Sen. Hillary Clinton, who along with Sen. John McCain has proposed suspending the federal gas tax this summer, hit back at critics of her proposal during an appearance on ABC's This Week yesterday. The Wall Street Journal reports Clinton "shot back at economists who have dismissed the idea of a summer gasoline-tax holiday. 'I'm not going to put my lot in with economists,' she said on ABC's 'This Week.'" Asked by host George Stephanopoulos "to name 'a credible economist who supports the suspension,'" Clinton "responded in the populist tone heard in many of her recent stump speeches." Clinton said, "We've got to get out of this mind-set where somehow elite opinion is always on the side of doing things that really disadvantage the vast majority of Americans."
Clinton's counterattack on the gas tax proposal is part of a new theme in her campaign that is painting her as a proponent of the working class against various political elites. The Washington Post reports in a front page story that Clinton "scolded both" Obama and "'elite opinion' Sunday for opposing her proposals to fix the ailing economy" during an appearance in Indiana. Clinton said, "There's a big difference between us, and the question is: Who understands what you're going through, and who do you count on being on your side?" NBC Nightly News adds that Clinton, "in her final fiery appeal, she plays the role of heroine for working-class families, with Barack Obama as the villain." The AP reports that for Clinton, ABC's format, "hosted by her husband's one-time protégée George Stephanopoulos, gave her the chance to burnish her populist message and persuade skeptical voters to like and trust her."
Obama hit back during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, saying that gas tax proposal "defines, I think, the difference between myself and Senator Clinton. This...is a classic Washington gimmick. It is a political response to a serious problem that we have neglected for decades." The CBS Evening News reported, "Faced with the possibility of two losses on Tuesday, Obama lashed out at Hillary Clinton. In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Obama said her support of a three-month gas tax holiday is pandering." Obama said, "The average driver would save 30 cents per day for a grand total of $28, that's assuming that the oil companies don't step in and raise prices by the same amount the tax has been reduced."
CNN reported on its 'Political Ticker' blog on the duel over the gas tax suspension, noting that Obama's campaign "released a new television ad in North Carolina and Indiana Sunday that calls rival Hillary Clinton's proposal for a suspension of the gas tax a 'bogus gimmick.' The ad is a response to a recent Clinton commercial that criticizes Obama for not supporting the proposal." According to CNN, "The Clinton campaign quickly fired back in a conference call with reporters, saying Obama is 'siding with the oil companies' and his stance on the issue is a key reason why he has difficulties winning over working class voters."
NBC Nightly News reported last night in its lead story that Sen. Barack Obama, on NBC's Meet The Press, "said he probably should have fought back harder and sooner when the Reverend Wright, as he puts it, poured gasoline on a fire. But he didn't." Obama said, "When you're in national politics, it's always good to pull the band-aid off quick. And I think that's what the political consultants will tell you. But life's messy sometimes." The New York Times reports that for "the first 18 minutes of the broadcast on NBC's 'Meet the Press,'" Obama was "on the defensive" over the Wright issue. Obama said "he initially believed it was right to denounce Mr. Wrights remarks - as he did - but not break with a pastor with whom he had a 20-year relationship." Obama said, "What really changed was a sense that he was going to double-down on the statements that he made before. That indicated to me that he did not share my fundamental belief and my fundamental values in terms of bringing the country together, moving forward and the pride that I've got for this country."
The Chicago Tribune adds that Obama "said it was fair game for people to question his judgment in having such a long relationship with Wright, but said it should be considered along with everything else he has done over the last two decades. 'This is one element of a much larger track record,' he said. Asked whether Wright would be provide any counsel should he become president, Obama said 'absolutely not.'"
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USA Today reports in a front page story this morning that Obama's "national standing has been significantly damaged by the controversy over his former pastor, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, raising questions for some voters about the Illinois senator's values, credibility and electability." In a USA Today/Gallup poll taken May 1-3, Sen. Hillary Clinton now leads Obama among Democrats 51%-44%, "the first time in three months she has been ahead." In a similar poll taken two weeks ago, Obama led Clinton by 10 points. The poll surveyed 1,019 adults, including 516 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. While USA Today did not publish the actual numbers in general election trial heats, it does note that Sen. John McCain leads Clinton by 3 points in the survey and Obama by 1.
