Democrats go to the polls today in the Potomac Primary, voting in Virginia, Maryland and DC. The consensus in the media this morning is that Barack Obama, who swept the weekend contests, is set to continue his winning streak today. Media coverage of today's primaries is also heavily skewed toward the Obama campaign this morning, with coverage of the Clinton campaign focused on later primaries.
The Washington Post says victories in the three contests would give Obama "a narrow but undisputed lead among pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Together with the rest of his recent string of victories, such a sweep would bestow unmistakable momentum." McClatchy reports Obama "appeared poised Monday to trounce" Clinton today. McClatchy notes Clinton "once had hopes of doing well in Maryland and Virginia. In Maryland, she had the backing of two of the state's most powerful Democrats, Gov. Martin O'Malley and veteran Sen. Barbara Mikulski."
Under the headline, "Potomac States Fit Obama Profile," the Boston Globe reports that the demographics in Virginia, Maryland and DC "fit the profile of states Obama has been winning. A victory in Washington, D.C., with a large majority of black voters, is considered a foregone conclusion. But Virginia, where blacks account for 27 percent of the Democratic electorate and self-identified liberals are 34 percent, is also likely to be fertile ground for Obama. And Maryland, with 39 percent blacks and 32 percent liberals, should be as well, according to analysts." Bloomberg News quotes Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee, "We are under no illusions this is going to be easy. These are three primaries where the Obama campaign has a significant advantage."
A pair of new polls out from American Research Group shows Obama holding double-digit leads over Clinton in today's Maryland and Virginia primaries. Obama leads Clinton 55%-37% in Maryland and 56%-38% in Virginia. ARG polled 600 likely Democratic primary voters in each state over February 8-9.
Similarly, a pair of new polls out this morning from SurveyUSA also shows Obama with big leads in both contests. A SurveyUSA automated poll of 774 likely Maryland Democratic primary goers taken February 9-10 for WJLA-TV Washington shows Obama leading Clinton 55%-32%. A SurveyUSA automated poll of 596 likely Virginia Democratic primary voters taken February 9-10 for a group of DC and VA TV stations shows Obama leading Clinton 60%-38%.
The two candidates pursued very different strategies as they campaigned throughout the region yesterday. Bloomberg News reports Clinton "targeted small groups of voters in Maryland and Virginia while rival Barack Obama held large-scale rallies as he tries to cement another primary sweep tomorrow." The Baltimore Sun reports Obama "received a rock star's welcome at the University of Maryland College Park Monday from thousands of voters, some of whom had waited in the frosty pre-dawn hours, giddy to hear the Democratic presidential hopeful on the last day before Maryland's primary." The Sun estimates the "frenzied" crowd at "about 20,000." The Sun adds that Obama's appearance "before more than 10,000 screaming supporters at the 1st Mariner Arena in downtown Baltimore was even more raucous than his speech in College Park." The Baltimore Examiner reports that Obama "and 12,000 chanting, clapping, cheering supporters rocked the Baltimore arena Monday evening, bringing his message of change to town and giving a rousing boost to a campaign aiming to win today's Maryland primary."
Meanwhile, in addition to stops at a transmission plant in Maryland and at a conference in DC, the Charlottesville Daily Progress reports Clinton "spent about 90 minutes responding to students' questions Monday in professor Larry J. Sabato's American politics class" at the University of Virginia.
The Clinton campaign is looking ahead to the March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio as critical to the survival of the campaign. The New York Times reports that the Clinton campaign believes "she has been boxed into a must-win position" in the two contests, "and she has begun reassuring anxious donors and superdelegates that the nomination is not slipping away from her, aides said on Monday." The Washington Post reports several Clinton supporters "said yesterday that they have received clear signals from the campaign in recent days that she is aware of the problems but added that they believe she must win upcoming contests in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania to keep pace with the surging candidacy of" Obama. The AP reports that both Clinton and Barack Obama are set to go up with ads in Ohio and Pennsylvania today.
Clinton herself sought to allay concerns that recent events, which also included the replacement of her campaign manager, were a sign the campaign is in trouble. ABC World News noted the recent struggles, and asked Clinton, "What do you say to supporters who say this is not what a winning campaign looks like." Clinton said, "Well, to the contrary, I think it exactly is. We had a great night on Super Tuesday. I'm still ahead in popular vote and in delegates." NBC Nightly News showed Clinton saying of the weekend contests, "I think those are independent electorates and everybody knew, you all knew what the likely outcome of these recent contests were. And, you know, my husband didn't win any of these caucus states. He didn't win Maine, he didn't win Colorado, he didn't win Washington."
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USA Today reports Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton "remain locked in tight battle" in a new USA Today/Gallup poll. Obama, who "has trailed Clinton in every USA TODAY poll over the past year, edged ahead by 47%-44% - within the survey's margin of error."
