The Next Presidential Debate Controversy

While we've witnessed endless controversy over Democratic candidate debates being televised by FOX, a new one has developed, though of a different stripe and volume.

When Yahoo announced plans to hold the first online presidential debate there probably was high hopes for the technology and possibilities. However, by announcing it had teamed up with The Huffington Post, Slate magazine and PBS' Charlie Rose, it all but assured that Republicans would decline.

And, sure enough, they have. It appears that John McCain and Mitt Romney have said they would not attend, while Rudy Giuliani was noncommittal.

A recent Nielsen survey cited by David All, notes that 61.1% of Slate's readers are registered Democrats with 55.6% identifying themselves as "liberal/very liberal." For The Huffington Post, the numbers were 77.2% Democrat, 64.8% liberal/very liberal. Only 3.8% of Huffington's readers are Republican. 15.2% for Slate.

Hillary's Reno Stop Draws Raves

Hillary Clinton's Reno stop on Sunday is drawing rave reviews in the early editions.

After noting the enthusiastic crowd, the Reno Gazette-Journal's Ray Hagar got a one-on-one interview with the former first lady. And, unlike when he questioned John Edwards on the subject, Hagar received an answer from Clinton regarding Nevada's legal prostitution (against it, but recognizes it is a state issue).

Pictures and commentary from others agree it was a strong performance for the leading Democratic presidential candidate.

Rejected Commercial For South Carolina Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate

With ratings for debates sagging in recent years, there were suggestions that the sponsors of this past week's Democratic presidential candidate debate in South Carolina explore some cross-promotional tie-ins.

One that didn't quite make the cut was an unlikely alliance with the movie Grindhouse. Despite the spot showing the complete cast of characters from Clinton, to Bill Richardson to even Mike Gravel, debate sponsors backed out.

Here is the rejected TV ad.

(Note: Depending on browser settings, you may have to click on the logo and wait for it to load through one or two screens.)

Mike Gravel's Shining Moment

Although you would be hard pressed to find a pundit who thought he won, Mike Gravel did accomplish something very important at Thursday night's Democratic presidential candidate debate in South Carolina -- he got noticed.

When I checked Dullard Mush's stats this afternoon I was surprised at the amount of hits we had from people Googling "Mike Gravel debate" or "Gravel banned from CNN debate." People were apparently interested in the former Alaska Senator like never before.

And many people liked what they heard as a quick perusal of blogs saw posts like Democracy for Vancouver's "it wasn’t worth watching except for one person. And that person is Mike Gravel," or Lew Rockwell's "the 76-year-old Mike Gravel, former senator from Alaska, was the voice of truth."

Of course, there was also comments like "(Kucinich) should be thankful that Mike Gravel was on the stage because he made Dennis look moderate." But at least they were talking about him.

The real test, though, would be the "Blogger Buzz" survey we conduct each week. So far, Gravel's high point has been the 288 blogger posts he logged in the week of March 19-26. Curious, I ran a Google blog search on "Mike Gravel" for the past 24 hours.

The results?

1,277.

Note: For more information on the former senator's stances, read our February interview with Gravel.

Who Won South Carolina's Democratic Presidential Debate?

The extremely early reviews are in from Thursday's Democratic presidential candidate debate and, as has been the case so far, there apparently were no clear winners. There was, though, some consensus on other aspects of the debate.

Best Moment: Most everyone agrees that Joe Biden's one-word quip, "yeah," to whether he tends to talk too much will probably be the sound bite played around the nation tonight.

Loser: Bill Richardson, who perhaps more than anyone else needed a strong performance, was panned by most everyone. Joe Scarborough noted "the New Mexico governor (was) fighting his tongue as well as Nixonian flop sweat," while Steven Stark said "the questions put him on the defensive a lot and, as a friend who watched the debate with me put it, he appeared to have the personality of a guy you’d meet at a cookout, not in the Oval Office."

One area where there was a difference of opinion was on John Edwards.

