Travis Valentine's blog

Via Der Spiegel.

- Richard Simmons for Congress.

- According to AdAge, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's campaign dropped $5 million to be among the sponsors of NBC's Olympics coverage. His spots will run on both network and cable TV.

- Obama is in Berlin where he is set to deliver his much-anticipated speech at 1 p.m. EST (If you needed more proof, Gallup has more polling showing just how much Europeans prefer Obama to McCain). Jake Tapper has a great post on Obama's speech. Meanwhile, McCain is in Ohio at a Livestrong Summit with Lance Armstrong. Tomorrow he's off to meet the Dalai Lama in Colorado.

- U.S. Sen. John McCain's VP update: Gov. Bobby Jindal said he will not be McCain's VP yesterday and Chris Cillizza points out that the Michigan Democratic Party is going after Mitt Romney in a new web ad.

- The Obama campaign is ramping up its interaction with the Hill. Yesterday, campaign manager David Plouffe met with House Democrats to discuss strategy, and The Hill points out that the campaign is coordinating a publicity blitz with "Obamacans" (those who have been aligned with the Republican Party but back Obama).

- The Hill also reports that donors who backed Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2006 don't seem to be giving their financial support to McCain. In fact, it cites financial records which show that "only two of John McCain's post-primary contributions [over $200] have come from Sen. Joe Lieberman supporters".

- Jonathan Martin has a must-read piece in The Politico about how the GOP is losing the new-media war.

- Want a ticket to come see Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Denver? Chuck Plunkett says Steve Hildebrand, Obama's deputy campaign manager, wants you to leave as an informed Obama volunteer.

- Robert Reich compares the economic philosophies of both candidates in a clear, understandable way on his blog.

- John McCain has a new web ad out in South Florida that places Barack Obama next to Fidel Castro with "Fidel Castro thinks he is the most advanced candidate" on it. Check out the Huffington Post for an image. This is interesting, as our own Will Wallace rightly points out, because Obama's Spanish-language radio ad that is running in FL highlights issues like education, job growth, etc., which are what's really relevant. Learn more in NDN's 2006 Cuba poll.

- In the Turkish daily, Today's Zaman, Jeffrey Sachs reflects on the G8 Summit meeting in Japan and asks where all the global leaders are.

- President Bush will address the RNC Convention, but who knows where he'll fit in the line up.

- And finally, check out the Secret Pants video below where the interviewer asks participants whether phrases were said by Batman or President Bush. Thanks for the head's up, Nate! I'm not sure how I feel about the likeness in some of these, but it's amusing nonetheless:

(via Time)

(via Der Spiegel)

In the video below, NDN President Simon Rosenberg offers his thoughts on U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's trip overseas, what the polls show, and U.S. Sen. John McCain's recent ad that blames Obama for high gas prices. It's about 4 minutes long, so check it out.

As he says, we're going to be doing more of these so let us know what you think. And if you have any questions you'd like him to answer in the next video, feel free to leave it in the comments below. Don't know how? Use our help section!

For more of Simon's analysis, check out two of his recent posts: Is Cheney Tied Up Somewhere? and The Story of the Race So Far - the Surprising Weakness of John McCain.

Update: In the video, Simon talks about Obama leading in Nevada and New Hampshire, but he meant to say Iowa, not Ohio.

- Continuing his world tour, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is in Jordan today with his recently repainted plane. (This time, you can see change in the air!) ABC's Jake Tapper has more details of the trip, which includes a press conference with Obama on his trips to Afghanistan and Iraq. Look for more questions regarding Obama's assessment of the surge to come up.

- For those looking for an interesting piece on how the Netroots is adjusting to Obama's candidacy, check out this Washington Post piece from Jose Antonio Vargas. As Simon explains:

"Think about it: Netroots was born at a time when the Democrats were in opposition, and it's learning how to be a force of good when the Democrats are in power -- and could have more power next year."

- Negating recent polls that reflect a European fondness of Obama, the WSJ's Washington Wire cites David Aaronovitch's column in The Times of London to show that their feelings are not likely to last.

- Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John McCain is successfully breaking into the press cycle with speculation over whether he will soon announce his VP candidate. As Eric Kleefeld points out, McCain is set to meet with LA Governor Bobby Jindal tomorrow. Coincidence? For more on the VP stakes, check out Christina Bellantoni's piece in the Washington Times that features some advice from Simon on picking a VP:

"The single most important thing is it has to be somebody Barack Obama actually likes. This is the greatest battle of your life, and you should have someone you know and trust at your side."

- Whether or not Evan Bayh fits that particular mold is uncertain, though Chris Cillizza makes the case for him in The Fix. Andrew Sullivan also has a good roundup of the VP speculation - in addition to some devastating news about the latest Caped Crusader - over at The Daily Dish.

- The New York Times is defending its decision not to publish an oped "as submitted" from John McCain. The paper is willing to look at another version, but the McCain campaign isn't planning on submitting one.