In contrast to the USA Today/Gallup survey, a CBS News/New York Times poll shows the exact opposite. In the new poll, also taken May 1-3, Obama leads Clinton 50%-38% among Democrats, up from a 46%-38% lead in a similar poll taken April 25-29. The new poll also shows both candidates surging against McCain. In general election matchups, 51% would vote for Obama and 40% would vote for McCain, while 53% would vote for Clinton and 41% would vote for McCain. Commenting on the poll, the CBS Evening News says that "after a rough week, the Obama campaign has made a comeback."
With the Democratic race unlikely to be decided in tomorrow's contests, or in fact in any of the remaining contests, all eyes are on the superdelegates. The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that Sen. Hillary Clinton, who suffered the defection of long-time backer Joe Andrew last week, "could lose the backing of more" superdelegates "if she fails to make significant gains in the remaining month of presidential nominating contests, several California superdelegates said this weekend. Two of the five superdelegates aligned with Clinton who spoke at the annual California Democratic Convention" in Fresno, CA, "said they would reconsider their support if rival Barack Obama maintained his lead in elected delegates and the popular vote after the last contests on June 3."
With voters going to the polls tomorrow in Indiana and North Carolina, polls show Sen. Barack Obama holding a solid lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, but in a dog fight in Indiana. A Zogby International poll of 636 likely Democratic primary voters taken May 3-4 shows Obama leading Clinton 44%-42%. The Washington Times reports that a Suffolk University poll of 600 likely Indiana Democratic primary voters released Sunday night shows Clinton leading Obama 49%-43%.
A Zogby International poll of 624 likely North Carolina Democratic primary voters taken May 3-4 shows Obama leading Clinton 48%-40%. Obama also picked up the endorsement of the Charlotte Observer yesterday, which said nominating Obama "would send a powerful message to the world."
Roll Call reports Senate Republicans "are slowly starting to open their wallets to fuel" Sen. John McCain's bid, "but only about a third of the Arizonan's colleagues have come through so far." FEC filings through the first quarter show "17 Senators 16 Republicans and one Independent Democrat, Joe Lieberman (Conn.) had written a check to support McCain's 2008 bid. Most of those GOP Senators contributed $5,000, the maximum amount permitted for a leadership political action committee." McCain officials "say more Senate contributions have come in since the close of the first quarter of the year."
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USA Today notes that according to Friday's report from the Labor Department, US employers "shed 20,000 jobs in April, while wages stalled, leaving Americans struggling to keep up with rising energy and food costs." Though the figure "was less brutal that the 75,000 job loss economists had predicted, still, it reflects a badly stumbling economy." According to the Christian Science Monitor, "Part of the story is that the job market may not be as shock-resistant as it appears. Its general trend is still weakening, and many forecasters expect that to continue in the months ahead." The Christian Science Monitor also reports that this year's college grads are "expected to have a harder time landing a job this year as the United States slides deeper into recession. Although the job market continues to expand, its growth rate has slowed to the lowest in five years as employers gauge how the economy will take shape in the months ahead."
Investors Said To Desire Rate Cut Pause USA Today reports, "Investors who once clamored for rate cuts to stabilize a slowing economy and financial system on the verge of a meltdown now are calling for a halt to the Federal Reserve's easing cycle. Wall Street is now of the mind that further cuts would do more harm than good."
Buffet Blames Regulators For Credit Crisis The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Richardson) reports, "Speaking to reporters Sunday, a day after Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s annual fan-fest for shareholders," Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger "criticized regulators, politicians and accountants for lax oversight of financial institutions that are at the center of the subprime-mortgage crisis, and, according to Mr. Munger, were guilty of 'deep conflicts of interest.'"
Krugman Praises Bernanke's Performance In his New York Times column, liberal economist Paul Krugman who has been a harsh critic of the Bush Administration's economic priorities -- says, "I believe we've been lucky to have Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman during these trying times." Bernanke "recognized, more quickly than others might have, that we were in a situation bearing a family resemblance to the great banking crisis of 1930-31. His first priority, overriding every other concern, had to be preventing a cascade of financial failures that would cripple the economy."
An Iraqi spokesman over the weekend gave apparently contradictory statements on the role Iran has played in fueling the violence, first saying there was no definite proof of Iranian intervention. However, the spokesman later backtracked, calling reporters to say "concrete evidence" exists. The Washington Post notes Iraqi government spokesman Ali al Dabbagh "called reporters late Sunday night to clarify remarks he made at a news conference earlier in the day, when he appeared to say that there was no hard evidence that Iran was allowing weapons to come into Iraq." Dabbagh "said his comments had been misinterpreted" and "said the Iraqi government does have 'concrete evidence' Iran is fomenting violence in Iraq and that a high-level panel had been formed to document the proof."
