." Michigan Democrats and Republicans broke party rules by scheduling a Jan. 15 primary. As a result, state Democrats were stripped of their convention delegates and Republicans lost half their delegates.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090443
John and Monica Conyers urge Mich.
Democrats to vote 'uncommitted'
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Gregg Krupa / The Detroit
News
Two supporters of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama announced today that they will produce and air campaign advertisements urging voters to cast "uncommitted" ballots in Michigan
's Democratic Presidential primary on Tuesday. U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, and Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers said they are acting because of the failure of state and national leaders of the Democratic Party to salvage a consequential primary for voters in Michigan
.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/OPINION03/801080374/1348/LOCAL
Choices not easy for Mich.
voters in Dem primary
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Laura Berman: Commentary
Next Tuesday, Michigan
voters can help decide the Republican Party's nominee for president. But Democrats who haven't signed a Hillary Clinton loyalty oath face a small, but baffling, array of decisions to make. Non-procrastinating absentee voters are stinging from insults -- write-in votes that won't be counted and the withdrawal of candidates since, from Joe Biden to Christopher Dodd. The Democratic primary ballot doesn't include the names of Barack Obama or John Edwards. Besides Hillary Clinton, the only candidates still in the race here are Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Oh -- and the much-touted final option, Uncommitted.
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/01/personal_stories_kick_off_heal.html
Personal stories kick off health-care effort
January 09, 2008
By Stephanie Esters
KALAMAZOO -- Kalamazoo resident Leslie Boughton recounted Tuesday morning how she left a full-time job with medical benefits three years ago to stay home to raise her newborn son, only to discover that asthma -- hers, her son's and her husband's -- prevented the family from getting new health insurance. Boughton spoke at a press conference at the Free Clinic of Kalamazoo that was part of a statewide kickoff of the Michigan Health Care Security Campaign, a grass-roots effort to amend the state constitution to guarantee health care for all state residents.Campaign supporters hope to collect at least 500,000 signatures by July 7 to place the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/NEWS06/80109038/1008/NEWS06
Michigan receives C+ from Education Week
January 9, 2008
By LORI HIGGINS
Michigan
received an overall grade of a C+ in Education Week’s annual Quality Counts edition, released today. Education Week evaluated the 50 states and the District of Columbia
on a number of factors in six areas. Michigan
ranked poorly, compared to other states, in K-12 achievement, receiving a D. The other area the state did not rank well in related to efforts to improve the teaching profession, where Michigan
received a D+.
The state posted its best showing, receiving an A-, in the area of standards, assessments and accountability. The state also did well in the areas of school finance and efforts to link the K-12 system with early childhood education, higher education and the work world.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/NEWS06/80109039/1008/NEWS06
State considers 5-year plan for some high schoolers
January 9, 2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LANSING
— State educators are considering a proposal seeking to raise the standard graduation time for some Michigan
high school students. The plan allows students in select programs five years to graduate rather than the traditional four. Students would have to be approved for the one-year extension on a case-by-case basis. The Lansing State Journal reports the board is expected to vote Feb. 12 on the idea.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/UPDATE/801090447
Detroit
OKs Cadillac Centre project
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Louis Aguilar / The Detroit
News
The developer of the $150 million skyscraper project planned to be built next to Campus
Martius
Park
says plenty of major retailers are interested in setting up shop in downtown Detroit
. "We are talking to a number of national retailers and a number have approached us," said Alex Dembitzer, principal and managing partner of Northern Group Inc., the New York
development group behind the proposed Cadillac Centre project formally unveiled this morning. "We have no concern," in nabbing a few for the project that could break ground next year.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_UPPER_PENINSULA_LAND_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
State buys scenic land in Upper Peninsula
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By JOHN FLESHER
TRAVERSE CITY
, Mich.
(AP) -- The state of Michigan
is working toward ownership of more than 1,000 acres of scenic land in the Upper Peninsula
, officials said Wednesday.