- Since eyes will be following Bobby Jindal, it is worth mentioning that his state of Louisiana just asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling on the death penalty for child rape. (via SCOTUSblog)

- Hillary Clinton's donors are giving to Barack Obama, at least according to The Trail's Sarah Cohen and Matthew Mosk.

- Will the real Ron Burgundy please stand up?

- John Heilemann draws an interesting parallel between the campaigns of U.S. Sen. John McCain and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton in his New York Magazine piece.

- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is about to deliver a speech in DC today on Iraq and Security. Watch it live on Obama's blog and check out this primer from the AP. This follows yesterday's speech to the NAACP Annual Convention, which Jake Tapper analyzed on Political Punch.

- Mark Thoma wonders what John McCain's plans for Social Security are given his recent statements.

- The MSNBC team at First Read notes that Mitt Romney might be higher on McCain's short list than was previously thought. (via Marc Ambinder)

- The WSJ's Washington Wire has two interesting posts: The first is a glimpse at how Latino bloggers are reacting to candidate outreach; and the second takes a look at how the McCain family will profit from the recent Anheuser-Busch deal.

- NDN plug: if you want a deeper look at the efforts of John McCain and Barack Obama in courting the Latino vote, NDN staff are posting from San Diego where the NCLR Conference is taking place.

- Lastly, in AdAge Evan Tracey goes over the campaigns' ad strategies in key states and outlines their metrics for success. Speaking of, check out Barack Obama's new ad, "America's Leadership":

Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe gives another strategy update in the video below:

In the past few days alone, NDN's research and commentary have been cited in various news outlets - from the AP to The Hill - on the power and significance of the Hispanic electorate in 2008 and beyond. Want to know how the presidential candidates are doing among Latinos? Or how New Mexico and the broader Southwest will play an important role in choosing the next President? Read the stories, check out our commentary and let us know your thoughts:

06/28, The Hill - Roxana Tiron, McCain, Obama battle for Hispanic votes

07/01, New Mexico Independent - Marjorie Childress, Swinging for Latinos

07/01, AP - Stephen Ohlemacher, Hispanic voters gaining strength in key states

- Happy July!

- In The Fix, Chris Cillizza takes a look at the speech U.S. Sen. Barack Obama delivered on patriotism.

- Via Andrew Sullivan and Peggy Noonan, The Next Right takes a look at how stories in Google news mention Obama and not U.S. Sen. John McCain by a 3:1 ratio. Not to mention the similar advantage in Google searches. So what does all this mean? More internet traffic and more money for Obama. The GOP could learn a thing or two...or more.

- Eric Alterman thinks U.S. Sen. Barack Obama could be the most effective President since Franklin Roosevelt and is running the most progressive campaign since Jimmy Carter. (via PrezVid.)

- In a look at how online strategy can mix with messaging, the Obama campaign is embracing its critics online. (I'm just waiting for the "Wall Street Wants Change" group...)

- Even though he can't pay taxes on his properties, John McCain wants everyone to have a mansion.

- Ben Pershing at the Washington Post's Capitol Briefing blog shines light on the PAC activity of a handful of folks on Barack Obama's potential VP list, particularly Gen. Wesley Clark.(Note: if you want to try to ask Clark about his comments, he'll be on CNN's Situation Room so submit your video now.)

- Speaking of VP candidates, Mike Allen writes in the Politico that Mitt Romney tops McCain's list.

- Bill Clinton and Obama spoke. Shocking. Marc Ambinder has the statements from both campaign spokesmen.

- In light of his trip to Colombia, John McCain is up with a new web ad in support of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. (Check out NDN's letter to President Bush on the Colombia FTA.)

- Meanwhile, Dan Restrepo, Obama's chief adviser for Latin America, commented on a possible Obama trip to Colombia, saying that Obama has said he's thought about visiting Latin America during the campaign, but that it's not easy. (via Economists for Obama.)

- As this is being posted, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are appearing together in Unity, NH. Quoting Obama: "She rocks".

- In The Fix, Chris Cillizza looks at the presidential politics of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn DC's ban on handguns. On the same subject, PrezVid offers a video of Obama expressing his belief that the Second Amendment is an individual right. For more of the legal aspects, keep checking SCOTUSblog.

- Will there be a new debate format this Fall? According to the WSJ's Washington Wire, the Commission on Presidential Debates is hoping so.

- The Obama campaign continues to push the PowerPoint that Campaign Manager David Plouffe went over in DC this week, showing the strength of the campaign as well as highlighting fundraising realities among the candidates and party committees. All this comes as two more states shift to Obama.

- Michael Bush has an article worth reading in AdAge entitled "The Web Is Where It's At for Youth Vote". Here's a provacative quote:

"The good news for Democrats is that they [have proved they] can connect with voters, and the good news for Republicans is that this isn't about party or candidate; it's about the tool," Mr. Irving said. "So the candidate who is good at using these tools will have better success at reaching these voters. These voters are going [online] to find information because they can shape the message they receive and that's the watershed."

- As I wrote this morning, both U.S. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will be addressing the 25th Annual NALEO Conference tomorrow.

- John McCain has a new ad, "Purpose". Check it out below: