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It's fascinating to see candidates dance the line between virtue and authenticity. They're good people, the pitch goes—but they're also people. Rudy Giuliani constantly reiterates that he is but human: "I'm not a perfect candidate," he told an audience in September. "I'm not a perfect person—you may have heard. But we need a candidate who can win in all 50 states." Barack Obama also tried to downplay expectations: "I don't pretend to be a perfect man," he said a few weeks ago. Mitt Romney has even been called "too perfect"—a charge he rebutted by debating with slightly mussed-up hair.
So Obama's decision to come out and talk about his past drug use—something he alluded to in his book, Dreams From My Father, but hasn't discussed on the campaign trail until now—shouldn't surprise anyone. "You know, I made some bad decisions that I've actually written about," he told a group of high schoolers in Manchester. "You know, got into drinking. I experimented with drugs. There was a whole stretch of time that I didn't really apply myself a lot. It wasn't until I got out of high school and went to college that I started realizing, 'Man, I wasted a lot of time.' "
One reason Obama can admit to doing drugs without paying a political price (so far, at least) is that he has staked his campaign on candor. He's the guy who tells car makers to cut emissions. The guy who promises Wall Street execs he'll raise their hikes. He leads the field of Democratic front-runners in "honesty and directness." But it's also possible because of who the rest of the candidates are. Is Obama's drug use really more offensive than Rudy Giuliani's serial bigamy? More than his willingness to defend corrupt officials? More than Bill Clinton's philandering? It's illegal, certainly, but most voters can probably relate to it more closely than they can to other candidates' (and their spouses') vices. And among young voters, to whom Obama is making particularly strong overtures, it's unlikely anyone will hold his past against him.
We've come a long way since "I didn't inhale."
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Barack Obama announced a new piece of his education plan yesterday that essentially makes community college free for most Americans. But he’s not the only presidential candidate proposing on-the-house schooling. Both Chris Dodd and John Edwards unveiled their own plans months ago. So, just in case you don’t feel like wading through post-Spellings education policy, here’s a quick primer on what each plan offers:
Obama (PDF): The centerpiece of his plan is a tax credit that pumps $4,000 into community college students’ wallets. The campaign claims that the credit, combined with financial aid, will make two-year colleges free for lower- and middle-class Americans. The policy would apply to all U.S. citizens in all states. The benefits do not extend to four-year students.
Dodd: He’s asking the states to meet him halfway to provide community college students a free ride. If he’s president, he’ll match any funding that a state assigns to helping students pay, which means if a state pays half of the tuition, so will he. But that raises some fairness issues. For example, if you’re living in Dodd’s native Connecticut and Gov. Jodi Rell doesn’t offer any funding—but Eliot Spitzer does next door in New York—you’re out of luck unless you move. Dodd’s plan doesn’t have similar benefits for four-year students, either.
Edwards: Borrowing from an initiative that he says worked well in North Carolina while he was one of the state’s senators, John Edwards wants to offer a free year of tuition, fees, and books for students enrolled in public colleges and universities, as long as they’re working 10 hours a week. Not too shabby for out-of-state students at a place like University of Michigan, where the price tag is north of 30 grand. Edwards’ plan wouldn’t offer that same $30,000 to students enrolled at a community college. They’ll receive funding for their tuition amounts, which averages $2,300. Private-university students are left out of Edwards’ plan.
Obama's plan is the surest thing for high-school grads thinking of going to a community college. While Dodd’s quasifederalist solution helps alleviate the costs on the federal government, it could create a nasty disparity as community colleges try to fix the socioeconomic divide. Edwards’ plan, meanwhile, is flawed by the difference in subsidy amounts. Obama’s is the fairest of them all.
Free education sounds great. But shouldn’t we be worried about the capacity of community colleges to handle added stress on their enrollments? Nearly 50 percent of America’s college students are enrolled in community colleges, and the schools continue to receive more and more students, thanks to higher costs at 4-year universities.
If everybody can go to school for free, there is a chance that such a large influx of students will decrease the quality of the education at these schools. That means the colleges will need more professors, more facilities, and more funding. Obama’s plan makes overtures to that effect, as may the other candidates’ once further details are released. Reformers, consider yourselves on notice.
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"Parsing" is an occasional series in which we dissect the candidates' words down to the nitpickiest detail. First up, Hillary's remarks today on Barack Obama's foreign-policy experience:
Hillary Clinton knows how to craft an insult. On the same day that she releases an ad deploring the "Republican Attack Machine," she goes after Barack Obama's claim that living overseas as a child gave him a unique understanding of foreign policy. Quoth Hillary: "Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next president will face. I think we need a president with more experience than that. ... I don't think this is the time for on the job training on our economy or on foreign policy."
Let's pick this apart, shall we?
Wording: "Now voters will judge ..." Effect: Reassures the audience that it's not Hillary doing the judging. It's the voters themselves. She's not attacking anyone; she's merely pointing out a set of facts that others can interpret as they wish.
Wording: "... living in a foreign country ..." Effect: Reminds listeners that Obama was not born and raised an American. Does that make him Muslim?
