Return of EDC! Obama & Campaign Have Case of the Sniffles, Ron Paul Returns, and Veepstakes 08 Gets Closer to Its Finale! 76 Days to Go!

Welcome back, everyone. I've got a couple hours here in the library, so I figured I could bang out an entry to tide us over for a few days.

--> Apparently, the sunny Hawaii weather did not do Senator Obama much good. He's got a "minor head cold," and although this hasn't impeded his campaigning at all, it does create a perfect metaphor for the current state of his campaign.

--> According to the dozens of state and national polls that have been released over the past few days, Obama is slipping. National polls that once showed him with a 7-8% advantage now demonstrate a 2-3% margin. Some even show McCain pulling even or slightly ahead. This is likely due to the unending barrage of attacks launched against Obama by the RNC and the McCain campaign - a line of attacks (questioning his readiness, his patriotism, his judgment, etc.) that have gone largely unanswered.

Obama pledged to not fight the dirty, partisan battles that presidential campaigns inevitably fall into, and to his credit he has tried to take the high road up until this point, making little mention of McCain, and hardly ever attacking him on the stump.

--> Well, my friends, those days are officially over. Obama has finally gotten the message from his fellow Democrats - the stakes are too high, and the Republicans are too good at this game for you to take their punches. Kerry had a similarly large lead in July, 2004, but when the Swift Boat attacks started flying, he didn't fight back. Obama cannot make that same mistake. He's begun airing attack ads in the key swing states, hitting McCain for being out-of-touch with the economic concerns of ordinary Americans. At Pastor Rick Warren's megachurch forum with the two candidates on Saturday, McCain said that he thought $5 million was a good definition of being rich (compared to Obama who cited making more than $250,000 as being well off). Democrats have been ridiculing him for that comment ever since. As Senator Obama pointed out, "I guess if you're making $3 million a year, you're middle class." Meanwhile, McCain's campaign insists he was kidding. I'm not sure why McCain would insert a joke into his line of otherwise completely serious answers while discussing major policy decisions with an extremely influential evangelical leader, but I'll leave that for him to decide. Probably just another example of McCain's sense of humor.

This is going to be an effective line of attack for Democrats this year, and one that is completely justified. McCain and the GOP have had the audacity to attack Obama for being "elitist," while McCain is the one with $520 shoes, half a dozen houses, etc. Obama was raised by a single mother in Chicago, and was only able to pay off his and Michelle's student loans through the sales of his first book.

This is also not a distraction issue. McCain clearly doesn't understand what it takes to survive in this country as a middle class American. The next President's handling of the economy will be critical to the future of our nation, and McCain has no conception of how that economy works.

--> In further complicated presidential election news, the fate of Virginia's critical 13 electoral votes just got a whole lot stranger with the news that John McCain and Barack Obama may be joined on the ballot by a third-party ticket of Mike Bloomberg and Ron Paul. The most obvious concern about this possibility is that Bloomberg nor Paul were aware of this effort, waged by the Independent Green Party of Virginia, who gained 70,000 petition signatures to get Bloomberg/Paul on the presidential ballot; apparently this group is serious about their slogan of "more candidates, less apathy." Bloomberg himself may allow his name to remain on the ballot, although no one can quite figure out why.

--> Meanwhile, Cindy McCain is making news again with her odd way of expressing her "family" values. Several months ago, the campaign took heat for releasing her "McCain Family Recipes," including several recipes taken verbatim from the Food Network. I had no problem with that, because although Passion Fruit Mousse is a pillar of our democracy, we are all God's children, so aren't we all, in a way, family? And wouldn't that make all our recipes, in a way, family recipes?

Well, apparently there are certain members of Cindy McCain's actual family that she'd prefer not to associate with. More specifically, her half-sister Kathleen Hensley Portalski, who apparently isn't worthy of the Cindy McCain family legacy, as Cindy has repeatedly referred to herself as an only child. Cindy grew up with her dad, and received his entire fortune, save for $10,000 to Portalski, when he passed away.

Stay tuned for more random family member intrigue in a later post, as I explore the bizarre situations of some of Obama's family living overseas.

