Quote of the Day (December 12, 2010)

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Stacy McCain at The Other McCain:

"What’s Wrong With the Republican Party in Two Words: Mark McKinnon... You may recall Mark McKinnon as the Republican political strategist who worked to help John McCain win the 2008 GOP nomination, but then quit because he refused to campaign against Barack Obama... The 'Palin problem' (whatever that is imagined to be) exists entirely in the mind of Republican political strategist Mark McKinnon... And let’s not forget that Sarah Palin supported Marco back when Republican political strategist Mark McKinnon was declaring that 'Republicans look more like a glue factory than an idea factory.' Helpful advice for Marco Rubio and to Republicans everywhere: Don’t hire Mark McKinnon... Because the minute it becomes public knowledge that McKinnon is an 'advisor,' 'consultant,' or 'strategist' on your campaign, you’re doomed."

- JP

Quote of the Day (July 16, 2010)

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Mark McKinnon:

"A sign of Palin's political maturity and calculation is that her endorsements have become more strategic than ideological. She's not just picking people who are compatible, she's picking candidates who can win and, therefore, increase her power base..."

- JP

Battle of the heavyweight endorsers

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Political consultant Mark McKinnon observes that disgraced former president Bill Clinton now has higher favorables than the current occupant of the White House. The Comeback Kid is enjoying a 51 percent approval rating, while Obama is under water at 45.6 percent. As a consequence, the value of an Obama endorsement is not what it used to be:

Ironically, in a poll recently released by Public Policy Polling, 48 percent of likely voters say support from President Barack Obama would make them less likely to vote for a candidate. A sea change, indeed.

[...]

Despite a lot of footwork, Obama couldn't help Sen. Arlen Specter (PA), the fourth Democrat in seven months to lose a high-profile race. His endorsement didn't help Gov. Jon Corzine (NJ), state Sen. Creigh Deeds (VA) or Attorney General Martha Coakley (MA). And though Obama backed Rep. Critz in the elimination bout for the late Sen. John Murtha’s seat, Critz opposed Obama's health care plan and even skipped the president’s visit to Pennsylvania a few weeks back.

Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum, and Clinton may be ready and willing to assume the mantle of Democrat endorser-in-chief. So far, he's only endorsed candidates who backed his wife for the presidential nomination in 2008. He helped Blanche Lincoln win in Arkansas, and he raised more than a few eyebrows Tuesday by endorsing Andrew Romanoff in the Colorado primary race for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Michael Bennet, who has Obama’s blessing. Will more endorsements be coming from the Democrat who, in January of 1996, proclaimed "The era of Big Government is over?" Obama and those who voted for him didn't seem to get that message in 2008, but all indications are that it has hit home today.

McKinnon says Democrat candidates, especially those running in swing districts, are not likely to be all that eager for Obama to come stump for them this fall. But they might just welcome a certain former president's nod and his help on the local campaign trail, while their Republican opponents will be seeking an endorsement from the world's most famous hockey mom:

Bill Clinton will likely be in huge demand, as will Sarah Palin, his Republican counterpart, who has become a heavyweight endorser as well.

For someone who no longer holds elective office and has been summarily dismissed by the press, Palin has an impressive endorsement record this primary season; she’s 9-3 so far. Among her best picks: state Rep. Nikki Haley (SC) and Carly Fiorina (CA).

An interesting title match in the fall elections: Who will have more impact as the party surrogate? Sarah Palin or Bill Clinton? Texas may be one of the races to watch with the Clinton-endorsed former Houston Mayor Bill White (D) challenging Palin’s pick, incumbent Gov. Rick Perry (R).

While we're not big gamblers, we like the odds of a Palin endorsement over one from Bill Clinton in the Lone Star State. Texas is Sarah Palin country. Rehabilitated or not, Bubba is not that popular here, as many people still remember what went down in Waco.

A Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters taken in March had Perry leading White by 6 points, 49 percent to 43 percent. In May, the same pollster found Perry ahead by 51 to 38. A June Rasmussen survey showed Perry ahead by 8 points, 48 to 30. We would be genuinely surprised to see White narrow the gap to under 5 points. We've been wrong before, but we just don't see it happening, no matter what the spinmeisters say.

- JP

Mark McKinnon: Sarah Palin's "Mama Grizzlies'

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Political consultant Mark McKinnon, President of Maverick Media and Vice-Chairman of Austin based Public Strategies, Inc., is the latest of several pundits to write recently about Sarah Palin's "mama grizzlies." A few excerpts:

No matter your gender or politics, you have to hand it to her: Palin is fearless. “You don't want to mess with moms who are rising up,” the Wasilla warrior said last week. “If you thought pit bulls were tough, you don't want to mess with mama grizzlies.”