Edwards' Performance: While Stark thought "of the three front-runners, John Edwards appeared to do the best by a country mile," Pat Buchanan found the former Senator "lacking in energy, passion, and fire." Scarborough said "Damn. John Edwards just gave a fantastic closing argument," while Reuters noted the awkward pause that occurred when Edwards was asked who his moral leader was.

Presidential Blogger Buzz Continues For Obama and McCain

John McCain continues to be the most blogged about Republican presidential candidate, once again garnering almost double the posts of his nearest challenger according to our April 16-23 blog survey. His 10,934 mentions also came within a couple hundred of toppling the reigning King of the Internet -- Barack Obama.

The Illinois Senator did, however, put some distance between himself and Hillary Clinton after being virtually tied the week before. Al Gore and John Edwards were again third and fourth for Democrats.

While most of the top candidates saw their numbers hold steady, and top second-tier players drop, the rest of the lower-tier candidates saw boosts in blogger posts about them. Republican Jim Gilmore saw the most significant increase by having 1,717 mentions compared to only 272 the prior week.

Republican Presidential Results

1. John McCain 10,934 (10,100)
2. Mitt Romney 5,503 (5,589)
3. Rudy Giuliani 5,302 (5,152)
4. Fred Thompson 3,432 (4,540)
5. Newt Gingrich 2,874 (3,038)
6. Ron Paul 2,380 (1,650)
7. Mike Huckabee 2,236 (1,527)
8. Tommy Thompson 2,049 (1,122)
9. Sam Brownback 1,995 (1,323)
10. Tom Tancredo 1,782 (1,038)
11. Jim Gilmore 1,717 (272)
12. Duncan Hunter 1,566 (466)
13. Chuck Hagel 1,333 (446)

Democratic Presidential Results

1. Barack Obama 11,460 (11,344)
2. Hillary Clinton 10,590 (11,215)
3. Al Gore 9,800 (9,153)
4. John Edwards 9,512 (7,924)
5. Bill Richardson 2,726 (3,163)
6. Dennis Kucinich 2,383 (1,445)
7. Joe Biden 1,932 (1,540)
8. Chris Dodd 1,844 (1,444)
9. Wesley Clark 428 (305)
10. Mike Gravel 187 (131)

Numbers were for a candidate's full name in "quotes" and taken from Google's Blog Search. Our survey does not differentiate between positive or negative posts. Since Chris Dodd and Wesley Clark are also frequently referred to as "Christopher Dodd" and "Wes Clark," both variations were used and combined.

The Muth Goes Non-Partisan

Chuck Muth, conservative activist and general pain to Republican politicians everywhere, is apparently GOP no more. According to a post on his site, Muth's Truths, he is now "Non-Partisan." Well, at least in the voter registration sense, as the longtime Nevada Republican still plans to stay in the mix.

"If I can’t criticize these 'bad' Republicans as a Republican, then I guess I’ll just criticize them as a 'Non-Partisan'.”

Cobb vs. Disney II: The Song Remains The Same

As far as rows goes, this one is about as one-sided as a George Foreman-Gerry Cooney fight, with Richard Disney playing the role of the slow-footed, glass-jawed challenger.

Yet, much like that 1990 heavyweight bout, there is a strange fascination in watching a complete blowout. And, unlike Foreman-Cooney, Nevada Republicans were treated to two such fights between Disney and Ty Cobb.

In their first bout, for the open Nevada Assembly District 26 seat, Disney and Cobb mixed it up with three other Republicans in the August 2006 primary. Despite numerous proclamations from Disney as to his being the first to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, have a web site, and other boastful claims, his campaign was quickly KOd by Cobb and Mike Dillon. The recent California transplant finished a very distant fourth with less than 200 votes while Cobb went on to victory in the November general election.

