-
Voters Hope McCain and Obama Aren't Debate Hogs
Tweet Share on Facebook September 8, 2008 Comment (5)The first presidential debate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain takes place September 26 in Oxford , Miss. Which of the following gestures by the candidates on stage would upset you most?
Hogging the time 28%
A dramatic eye roll 27%
Invading the other's space 24%
Looking at his watch 16%
A sigh 5%
Source: The Synovate eNation Internet poll was conducted August 28-September 2 among 1,000 nationally representative households by global market research firm Synovate.
-
The Debate Spin has Begun
Tweet Share on Facebook September 7, 2008 Comment (6)The conventions are over, and the presidential candidates are still close in the polls. So, naturally, all eyes are on the first debate between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama on September 26, where voters and pundits expect one of the two to break out. "They are going to decide in the first debate" whom to vote for, predicts pollster-strategist Frank Luntz. With that kind of hype hanging over the event in Oxford, Miss., the candidates are already starting to lower expectations. First, McCain. Aides say that he won't be as eloquent as Obama. Obama's team, meanwhile, suggests that he's not as practiced at debates as his long-serving Senate colleague. "These debates are not Senator Obama's strong suit," says one aide.
-
Generation We's Apollo Project
Tweet Share on Facebook September 6, 2008 Comment (3)Some call the 95 million Americans ages 18 to 29 millennials. But after studying their interests and uncovering their desire to better the nation, entrepreneur Eric Greenberg came up with what he thinks is a better name: generation we. "They are not a 'me' generation; they are the 'we' generation," he says. "They are about the greater good," he adds, noting that they're really jazzed up about the environment and the energy crisis. Armed with his huge study, he's urging both presidential campaigns to focus on one mega-idea the kids endorsed: an Apollo-style approach to the energy crisis. His plan is to create a department of new energy and give it $30 billion to $40 billion a year to invent the next best energy source. And put a 15-year cap on the department's life. "They need votes, and 70 percent of gen we-ers want this," says Greenberg, an Obama backer eager for either campaign to adopt his plan.
-
Chuck Norris and Black Belt Patriotism
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2008 Comment (17)Actor Chuck Norris, star of Walker, Texas Ranger, martial arts pro, and spokesman for Total Gym infomercials, appears to be moving deeper into politics. Long a fixture in GOP circles, he was Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's wingman during the primaries. And now he's releasing his first political book, Black Belt Patriotism, an eight-point plan to get the nation back on track based on the teachings of the Founding Fathers. So, is he the next Jesse Ventura or Ronald Reagan? "I couldn't be a politician," he laughs during an interview. And not just because of the media. "Even if I was in Congress or the Senate, I'm one of 100 or 435. How can you get anything done?" His solution: cut House members to one or two per state so there is greater accountability. And start a populist party. His book cites major problems that need the Walker treatment. The biggest: American debt. Next: greed in government. He has hope, though, in kids. "They are more concerned about social issues than trying to make a buck."
-
Movie Stars and Cigarettes: Enough Already
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2008 Comment (10)
First it was sex. Then violence. Next, dirty words. And now, the movie ratings system, which turns 40 this year, is going after all that cigarette smoking on the silver screen. "We've added smoking as a factor in the movie descriptors," says Dan Glickman, president of the Washington-based Motion Picture Association of America. "It can really move the ratings up," he adds. And it might not end there, says Glickman, a former Kansas congressman and Clinton Agriculture Department secretary. "More and more, we're describing the kinds of violence" in movies, he says. "Our raters are encouraged to expand the ratings." That the ratings were invented four decades ago and have become so dominant in the movie industry is a tribute to Glickman's predecessor, Jack Valenti, who set them up to fend off government regulation. "It's probably the most successful self-regulatory scheme in the world," Glickman tells Whispers. He says that the MPAA raters grade about 900 movies a year, and it's a rare case when he gets involved—or a movie studio appeals. "By and large, I let them run it," says Glickman, who adds that America's parents rely on the ratings and "have a huge amount of confidence in them." Ironically, when his kids were young and movies less edgy, Glickman was more liberal about which flicks he let his kids see. "We were more open and permissive with our kids in seeing movies," he says. But now, he adds, "I would be following the ratings. There's more stuff in movies." -
Seen and Heard: Huckabee's Plus-Size, MSDNC, Palin's Muffin Man
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (17)
ST. PAUL - As the Republican National Convention ends tonight, here are a few tidbits heard and seen around the pretty city of St. Paul.
