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August 6, 2009, 5:35 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday had one word to describe the much talked about uproar at recent healthcare townhall meetings: astroturf.

And, he had a prop to explain why. "I just want you to see what Astroturf is," the Nevada Democrat said to reporters, according to ABC News, while waving a piece of fake grass around.

The relevance? "This is not grassroots," Reid said.

August 6, 2009, 11:34 AM | Tyler Harber

As Congress adjourns for a month long recess, the most important battles over healthcare reform will be played out in townhall meetings in congressional districts all across the country. Why is this important? Simple answer: It’s all about earned media. Townhall attendance isn’t enough to actually change national opinion regarding healthcare, but reports of protests and chaotic townhall sessions make headlines that can effect perception.

As General George S. Patton said, “America loves a winner.” That’s true of politicians and even positions on issues. The vast (and growing) population of independents has a tendency to back what they perceive to be the “winning” side. That’s why you hear consultants harp on “momentum” in the closing days of a campaign. Because late-breaking voters cast a ballot for whom they think is winning. The same principle applies to the battle over healthcare.

August 5, 2009, 3:11 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

In late July when President Obama started going after the insurance industry in his pursuit of healthcare reform, observers and conventional wisdom setters all came to the conclusion: Obama—and, by extension, Democrats—finally had identified an enemy to fight against.

On Wednesday, though, it appeared that the Obama political machine changed course, choosing instead to launch a no-holds-barred campaign that lumps all of its political opponents together and classifies those opponents—basically—as nut jobs.

August 5, 2009, 10:05 AM | Shane D'Aprile

President Obama will make his first foray into the Virginia governor’s race Thursday when he headlines a fundraiser for Democrat Creigh Deeds. But given the state of the president’s health care plan and his flailing poll numbers, how much does Obama help?

August 4, 2009, 9:19 AM | Shane D'Aprile

Democratic consultant Bob Shrum has some advice for Congressional Democrats battling GOP health care critics.

August 4, 2009, 12:14 PM | Dr. Dora Kingsley

In Wisconsin, the Green Lake Reporter, one of America’s tens of thousands of weekly newspapers holds the key to the 2010 governor’s race. Above the fold, photo and stories aren’t focused on the healthcare reform debate or even on the effect (or lack thereof) from the federal stimulus plan. Today’s lead stories are local and highlight the stress of an economy gone south: “Sunken boat recovered from Green Lake” and “County prepares for potential layoffs.” Green Lake voters know what Tip O’Neill knew to be true, all politics is local.

August 31, 2009, 4:37 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

For congressional Democrats, the recess news cycle has been anything but good. First, protests dominated townhall coverage. Then President Obama's approval rating dropped, ostensibly because support for his healthcare reforms waned.

And now a series of articles—such as this one by the Politico's Josh Kraushaar—have raised the specter of the Democrats losing many House seats in next year’s midterm elections, perhaps even their sizable majority.

Things do not seem to be going well for House Democrats, but there are still entire campaigns to be waged before the 2010 midterms. So Politics asked Democratic and Republican consultants what Democrats can do to shift the narrative or what Republicans can do to solidify it.

August 31, 2009, 10:07 AM | Tyler Harber

Consultants generally work hard to keep clients, not fire them. But, every once in a while, a situation arises that forces the consultant to scuttle his client. Reasons for firing a client are different for each consultant. I know some that will fire a client for ideological differences. Others will leave a campaign if they grow to dislike the candidate personally. But, the most common reason for firing a client is that the he refuses to take the advice he’s paying for and wants to run a campaign that has little or no chance of winning. In short—he just doesn’t trust you enough to take your advice.

August 27, 2009, 2:56 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

When I began covering races in Massachusetts many told me that Bay State politics is a blood sport. With Sen. Edward Kennedy’s death, the state has it’s first Senate vacancy in 25 years, and that sport will play out in a very big way in the coming weeks.

As Massachusetts pays tribute to its legendary senator, political insiders are already speculating about who will run in the special election for Kennedy's seat. Already there are multiple possible scenarios developing and top tier contenders being named in all of them.

Right now everyone is focused on one question: Will there be a Kennedy in the race?

August 26, 2009, 4:07 PM | Shane D'Aprile

Harold Ickes calls Sen. Ted Kennedy’s 1980 campaign for president “a seminal moment” in his political life. After Kennedy’s passing, Ickes and a number of other strategists who worked on the effort are looking back on the senator’s primary challenge to President Jimmy Carter—a race that would help define their careers and leave an indelible imprint on their political lives.

August 26, 2009, 4:01 PM | James Klatell

Last week, Amy Harris wrote a blog post for Politics about the emerging fight between the Florida Election Commission and campaigns which buy ads on search engines like Google.

Election officials believe that St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Scott Wagman’s Google ads violated state law because they omitted required disclaimers.

Now, the Association of Political Consultants is wading into the debate, saying that search ads are too small for disclosure statements.

