Newsweek: on Principles & Values
Al Gore:
Parallels to Nixon’s comeback from 1960 vs. 1968
There is a parallel for Gore in another president who lost narrowly, retreated to private life and then returned to win the presidency. His name was Richard Nixon. He lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960 in what was then the closest race in American history.
Written off by the political establishment, Nixon went to New York and practiced law. Then in 1964, the Republicans took a drubbing with Barry Goldwater, and suddenly the uptight and sober Nixon looked pretty good. John Kerry came much closer to winning
than Goldwater, but Kerry turned out to be a wind-surfing dilettante who in retrospect reminded Democrats they had a better candidate in Gore. Gore is not anything like Nixon, but there is an underlying psychological subtext they have in common.
Once you’re bitten by the presidential bug, you stay bitten. This is his Richard Nixon remake. The question is-is he willing to challenge Hillary Clinton? That’s a question not even Gore seems to be able to answer.
Source: 2008 speculation: Eleanor Clift, Newsweek, “Gore Redux”
Apr 28, 2006
Bill Clinton:
Lying about sex is not an abuse of presidential power
In the case of President Bill Clinton in 1998, there was no foreign interference, no election meddling and no attempt to subvert our Constitution. I was a member of the Judiciary Committee at the time of the Clinton proceedings, and it was clear to me
that the president's marital dishonesty would not destroy our constitutional form of government. Lying about sex is not an abuse of presidential power (though, maybe, husband power), and, certainly, Trump may have done the same thing.
Source: Newsweek magazine on impeaching Trump
Dec 13, 2019
Bob Barr:
Expects votes to come from those who would sit out election
Q: Barr served in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican. But in 2006 Barr exited his party and became a Libertarian, strongly criticizing President Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq. Rep. Barr, your critics in the
GOP allege that your candidacy will spoil the Republican Party’s chances in November. How do you respond?A: They have no idea why I’m doing it, and, plus, that’s just a knee-jerk reaction. Does anybody getting into the race plan to ask the tough
questions or plan to point out some of the areas where McCain is less conservative than he would like people to believe? Those pundits have no idea where my votes would come from, nor do they know about the issues I stand for. As a matter of fact,
I suspect the votes I will get will come from folks who would be more inclined to sit out the election, because there’s not a real conservative in the race. The votes are not going to come from people that are committed to voting for McCain.
Source: Daniel Stone in Newsweek magazine
May 13, 2008
Bob Barr:
Rejects “spolier” label; expects to win electoral votes
Q: Barr rejects the spoiler label and insists he’s “in it to win it.” Rep. Barr, History shows that third-party candidates win few, if any, votes in the Electoral College. Can you really win?A: History provides no blueprint for the future in politics.
We know that by looking at the dynamics of this particular race, which are very different in terms of the significant increase of new younger voters, the deep dissatisfaction with the status quo, the more than 70% of voters who believe that the country i
on the wrong track. I’m a very different candidate from the Libertarians and other candidates who have run in the past.
Q: Take me through your strategy. In which states will you be most competitive?
A: We’re not going to disclose that at this point.
There are a number of states that we believe, based on our analysis, give us a greater chance for carrying those states. But I don’t think it would be appropriate to lay those out right now. But that is a very tangible part of our strategy.
Source: Daniel Stone in Newsweek magazine
May 13, 2008
Brad Carson:
Member of Cherokee Nation; descendant of “Trail of Tears”
Carson, 37, is a young man in a hurry to make a difference. He was elected to Congress in 2000, and earlier this year announced he was running for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Don Nickles. A sixth-generation Oklahoman,
Carson is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. His mother’s family arrived in the state on the “Trail of Tears,” the forced march that was part of the federal government’s Indian removal policy. Now, 166 years later, the blond-haired,
blue-eyed Carson is only one-eighth Cherokee Indian, but he is a proud member of the Cherokee nation. His father was a career employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and he grew up living on a series of
Navajo reservations.If Carson wins his bid for the Senate, he would succeed the retiring Colorado Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as the only Native American in Congress.
Source: Eleanor Clift, Newsweek
Apr 30, 2004
Howard Dean:
Sealed governorship records for 10 years
A large chunk of Dean's records as governor are locked in a remote state warehouse-the result of an aggressive legal strategy designed in part to protect Dean from political attacks. Dean-who has blasted the Bush administration for excessive secrecy-
candidly acknowledged that politics was a major reason for locking up his own files when he left office. He told Vermont Public Radio he was putting a 10-year seal on many of his official papers because of "future political considerations. We didn't want
anything embarrassing appearing in the papers at a critical time.""Most of the records are open," said a Dean staffer. Still, Dean's efforts to keep official papers secret appear unusually extensive. Last year, Dean's chief counsel sent a directive
to all state agencies ordering them to cull their files and remove all correspondence that bore Dean's name-and ship them to the governor's office to be reviewed for "privilege" claims. This removed a "significant number of records" from state files.
Source: Michael Isikoff, Newsweek
Dec 8, 2003
Jaime Harrison:
Not political issues: about doing what is right
"We are trying to be above politics because we have issues here that are not political issues," he said. "They are issues that
Democrats and Republicans, poor and rich, black and white are all struggling with and dealing with on a day to day basis. It's about doing what is right versus what's wrong."