First, the GOP anger at cable TV has grown to new heights as reporters dissect vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Republicans are especially miffed at MSNBC's shouting hosts, so much so that they've given the cable network a new nickname: MSDNC, as in the Democratic National Committee.
Then there's Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas guv, presidential candidate, and author of the hit health book Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork. After seeing some recent pictures in which he appeared a bit less thin than when he was running against Sen. John McCain, I asked about his weight gain. Denials rolled in. But when he spoke Wednesday night, it was hard to hide the bulges. An associate assured me: "It's only about 20 pounds." Word is he has been so busy lately, that he hasn't been able to run as much as he used to.
And finally, this story from the hotel the Palin family is staying in. A long-time friend of mine was entering the elevator in the morning when an older gentleman balancing two plates of muffins and coffee hopped in. "Can I help you with those," my pal asked. "No, I'll make it," said the other guy, asking:
"Where are you from." "California," said my friend. "What about you?"
The older gentleman said, "Alaska," to which my pal said, "that's quite a governor you've got up there." The older guy smiled and said, "Yup, that's my daughter!"
-
Joey Pants Watches Palin Speech
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (5)
What a scene at last night's GOP convention, where Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin accepted the vice presidential nomination. There was tons of McCain trinkets to buy, signs to wave, and Fox News Channel provided hats to the convention-goers. The press were provided phones that were stamped with the convention emblem and we caught actor Joey Pants — aka Joey Pantoliano — taking in Palin's speech.
-
The McCain Pin That Says You Count
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (4)
ST. PAUL - Here at the Republican National Convention, it's easy to pick out those who support or work for John McCain: They wear McCain hats or display a star pin on their lapel. But there is a very special pin for those who stuck with the Republican presidential candidate when it looked like all was lost. It's the white "McCain National Leadership Team" pin above. The very few seen here wearing it stuck with McCain and continued to raise money back in 2007 when it looked like he was going to have to withdraw from the race as he floundered in the polls. Says the guy wearing this pin: "Man, we were with him when it was darkest."
-
St. Paul Talk: eBay's Meg Whitman for California Governor
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (4)ST. PAUL—The buzz at Republican National Convention is over how former eBay boss Meg Whitman is making the GOP circuits among top strategists and fundraisers as she sizes up the prospect of running for California governor in 2010. While some reports suggest that she's not trying to discourage talk of her run, top McCain associates and fundraisers say she is working hard to get herself ready for a campaign. "Oh, she's going to run," said a long-time McCain ally and California Republican National Convention delegate. "She's working people here," added a McCain fundraiser. Whitman, national co-chair of Sen. John McCain's campaign, was talked about as a vice presidential pick and has wowed Republicans with her political savvy. The Republicans expect her to face California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the former governor whose unusual approach to some issues led critics to dub him Gov. Moonbeam.
-
GOP Gustav Donations Start to Roll in
Tweet Share on Facebook September 3, 2008 Comment (2)
ST. PAUL—It appears that Republican Party goers put their money where their mouth is. It's just a trickle right now, but we are getting news that the GOP's call on convention-goers here to donate to groups helping victims of Hurricane Gustav worked. Early estimates of total contributions are in the tens of thousands of dollars. The effort came first on the abbreviated Monday session of the Republican National Convention when party Chairman Mike Duncan and Laura Bush asked delegates to phone in a donation to any of the groups. Then they asked groups hosting convention parties to participate. One, the jam-packed Spirits of Minneapolis party, raised $13,000 which was matched by the event's sponsors led by the Distilled Spirits Council, The Hill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others. Here's what happened when you arrived at the party: After checking in, guests were guided to a table to make a cash or check donation to the American Red Cross. It appeared that virtually everybody stopped to put some money into a fish bowl, including U.S. News. Distilled Spirits exec Frank Coleman tells us that of the eight events on Monday night where donations were made, his raised the most according to the Minnesota Red Cross.
