Johnny Mac Loves His Bloggers

Team McCain has its 1,349 blogger conference call tomorrow.

Noted: That's not an exact number, but it sure feels like it. Love McCain or hate him, his campaign is about as full access as you can get at the Presidential level.

The purpose of the blogger call, hosted by Team McCain's Steve Schmidt and Jill 'Nails Hazelbaker, is to discuss McCain's upcoming biography tour.

And our hard hitting question is all ready to go - "We believe that Senator McCain is a 'Genuine American Hero', do you disagree?"

And we're not taking "no comment" for an answer.

McCain On Blogger Call Today: "At The End Of The Day I Will Veto Any Bill With Earmarks"

It's an oldie but a goodie quote. And McCain is dead serious.

Love it!

Johnny Mac also thanked the bloggers on the call for continuing to listen to him "for a couple of months when no one else would".

And the presumptive Republican nominee then pledged (as he has in the past) to continue his blogger calls if elected President.

Welcome to a brave new world.

McCain - Non-Fossil Fuel Power To The People!

We just got off the McCain blogger conference call.

Our question to the Senator was not about Iraq, the '08 horserace or the state of McCain's campaign.

Instead, we decided to ask the Senator a energy/global warming question (take note Carbon Coalition).

GMP1: Senator, Hillary Clinton is in New Hampshire today participating in a discussion on global warming. You have been a leader on this issue, particularly within the Republican Party. Can we expect to hear you talk more about energy and the need to move away from fossil fuels? And don't you think it's foolish that the GOP seems to be ceding this very important issue to the Democrats?

JSM (in a nutshell): "Yes" and "Yes".

Here is the speech McCain gave on Energy Policy back in April.

Now a question for all you budding GOP hacks who read this blog: What don't you "like" about the global warming issue?

We know, we know, your party's political bosses think that global warming is a "little girls" issue.

How did your party's political bosses do in 2006 again? How's 2008 shaping up?

Global warming is a great issue for the GOP. And the Democrats don't own it. Yet.

You please the "far right" with talk of strengthening national security by cutting off oil revenue to people like Hugo Chavez and Putin.

You please the "sorta right" with talk of free market alternative energy development and job creation.

And you please the "independents" with talk of tackling global warming.

Everybody wins. Especially with micro-targeting.

Remember, it's 2007. Not 1907.

So tell Dick "Crazy-Eyed" Cheney and his merry band of morons at the NRSC/NRCC/RNC to shut-up.

Unless you want the GOP to be out of power in the House, Senate and White House in 2008.

We're just saying.

Live Blogging The Huckabee Blogger Conference Call

Actually, we're just kidding about the "live blogging" part.

We believe "live blogging" is just about the stupidest way to report anything - "Candidate X is walking over to us... Candidate X is continuing to come this way... Candidate X is holding out his hand towards us... Candidate X... Ah... Candidate X walked right past us and shook the hand of the guy standing next to us... Ah..."

Get it?

Now, how well do you think "live blogging" works when it comes to disseminating complicated ideas from a dynamic environment full of competing ideas?

Exactly.

Take a breath Bloggers. Now take another one. You do your readers justice that way.

(Crib Note: Sometimes we think a majority part of the Gang of 500 "live blogged" their way through the run-up to the Iraq War. But that's another story for another day).

But back to the Governor Huckabee and his conference call with Bloggers that we just finished up (but no "live blogging").

On the call the former Southern Fat Boy sure didn't sound like a candidate who is mired in the 2nd tier (money and polling). He was articulate, upbeat and cheerful. As usual.

And why shouldn't he be? There are 4 solid months till the Ames Straw Poll. Huck's got sterling conservative credentials (a former Baptist Minister and, to take just one tiny example from his days as Arkansas Governor, was the first Governor in the history of the United States to put a Home School parent on the Arkansas state school board).

Sterling. Conservative. Credentials.

Crib Note: We're not even going to dignify the Club For Growth, an organization that helped bring us this, attacking Huckabee's decision to LISTEN to 80% of the Arkansas electorate and (modestly) raise gas taxes to improve the state's infrastructure.

Dividend paying infrastructure ain't free. Besides, we'll take 80% of a state's electorate telling us what THEY want THEIR Governor to do with THEIR tax dollars over some inside-the-beltway organization who (really truly, truly really) believes we can grow ourselves out of this.

Sure we can boys. We'll see you at the bar at The Palm.

And yes, we do like Huckabee. A lot. Its hard not to. Next to John McCain, we feel that Mike Huckabee is probably the most authentic candidate currently in the 2008 race.

But what does that mean?

Authenticity might go a long way with us but it's not worth a bucket of warm spit if it's not backed up with a campaign organization that can get things done on the ground.

In Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to start.

We can speak to Huck's New Hampshire organization - it seems like its coming together nicely. Everything we've heard while dining (drinking) our way from one end of the Elm Street information pipeline to the other makes it sound as though Debra Vanderbeek is getting Huckabee's soldiers lined up.

Authenticity backed up by field soldiers is a good thing to have for New Hampshire campaigns. And, we look forward to getting an up-close look when Huckabee comes back to the Granite State next week.

But Governor Huck also used the Blogger conference call to let everyone know that he's getting it done (organizationally) in Iowa as well.

Which is why Huck's Iowa campaign organizer, Bob Vander Plaats, was on the conference call to discuss their Iowa operation.

We don't know a darn thing about Iowa. Not. One. Darn. Thing.

But Vander Plaats did say that Team Huckabee has a 99 County grassroots organization based on "life, marriage and the 2nd Amendment" up and running. That sounds good.

Vander Plaats also told we Bloggers that Huckabee's reputation in Iowa is that of "the Main Street Candidate" (as opposed to the Wall Street or K Street candidate). That sounds good to.

Finally, Vander Plaats told us that it was his firm belief that Huckabee would do "extremely well" in the August 11 straw poll. That sounds great (if it's true). And, Huck needs to OWN that straw poll.

Like we said earlier, our opinion of Mike Huckabee isn't worth a bucket of spit - unless he's got the campaign organization to back it up. Time will tell.

In the meantime, Vanderbeek and Vander Plaats might want to talk to the (former?) supporters of this candidate.



We're just saying.