Fast forward eight months and Disney, seeking political redemption, mounts a comeback by announcing his candidacy for the Washoe County Republican Chairmanship. Unopposed and poised for victory just days before the election, he once again is KOd by Cobb. In an email to GOP party members, Cobb urges them to vote instead for current chair Heidi Smith who reentered the race in the eleventh hour. Smith wins in a landslide.

Adding to the rematch controversy was Disney's release of a letter Cobb had written him before the County chair election. Picked up and distributed by the Ralston Flash, Cobb tells Disney "...if you persist in seeking the Party Chairmanship, then I will ensure that you don't get it." He also tells Disney he will release information on his involvement with an anti-Republican (and Cobb) website.

But lost in the discussions on the emails, is the fact that Disney was an extremely poor choice to lead Washoe Republicans. In his short time in Nevada politics, Disney's name has been attached to numerous controversies. For starters, he was linked to the "NICPAC Payola Scandal" that raged on Inside Nevada Politics in which his endorsement by the group appeared tainted when it was revealed he had business dealings with the founder.

But it was his connection to the whole CobbGobbler scandal that makes him unfit for politics. The anonymous attack website made numerous false allegations against Cobb and has been tied to Disney and his supporters. Perhaps most damning was email exchanges between former Sparks Tribune reporter Tom Darby and Disney.

After tipping Disney to a possibly Washoe County DA investigation on the scandal, the former candidate tells Darby "It does not bode well. As far as paperwork, I have everything filed correctly. What other paperwork can you think of that I might need?" and "I have an appointment to meet with my attorney to make sure all of my bases are covered. Thanks for the heads up." Darby was dismissed from the paper soon after this story broke.

Couple the above scandals with Disney's penchant for calling fellow Washoe Republicans like Bill Raggio, Bob Cashell, Cobb, etc. RINOs (Republican In Name Only) and is it any wonder why the GOP faithful would turn out in record numbers to vote against him, Cobb email or not?

Obama Ties Clinton In Latest Rasmussen Presidential Poll

While the recent Harris poll showed Barack Obama gaining ground on Hillary Clinton, today's Rasmussen poll shows he has drawn even with her among likely Democratic primary and caucus voters. A month ago, Obama trailed by 12 points (37% to 25%).

Democratic Results
32% -- Hillary Clinton
32% -- Barack Obama
17% -- John Edwards
3% -- Bill Richardson
1% -- Joe Biden
1% -- Chris Dodd
1% -- Wesley Clark

New Yorkers Continue To Lead In Latest Harris Presidential Poll

Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton continue their grip on the electorate in early presidential polls, though Barack Obama closed ground according to the latest Harris Poll.

Obama was the choice of 32% of likely Democratic primary and caucus voters, just behind Clinton's 37%. However, among all voters (Republican and independent), Obama edged Clinton 39% to 37%. It was the third consecutive month overall support for Clinton has dropped in the category. John Edwards and Al Gore followed.

Giuliani, meanwhile, had an easier time among GOP ranks as he led John McCain 39% to 18% among likely voters. Mitt Romney was third and Fred Thompson fourth. Ironically, when all voters are included as are additional candidates, Colin Powell ranked second just three-points behind Giuliani.

Republicans
39% -- Rudy Giuliani
18% -- John McCain
14% -- Mitt Romney
13% -- Fred Thompson
9% -- Newt Gingrich
2% -- Sam Brownback
1% -- Ron Paul
1% -- Tommy Thompson
1% -- Duncan Hunter
1% -- Mike Huckabee
1% -- Tom Tancredo
0% -- Jim Gilmore
0% -- Chuck Hagel

Democrats
37% -- Hillary Clinton
32% -- Barack Obama
14% -- John Edwards
13% -- Al Gore
3% -- Bill Richardson
1% -- Joe Biden
1% -- Dennis Kucinich
0% -- Wesley Clark
0% -- Chris Dodd

And The Award For Most Original Letter To A Constituent Goes To...

...Nevada State Senator Bob Coffin (D).

With form letters, political correctness and generic answers being the rule, it's pretty rare to receive a candid and wholly original response from a politician these days.