The Department of Natural Resources said it had bought three parcels totaling 373 acres in Iron
County
from We Energies, an electric utility based in Wisconsin
. Additionally, the DNR said it was close to a deal for 681 acres of former We Energies land in Baraga
County
now owned by a nonprofit conservation group."These acquisitions will help the DNR preserve and protect some of the wild beauty of Michigan
's Upper Peninsula
," said Mindy Koch, deputy director for resource management.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U2IA201&show_article=1
GOP, Democratic Races Wide Open
Jan 9 02:45 PM US/Eastern
By LAURIE KELLMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama talked of introducing some Chicago
smackdown to his politics of hope Wednesday, seeking a rebound after Hillary Rodham Clinton grasped victory in the New Hampshire
primary. In the wide-open Republican contest, John McCain pressed to build on his New Hampshire
win and named experience, knowledge and judgment as his calling cards in the races ahead. Clinton
pored over election strategy in the first blush of her surprising success and indicated she'd compete in every big Democratic contest coming up this month rather than try to cherry pick her way to the nomination.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS/801090488
Richardson
quits Democratic presidential race
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Nedra Pickler / Associated Press
MERRIMACK, N.H. -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power. Richardson
planned to announce the decision Thursday, according to two people close to the governor with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the governor's announcement. The Richardson
campaign would not comment on the governor's decision, reached after a meeting with his top advisers Wednesday in New Mexico
. Richardson
had one of the most wide-ranging resumes of any candidate ever to run for the presidency, bringing experience from his time in Congress, President Clinton's Cabinet, in the New Mexico
statehouse as well as his unique role as a freelance diplomat. As a Hispanic, he added to the unprecedented diversity in the Democratic field that also included a black and a woman.
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=John+DiStaso's+Granite+Status%3A+We+did+it+again&articleId=1fc61abf-af61-4b16-8fda-203beed36d86
John DiStaso's Granite Status: We did it again
January 9, 2008
By JOHN DISTASO
NEW HAMPSHIRE
did it again. It fooled the experts, defied conventional wisdom and, with its turnout and intense interest, gave its critics good reason to reconsider their unrelenting efforts to dilute its effect on the presidential nominating process.It's doubtful that party establishment types across the country will back off, but thanks to the voters, local political party officials will have plenty of fresh ammunition with which to do battle over the next four years to protect the 2012 primary
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080109/ap_po/primary_turnout
NH primary turnout sets record
By BEVERLEY WANG
Wed Jan 9, 4:37 PM ET
CONCORD
, N.H.
- Hot races and unseasonably warm temperatures helped produce record voter turnout in Tuesday's New Hampshire
presidential primary. With all but one of New Hampshire
's 301 voting precincts reporting, unofficial tallies by The Associated Press found that 526,571 ballots were cast Tuesday, breaking the previous record for a presidential primary of 396,385 in 2000.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119983880025376357.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy
For the Losers, the Campaign Isn't Over Just Yet
January 9, 2008
By JUNE KRONHOLZ
With the campaign train now chugging into Michigan
and Nevada
, even the losers in yesterday's New Hampshire
primary and last week's Iowa
caucuses will hold onto advantages that mean the race for the nominations will continue into February. "We always try to bring the curtain down too soon. I don't think it's over in either party," says University
of
Virginia
political scientist Larry Sabato. Michigan
holds its primary Tuesday, with Nevada
's caucuses four days later, followed quickly by primaries in South Carolina
and Florida
. In that compressed schedule, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama benefit from a Democratic Party rule that awards convention delegates proportionately. That means they will win delegates even in states where the popular vote goes against them.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NATION/668320690/1001
S.C., Michigan
last stand for GOP candidates
By Stephen Dinan
January 10, 2008
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Yesterday became line-in-the-sand day for Republicans, with Mitt Romney declaring that he is making his stand in next week's Michigan primary and Fred Thompson saying South Carolina's Jan. 19 primary is his do-or-die state.Standing in their way is Sen. John McCain, who is feeling momentum from his Tuesday win in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary and hopes to narrow the field by winning both states."This election here in South Carolina
will play a major, major role," the Arizona Republican told supporters at a rally at The Citadel in Charleston
last night.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/novak/732510,CST-NWS-novak09.article
McCain shreds Romney's plan, is likely nominee
January 9, 2008
By ROBERT NOVAK
MANCHESTER
, N.H.
