campaign adviser news stories on Newser

Romney Camp Full of Lobbyists

Kevin Spak — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:42:42 CST

Mitt Romney occasionally touts himself as a Washington outsider, but he hangs out with an awful lot of lobbyists, the New York Times observes. Romney's "kitchen cabinet" includes some of the top Republican influence peddlers in the business, including Charles Black, Wayne Berman, and Vin Weber, all of whom run...

Get Ready for Earful From Obama Aides

Matt Cantor — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:59:16 CDT

Amid press conferences and big speeches, President Obama spent his first two years in office as “his own messenger.” But expect that to change in the run-up to the next election, writes Michael Scherer in Time . In those first two years, Obama lacked a solid team of spokespeople; aides like...

Carville to Advise Karzai Challenger

Kevin Spak — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:00:00 CDT

James Carville is headed to Kabul to advise one of Hamid Karzai’s challengers in Afghanistan’s upcoming election, Bloomberg reports. Carville has close ties to Hillary Clinton, but says the move shouldn’t be seen as a sign the Obama administration is pushing for a leadership change. “I don’t think anybody would...

McCain's Campaign Chief: He Never Had a Chance

John Johnson — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:22:40 CDT

The man who ran John McCain's campaign said his defeat was nearly preordained, reports Politico. It was "the strategic equivalent of throwing a football through a tire at 50 yards,” said Steve Schmidt. Given the ascendancy of Barack Obama—"the unfinished Bobby Kennedy campaign"—the unpopularity of George Bush, the...

Obama Sneaks Power Back Into the Mix

Kevin Spak — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:01:07 CST

Barack Obama’s national security team seems to consist entirely of people known for speaking their minds, observes Ben Smith of Politico, and none moreso than new NSC staff member Samantha Power, best known for calling Hillary Clinton “a monster.” She was booted for the incident, but that was just a...

McCain Hires Strategist Who Smeared Him

Matt Cantor — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:00:29 CDT

Republican strategist Tucker Eskew, who helped smear John McCain in the 2000 primaries, is now on board the GOP candidate’s campaign and will prep Sarah Palin for her role, reports Jake Tapper on ABC News. “He's one of the best and most collaborative talents in Republican politics,” a McCain rep...

McCain's a Mystery Even to Himself

Rob Quinn — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:10:01 CDT

A mystery called John McCain lurks at the heart of the presidential race, Eugene Robinson writes in the Washington Post . The candidate remains "undefined" and "full of contradictions," Robinson writes. In fact, with McCain's bizarre admission that he isn't sure how many houses he has, "there are some basic things...

Bill Sad Over Hillary's Loss: Obama Adviser

Caroline Zimmerman — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:26:02 CDT

The buzz on John Edwards' love affair drowned out talk of Russia's conflict with Georgia on today's morning talk shows, Politico reports. On Fox News Sunday , an Obama campaign topdog said Bill Clinton is still reeling from his wife's primary loss, and Karl Rove claimed on Face the Nation that...

Chicago Ties Sustain Obama

Matt Cantor — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:47:00 CDT

Barack Obama’s Chicago home base has provided the candidate with a wealth of influential allies who serve him in a variety of ways, from the political to the personal, the Washington Post reports. While some play official campaign roles or are informal advisers, others keep Obama grounded on his beloved...