However, a Richard Law of Sundance Ave. in Las Vegas did receive one from Coffin that can only be classified as a doozie.

After writing Dina Titus (and CCing Coffin), telling her she would have "appointed wetbacks to the bench," he quickly received the following from Coffin.

"Richard: I have a sinking feeling you are a constituent of mine and I had hope that the intelligence quotient of our district was on the rise until your last letter arrived," the Vegas senator replied.

However, he was just warming up before delivering the following, and award-winning, zinger.

"It does not take many people with an IQ of 40 to drag Sundance Avenue down and our only prayer is that you have not produced many offspring. ... Trust me when I say that the term 'wetback' is considered seriously by many of the residents in our district and many near your home. I suggest you keep your mouth shut, lock your keyboard and your doors, and please, wear a condom."

Bad Night For Former Nevada Assembly Candidates

Thursday evening wasn't kind to a pair of former Nevada Assembly District 26 candidates. While one was being arrested after a police manhunt the other was being buried once again in a new election.

Michael "Mikey" J. Sherriff was headline news Thursday night when police were notified by family members of some disturbing text messages from the former University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) student. As a result, UNR cancelled evening classes and closed the campus. Sherriff was apprehended in Carson City later that night.

At the same time, fellow 2006 GOP primary candidate Richard Disney was running for the Washoe County Republican Party chairmanship. Disney entered the race unopposed after prior chairperson Heidi Smith announced she was stepping down. However, apparently the thought of Disney (who was embroiled in the whole CobbGobbler/Tom Darby affair) heading the local party spurred Republicans to action as three days before the election Smith put her hat back in the ring. She won by almost a 3-to-1 margin.

Back in 2006, both Sherriff and Disney were Republican candidates (along with Ty Cobb, Mike Dillon and Paul Mozen) for the open AD-26 seat vacated by Sharron Angle. Cobb won with 3,383 votes. Disney finished a distant fourth with 186 votes, just edging Sherriff's 114.

Free Magazine For The Taking, Literally

One of my favorite reads is The Week. Part of the reason is the magazine reminds me a little bit of blogs, in that each issue is full of quick snippets of info and opinions from all over the world and all of it pointing to a source. It also presents all sides and opinions to a story which is refreshing (and, sadly, where The Week and most blogs part company).

Well now that the endorsement is over, we'll go straight to the "free" part.

In honor of Earth Day, the magazine's latest issue won't cost you $3.00 down at Barnes and Noble or be arriving in mailboxes. Instead, the entire issue will be online for free access to everyone, even you non-subscribers. Just go to The Week for a peek.

Clinton and Giuliani Still Lead In National Poll

The New York duo of Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani continue to lead their respective parties in the 2008 race for the presidency, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Clinton continued to hold steady at 37%, while Barack Obama dropped to 20%. Gaining a few points were Democrats Al Gore (17) and John Edwards (14).

For the GOP, Fred Thompson continues to have an effect as his inclusion in this poll seemed to draw entirely from Giuliani. Despite an 11- point drop, the former NYC mayor was the choice of 33% of those polled. John McCain held steady at 21% with Thompson and Mitt Romney tied at 9%. Newt Gingrich, who polled 15% in February, dropped to fifth with just 6%.

Republicans
33% -- Rudy Giuliani
21% -- John McCain
9% -- Fred Thompson
9% -- Mitt Romney
6% -- Newt Gingrich
2% -- Tommy Thompson
1% -- Mike Huckabee
1% -- Duncan Hunter
1% -- George Pataki
1% -- Sam Brownback
1% -- Tom Tancredo
1% -- Jim Gilmore
1% -- Ron Paul
0% -- Chuck Hagel
4% -- None of These
6% -- No Opinion

Democrats
37% -- Hillary Clinton
20% -- Barack Obama
17% -- Al Gore
14% -- John Edwards
3% -- Bill Richardson
2% -- Joe Biden
1% -- Wesley Clark
1% -- Dennis Kucinich
0% -- Chris Dodd
0% -- Mike Gravel
3% -- None of These
2% -- No Opinion
24% -- Not Sure

Which Presidential Candidate Are Bloggers Writing About: The "Blogger Buzz" Survey

When it comes to blogger buzz, both positive and negative, once again the presidential politics blogosphere was ruled by the usual suspects -- Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama.