Meanwhile, the AP reports Obama "would narrowly defeat Republican John McCain if they were matched today in the presidential election," while McCain and Clinton "are running about even," according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. When Clinton "is paired against McCain in a general election matchup, she gets 46 percent to his 45 percent, a tie, according to the poll. Obama edges McCain, the Arizona senator, 48 percent to 42 percent in their pairing." In the AP-Ipsos poll, Clinton retains a lead in a national primary matchup, leading Obama 46%-41%.
There is far less attention being paid in the media today to the GOP side of the Potomac primary. Two new polls out from American Research Group show McCain holding commanding leads over Huckabee in today's Maryland and Virginia primaries. In Maryland, McCain leads with 50%, followed by Huckabee with 25% and Ron Paul with 11%. In Virginia, McCain leads with 54%, followed by Huckabee with 32% and Paul with 5%. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reports McCain and Huckabee both campaigned in Virginia yesterday, where Huckabee said, "I know there are a lot of people who've already figured out how it's supposed to turn out. Let's show them the election isn't over until the people have spoken."
Fox News' Special Report reported, "Even some Republicans who have had their differences with" John McCain "are now rallying to his side as the clear frontrunner." Fox noted that conservative activist Gary Bauer is endorsing McCain "and says that on a range of issues Democrats would lay waste to conservative concerns." Gary Bauer: "I don't see a future in committing political suicide." Former Florida governor Jeb Bush "joined the chorus today, calling McCain 'a patriot and devoted conservative leader.'" The Wall Street Journal quotes a statement from former governor Bush: "Like no other candidate in the field, John McCain has made tremendous sacrifices for this nation. ... He is beholden to no interest other than that of the public good." The AP reports that McCain's "emphasis since last week...has been on reaching out to conservative critics in an effort to unite the party. In an interview, Bauer noted McCain's strength with independent-minded voters but added, 'he's also going to need every last one of the conservative activists.'"
Hutchison, Seen As VP Prospect, Announces McCain Endorsement The AP reports Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison also endorsed McCain yesterday. Hutchison said McCain "called her over the weekend 'and asked if I would campaign with him in Texas and I am very pleased to do so.'" The AP notes that like McCain, Hutchison "has had some disagreements with conservative Republicans. She's been criticized for her support of legalized abortions, embryonic stem cell research, her vote in favor of a children's health insurance bill that President Bush vetoed and recently for changes to a law requiring a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border." The Dallas Morning News adds that Hutchison is "ambitious and telegenic," and asks, "How likely is it she'll end up on the presidential ticket, and how would that go over with the Republican base? 'She'd be a good vice presidential candidate. She'd be a good vice president, too,' said anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform."
Fox News' Special Report reported that the McCain campaign announced yesterday that it is opting out of the federal presidential campaign funding system for the primary season. To participate in the federal funding program, a campaign can't spend more than $54 million before receiving the formal nomination at the national convention. The McCain campaign "is already close to that. With months to go before the convention, McCain wants all the financial flexibility he can get to run long and hard against the Democrats." The AP adds that campaign officials "said McCain could still participate in the public financing system in the general election, when the nominees for the two parties would be eligible for about $85 million to spend between their nominating conventions and Election Day on Nov. 4.
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The CBS Evening News reported, "For anyone who might have forgotten, not all the men responsible for the 9/11 attacks died aboard those four planes. Today, the US government announced charges against the terrorists who dreamed up the murderous plot and five alleged accomplices and said it will seek the death penalty." ABC World News noted that the detainees' lawyers "say these military commissions are designed to produce convictions," and NBC Nightly News added that CIA Director General Michael Hayden admitted last week that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the six defendants "had been subjected to waterboarding." According to NBC, "under the law governing military commissions, information obtained from waterboarding might be allowed."
The Los Angeles Times notes that Defense Secretary Gates "has said that trials at the island prison would carry 'a taint.'" In a lengthy interview with PBS Newshour, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said, "What evidence gets presented at this trial is up to the prosecutors and the judges who handle the case will review any evidence that's proffered."
On its front page, the New York Times reports President Bush "had no role in the decision to file charges now against the six detainees, leaving the strategy for prosecuting them to the military. Still, the cases soon to be put before military tribunals...represent a major part of 'the unfinished business' that Mr. Bush and his aides talk about when they vow 'to sprint to the finish,' as one aide did again on Monday."
The Chicago Tribune says that besides Mohammed, the other detainees facing charges are Waleed bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi and Mohammed al-Qahtani. Mohammed, bin Attash, Binalshibh and Ali "are also charged with 'hijacking or hazarding a vessel." The New York Times says "the prosecutors' decision to seek the death penalty must be reviewed by a Pentagon official with broad power over the military commission system, Susan J. Crawford." On Fox News' Special Report Charles Stimson, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for detainee affairs, said, "I have concerns that the intelligence community won't be able to provide all the information in a timely enough manner to the prosecution." McClatchy reports, "Knowledgeable legal experts...said it's unlikely that" the six "can be tried speedily, meaning the cases probably won't be heard before the Bush administration leaves office next January." USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Christian Science Monitor and the Washington Times run similar reports.
