memeorandum: Pawlenty: Let's govern like Sam's Club (Frank James/The Swamp)

6:40 PM ET, July 30, 2008

Top Items:

Weaver, McCain's Former Strategist, Calls “Celeb” Ad “Childish” — John Weaver, for years one of John McCain's closest friends and confidants, has been in exile since his resignation from McCain's presidential campaign last year. With the exception of an occasional interview, he has …

Discussion: The New Republic, Ben Smith's Blogs, TIME.com, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Pajamas Media, Campaign Diaries and The Nation

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Keeping Track — I note with interest today, John McCain's new tactic of associating Barack Obama with oversexed and/or promiscuous young white women. (See today's new ad and this from yesterday.) Presumably, a la Harold Ford 2006, this will be one of those strategies that will be a matter …

Discussion: TPM Election Central, The Corner, Crooks and Liars, D-Day, Hot Air, Alas, a blog, Booman Tribune, Shakesville, The Caucus and PoliticalBase.com Blog

Isabel Wilkinson / The Huffington Post:

A Week In John McCain's Shoes — His $520 Ferragamo Loafers, That Is — This summer John McCain is traveling in style. He has worn a pair of $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes on every recent campaign stop — from a news conference with the Dalai Lama to a supermarket visit in Bethlehem …

Discussion: The Field on the Narcosphere, D-Day, Outside The Beltway, The Carpetbagger Report, Political Radar, Oliver Willis, The Anonymous Liberal, Matthew Yglesias and Booman Tribune

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:

With Commercial, McCain Gets Much More Than His Money's Worth — WASHINGTON — The number of times Senator John McCain's new advertisement attacking Senator Barack Obama for canceling a visit with wounded troops in Germany last week has been shown fully or partly on local, national and cable newscasts: well into the hundreds.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight.com, Wake up America, Open Left, The Caucus, Gawker, Newsweek Blogs and TPM Election Central

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

AXELROD RESPONDS TO MCCAIN TV AD — From NBC's Andrea Mitchell — Obama senior strategist David Axelrod called into the 1:00 pm MSNBC hour to respond to McCain's latest TV ad. Having watched McCain campaign policy adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer defend it, Axelrod called in and said the latest ad is both “sophomoric” and “negative.”

Wall Street Journal: McCain's Tax Blunder

New York Times:
Low-Road Express

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Achenblog, QandO, Political Machine and Commentary

Massie Ritsch / OpenSecrets.org:
Watchdogs Compare McCain, Obama on Donor Disclosure

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs and Salon

New York Observer:
Mac Attack — They Adored Him! Senator McCain Had the Press Eating …

Discussion: Political Radar and Wonkette

David Weigel / Reason Magazine:
I Used to Love Her, But I Had to Kill Her

Discussion: The Crossed Pond

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
McCain's Risky Ad Strategy

Discussion: The Trail and Oliver Willis

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
OBAMA = BRITNEY AND PARIS?

Discussion: TPM Election Central, protein wisdom, Firedoglake, Boston Globe, The Swamp, PoliticalBase.com Blog, American Power and Liberal Values

Ben Smith / The Politico:
McCain campaign backs off ‘cameras’ charge

Discussion: Marc Ambinder and TPM Election Central

Michael Goldfarb / John McCain Report blog:
Eleven Different Excuses

Discussion: TalkLeft, Media Blog and The Corner

Michael Cooper / The Caucus:
McCain: No New Taxes (Redux)

Discussion: TIME.com

Christopher Hayes / The Nation: Let's Play: If I Were a Right Wing Blogger

Jonathan Weisman / The Trail:

Obama's Symbolic Importance — In his closed door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday night, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger, according to a witness, suggesting that he was beginning to believe his own hype. — Obama was waxing lyrical about last week's trip …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, NO QUARTER, Weekly Standard Blog, TPM Election Central, Crunchy Con, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Commentary, Grasping Reality …, Salon, www.redstate.com, Open Left, Right Wing News, The Next Right, The Carpetbagger Report, Gun Toting Liberal Blog and TIME.com