Source: Newsweek Magazine on 2020 South Carolina Senate race
Jun 8, 2020
Jon Tester:
Sen. Burns brings scandals like Abramoff & bridge-to-nowhere
Q: Sen. Burns trumpets the fact that he brings lots of federal dollars back to Montana. A: What have these deals cost the country? He's [supported funding to build] a bridge to nowhere worth $223 million [to connect
Gravina Island with Ketchikan in Alaska]. He voted for that. He's given money to one the richest Indian tribes in the country, because Jack Abramoff asked him to do it. I just think it's time for some honesty and integrity.
Source: Newsweek interview
Aug 22, 2006
Mark Meuser:
Compared seized Trump documents to raid on Obama
A Republican candidate is facing criticism after comparing the FBI's raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence to hypothetical law enforcement action against top Democrats. "Imagine the backlash if while he was in office,
Trump had Obama's home raided and AOC's phone seized," Mark Meuser, a constitutional and election law attorney, wrote in a Twitter post. "Are you tired of the double standard?" he added.
Source: Newsweek magazine on 2022 California Senate race
Aug 11, 2022
Mitt Romney:
Faces questions on Mormonism like Kennedy did on Catholicism
Romney has made the decision to step down at the end of this year and is preparing to seek the presidency. His preparations are serious - both in fundraising and in organizing support in early primary states.
This is a onetime business consultant who likes to have his ducks in a row. But he knows the real challenges lie ahead for him, just as they do for his health plan. One special test involves the public reaction to his Mormon faith.
He thinks it won't ultimately be a barrier but says, "At some point, I know, I will have to face all the questions about its tenets, just as John Kennedy did in
West Virginia and in the meeting with the Greater Houston Ministerial Association," when his Catholicism was an issue. "But I think tolerance will prevail again."
Source: 2008 speculation: Eleanor Clift, Newsweek, "Gore Redux"
Apr 28, 2006
Richard Nixon:
Nixon abused powers to improperly influence election
Nixon abused presidential powers to improperly influence the election, he covered up his actions using the FBI and the CIA, and, thereafter, he rightfully resigned the presidency. In the case of Trump, not only has he similarly abused his power to
improperly put his thumb on the scale of the election, he used a foreign power to do it. George Washington would likely be astonished by that behavior, since he forewarned us "against the insidious wiles of foreign influence."
Source: Newsweek magazine on impeaching Trump
Dec 13, 2019
Sarah Palin:
Officiated a marriage in the aisle of Wal-Mart
Much of Wasilla has given way to strip malls & subdivisions. Palin knows this is the heart of her town. In 1999, when Wal-Mart was the place to shop in Wasilla, a couple who worked there decided to get married in the aisles of the store.
Shoppers convened, and tour-bus passengers stopped and gawked. Palin, who was then mayor of the 5,000 or so residents of the town, officiated. Later, she told a reporter that she had to hold back tears. "It was so sweet," she said. "It was so Wasilla."
Source: Amanda Coyne in Newsweek
Sep 22, 2008
Wesley Clark:
Candidacy about national security going wrong
I'm considering this candidacy because a lot of people have asked me to consider it. It's about the issues. I saw it starting to go wrong before the 2000 election. [The Bush national security team] didn't support our engagement in Europe-US troops were
the only ones who could kill people and conquer countries [instead of] keeping the peace. So I saw it going wrong from there. Then, as the administration took office, I saw more and more what I believed were misunderstandings and missed opportunities.
Source: Newsweek, "The Last Word" interview
Jul 9, 2003
Jill Stein:
Born into Jewish family, stresses she's no longer practicing
Stein was born five years after the end of World War II and grew up as part of a Jewish family in Chicago, though she stresses she is no longer practicing. As a political activist, she has also been outspoken about the ongoing war between
Israel and Hamas--describing Israel's intervention in Gaza following the October 7 militant attack as "genocide" and calling for the Israeli government to be investigated for potential war crimes.
Source: Newsweek magazine on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Dec 17, 2023
Kamala Harris:
Putin and Russia should stay out of our elections
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he supports Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in November's presidential election, joking about her "infectious" laugh as a reason to prefer her over Donald Trump.His remark came just hours
after the Biden administration accused Moscow of a widespread, sophisticated election interference campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies believe Putin is hoping for Trump to take the White House in November, given his skepticism over U.S. funding of
Ukraine's war machine.
"I told you our favorite, if you can call it that, was President Biden. He's now out of the race, but he asked his supporters to back Ms. Harris, so we'll do the same," Putin said with a wry smile. "The choice is ultimately up
to the American people, and we will respect that decision. Favorites aren't for us to decide--it's the American people's choice," he added.
In response, a U.S. national security spokesman said, "Putin should just stay out of our elections."
Source: Newsweek on Foreign Influences on 2024 Presidential race
Sep 5, 2024
Vladimir Putin:
Putin claims "Russia supports Harris", sarcastically?
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he supports Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in November's presidential election, joking about her "infectious" laugh as a reason to prefer her over Donald Trump.His remark came just hours
after the Biden administration accused Moscow of a widespread, sophisticated election interference campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies believe Putin is hoping for Trump to take the White House in November, given his skepticism over U.S. funding of
Ukraine's war machine.
"I told you our favorite, if you can call it that, was President Biden. He's now out of the race, but he asked his supporters to back Ms. Harris, so we'll do the same," Putin said with a wry smile. "The choice is ultimately up
to the American people, and we will respect that decision. Favorites aren't for us to decide--it's the American people's choice," he added.
In response, a U.S. national security spokesman said, "Putin should just stay out of our elections."
Source: Newsweek on Foreign Influences on 2024 Presidential race
Sep 5, 2024
Page last updated: Sep 29, 2024