August 20, 2009, 4:24 PM | Tyler Harber

Astroturfing has quickly become a four-letter word used synonymously with cheating by creating a false perception.  Accusations of astroturfing find their way into the news (especially here in D.C.) on a regular basis.  However, if you examine the strategy and effect of astroturfing, you’ll quickly realize that it is actually just good campaigning and has been used by candidates and organizations for decades to grow actual bases of support.

August 19, 2009, 10:28 AM | Charles Ellison

The easy analysis on the White House's perceived withdrawal from the (in)famous "public option" is to assume the President lost the stomach for it. In Politico, columnist Roger Simon asks: "Does President Obama have the Guts?"—which is somewhat hollow considering it takes a bit of girt for a black man to run for President of the United States and then win. Every left-headed stalwart from Jon Stewart to Rachel Maddow, eager to drive the slow ratings cycle that is the humid dog days of August, wants to clown the president or imply he's weak at the knees.

August 17, 2009, 9:28 AM | Shane D'Aprile

More than 30 candidates for federal office in 2010 have already poured more than $100,000 of their own money into their races. That's almost double the number of candidates who had sunk in that much of their money this time last cycle. 

August 17, 2009, 3:49 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Which is worse: Austin, Texas, or Washington, D.C.?

That, at least for the moment, appears to be a central question driving the Republican primary in the Texas governor's race that officially got underway on Monday when Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison kicked off her campaign. Hutchison is challenging Gov. Rick Perry in what will likely be the most hotly contested primary in the country that could have national implications for the Republican Party.

August 17, 2009, 11:38 AM | Jordan Lieberman

Free political communication will always be one of Americans’ most valued rights. In an era with lower and lower barriers of entry into the “Great Conversation,” however, state governments are making efforts to limit political telemarketing. Violations of these laws have resulted in massive fines for some.

The Politics magazine Telemarketing Guide is as a state-by-state primer on the laws and regulations for political telemarketing.

August 17, 2009, 10:26 AM | Amy Harris

August 14, 2009, 1:48 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

A former reporter and Pennsylvania congressional candidate who joined the Marines died this week while serving in Afghanistan, according to news reports.

Sgt. Bill Cahir, 40, was serving in the Helmand Province, where there has reportedly been increased resistance. The Express-Times of Easton, Pa., his former paper, reports that Cahir enlisted in the Marines in 2003 when he was 34.

The paper also reports that Cahir's wife is expecting twins.

August 13, 2009, 3:30 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Does anyone else read the news and think, "Where are Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell?"
 
For a contest that is being fought largely on national issues and will undoubtedly have national implications, the Virginia governor's race between Deeds (D) and McDonnell (R) isn't getting much traction on the national scene. In fact, most people seem bored by it.

The election is only two and a half months away, but it isn't receiving nearly the same amount of attention as the gubernatorial Democratic primary earlier this year and, before that, President Obama's campaign in the Old Dominion last year.

August 12, 2009, 3:02 PM | Shane D'Aprile

Arkansas businessman Curtis Coleman has been in the thick of a U.S. Senate race once before. In 1992, Coleman managed Mike Huckabee’s first bid for public office—a Senate run against one of Arkansas’ most popular politicians: Democratic Sen. Dale Bumpers.

August 12, 2009, 2:24 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Seemingly contradictory public opinion polls drive political observers nuts, and recent surveys of President Obama's approval rating have been no different.

According to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey, more Americans disapprove of Obama's performance than approve of it. That stands at odds with a recent Gallup poll, which found 56 percent approving of Obama, while just 28 percent disapprove—a small gain for the president since Gallup’s last measure. Zogby’s latest results fell in the middle with 53 percent approving, 38 disapproving. Meanwhile, a Marist poll released Wednesday put Obama's approval rating at 55 percent—pretty much where it has been for the last three months.

August 12, 2009, 12:02 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

When one brother yells at another during a live TV interview to spell his name correctly when he reports it to the "White House snitch campaign,” you know the healthcare debate has reached a new level.

That's what happened on Tuesday when Brad and Dallas Woodhouse squared off over healthcare reform on CNN's "American Morning." Brad is the communications director at the Democratic National Committee while Dallas is an organizer for Americans for Prosperity, which runs one of the largest campaigns opposing President Obama's healthcare reform plans.

August 12, 2009, 10:07 AM | Shane D'Aprile

Candidates in the upcoming Afghan presidential election are employing some tried and true American campaign tactic, mostly aimed at getting out the vote among the country’s youth.

August 11, 2009, 9:31 AM | Shane D'Aprile

The White House is tweaking its health care message, launching a new website to combat critics of President Obama’s proposed overhaul.

August 11, 2009, 9:23 AM | Jeremy Jacobs

Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) probably thought his recent townhall could get contentious before it even started. Many recent townhalls have. He probably didn't anticipate, though, that the townhall would devolve into near pandemonium when he asked the audience to stop listening to conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, one of the leading and most outspoken critics of the president and Democrats' proposals for healthcare reform.

August 10, 2009, 8:32 AM | Shane D'Aprile

Now that a Senate ethics panel has found no wrongdoing on the part of Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd in relation to his loans from Countrywide, the embattled Democrat is hoping to move on. But politically, the damage may have already been done.