Wording: " ... at the age of 10 ..." Effect: Reminds you that Obama is still relatively young. Ties in with portrait of Obama as "naive" and "inexperienced." From Hillary's perspective, he might as well still be 10.
Wording: "... big, complex international challenges ..." Effect: Juxtaposed with "age of 10," suggests that Obama is a child in above his head. Doesn't go into detail about what those challenges are. You wouldn't understand, and neither would Obama.
Wording: "... on the job training ..." Effect: A favorite Hillary phrase. Similar to an attack Mitt Romney leveled at Hillary when he called her an "intern." Leverages Clinton's experience in the White House to paint Obama as a newbie.
Translation: Barack Obama is a stripling from another country who can barely dress himself, let along negotiate complex nuclear disarmament pacts. If he were president, they'd need to hire an official White House babysitter. Plus, he'd be so busy reading the Constitution for the first time (after having it translated), he wouldn't know how to protect it.
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The celebrity endorsements—they just don't stop. Today, former WWF (now WWE) champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair endorsed Mike Huckabee, offering these thoughts: "His authentic conservative qualifications and level of executive leadership experience are unmatched by his opponents. And like I always say, to be the man, you've got to beat the man and Mike Huckabee is the man. Whoooooooo!" Between Norris' roundhouse kick and Flair's shin-breaker/Figure Four leglock combo, Huckabee's opponents might as well tap out now.
In other celebrity endorsement news: Hustler CEO and First Amendment advocate Larry Flynt held a fund-raiser for Dennis Kucinich at his company's Los Angeles headquarters on Friday. "I support Dennis Kucinich because not only have I been a friend of his for 40 years, but I believe he offers an essential, viable and exciting option to the candidates that are more popular at the moment," Flynt told the adult site XBiz.com.
Kucinich spokeman Andy Juniewicz was cagey when asked about Flynt’s involvement in the campaign. “Larry Flynt and Dennis have been friends for more than 30 years, and he has contributed to campaigns in the past,” he told me, adding: “He was one of the key organizers in the most recent fund-raiser, one of a list of hosts” that included Woody Harrelson, Ed Norton, Sean and Robin Wright Penn, and others. Juniewicz pointed out that Flynt gives lots of money to lots of Democrats, including a $1,000 donation to Hillary Clinton in 2005. (Clinton rejected the money.)
So, I asked, does this mean Larry Flynt will be taking on a larger role in the campaign, a la Chuck Norris? “It was an event,” Juniewicz said. So he won’t be part of the campaign and appearing at other events from here on out? “You are correct.”
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Barack Obama's campaign has leaked a new television spot that is set to air in South Carolina, according to Ben Smith. Listen closely, and you'll hear the same background music from his black radio ad in S.C. earlier this month.
Is Obama's campaign hinting that the muzak union is backing him?
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One problem with always talking like you're in a rocking chair is that you tend to mumble, or trail off at the end of sentences. Fred Thompson has a tendency to do this. But sometimes it's not his fault. Just watch his latest ad and the short postscript tacked on at the end. Here's what he sounds like:
Thanks for watching my message. You can make sure that a lot of other folks see it, too, by making a contribution to my campaign. I’d sure apreshumoshmmhm.
You know what they say about a crumbling campaign: It always starts with the sound technicians.
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With many of the big-name donors tapped out, campaigns have turned to the Internet to try and wrangle up new funding in the fourth quarter. And what's a fund-raising campaign without a few gimmicks? A roundup of some recent offerings:
John Edwards: If your mother's stuffing recipe isn't good enough, then try the Edwards family's. Taking a page out of Ann Romney's book, the Edwards campaign offers recipes as a reward for making a donation to the campaign. Dishes include: macaroni and cheese casserole and sweet potatoes with apples. Unclear if milquetoast is on the menu.
Mike Huckabee: Million-Dollar Homepage, meet Mike Huckabee. Huckabee launched his "Discover Huckabee" campaign on Nov. 5 to try to boost his fund-raising numbers this month. The more money Huckabee supporters give, the more tiles are revealed to show a photo collage of Huckabee's life. Along with learning more about Huck's life, supporters are treated to little tchotchkes like Huckabee buddy icons, blogger badges, and videos. No word on whether a digital Chuck Norris bobblehead doll will be the grand prize.
Barack Obama: Obama's campaign wants its supporters to put Obama back on the trail in Iowa rather than have to trot around meeting with funders all over the country. The fundraising drive is simple: Raise 850 grand in a week, and they'll cancel a terrestrial fund-raisier so Obama can spend the day in Iowa. For some context: Mike Huckabee wants to raise about $2 million in a month, while Obama wants $850,000 in a week.
Mitt Romney: Mitt Romney hopes you're willing to sell your junk for his benefit. The campaign has partnered with auctionPAL, an eBay knockoff, to offer "Mitt Market," which is basically a forum for Romney supporters to clear out their garages. auctionPAL sells your items for you on eBay and takes a cut of the earnings. Then you can elect to send the rest of the proceeds toward the Romney campaign, which will be happy to profit off of that eight-track player your spouse made you get rid of.
Have ideas of what kind of fundraising drives the gimmick-less candidates should be holding? Visit our suggestion box.