--> With the Democratic Convention drawing ever closer, Denver has a lot to do to prepare itself. There's balloons to order, holding cells/detention camps to construct, and (apparently) homeless people to shave. That's right - apparently Sly's Salon offered free haircuts to the homeless on Monday, in an attempt to get them cleaned up and looking their best for the upcoming convention, to make them feel like part of the community. This is certainly a noble endeavor (albeit a bit odd-ball), so I don't feel like making too much fun of it. All I have to say is Harrison, you may have missed that giveaway on Monday, but I'm sure there will be another such event coming up. Keep your eyes peeled. Can't have you looking like too much of a hippy for Obama.

Veepstakes 08 - Revenge of the Never-Ending Stream of Idle Gossip and Baseless Rumors

--> With announcement dates fast approaching (Obama probably tomorrow or Friday, McCain the Sunday after the DNC), I'll give you a brief rundown on the latest trends of the competition to be the next jobless-wonder-in-chief.

--> Over the past few weeks, McCain and his campaign have been mulling the possibility of picking a pro-choice running mate - notably either Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) or former Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA). Rush Limbaugh was quick to note that either of these picks would "ensure McCain's defeat." While either of these picks (especially the Jewish one) would signal to the country that McCain still has a bit of a maverick streak, they would probably alienate much of the Christian right and lose McCain the support that he needs to win in states like Ohio. Thus, it's more likely that these two possibilities are being floated as ways to help smooth over the eventual pick. If McCain picks Romney, the most conventional choice, some conservatives might complain about him (his Mormonism, his flip-flopping, his robotishness, etc.). But McCain would be able to counter this criticism by pointing out that they should be grateful that it wasn't Lieberman. John Heilemann at New York Magazine agrees.

--> Speaking of the former Democrat, Lieberman has been pegged to speak at the RNC in two weeks. Although some of us might hope for a Zell Miller-like tirade against the Democratic nominee, fluffy bunnies, and anything else within firing range, it isn't likely from the candidate who made Al Gore look like a powder keg of excitement. What is more likely to result from this speech is Lieberman being booted from the Democratic caucus. That will put us down one seat, but not to worry - we'll gain enough back in November to make up for it. Lieberman is indeed being vetted as a running mate, but ultimately I don't think McCain has the guts for such a game-changing decision, especially as he's minimized Obama's lead over the past couple of weeks.

--> On the Democratic side, it seems to have come down to Biden, Bayh, and Kaine (of course, this is pure speculation on the part of reporters - the only people who really know are Obama and his inner circle of 3-5 advisers...and perhaps the candidates themselves). Biden brings the foreign policy guns and a wealth of experience as well as his penchant for being an effective, eager attack dog. Bayh brings a centrist, fiscally conservative spin on the ticket (also maybe Indiana), which might reassure Wall Street types. Kaine brings a song in his heart, a history of missionary work, and a mediocre legislative record as governor of Virginia.

Biden's big downside is the same as his strenght - his experience. Although it would be terrific to have that background in the White House to help advise President Obama, his lengthy resume draws attention to the brevity of Obama's. McCain would never have to attack Biden, and how could he? Biden has as much as experience as he does, better foreign policy experience, and agreed with McCain's judgment when he initially voted for the Iraq War. McCain would just have to praise Biden for his outstanding qualifications, and then say, "Joe Biden is ready to be President. But is Barack Obama?" Hey, McCain could even just run this old campaign ad by presidential candidate Biden in 1988 (see above link): "The White House isn't the place to learn how to deal with international crisis, the balance of power, war and peace, and the economic future of the next generation. A President has got to know the territory, but that's not enough." Biden makes the race about experience again, and that's the race Obama loses.

Of course, Kaine's lack of experience does the same exact thing, especially if McCain picks someone with a solid background of service like Tom Ridge (governor, Secretary of Homeland Security).

Ultimately, Bayh might be the best pick. He certainly is qualified (Governor and Senator in a red state with positive results), knows foreign policy (member of the Armed Services committee), and he's good on the stump. Plus he's a former staunch Clinton supporter, which might make the PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) crowd a little less angry.

This is all just speculation, though. We'll know for sure when our text message ringtones go off early on Friday morning...or earlier...or later.

That's all for now. See you all later.

Update (3:11): On a much more somber note, EDC asks that we all take a moment to pray for Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH), who lies in critical condition in a Cleveland hospital. She is one of the most powerful liberal voices in Washington, and we pray for a speedy recovery.