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With the growing disconnect between the political class (dancing the night away at a State Dinner on the South Lawn beneath baubles and butterflies and yukking it up at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner) and mainstream America (working hard to feed their families with 9.9 percent unemployment looming overhead and watching while the nation’s greatest environmental crisis unfolds), voters have lost patience.

Agree with them or not, it’s the women of the GOP—like Sarah Palin, Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN) and Gov. Jan Brewer (AZ)—who are tough enough to say exactly what they think. And their words are resonating with an increasingly vocal electoral bloc.

Women accounted for 54 percent of voters in the 2008 elections. Yet only six women currently serve as governors, with 17 in the U.S. Senate, and 76 in the House.

That underrepresentation may be about to change with a record number of women—and Republican women—running.

McKinnon goes on to briefly profile eleven Republican women who he believes bear watching. Of these, Sarah Palin has formally endorsed three -- Nikki Haley, Carly Fiorina, and Susana Martinez -- and has publicly supported a fourth, Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona. Among the other seven on McKinnon's list, at least four are candidates with impressive conservative credentials, and we wonder whether one or more of them may be under consideration by the governor for possible endorsements.

State Rep. Sandy Adams is one of no less than fourteen Republican running in the crowded Florida-24 primary. This district is one of those targeted by SarahPAC in its "Take Back the 20" effort.

Mary Fallin is running for governor of Oklahoma, a position she seems well qualified for, having served as lieutenant governor for 12 years. The is the first woman in her state to hold that office.

Dr. Deborah Travis Honeycutt, a congressional candidate in Georgia-13, is a physician, Constitutionalist, Christian and advocate of the Fair Tax. She's an outspoken opponent of ObamaCare.

Angela McGlowan, running in Mississippi-1 is a small businesswoman, motivational speaker and best-selling author of Bamboozled: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda.

- JP

McKinnon: the most fascinating woman I have ever met

Mark McKinnon, vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, has authored an op-ed for The Daily Beast titled "How her mind works" about the time he spent with vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin for the McCain campaign.

Well, actually the opinion piece is 60 percent about Gov. Palin and 40 percent a defense of Steve Schmidt. McKinnon insists that Schmidt is not a leaker. He also says that Todd Purdum, author of the Vanity Fair hit piece on Palin, called him to discuss Palin for his article, but McKinnon says he "chose not to participate."

He insists that Purdum got it all wrong about McKinnon's degree of involvement working with Gov. Palin in the McCain campaign and only spent three hours with the governor. The time was spent all in one session which basically amounted to Debate 101. According to McKinnon, a week out from the VP debate with Joe Biden, Gov. Palin was aware that she "was in trouble" and was unprepared:

"And she knew it would be difficult, maybe impossible to be ready. And the brief session I witnessed, verified as much and I was convinced the debate would be a disaster. But, despite the crushingly stressful situation in which she found herself, and despite the aching vulnerability, she squared up in her uniquely Palin way and made it clear to all of us in the room that she was going to bear down, get ready, and was not, under any circumstances, going to let John McCain down. But, I frankly thought she would."

"But damned if she didn’t. I watched the debate on television from Austin and was stunned. The difference in the person I’d seen just five days earlier and the woman I saw step onto the stage with Joe Biden was a complete transformation."

McKinnon describes Sarah Palin as "one of the most fascinating women I have ever met":

"She crackles with energy like a live electrical wire and on first meeting gets about three inches from your face. Her instant subliminal message is: 'I don't know you very well, but I'm very clear about who I am.' She reeks of moxie and self confidence. And she’s fearless."

Those who hoped and expected this would be a hit piece on Sarah Palin will be very disappointed. But those who are convinced that Schmidt is one of the leakers will be just as disappointed. 

- JP

Quote of the Day (June 15, 2009)

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Austin-based political consultant Mark McKinnon, commenting on Gov. Sarah Palin's appearance on CNN's The Situation Room this Friday past:

"I think Palin knocked it out of the park. It was a long and substantive interview. Kudos to Blitzer and CNN for giving her a full 15 minutes of airtime. And she more than held her own. Talked about a natural gas-pipeline deal that is good a deal and smart politics. Talked about Obamanomics. And laid a pretty good beating on David Letterman."

- JP