Yet Another Lobbyist Leaves McCain’s Campaign

The McCain campaign has let go of yet another lobbyist who was in a top position. This time it was Senator McCain’s national finance co-chair, Thomas G. Loeffler. He runs the lobbying company The Loeffler Group which has lobbied for foreign governments and foreign corporations. Mr. Loeffler has said that he never discussed his clients with Sen. McCain despite the fact that Loeffler listed a meeting he had with Senator McCain and the Saudi ambassador as a meeting to “discuss US-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia relations.” This of course contradicts his false image as a man above old style Washington politics. Senator Obama responded to the firing Mr. Loeffler:

“One of the things we’ve said is if we’re going to change policies … that we were going to have to change how Washington works. We can’t have special interests dictating what’s happening there. It does appear that over the last several weeks John McCain keeps on having problems with his top advisers being lobbyists in some cases for foreign governments or other big interests that are doing business in Washington. That, I don’t think, represents the kind of change the American people are looking for.”

Senator McCain’s spokesman Tucker Bounds responded:

“Just a few years ago when Barack Obama was beginning his career in politics he was launching it at the home of William Ayers, an unrepentant domestic terrorist who his chief strategist said Senator Obama was certainly friendly with. If Barack Obama is going to make associations the issue, we look forward to the debate about Senator Obama’s associations and what they say about his judgment and readiness to be commander in chief.”

Of course, Tucker fails to mention that Ayers hadn’t committed an act of terrorism since Obama was 8, long before the two every met on the board of a charity. Simply more double talk coming from John “Straight-Talk” McCain.

Robert Byrd Endorses Barack Obama

Senator Robert C. Byrd has endorsed Barack Obama. Now, normally this wouldn’t seem all that impressive given that Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee and Byrd is a Democratic Senator. However, when one looks into Byrd’s past the endorsement is huge. You see, Senator Byrd is a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. He also opposed civil rights legislation. He has apologized many times for his time in the KKK(which he says he joined to fight communism) but it’s still huge that a Senator who once opposed integrating the military is able to see the potential for leadership within Barack Obama. Senator Byrd is also the longest serving Senator in history. The timing of the endorsement is interesting given that Senator Byrd represents West Virginia. His explanation for his endorsement was:

“I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history,”

Senator Clinton Forced To Point Out Her Own Relevency

In an appearance on an Oregon TV station Senator Clinton pointed out that Senator Obama still isn’t the nominee:

“You can declare yourself anything, but if you don’t have the votes, it doesn’t matter,”

Of course, throughout the primary process Senator Clinton has declared herself many things as well as attempted to declare that the rules of the process had changed so it rings hollow from her. She had declared that only the big states count, until Senator Obama won one. She had declared that only primaries count, until Senator Obama won one. She had declared that Texas and Ohio were all that mattered, until Senator Obama won more delegates than she did in Texas.

It’s also very reminiscent of her husband’s old statement that he was still relevant. Of course, when you have to point out that you are relevant, it proves you really aren’t and similarly, the fact that Senator Clinton has to point out that she’s still a viable candidate for the Democratic nomination, it shows she really isn’t. She’s going to keep winning states, but tomorrow night Senator Obama is likely going to win enough delegates that it would take an absolute miracle for Senator Clinton to win such as super delegates defecting from Obama.

Her statement also reveals that Senator Clinton is going to lean on the only metric she has: the popular vote. As shown by the fact that she specifically said it doesn’t matter “unless you have the votes.” Unfortunately for Senator Clinton, popular vote doesn’t decide who will be the Democratic nominee. Delegates do.