Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
McCain Manager: ‘This Election is Not About Issues’ — Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain's presidential bid, insisted that the presidential race will be decided more over personalities than issues during an interview with Post editors this morning. — “This election is not about issues,” said Davis.
RELATED:
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms — ST. PAUL — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.
National Enquirer:
PALIN WAR: TEEN PREGO CRISIS — Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin attempted to quietly have her daughter Bristol get married before news of her pregnancy leaked out, the NATIONAL ENQUIRER is reporting exclusively in its new issue. — Palin planned for the wedding …
Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama Hits 50% for First Time — Leads McCain by eight percentage points, 50% to 42% — PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, finds Barack Obama leading the race for president with his highest share of support to date.
The Huffington Post:
Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview — Three months before she was thrust into the national political spotlight, Gov. Sarah Palin was asked to handle a much smaller task: addressing the graduating class of commission students at her one-time church, Wasilla Assembly of God.
Discussion:
Mudflats, MSNBC, Hot Air, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Moue Magazine, Needlenose, Macsmind, Taylor Marsh, Gristmill and The Swamp
Joshua Green / The Atlantic Online:
The “Eagleton Scenario” — Barring a dramatic reversal, Sarah Palin will formally become the Republican vice presidential nominee Wednesday night. Since Friday, when the pick was announced, news surrounding Palin has been almost uniformly negative: the initial focus on her lack …
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Jewish voters may be wary of Palin — ST. PAUL, Minn. — Barack Obama has struggled for 18 months to lock down the support of a traditionally Democratic group, Jewish voters. — In the past week, John McCain may have helped Obama with his Jewish problem by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs, The Daily Dish, Jack & Jill Politics, Democrats.com, JTA Election Central, MyDD and Slog
Kate Klonick / TPMMuckraker:
Todd Palin Was Registered Member of Alaska Independence Party Until 2002 — The McCain camp today disputed rumors that presumptive vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was ever registered with the secessionist Alaska Independence Party by releasing years of voter registration history …
Arnab Datta / Political Radar:
Schlafly Chides McCain Camp for Palin Cancellation — ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly is taking the McCain campaign to task for notifying her at the last minute that Sarah Palin will be a no-show on Tuesday when the Republican National Coalition for Life holds an event honoring the Alaska governor.
ABCNEWS:
‘October Surprise’ Over Palin Investigation? — “Likely Damaging” Report on Governor Scheduled for Release Days Before November Election — Is the McCain campaign afraid of an ‘October surprise’ involving vice-presidential pick Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska?
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Founder Of Group Palin Courted Professed “Hatred For The American Government”; Cursed “Damn Flag” — The founder of the Alaska Independence Party — a group that has been courted over the years by Sarah Palin, and one her husband was a member of for roughly seven years — once professed his …
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Aides Say Team Interviewed Palin Late in the Process — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate …
Matt Welch / Reason:
The View on Palin from an Alaskan Anti-Real ID Activist and Democrat — I ran into anti-Real ID activist Bill Scannell, “the man who helped kill CAPPS II,” and asked him what intelligence he can give us about Sarah Palin, governor of the state he's lived in for the past several years.
Jonathan Stein / MoJoBlog:
Key Source for Palin's Connection to Alaskan Independence Party Backs Off Account
Key Source for Palin's Connection to Alaskan Independence Party Backs Off Account
Rasmussen Reports:
52% Still Have Favorable View of Palin, But Partisan Gap Widens
52% Still Have Favorable View of Palin, But Partisan Gap Widens
Discussion:
Hot Air
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
As the GOP turns: Sarah Palin's daughter's baby's father to attend convention
As the GOP turns: Sarah Palin's daughter's baby's father to attend convention
Discussion:
The Swamp
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
Palin lied about visiting Ireland as part of her foreign policy experience
Palin lied about visiting Ireland as part of her foreign policy experience
Ed Kilgore / Democratic Strategist:
Palin, Trent Lott, and the Perils of Regional Politics
Palin, Trent Lott, and the Perils of Regional Politics
Discussion:
The Reaction
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Obama ad slams McCain on abortion rights — ST. PAUL, Minn. — Barack Obama has launched a broadside against John McCain's opposition to abortion rights and moved one of the most divisive issues in modern American politics to the airwaves on a large scale for the first time in this presidential campaign.
RELATED:
Mzbond / Washington Post:
Remarks: Former Sen. Fred Thompson — Remarks As Prepared for Delivery: Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson — Tonight our thoughts are still with our friends and fellow citizens in the Gulf Coast area, and our thanks go to those who have worked so hard to keep them safe. There can be no more important work than this.
Think Progress:
Infuriated About Tough CNN Interview, McCain Cancels Larry King Appearance — Yesterday, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds appeared on CNN for an interview with Campbell Brown. Brown was tough on Bounds, refusing to let him spout typical campaign talking points.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic, American Spectator and PoliticalBase.com Blog
RELATED:
The Politico:
Documents detail Palin's political life — Sarah Palin may be new to most Americans, but she's not entirely new to the national Democratic Party. — Democrat Tony Knowles, her opponent in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, put together a detailed, 63-page research document …
RELATED:
The New Republic:
Republicans Heading For an Iceberg — ST. PAUL, MN: As a rule, political candidates begin moving to the center on Labor Day, but John McCain has continued to focus on solidifying his rightwing base, particularly among social conservatives. The convention's first two days …
Discussion:
The Reaction
RELATED:
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Dept. of Counterprogramming: Obama to appear on O'Reilly Thursday — Barack Obama will appear on Fox News' “O'Reilly Factor” Thursday night, a Democratic source tells Politico. — The move is timed to counterprogram John McCain's speech to the Republican National Convention …
Discussion:
The New Republic
RELATED:
William Yardley / New York Times:
Palin's Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual — WASILLA, Alaska — The world arrived here more than a century ago with the gold rush and later the railroad. Yet one aspect of American life did not come to town until 1996, the year Sarah Palin ran for mayor and Wasilla got its first local lesson in wedge politics.
RELATED:
Michael Isikoff / Newsweek Blogs:
Bushies Come to Palin's Aid — The McCain team has hastily assembled a team of former Bush White House aides to tutor prospective vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin on foreign policy issues, write her speeches and begin preparing her for her all important October debate against Sen. Joe Biden.