McCain easily led GOP candidates with almost double the blog mentions of runner-up Mitt Romney. Other Republicans showing upward movement in our April 9-16 survey were Fred Thompson, Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo.

On the Democratic side, Clinton and Obama were virtually tied with only 129 blog posts separating the two Senators. Al Gore, John Edwards and Bill Richardson round out the top five with all seeing increased blogger posts.

Last week's numbers are in parentheses.

Republican Presidential Results

1. John McCain 10,100 (8,087)
2. Mitt Romney 5,589 (6,637)
3. Rudy Giuliani 5,152 (5,269)
4. Fred Thompson 4,540 (2,614)
5. Newt Gingrich 3,038 (3,397)
6. Ron Paul 1,650 (1,461)
7. Mike Huckabee 1,527 (1,243)
8. Sam Brownback 1,323 (505)
9. Tommy Thompson 1,122 (1,197)
10. Tom Tancredo 1,038 (551)
11. Duncan Hunter 466 (519)
12. Chuck Hagel 446 (387)
13. Jim Gilmore 272 (193)

Democratic Presidential Results

1. Barack Obama 11,344 (10,112)
2. Hillary Clinton 11,215 (8,359)
3. Al Gore 9,153 (7,553)
4. John Edwards 7,924 (6,589)
5. Bill Richardson 3,163 (2,971)
6. Joe Biden 1,540 (1,045)
7. Dennis Kucinich 1,445 (1,074)
8. Chris Dodd 1,444 (1,222)
9. Wesley Clark 305 (253)
10. Mike Gravel 131 (166)

Numbers were for a candidate's full name in "quotes" and taken from Google's Blog Search. Since Chris Dodd and Wesley Clark are also frequently referred to as "Christopher Dodd" and "Wes Clark," both versions were used.

Bobzien Looks Back On First Half Of Nevada Legislative Session

Our final look at the first 60 days of the Nevada legislative session comes from freshman Assemblyman David Bobzien.

The AD-24 Democrat reflects on his learning curve, AB-94 and "bipartisanship" in a quick interview.

Any surprises?

For all the talk about how the Democrats dominate the Assembly, it is really important to build relationships across the aisle. Whether it's working in the committee hearings to ask the questions that need to be asked, or making sure my bills are refined and make it out of committee, I've become really appreciative of what the other members bring to the process to help set good policy for the state, regardless if they're Democrats or Republicans, urban or rural, north or south. "Bipartisanship" is almost a cliche, but to experience first hand what that means and how important it is has really been enjoyable.

Disappointments?

No big disappointments yet -- all the bills important to me, personal or otherwise, are still very much alive.

Going back to my first answer, we've got split partisan control of the Legislature, and so our individual abilities to represent our constituents are based on how well we can all work together. It's clear at this point in the session that some people understand this, and some don't. Seeing that dynamic play out has been disappointing -- we all just need to get on with serving Nevadans.

Best accomplishment so far?

Being a part of AB 94, and getting that passed out of committee with such overwhelming support is a big accomplishment. The bill would fix something that should not have been put in place last session: restrictions on who can protest the government's administrative proceedings. It's a somewhat obscure rule that severely limits the ability of public interest groups and individuals to have a say in policies related to the environment, health and just about every other thing government does.

I'm also pleased that all of my bills have at this point made it out of committee by the first deadline. But, I know the toughest part is yet to come. Once we get to the Senate, it's a whole new world.

Predictions for second half?

