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First Read: The day in politics by NBC News for NBC News
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FIRST THOUGHTS.
*** Pivoting To The Economy: Yesterday, we were no longer talking about
"lipstick on a pig." Or whose TV ads are more misleading. Or even -- at least
compared with the last two weeks -- Sarah Palin. Instead, the focus was
squarely on the economy after Lehman Brothers went under, Bank of America had
to rescue Merrill Lynch, and giant insurer AIG is now in trouble. Obama appears
to benefit at least in the short term, since we're talking about the issues,
particularly one that traditionally favors Democrats. And, perception-wise,
McCain didn't help himself when he said the "fundamentals of our economy are
strong" -- words that Obama's campaign yesterday pounced on and McCain later
backtracked from. In fact, the Obama camp is up with a brand-new TV ad today
(airing in "key states") that whacks McCain for saying that. However, it's
worth pointing out that those words from McCain weren't new. By our count, he
has used that phrase at least 16 times between January 1 and June 5th of this
year. So why the outrage now? By the way, before yesterday, McCain had been
closing the gap on the economy in the polls. Will that movement continue? Is
this the time for Obama to unveil Bubba?
*** Is Two Better Than One? Well, it didn't last long. One day after stumping
solo in Florida -- and attracting smaller crowds in the process -- McCain joins
Palin on the campaign trail again, in the battleground of Ohio. But this comes
after a final solo stop today by McCain in Tampa, FL. As NBC/NJ's Matthew
Berger reported last week, the campaign says that McCain and Palin might appear
together more often than not for the remainder of the race. This unprecedented
joint campaigning certainly has its rewards (producing bigger crowds as well as
more excitement and enthusiasm from the base). But it also has its risks
(limiting the ground the ticket can cover and making McCain seem beholden to
Palin to produce big crowds for him). Then again, McCain isn't trying to win a
bigger battleground; the GOP ticket is trying to win just a handful of states:
Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, while assuming it
can hold Virginia and Florida. So if you believe the McCain battleground is
essentially a seven state strategy, then you can afford joint ticket
campaigning. Also, don't miss David Brooks' column, in which he says -- very
nicely -- that Palin doesn't seem ready to be VP. Brooks becomes the latest
member of the conservative intelligentsia (joining Frum, Krauthammer, Douthat,
and Will) who likes Palin but doesn't believe she's ready for primetime.
*** Troopergate News: Speaking of Palin, the Troopergate story in Alaska is
garnering more headlines today, especially after a McCain spokesman said that
Palin is unlikely to cooperate with investigators looking into the matter.
Also, the McCain campaign dumped a slew of emails last night to suggest that
ex-Public Safety head Walt Monegan was fired because of insubordination and not
because he refused to dismiss Palin's ex-brother-in-law. But it's not helpful
to Palin that Monegan is talking to reporters. Here's what Monegan told MSNBC's
Rachel Maddow about the news that Palin is unlikely to cooperate: "I'm
disappointed on two areas here. First off, because initially she said she was
going to cooperate like you mentioned. But the other part, probably more
fundamental, is that she campaigned and was all of Alaska's hope for an open
and transparent government. And now, it's thwarted." This is a nagging issue,
one that won't go away but without any major moment (like either Palin
testifying before the election). It strikes us as one that won't get major
attention because it does smack of petty small-town politics. Then again, the
investigation seems to undermine her reformer credentials.
First Read with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, every weekday on
MSNBC-TV at 9 a.m. ET.
For more: The latest edition of First Read is available now at
http://www.FirstRead.MSNBC.com !
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