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

President Obama Continues Hectic Victory Tour — Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee. — Fresh from his presidential-style world tour, during which foreign leaders and American generals lined up to show him affection …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, NO QUARTER, TownHall Blog, Marc Ambinder, Don Surber, The Sideshow, Political Punch, MyDD, Democratic Strategist, Little Green Footballs, The Corner, Talking Points Memo, Commentary, The Carpetbagger Report, Comments from Left Field and D-Day

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

FIRST THOUGHTS: ROCK BOTTOM FOR GOPERS? — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** Rock bottom for Republicans? OK, Hill Republicans, ask yourselves — is this bottom? The indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is a BIG deal. This appears to be a case of a politician …

Discussion: The New Republic and The Daily Dish

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Cyclops and Cunning — In his eight days around the world, Barack Obama learned a lot.

Discussion: Maggie's Farm and Hullabaloo

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Obama camp condemns song: Ludacris ‘should be ashamed’ — Barack Obama's campaign is condemning a song by the rapper Ludacris that praises Obama and bitterly attacks Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain. — “As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today …

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, Wake up America, Top of the Ticket, Fox News, Gawker, NewsBusters.org, Political Machine, Blogs of War and The Other McCain

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Audio: This is not the Ludacris that Barack Obama thought he knew; Update: Obama spokesman condemns — It hasn't gained enough critical media mass yet to warrant the pro forma denunciatory campaign statement, but the week is still young. Lyrics are available in the YouTube sidebar …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, ATTACKERMAN, American Power and macsmind.com

Amanda Erickson / The Swamp:
Obama + Ludacris = best friends 4eva

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs

The Hill:

50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill 2008 - Top 10 — Political party: Democrat. — Dating status: “Happily single” — She's striking - and accident-prone. — Three weeks ago, Tulani Elisa, a legislative assistant for Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), fell down while going up the Metro escalator that leads into Dupont Circle.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and skippy the bush kangaroo

David Stout / New York Times:

Democrats Call for Contempt Charges Against Rove — WASHINGTON — Democrats on both sides of the Capitol assailed the administration's handling of the Justice Department yet again on Wednesday, and a House committee recommended contempt charges against Karl Rove, who was President Bush's top political adviser.

Discussion: The Swamp, TPMMuckraker, The New Republic, The Hill and michellemalkin.com

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
For White House, Hiring Is Political

Discussion: Think Progress

Mother Jones:

There's Something About Mary: Unmasking a Gun Lobby Mole — NEWS: Mary McFate was a prominent gun control activist. Mary Lou Sapone was a freelance spy with an NRA connection. They are the same person. A Mother Jones investigation. — This is the story of two Marys.

Discussion: Brady Campaign Blog, MoJoBlog and Blue Girl, Red State

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Presidential Race Tightens to 4 Points — PRINCETON, NJ — After moving into a nine percentage point lead over John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily tracking of national registered voters this past weekend, Barack Obama now leads by just four points, 46% to 42%.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, American Spectator and www.redstate.com

1450 WILM NEWSRADIO IS DELAWARE'S NEWS NOW.:

Romney “Not Planning” On VP Nod — “I think there's some great people he could choose from and I expect he will do that. But I don't plan on being part of the ticket.” — Campaign 2008: Get the latest news, video, and polls! — AUDIO: Romney talks about VP rumors on 850 KOA's The Ride Home

Discussion: Obsidian Wings and Balloon Juice

Carol Marin / Chicago Sun Times:

Women voters aren't warming to ‘cool’ Obama — The Obama campaign has a woman problem. How big? How small? It's not clear, but in a close election, small can be big. — And Michelle Obama spoke to it Monday in Chicago. — Departing from her prepared remarks …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics and Booman Tribune

Frank James / The Swamp:

Pawlenty: Let's govern like Sam's Club — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a potential Republican vice presidential nominee, urged a conference of conservative state lawmakers today to look toward a Sam's Club approach to government by providing value at a low cost.

Discussion: TIME.com