As a freshman, it's been fascinating watching how a session unfolds. Just when I learn the skills to operate successfully in one week, the session moves forward into an entirely new phase, and I have to learn it all over again. For example, one week I was learning how to pitch my bills to potential sponsors and in another week I was learning how to negotiate between multiple groups with concerns about a piece of legislation. There's no way to know what the second half is really going to bring, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

-------------

Other interviews were with Ty Cobb and Sheila Leslie.

First Half Thoughts From AD-26's Ty Cobb

Yesterday we heard from veteran lawmaker Sheila Leslie, today we hear a rookie assemblyman's take on the first half of Nevada's legislative session.

Ty Cobb, the Republican representing AD-26, looks back on the first 60 days and gives us his take on what has happened and what to expect in the final two months.

Any surprises?

The slow pace. Nothing gets done without excruciating review. However, I'm told that later on, I'll be complaining about how fast bills are coming at us for consideration on the Floor.

Disappointments?

The Democrats killed my illegal alien bill without a hearing. Most of my bills, as well as those of other Republicans, were killed in this fashion, but I was hoping that the issue would receive the public discussion that it deserves.

Best accomplishment so far?

John Oceguera (D-LV), the Majority Leader, actually told the Judiciary Chairman that he disagreed with him on a proposed amendment to a bill and would be supporting me in my previously announced opposition. No other Republicans on the committee had even made such an announcement of support. Funny scenario and a bit gratifying at the same time.

Predictions for second half?

Fast pace and a more level playing field with the Republican Senate and Governor entering the fray.

Assemblywoman Leslie Reflects On Nevada Legislature's First Half

With the first 60 days already in the books, we asked some of Nevada's legislators their thoughts on the first half of the 2007 session.

First up is Democratic Majority Whip Sheila Leslie (AD-27).

Any surprises?

Nothing has been particularly surprising to me so far this session, except perhaps the lack of involvement by the governor and his staff in the Legislative process.

Having served under Governor Guinn in my four previous sessions, I was used to a daily presence by the Governor's staff in the legislative building. I always had the opportunity to stop and talk in the hallway about small items that come up every day and was able to participate in many more formal meetings to discuss potential resolutions to different issues. Governor Gibbons seems to have a much more "hands off" style with the Legislature and that has been somewhat of a surprise.

Disappointments?

As far as disappointments, it's too early to be too disappointed!! The revenue slump is discouraging of course, because it makes the budgeting process much more difficult in terms of getting our priorities properly funded.

As far as personal disappointments, I'm a little disappointed that I have not been able to galvanize more support for adding treatment dollars to the substance abuse budget but I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet!

Best accomplishment so far?

Overall, things are going well for our Caucus and for my personal bills as well. I am particularly pleased that I was able to forge a compromise between the mining industry and the environmental community (AB 115) to better protect our citizens from exposure to mercury. The compromise seems to be holding and I'm optimistic about getting this bill all the way to the governor's desk and signed into law. And who could forget Tent City, one of the best grassroots projects I have ever participated in, and certainly one of the best citizen involvement efforts I've seen at the Legislature in my five sessions.

Predictions for the second half?

The second half of the session will move at its own rhythm - deadlines to be met, battles to be fought, and compromises to be forged. It will be very busy - exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. There are two areas I will be following closely, besides the meth crisis - housing for the homeless and services for autistic children.

This session, we have had some of the best hearings I've ever seen in the Legislature in Assembly Health and Human Services. The hearing we had on homelessness attracted people from all over the state, including the homeless population, and they made a very compelling argument for the need to fund transitional housing and support services.

The hearing on autism was amazing, especially the testimony of a young man whose parents made extraordinary efforts to find early treatment services at UCLA that have helped him break out of the prison of his own mind and overcome his disability. He gave the committee hope that more can be done to help families with autistic children. Now we just have to find the political will, and the money, to make sure that these two very special populations get the services they so desperately need. There's no doubt in my mind it's the right thing to do, but finding the funding in such a tight budget year where there are so many other needs (K-12 education, health care, an exploding prison population, roads and infrastructure) will be a huge challenge.

