With all the back and forth between Barack and Hillary, is John Edwards in a perfect position to capture Iowa? I think yes. Here’s why… Because voters like him… JOHNSTON, Iowa (CNN) — In interviews conducted immediately after Thursday’s Des Moines Register debate, most of the 23 undecided Democratic voters surveyed said they thought former [...]

I don’t usually post about spin doctors, but this is different. You see, a certain Arkansas governor succeeded in ’92 because he had a very skilled campaign guru by the name of James Carville on his side. Obviously it wasn’t the only reason, but it was a big one. And now another Arkansas governor has [...]

Looks like NJ Dems were able to push it through using a fiscal responsibility argument. From the WaPo: NEW YORK, Dec. 13 — New Jersey lawmakers on Thursday became the first in the nation to abolish the death penalty since the Supreme Court restored it in 1976. Opponents of capital punishment hope the state’s action [...]

First, why Ron Paul’s loss? Because if he doesn’t go 3rd party, somebody will. A perfect storm for a 3rd party candidate is on the radar and all signs point to it turning into a category 5. Especially if the nominees are Giuliani (or Romney) and Clinton. So how could Bloomberg benefit? Well, since Paul [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net] 2:00: And we’re here. First question about balancing the budget. Richardson shockingly talks about being a governor. Biden blames bad Republican priorities. Dodd talks about how everything is complicated and there needs to [...]

Folks, it was part of her strategy. Seriously. And that has a lot of people wondering if her lead campaign strategist, Mark Penn, should be put out to pasture. From NewsDay: “There are two people who have come up with this strategy — one Hillary Clinton and one Mark Penn,” said a top Clinton ally, [...]

So far we’ve raised $80! Big thanks to everybody who has donated to date. However, the aim is $3,000 so we’re really quite far from our goal. Maybe my aim was too lofty, but I imagined that we’d get at least 60 donations the first couple days, not 6. :-) In any event, remember that [...]

I like Ron Paul. I think he’s consistent, honest and has a very “American” message. When I talk about him here I rarely miss an opportunity to share my opinion about his 3rd party viability. Needless to say, I think it’s pretty damn good. However, many of his supporters loathe that I share this view [...]

Is Mike Huckabee a likable guy? Yep. Does he know what he’s talking about? Ehh… From Washington Monthly: Economic policy? How about a 30% sales tax? Foreign policy? He likes Tom Friedman and Frank Gaffney, two pop commentators with almost nothing in common. Energy policy? Let’s eliminate oil imports by 2017. Immigration policy? Ship everyone [...]

Okay folks, if you didn’t know it by now, Obama has done drugs. It’s not even an open secret. He talked about his past drug use in his books. He also isn’t afraid to talk about it when somebody asks on the campaign trail. I think that shows he can display the type of candor [...]

I was introduced to a new video blog today, MeetThePrez.net. It’s put together by John Tomlin, a college student who’s criss-crossing the country (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina) and making videos about the candidates, media coverage and more. Needless to say, John’s coverage is actually pretty good. Also, he was in the room when that [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net] The Des Moines Register is having a Republican debate in Iowa today beginning at 2pm eastern. It is being aired on Iowa Public Television, as well as Fox News and CNN. 2:oo: Yup, [...]

Looks like Clinton is taking Obama seriously enough to have a back up plan after Iowa. From the WaPo: MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Rodham Clinton’s backup plan if she falters in Iowa can be summed up in two words: New Hampshire. Clinton’s Democratic team is preparing television ads here criticizing Barack Obama’s health care plan [...]

That’s the scoop from E&P: NEW YORK A new Gallup Poll finds that better than one in six Americans, including similar numbers of Republicans and Democrats, indicate they would not support their party’s nominee for president if that person were a Mormon. The poll was conducted from Dec. 6 to 9, immediately following the major [...]

Hi all, As many of you may have guessed by the title, I’m putting on a fundraiser that’s about making your experience here richer. See, I feel that we’re a community here at Donklephant and as such we have to work together to help make it grow. That’s why all the money donated will be [...]

“Whoever imagined that you would hear from the United States and from Britain the same arguments for detention without trial that were used by the apartheid government.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the gravity of our policies

The program NOW is airing it on December 14th at 8:30 p.m EST… NOW talks to Congressman Ron Paul and his supporters across the country about Paul’s surprisingly popular run for the Republican nomination, led in large part by people acting on their own without help from Ron Paul or his campaign. For a preview, [...]

A reader writes: I’ve been a big L Libertarian for close to 30 years. I registered Republican to support Ron Paul. Every time I hear Libertarians quibbling about minutia over Ron Paul, I can’t help but think of an exchange from Monty Python’s Life of Brian movie (I know, I know, quoting this movie automatically [...]

Craig Crawford muses: Oprah Winfrey claimed to be nervous about her first public foray into presidential politics, but it didn’t show. Indeed, she delivers a better campaign speech than actual candidates — so much so that you have to wonder whether she might run herself some day. [...] Regardless of the immeasurable effect on Obama’s [...]

Hillary and Barack are neck and neck, with Edwards pulling in the rear. From msnbc: With just slightly more than three weeks until the first nominating contest, three new MSNBC/McClatchy/Mason-Dixon polls show that the Democratic contest isn’t just a dead heat in Iowa — it’s also tied in New Hampshire and South Carolina. In Iowa, [...]