Earlier wire stories reflect the spokesman's previous comments. McClatchy says the Iraqi government "seemed to distance itself from US accusations towards Iran Sunday saying it would not be forced into conflict with its Shiite neighbor." And the AP reports Dabbagh told reporters that "there was no conclusive evidence that Shiite extremists have been directly supplied with some Iranian arms as alleged by the United States." The Christian Science Monitor also says "the Iraqi government appeared to back away from its claims of Iranian meddling inside Iraq."
Hezbollah Said To Train Iraqi Militias On its front page, the New York Times reports Hezbollah has been "training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran, according to American interrogation reports that the United States has supplied to the Iraqi government." An American official said the account of Hezbollah's role "was provided by four Shiite militia members who were captured in Iraq late last year and questioned separately."
Iran Vows To Continue Nuclear Program The New York Times reports Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "said Sunday that his nation would not bow to pressure after Western powers announced Friday that they would offer a new package of incentives to coax Iran to give up its nuclear program." Khamenei "did not refer directly to the country's nuclear program, but his comments seemed to suggest that Iran was not willing to compromise."
Iraq Military Progress Called Exaggerated Time reports, "For months now, top U.S. military commanders have been trumpeting the growing strength of Iraq's 559,397-strong security forces. ... But on the battlefield, the Iraqis are frequently found wanting and often have to be rescued by U.S. troops. A damning April 25 report by the Department of Defense's special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction says the Iraqi forces are still years away from being able to independently defend their country."
U.S. News and World Report reports as "the Bush administration inches closer to an end, the stalling" over President Bush's judicial nominees "has erupted into an all-out partisan battle over whether the White House will be able to secure lifetime appointments for all of the 46 openings currently in the federal judiciary." Even if the Senate "pushes through nominees for all of the vacancies -- a feat unlikely in a presidential election year -- the Bush administration's total judicial confirmations will be fewer than those of either Presidents Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan."
Voters Urged To Consider Supreme Court Newsweek's Anna Quindlen (5/11) writes, "The most important decision a president ever makes? It's choosing a Supreme Court nominee. Voters, take note. ... The next president will probably have the opportunity to appoint several justices, and therefore voters have the right to know precisely how the candidates will think about that monumental task. But no more pandering shorthand: cross-examination is in order."
President Bush's remarks at a high school commencement ceremony in Greensburg, KS, are receiving positive media coverage, much of it noting the town's "green" recovery and the warm welcome afforded the President. Bloomberg News reports Bush "honored the people of Greensburg, Kansas, as models of American compassion and resiliency after a killer tornado almost wiped the prairie town off the map a year ago today."
The CBS Evening News said Bush "hailed Greensburg's resurgence and personally handed out diplomas to the 18 graduates." NBC Nightly News noted Bush "visited Greensburg immediately after the tornado hit and came back today to hand diplomas to the 18 seniors graduating from Greensburg High School. He also delivered the commencement address."
The Wichita Eagle reports the President "told the graduates that their hometown will always be a source of stability and pride -- wherever they go they will be able to rely on the family, faith and friends that surrounded them in Greensburg." The AP reports, "Never before had Bush delivered a commencement address at a high school, and his presence was meant to reflect how far Greensburg has come." The Washington Post notes "hundreds lined what remained of Main Street, waving flags as his motorcade approached the high school, and his comments were met with a standing ovation."
NBC Nightly News said that "rather than simply rebuild," Greensburg "town leaders decided to renew in an environmentally friendly way, putting the green in Greensburg." The result "was a town-wide effort to take a bold new direction," in "hopes of showing the world what a model green community could look like." The Los Angeles Times also reports the town was "built this time with a raft of energy-saving measures incorporated in the designs. Wind turbines and solar panels are contributing power. Native grasses are being planted to lessen the need for water."
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Jay Leno: "According to the latest CNN poll, President Bush's disapproval rating, 71%. ... That's unbelievable, isn't it, that 29% still approve?"
Jay Leno: "Well, a Federal study released today shows that President Bush's $1 billion a year Reading First program has done nothing to increase the reading skills of young students. However, his Oil Company First program, going like gangbusters."
Conan O'Brien: "Yesterday was the five-year anniversary of President Bush's speech in front of the 'Mission Accomplished' banner. ... Yeah, to celebrate, today, President Bush gave a speech in front of a banner that said 'Economic Recession Over.'"
Conan O'Brien: "In Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has lost the election, but he refuses to step down, saying he still has a chance to win. That's right. Yeah, Mugabe said he got this idea from Hillary Clinton."
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