ABC News
Political commentator for ABC News and founding partner of ViaNovo, an international-management and communications consulting firm; chief strategist for then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; chief campaign strategist for the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign
The Showdown in Simi Valley At the Ronald Reagan Library near Los Angeles last night, CNN moderators were determined to generate conflict. Eleven Republican candidates for president responded with almost three hours of political theater. The big question: could anybody lay a hand on front-runner Donald Trump? What's changed in a campaign that's still just getting started? We hear a range of opinions.
President Obama Goes It Alone In last night’s speech to the nation, President Obama announced executive action to protect up to five million undocumented workers from deportation. Saying that the Senate had passed “common sense” immigration reform, he faulted House Republican leaders for refusing to allow an up or down vote on the measure – and challenged them to pass new legislation. But, even though the GOP will control both houses of Congress, they’re focused on attacking the President’s action rather than unifying behind such legislation. This morning House Speaker John Boehner accused the President of “deliberately sabotage(ing) any chance of enacting bipartisan reforms he claims to see…and damaging the presidency itself." We hear about the legality of the executive order and what it could mean for the next two years of a lame duck in the White House.
Campaign Strategy and Science The Presidential election is close. Mitt Romney makes a speech; Barack Obama appears on a talk show, a super PAC saturates the airwaves with an ad... For the most part President Obama's advantage in swing states is within the pollsters' margins of errors. Conventional wisdom would have the candidates blanketing those states with ads, perhaps swinging by Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio for speeches and local media interviews. But there is work done quietly and away from the cameras, strategy having to do with statistics, and surveys and mailings that are often overlooked, but perhaps even more vital than the splashy mass-broadcast electioneering. Micro targeting number crunchers are experimenting with elections in fascinating ways. It’s this little noticed statistical detective work that is driving many of campaigns decisions and will be the key factor in actually convincing people to vote.
Campaign Strategy and Science The Presidential election is close. Mitt Romney makes a speech; Barack Obama appears on a talk show, a super PAC saturates the airwaves with an ad... For the most part President Obama's advantage in swing states is within the pollsters' margins of errors. Conventional wisdom would have the candidates blanketing those states with ads, perhaps swinging by Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio for speeches and local media interviews. But there is work done quietly and away from the cameras, strategy having to do with statistics, and surveys and mailings that are often overlooked, but perhaps even more vital than the splashy mass-broadcast electioneering. Micro targeting number crunchers are experimenting with elections in fascinating ways. It’s this little noticed statistical detective work that is driving many of campaigns decisions and will be the key factor in actually convincing people to vote.
Bain Capital Woes Overshadow Romney's Campaign Mitt Romney is campaigning as a successful businessman who could create jobs and improve America's economy from the White House. That's based on the fortune he made at Bain Capital. He says he left the firm in 1999 to go run the Summer Olympics in Utah, so he was not responsible for Bain Capital companies that went bankrupt or laid off workers after that. But the Boston Globe says documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show otherwise. We hear why fellow Republicans are urging transparency—for the sake of his presidential campaign.
Does Mitt Romney Have Something to Hide? Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is based on lifelong success as a businessman, but he'll only release the last two years of his tax returns. It's not clear if he's been candid about when he left Bain Capital , the company he founded and that made him a fortune. He says he left the firm in 1999 to go run the Summer Olympics in Utah, so he was not responsible for Bain Capital companies that went bankrupt or laid off workers after that. But the Boston Globe says documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show otherwise. Even Republicans are telling Romney to come clean and suffer consequences they say will be only temporary, while Democrats are having a field day. Why won't Romney be more transparent? Is it all about finance, political strategy or character?
Has the Convention Produced 'The Message?' The massive security presence outside the Pepsi Center just vanished overnight, as the Democrats have moved on to Invesco Field. That's the football stadium where Barack Obama will address the convention delegates tonight plus tens of thousands of people who bought tickets. Did Bill Clinton's fiery endorsement finally bring the party together? Did he and Joe Biden define the themes of Obama's campaign? What are the challenges facing the first African-American nominee of a major political party?
Obama: A Transcendent Figure or the Conventional Politician? Despite many months of campaigning and hours of TV exposure, Barack Obama remains a puzzle to millions of potential voters. Is he a high-minded idealist with the vision and the capacity to get America back on track, or another Machiavellian politician who just wants to win? We hear about core values, the flip-flop on public financing and fighting the unfounded rumors. Can he win over skeptics with his oratorical skills? Is he in need of a Big Idea?
Negative Campaigns Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and other founding fathers exchanged personal insults and publicized each others' extramarital affairs. Lyndon Johnson all but accused Barry Goldwater of wanting a nuclear war. So it's no surprise that President Bush and Senator Kerry are at it again even though neither is on any ballots this year. All over the country, candidates are accusing each other of idiocy, flip-flopping and corrupting the Boy Scouts. With the war in Iraq and control of the Congress at stake, we talk about the crucial role of negative campaigning in US elections.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.