-- During four final days of campaigning after the Iowa
caucuses, New Hampshire
's Republican primary was one-on-one between Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Because the winner would become the party's most likely nominee, McCain's decisive victory puts him in a commanding position after being counted out for much of the last year. McCain won a majority of registered Republican voters here as well as New Hampshire
independents who voted in the GOP primary (as he did in 2000 when he swamped George W. Bush). Romney's attacks on McCain's liberal immigration policies were popular with Republican voters, but did not resonate with McCain's independent base.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0108/McCain_raising_all_bucks_toward_Florida.html
McCain raising all bucks toward Florida
January 09, 2008
By Jonathan Martin
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said the team was on track to raise more money in one day online than at any other time during the campaign following McCain's New Hampshire
primary victory last night. He declined to say exactly how much the campaign had brought in and said he had weaned himself from hourly tracks of the fundraising. But in a casual airborne chat, Davis
said new money was being earmarked for one place: Florida
. “We’re bought through Michigan
and South Carolina
,” he said. On an afternoon conference call with the campaign's finance committee, Davis
and money chief Tom Loeffler sent the same message to donors, according to a participant.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U2J6781&show_article=1&catnum=0
Romney Pulls Ads in SC, Fla.
Jan 9, 2008
By JIM KUHNHENN and GLEN JOHNSON
BOSTON
(AP) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has decided to pull his advertising from South Carolina
, where he was hoping to take on Mike Huckabee and John McCain, and from Florida
, where Rudy Giuliani has been spending time and money. "We feel the best strategy is to focus our paid messaging in Michigan
," Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said Wednesday. The decision comes on the heels of back-to-back second-place finishes in Iowa
and New Hampshire
for the former Massachusetts
governor. Romney, a multimillionaire who had used some of his own cash, had invested heavily in both states, counting on the two to give him the momentum toward the nomination.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080109/NATION/800916673/1001
Strategists say 2nd place won't derail Romney
January 9, 2008
By Andrea Billups
BEDFORD, N.H. — A second-place finish in New Hampshire, while frustrating, is not a deal-breaker for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who came in behind Sen. John McCain of Arizona in a record-turnout primary here. Mr. McCain, who trailed Mr. Romney in polls last month and whose candidacy seemed all but dead 30 days ago, won the primary yesterday with a late surge here in the past week and increased interest from independent voters, outpacing Mr. Romney.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090426
Huckabee offers coffee, but stubborn New Hampshire
independent isn't persuaded
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Associated Press
MANCHESTER
, N.H.
-- Even a cup of coffee didn't sway one stubborn independent voter -- though Republican Mike Huckabee gave it his all Tuesday as New Hampshire
residents went to the polls in the state's presidential primary. Outside the Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester
, Huckabee waded into the crowd to greet voters outside the polling place. He ran into Joe Legay, 70, and asked him what candidate was getting Legay's vote. "I'm independent," Legay said, ducking the question. "So I have one more chance, what can I do? Can I pour you coffee?" Huckabee asked, then poured him a cup of coffee from a doughnut shop coffee container. "Where else than in New Hampshire
does a candidate come out and personally pour coffee?"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/01/09/ST2008010903465.html?hpid=topnews
South Carolina
Primary Will Be a 'Turning Point,' Huckabee Says
Thursday, January 10, 2008
By Perry Bacon Jr. and Juliet Eilperin
SPARTANBURG, S.C. , Jan. 9 -- The Republican race for president largely shifted Wednesday to South Carolina, where in 10 days a divided electorate is likely to crown one candidate the front-runner and cripple the chances of one or more others. In advance of a debate Thursday night in Myrtle Beach, several campaigns said that South Carolina's primary will determine which candidates will advance to face Rudolph W. Giuliani in Florida on Jan. 29 and to more than 20 contests on Feb. 5. "South Carolina is going to be a turning point in this nomination process," Mike Huckabee told a crowd of more than 200 in a speech at a Marriott hotel here as he made a campaign swing through the northern part of the state, a day after placing third in the New Hampshire primary.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_el_pr/giuliani_florida
Giuliani speech delayed by bomb threat
Wed Jan 9, 7:20 PM ET
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
MELBOURNE
,
Fla.
- Republican Rudy Giuliani's speech on taxes got sidetracked Wednesday after a bomb threat forced organizers to move to another location.
