ANALYSIS: Bailout Failure Reflects Voters’ Perception ·
Only two of the 205 House members who voted for the bailout bill face difficult re-election races this fall. Those who opposed it did so because their constituents disapprove of it, not for partisan reasons. (Washington Post)
September 29, 2008
National Elections
Obama Would Review Bailout ·
Sen. Barack Obama said, if elected president, he would review the bailout legislation to make sure it "lives up to the principles" he has laid out. (Politico)
FBI Searches Tennessee Apartment In Palin Hacking Case ·
The FBI searched the apartment of a University of Tennessee student, who is the son of a Democratic state legislator, looking for evidence to link him to the hacking of Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin's email. (Washington Post)
Campaigns Expand Economic Teams ·
Clinton White House economist Laura Tyson joined Obama's economic emergency team along with the usual heavyweights that include former Treasury secretaries and former Federal Reserve chairman. Stanford University economist John B. Taylor was invited to the McCain camp along with Phil Gramm, former Senate Banking Committee chairman. (Washington Post)
Obama Outlines Six-Point Financial Reform Plan ·
Sen. Barack Obama proposed a six-point financial reform plan, which includes provisions for government oversight of financial institutions and establishment of a standing financial market advisory group to identify systemic risks in the future. (CNN)
Obama Pulls Staff From North Dakota ·
Obama campaign transferred 50 staffers from its North Dakota offices to Minnesota and Wisconsin, after hoping to be the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1964. Earlier this month, he moved his Georgia team to North Carolina. (National Review, Atlanta Journal Constitution, LA Times)
McCain’s Campaign Manager Fought Regulation As Fannie-Freddie Lobbyist ·
Sen. John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, was paid more than $30,000 a month for five years as the president of Homeownership Alliance, an advocacy group set up by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations. (NYT, Politico)
OPINION: McCain and Obama Tiptoe Around Bailout ·
Presidential candidates stuck to their party-appropriate rhetoric and waited for the public's reaction, while they could have both suspended their campaigns and gone to Washington to lead their party's legislative response to the rescue plan, writes the online newspaper, Politico.
McCain Blasts Obama On Economy ·
Sen. John McCain criticized Sen. Barack Obama for his measured response to the financial crisis and said his rival lacked the leadership to head an economic emergency. (Baltimore Sun)
Poll: Crisis Won’t Affect Voters’ Decision ·
Majority of registered voters (43%) said the Wall Street meltdown and resulting market crisis will not affect their choices when they go to polls in November, a USA Today/Gallup poll found. (USA Today)
Obama Aired More Negative Ads Than Rival ·
In the week after the conventions, when Sen. Barack Obama went on the attack, 77% of his commercials were negative, compared with 56% of Sen. John McCain's ads, a study by the Wisconsin Advertising Project found. Both campaigns have concentrated resources by airing their commercials in traditional battleground states. (Washington Post)
Employers Prefer Obama’s Healthcare Plan ·
Although benefit officers aren't wild about either candidates' health-care plan, fewer (46%) dislike Sen. Obama's proposal to force all employers to offer health insurance, compared to 74% who dislike Sen. John McCain's plan to repeal tax exemption for employer-based health coverage, a survey found. (Businessweek)
Republican Congressman Endorses Obama ·
Rep. Wayne Gilchrist (R-MD) endorsed Democrat Sen. Barack Obama for president, saying "we can't use four more years of the same kind of policy." (Politico)
Outside Groups Air Ads On Abortion ·
Pro-life and pro-choice groups are paying for ads on abortion to be aired in key battleground states, aiming them at undecided women and Catholic voters. The presidential election could result in changes to U.S. abortion laws. (WSJ)
Poll: Economy Top Concern, Lukewarm Support For Candidates ·
Eighty percent of the voters rate economy as a top issue, a New York Times/CBS News poll found. In the same poll, 60% said they were somewhat confident about Sen. Obama's to make right decisions about the economy while 40% said they were not. With Sen. McCain, 53% were confident and 47% were not. (New York Times)