DNC Chairman Howard Dean says that although Obama has been accused of killing campaign finance reform, his ability to solicit small donations directly from people took power away from special interest groups, which was the original intention of campaign finance reform (0:44).
RNC chairman Robert Duncan says that based Obama’s support for offshore drilling, merit pay for teachers, and a tax cut for 95% of Americans, Obama ran the most successful moderate Republican campaign since Dwight Eisenhower (0:37)
Although RNC chairman Robert Duncan described his attitude about the previous night’s election results as hurting too much to laugh but being too big to cry, he nevertheless made an effort to find the bright side in Obama’s landslide victory.
“While it was a difficult night for Republican candidates, it was a historic night for the republican party. The election of America’s first black President… has realized the vision of a color-blind society that first inspired the Republican party,” Duncan said during a National Press Club discussion with DNC Chairman Howard Dean that touched on the United States’ current political trajectory, the preceding election season and campaign finance reform.
Duncan dismissed the notion of a mandate for the democratic party, and pointed to Obama’s support for offshore drilling, merit pay for teachers, a tax cut for 95% of Americans.
“Put simply, Barack Obama just ran the most successful moderate Republican campaign since Dwight Eisenhower”.
Duncan described the political situation that Obama will be facing as president, saying that Obama will be heading a center-left party but presiding over a population that is still center-right on most issues. Duncan raised the specter of Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan, warning that an attempt to move the agenda to the left would result in a Republican victory in the mid-term elections.
Dean disagreed with Duncan’s assertion that the country is right leaning and said that Obama’s victory meant that there was a mandate.
“I don’t think this is a center-right country…we did a lot of polling when I first became Chairman. It turns out that most people in Nebraska, not exactly known for being a very liberal state, actually agreed with democratic positions more than they agreed with Republican positions if you put them in the words of each party.”
Both chairmen discussed campaign spending, with Duncan claiming that the only transformational aspect of the Obama campaign was the way it will affect the financing of future presidential campaigns.
“Presidential campaign financing as we know it died last night. No major candidate will ever submit to public funding restrictions,” said Duncan.
” Less than two election cycles ago since the passage of campaign finance reform, the system has failed…the result is a campaign finance system far less transparent, less accountable, and more vulnerable for corruption.”
Dean countered that the Obama campaign’s ability to raise small donations was a form of campaign finance reform in its own right.
“I think the president-elect ought to get credit for the inspiration that he gave to the American people who were willing to give 5 and 10 at a time averaging 86 dollars per donation. That is campaign finance reform. That is putting politics back in the hands’ of individuals and taking it out of special interests’ hands.”
Duncan brought up the future of the Republican party, describing how the RNC was poised to make an effort to better address their voters concerns. Duncan said that one way this this will be done is through an online forum titled Republican for a Reason.
Former Navy Secretary John Lehman discussed national security concerns that have been raised over the possibility of a terrorist attack during the upcoming presidential transition, and pressed that John McCain would be better prepared to address the threat than Barack Obama.
Speaking in a McCain campaign conference call with former Rep. Scot McInnis (R-Colo.), Lehman, who was recently assigned to oversee a McCain transition, highlighted the Republican candidate’s national security experience.
“McCain, as you know, was one of the authors and the key senate sponsor, along with Joe Lieberman, of the 9/11 Commission, and he was the sponsor along with Joe of the legislation to get some 85% of our recommendations through.”
Lehman said that although McCain is prepared for a quick transition, he has not yet decided who will serve on his staff.
“No names, no people have been selected. John is not going to address that until the election and he will be right on it the minute after, but he is not taking anything for granted.”
However, Lehman stressed that this does not mean there will be a dangerous prolonged absence of staff in the event of a McCain transition.
“The five Republican Secretaries of State, with one exception, have all endorsed and talk regularly with John McCain and he’s known for twenty some years in Congress who the people are who know what they’re talking about, so he’s in touch with all the time with a broad range of people that are going to be included in his administration, but he will not be presumptuous and try to match people to slots.”
Lehman added,
“But I know from discussions with him without naming names, that he has a lot of this in his head and it will happen very quickly after he is elected.”
Former Navy Secretary John Lehman and former Rep. Scot McInnis (R-Colo.) held a teleconference to discuss Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s appearance in Colorado (16:55).
The Democratic National Committee held a conference that discussed the Republican hypocrisy of voter registration. In light of the arrest of Mark Jacoby, whose company Young Political Majors, has been accused of tricking residents of California into registering Republican, Jacoby has ties with the California Republican party and the Republican National Committee.
California Democratic Party chairman, Art Torres, said that the Democratic party does not tolerate voter fraud. Torres went on to say that “The RNC needs to immediately eliminate their ties with the committees that have been accused of voter fraud, and unfortunately, instead of doing so they have accused the Democrats of starting it.”
DNC General Counsel, Joe Sandler, brought up the issue that the RNC yells voter fraud against the Democrats, but when a Republican official is asked to list incidents of voter fraud, they are unable to do so. Sandler also criticized Republicans saying “The RNC needs to stop accusing the Democrats of voter fraud when most, if not all of the cases are on their side.”
With 14 days left until voting day, Sandler believes that this is not the last time the public will hear about voter fraud. “This is all the RNC has left, to yell voter fraud and blame it on the Democrats,” Sandler said at the end of the conference.
On Thrusday, September 5, police and protesters faced off:
NOTE: The figure of 7k protesters came from two different bicycle police. Considering varying reports post-protest and post-RNC, I doubt the number of protesters was that high.
- DHP
More pictures from this event can be found on the TRNS Flickr page.
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) says that the Republicans demand that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) allow the US Congress to have a vote on comprehensive energy reform when they get back in session. He says the energy problem is not a Republican or Democrat issue, but an American issue (:29).
Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr gives an interview on Radio Row at the 2008 Republican National Convention (8:50).
Karl Rove gives an interview on Radio Row at the 2008 Republican National Convention (5:30).