The former New York
mayor planned to address a town hall meeting with 200 Harris Corp., employees and Giuliani supporters. The event was scuttled when six of the company's buildings were evacuated. Instead, Giuliani began his speech an hour later in a nearby airport hanger, where campaign workers handed out water to supporters waiting in the sun as bomb sniffing dogs checked reporters' equipment and airport security workers screened attendees.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2008/01/new-hampshires.html
New Hampshire
's Polling Fiasco
January 09, 2008 12:05 AM
By Gary Langer
There will be a serious, critical look at the final pre-election polls in the Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire
; that is essential. It is simply unprecedented for so many polls to have been so wrong. We need to know why. But we need to know it through careful, empirically based analysis. There will be a lot of claims about what happened - about respondents who reputedly lied, about alleged difficulties polling in biracial contests. That may be so. It also may be a smokescreen - a convenient foil for pollsters who'd rather fault their respondents than own up to other possibilities - such as their own failings in sampling and likely voter modeling.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992615845679531.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
Why Hillary Won
January 10, 2008
By KARL ROVE
What would Shakespeare's Jack Cade say after the New Hampshire
Democratic primary? Maybe the demagogue in "Henry VI" would call for the pollsters to be killed first, not the lawyers.The opinion researchers find themselves in a difficult place after most predicted a big Obama sweep. It's not their fault. The dirty secret is it is hard to accurately poll a primary. The unpredictability of who will turn out and what the mix of voters will be makes polling a primary election like reading chicken entrails -- ugly, smelly and not very enlightening. Our media culture endows polls -- especially exit polls -- with scientific precision they simply don't have
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/us/politics/09cnd-campaign.html?ei=5065&en=f74b9c518cf7f27b&ex=1200546000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
Debate Was Key to Win, Clinton
Says
January 9, 2008
By PATRICK HEALY and ANAHAD O'CONNOR
A day after the New Hampshire
primary recast the presidential race, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Wednesday that the candidates’ debate on Saturday was a turning point in her surprising victory over Senator Barack Obama, while Mr. Obama sought to remain upbeat and traveled to New York
on a fund-raising mission. On the Republican side, Senator John McCain, fresh off his own comeback victory over former Gov. Mitt Romney, jetted off to Michigan
, where in next Tuesday’s primary he will attempt to overcome Mr. Romney’s natural advantage in the state of his birth. The results from Tuesday night breathed new life into the Clinton and McCain campaigns less than a week after the two candidates placed third and fourth respectively in the Iowa
caucuses.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24348
W(h)ither Hillary?
Posted: 01/09/2008:
By Jed Babbin
She’s down, but not out. Hillary Clinton’s narrow win in yesterday’s New Hampshire
primary surprised a lot of us. Though she is re-energized, the most relieved at the result must be her darling husband. For most of primary day in New Hampshire
, the Secret Service was probably on alert, planning their operations for today. I know some of those guys, and they’re very smart, dedicated and brave. But if Hillary lost New Hampshire
by a huge margin, how could they possibly protect Bill from her wrath?
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2008-01-09T200232Z_01_N09603036_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-POLITICS-UNION.xml
Key Nevada union backs Obama in blow to Clinton
Wed Jan 9, 2008 2:06pm ET
By Adam Tanner
LAS VEGAS
(Reuters) - After a much-needed win in New Hampshire
, Democrat Hillary Clinton received a new challenge on Wednesday when Nevada
's most influential union endorsed rival Sen. Barack Obama's U.S.
presidential bid. The Culinary Workers Union, whose 60,000 members service the famed hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas
strip, is a major political force in the state, which holds the next Democratic contest on January 19.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U2H6600&show_article=1
Obama Hints of Sharper Edge Vs. Clinton
Jan 9 01:29 PM US/Eastern
By LAURIE KELLMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama talked of introducing some Chicago
smackdown to his politics of hope Wednesday, seeking a rebound after Hillary Rodham Clinton grasped victory in the New Hampshire
primary. In the wide-open Republican contest, John McCain pressed to build on his New Hampshire
win and named experience, knowledge and judgment as his calling cards in the races ahead. Clinton
pored over election strategy in the first blush of her surprising success and indicated she'd compete in every big Democratic contest coming up this month rather than try to cherry pick her way to the nomination
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/lack_of_policy_detail_raises_d.html
Lack of Policy Detail Raises Doubts About Obama
January 10, 2008
By Mort Kondracke
MANCHESTER, N.H. - A door-to-door canvasser here for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) told me all during the weekend before Tuesday's primary that his team was encountering independent voters torn between Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Surely an anomaly, I thought. Then I ran into such a voter, a teacher taking her young daughter to campaign events. I asked her, "What about Barack Obama?" "I've seen him five times," she said. "What he says sounds great, but it's all fluff. There's no meat there."