Dullard Mush Presidential "Blog Buzz" Survey: April 2-9

It was a slower week in the blogger world of presidential politics with most candidates seeing a drop in the number of posts regarding their campaigns. Only Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Bill Richardson saw increased blog mentions for the week (April 2-9).

Barack Obama reclaimed the overall lead and was the only candidate to crack the five-figure mark with 10,112 blog posts. Hillary Clinton fell to second for the Democrats.

For the GOP, John McCain remained on top with Romney overtaking Rudy Giuliani for the second spot. Newt Gingrich moved up to fourth as the recent Fred Thompson mania appears to have ebbed somewhat.

Last week's numbers are in parentheses.

Republican Presidential Results

1. John McCain 8,087 (11,583)
2. Mitt Romney 6,637 (5,501)
3. Rudy Giuliani 5,269 (5,928)
4. Newt Gingrich 3,397 (3,770)
5. Fred Thompson 2,614 (4,309)
6. Ron Paul 1,461 (1,596)
7. Mike Huckabee 1,243 (1,072)
8. Tommy Thompson 1,197 (1,794)
9. Tom Tancredo 551 (1,216)
10. Duncan Hunter 519 (532)
11. Sam Brownback 505 (1,529)
12. Chuck Hagel 387 (1,851)
13. Jim Gilmore 193 (178)

Democratic Presidential Results

1. Barack Obama 10,112 (11,314)
2. Hillary Clinton 8,359 (13,104)
3. Al Gore 7,553 (9,947)
4. John Edwards 6,589 (9,619)
5. Bill Richardson 2,971 (2,711)
6. Chris Dodd 1,222 (1,370)
7. Dennis Kucinich 1,074 (1,720)
8. Joe Biden 1,045 (1,337)
9. Wesley Clark 253 (308)
10. Mike Gravel 166 (173)

Numbers were for a candidate's full name in "quotes" and taken from Google's Blog Search. Since Chris Dodd and Wesley Clark are also frequently referred to as "Christopher Dodd" and "Wes Clark," both versions were used.

Dullard Mush Presidential "Blog Post" Survey: March 26 - April 2

Blogger posts regarding John McCain continued to grow while Barack Obama, John Edwards and Al Gore cooled in last week's (3/26 - 4/2) Presidential Blog Post survey.

McCain was mentioned in 11,583 blogger posts (second overall to Hillary Clinton's 13,104), or almost double GOP runner-up Rudy Giuliani. Mitt Romney fell to third while Fred Thompson's blog buzz continued to increase since the idea of a possible candidacy was recently floated.

Clinton, whose numbers held steady from the prior week, benefited from huge drops in blog mentions for both Gore (-7,483) and Edwards (-6,383) to lead all Democrats. Obama also saw a drop, though not as sizable (-2,967).

Republicans Tommy Thompson and Jim Gilmore were added to this week's survey. Thompson, who announced his candidacy this past weekend, was seventh for the GOP.

Last week's numbers are in parentheses.

Republican Presidential Results

1. John McCain 11,583 (8,841)
2. Rudy Giuliani 5,928 (5,102)
3. Mitt Romney 5,501 (5,318)
4. Fred Thompson 4,309 (3,061)
5. Newt Gingrich 3,770 (2,826)
6. Chuck Hagel 1,851 (2,170)
7. Tommy Thompson 1,794
8. Ron Paul 1,596 (1,984)
9. Sam Brownback 1,529 (1,513)
10. Tom Tancredo 1,216 (1,252)
11. Mike Huckabee 1,072 (1,266)
12. Duncan Hunter 532 (1,105)
13. Jim Gilmore 178

Democratic Presidential Results

1. Hillary Clinton 13,104 (13,018)
2. Barack Obama 11,314 (14,281)
3. Al Gore 9,947 (17,430)
4. John Edwards 9,619 (16,002)
5. Bill Richardson 2,711 (2,899)
6. Dennis Kucinich 1,720 (2,194)
7. Chris Dodd 1,370 (1,578)
8. Joe Biden 1,337 (1,330)
9. Wesley Clark 308 (395)
10. Mike Gravel 173 (288)

Numbers were for a candidate's full name in "quotes" and taken from Google's Blog Search. Since Chris Dodd and Wesley Clark are also frequently referred to as "Christopher Dodd" and "Wes Clark," both versions were used.