"Clean Team" Played Role In Eliciting Information In a front-page story, the Washington Post reports that the 9/11-related capital murder charges are "based partly on information the men disclosed to FBI and military questioners without the use of coercive interrogation tactics. ... FBI and military interrogators who began work with the suspects in late 2006 called themselves the 'Clean Team' and set as their goal the collection of virtually the same information the CIA had obtained from five of the six through duress at secret prisons."
The Financial Times reports that yesterday the Bush administration "stuck to its prediction that the US would not face a recession in 2008," claiming "the economy had a 'solid foundation' to guide it through the housing crisis and would be helped by a $170bn fiscal stimulus package later this year." Edward Lazear, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said, "I don't think we are in a recession right now, and we are not forecasting a recession. We are forecasting slower growth." The New York Times, under the headline "White House Remains Optimistic On Economy," also notes "the White House predicted on Monday that the economy would escape a recession and that unemployment would remain low this year, though it acknowledged that growth had already slowed sharply."
However, the Washington Post says, "Many leading private-sector forecasters do think the nation is, or soon will be, in a recession, including economists at Wall Street firms Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley." On the other hand, the Administration's "sunnier expectations are consistent with those of private economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, who forecast an annualized 0.5 percent growth in the first three months of 2008 but a solid 2.7 percent growth rate in the fourth quarter."
In a meeting with reporters and editors from the Washington Times, Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag "said the recently approved economic-stimulus plan makes a recession less likely." USA Today says Treasury Secretary Paulson "expects the IRS to start issuing [rebate] checks in May." The Wall Street Journal adds that the White House "rejected hints from Democrats that more emergency measures may be needed to keep the economy from entering a recession." The AP reports President Bush "urged lawmakers to pass additional legislation that would revamp mortgage giants Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) and modernize the Depression-era Federal Housing Administration, which insures mortgages for low- and middle-income borrowers." The President also "said Congress should approve legislation allowing state housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to help squeezed homeowners refinance their mortgages."
USA Today reports the Bush administration will present "its case today against 151 federal programs it proposes to eliminate or reduce. ... The effort would save $18 billion -- less than 1% of the budget. Since the administration gave a priority three years ago to targeting programs it deemed wasteful, 91 programs have been terminated and 71 reduced, for a savings of $10.1 billion. That's barely 0.1% of federal spending in that period."
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The Washington Post reports a study released yesterday by the Pew Research Center found that "Hispanics in the United States will triple by 2050 and represent nearly 30 percent of the population if current trends continue." The report "also found that nearly one in five Americans will be foreign-born in 2050, compared with about one in eight today." The New York Times notes that "because a vast wave of baby boomers will be swelling the ranks of the elderly, the so-called dependency ratio - the number of people below 18 and above 64 compared with the number of those in the prime working years - will rise to 72 per 100 by 2050 from about 59 per 100 in 2005," the study found. According to the Washington Times, "The figures all presuppose the continuation of current birthrates and immigration numbers, though the center said, 'It is possible that a future Congress will enact laws that would sharply cut immigration flows.'"
The city of Berkeley, California drew fire last month when, prompted by the anti-war group Code Pink, it passed a declaration that called Marine recruiters "uninvited and unwelcome intruders." Today, city council plans to backtrack from the position. The Los Angeles Times notes that in the aftermath of Berkeley's first declaration, several Republican senators have "sponsored a bill to reroute $2.3 million in federal funding from Berkeley to the Marines." In the "last 10 days, city officials have received 26,000 e-mails, mostly from irate people who called the declaration irresponsible. Several council members have received death threats." Tonight, the council "will consider a motion to remove the criticism about recruiting and express the community's support for U.S. troops fighting abroad."
The New York Times reports for weeks, the Berkley Council "has been at the heart of a mess related to its proclamation that the Marines - them that stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima - were not welcome to run their three-person recruiting office downtown." The Council, "with its staff's concurrence, apparently, also set aside a parking spot one day a week in front of the office for Code Pink, an antiwar group that aims to disrupt the recruiters."
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Jay Leno: "Well, Barack Obama is now calling for the Clintons to release all of their tax information. And 'Newsweek' estimates Bill Clinton made between $10 million and $15 million last year for speaking engagements. ... See, that explains why Hillary hardly ever speaks to him anymore. She can't afford it."
Jay Leno: "Asked why he is still in the race, Mike Huckabee said, 'I have nothing else to do.' ... So it sounds like he really is running for vice president."
Jay Leno: "A you know, Mitt Romney's campaign is dead. Although I understand why those officials just told President Bush he went to 'live on a farm.'"
Jay Leno: "And I guess this is good news. Musicians in Afghanistan are now being allowed to play western music again. In fact, you know what the most popular music is in Afghanistan right now? I'm not making this up -- disco. ... See, I guess we were able to work out some kind of compromise. We brought them out of the 13th century, but only brought them up to 1978."
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