http://www.drudgereport.com/flashobc.htm
Obama Campaign Plan: The Next Four Weeks
Wed Jan 09 2008
By David Plouffe, Obama Campaign Manager
Coming off an impressive win in Iowa
and taking the once inevitable frontrunner down to the wire in her firewall state, it is clear that Obama is well-positioned to become the next President of the United States
. As the people of Iowa
and New Hampshire
demonstrated, the American people desperately want change they can believe in. Barack Obama is the candidate to deliver that change by bringing people together, standing up to the special interests, and telling people what they need to know. Our campaign now turns its focus squarely to Nevada
and South Carolina
, and February 5th. Today, we kick off the next phase of our campaign in New Jersey
, an important February 5th state.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080109/D8U2DNL00.html
Bush Visits Israel
to Push for Peace
Jan 9, 9:33 AM (ET)
By ANNE GEARAN
JERUSALEM
(AP) - President Bush, seeking to pull Israel
and the Palestinians toward serious negotiations, said Wednesday that despite ongoing land squabbles and fears of violence he has high hopes that a Mideast
peace pact can be achieved before he leaves office at the end of the year. "I come as an optimistic person and a realistic person - realistic in my understanding that it's vital for the world to fight terrorists, to confront those who would murder the innocent to achieve political objectives," Bush said as he began his first presidential visit to Israel
.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U2G1D00&show_article=1
Bush: `Iran
Is a Threat to World Peace'
Jan 9 12:10 PM US/Eastern
By ANNE GEARAN
JERUSALEM
(AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that "there will be no peace" unless attacks are halted from all parts of the Palestinian territories, including those not controlled by his negotiating partners in the Palestinian leadership. But he said that both sides "are very seriously trying to move forward" on a deal. "Israel
does not tolerate and will not tolerate the continuation of these vicious attacks," Olmert said, after two and a half hours of talks with President Bush. "We will not hesitate to take all the necessary measures. There will be no peace unless terror is stopped. And terror will have to be stopped everywhere."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH_MIDEAST?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Bush strongly warns Iran
on naval clash
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By TERENCE HUNT
JERUSALEM
(AP) -- President Bush warned Iran
of "serious consequences" if it meddles again with U.S.
warships in the Persian Gulf, opening a Mideast
peacemaking mission Wednesday on an ominous note. He told Israel
to dismantle unauthorized settlement outposts and demanded that the Palestinians halt rocket attacks from areas controlled by Hamas Islamic militants.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2008/ss_israel_01_09.asp
Bush travel plans in Israel
changed at last minute due to missile threat
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
World Tribune
TEL AVIV — The United States
revised travel plans by President George Bush because of the threat of a Palestinian missile attack. Israeli sources said the U.S. Secret Service canceled Bush's plans to travel by helicopter from Ben-Gurion
Airport
to Jerusalem
on Wednesday. The sources said the Secret Service determined that Bush's helicopter could be targeted by an attacker with a surface-to-air missile "There was an intense last-minute discussion about the possibility of a SAM attack," an Israeli source said. "When the Israeli side agreed that this could not be ruled out, the Secret Service decided to cancel the helicopter flight."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/POLITICS01/801090461/1020/NATION
Supreme Court skeptical of challenge to Indiana
law requiring voters to show ID
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Mark Sherman
/ Associated Press
WASHINGTON
-- The Supreme Court appeared reluctant Wednesday to strike down the nation's strictest requirement that voters show photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot. The justices heard arguments over an Indiana
law, passed in 2005, that's backed by Republicans as a prudent way to deter voter fraud. Democrats and civil rights groups challenging the law as unconstitutional call it a thinly veiled effort to discourage elderly, poor and minority voters -- those most likely to lack proper ID and who tend to vote for Democrats.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
US to send 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon is preparing to send at least 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan
in April to bolster efforts to hold off another expected Taliban offensive in the spring, military officials said Wednesday. The move represents a shift in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing after months of repeated insistence that the U.S.
was not inclined to fill the need for as many as 7,500 more troops that commanders have asked for there. Instead, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed NATO allies to contribute the extra forces.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSEO31016820080110
North Korea
can scrap nuclear arms in '08: U.S.
envoy
Wed Jan 9, 2008
by Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL
(Reuters) - A top U.S.
nuclear envoy, who met South Korea
's president-elect on Thursday, said it was possible to end North Korea
's nuclear arms programme this year despite Pyongyang
missing a deadline in a disarmament deal. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill also extended an invitation for Lee Myung-bak, who takes office on February 25, to visit Washington
. The former Seoul
mayor won a landslide victory on December 19."There is no reason why we cannot finish the job in '08," Hill told reporters after meeting Lee.