Obama Dominates MySpace "Friends" Count Again

Continuing his reign as "King of the Social Networks," Barack Obama leads all presidential candidates in MySpace "friends." Adding over 20K since the social network launched its Impact Presidential Focus site two weeks ago, the U.S. Senator from Illinois has more official site friends than all the other candidates combined.

While only official candidate MySpace sites are listed on Impact, some unofficial sites still are producing impressive numbers. Fan sites for Hillary Clinton and Ron Paul all scored higher than the campaign's newer official site. Likewise, Rudy Giuliani's official site is still "locked" while an unofficial one placed fifth for Republicans.

While the jury is still out on whether or not "online friends" will translate into actual votes, Democrats continue to outpace the GOP on the social networks. A case in point would be newly declared Republican candidate Tommy Thompson. He currently has no presence, official or unofficial on MySpace.

The following numbers are for the end of March, 2007. Unofficial sites are marked by an asterisk (*). Declared and possible candidates were included.

Democratic Presidential Candidates

1. Barack Obama (87,775)
2. Hillary Clinton* (33,002)
3. Wes Clark* (18,484)
4. John Edwards (16,540)
5. Hillary Clinton (6,880)
6. Al Gore* (5,748)
7. Bill Richardson (1,977)
8. Dennis Kucinich (1,700)
9. Joe Biden (1,360)
10. Chris Dodd (556)
11. Mike Gravel* (288)

Republican Presidential Candidates

1. Ron Paul* (4,996)
2. John McCain (3,409)
3. Mitt Romney (3,805)
4. Ron Paul (2,246)
5. Rudy Giuliani* (1,630)
6. Tom Tancredo* (1,231)
7. Michael Smith* (1,053)
8. Sam Brownback* (1,006)
9. Duncan Hunter (850)
10. Mike Huckabee* (781)
11. Fred Thompson* (452)
12. Newt Gingrich* (250)
13. Jim Gilmore* (248)
    

Google Does It Again, Twice

While politicos nervously await first-quarter fundraising reports, baseball fans the start of opening day and college basketball aficionados the Ohio State-Florida showdown, leave it to Google to help alleviate some of the stress this April 1st.

First they announce their revolutionary toilet-based in-home wireless broadband system, TiSP (see picture), with three price points: The Trickle, The #2 and The Royal Flush. Then, for the old school web surfer in us all, they add Gmail Paper. Your emails, printed and shipped to you with only "relevant, targeted, unobtrusive advertisements, which will appear on the back of your Gmail Paper prints in red, bold, 36 pt Helvetica."

As Bill K., Armchair Futurist, notes, "It's paper, plain and easy. I sometimes find myself wondering: what will Google think of next? Cardboard?"

Dodd and Clinton Dominate Vegas Health Care Forum Poll

Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton were deemed the runaway winners of last month's Health Care Forum in Las Vegas. The two took 86% of the vote in our recent online poll.

Dodd won with 49% of the vote, while Clinton was the choice of 37% of the voters. Third place belonged to "No One" at 4%.

While Dodd's numbers received a boost from a mention on his campaign blog, the Senator along with Clinton seemed to receive the best reviews from most media accounts.

Who "Won" the Vegas Forum Poll
49% -- Chris Dodd
37% -- Hillary Clinton
4% -- No One
3% -- John Edwards
3% -- Barack Obama
3% -- Bill Richardson
0% -- Mike Gravel
0% -- Dennis Kucinich

Sixty-seven votes were cast in the unscientific poll.