Officially, Valerie Jarrett appeared on this morning’s “Meet the Press” to discuss Barack Obama’s transition effort, which she is helping to lead. But hours later, her turn in the national spotlight took on added significance, with the news that Obama apparently wants Jarrett to succeed him in the United States Senate. In hindsight, she might have been auditioning.

Whether Jarrett, a Chicago lawyer and civic leader who has been closely involved in Obama’s entire political career, ends up being elevated to the Senate isn’t, of course, the president-elect’s call. The power of appointment belongs to Illinois’ Democratic governor, Rod Blagojevich. But, presumably, Obama’s recommendation will go a long way.  read more »

Dan Cantor, executive director of the labor-backed Working Families Party, makes the case in an email to supporters:

Sometimes the candidate who'll fight for working families is a challenger, sometimes it's an incumbent who's been doing it for years. Think about Teddy Kennedy if you want the best example of such a person at the national level.

Time after time, on the crucial fights of the day - Silver has been the most important leader standing up to right-wing corporate power. He beat back Republican attempts to end rent regulation, slash public schools, and reduce access to healthcare coverage. He actually believes that the government has a role to play in making sure everyone has a decent shot in life.

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A quick review of the most prominently featured speakers over the first three days of the Democratic convention – which ones helped, which ones hurt, and which ones did neither.  read more »

After Michelle Obama's remarks concluded the first day of the democratic Convention, I ran into Senator Chuck Schumer of New York waiting for a car outside the Pepsi center. He was very pleased with the way things had gone so far.

"Flawless," he said. "Michelle Obama—if 25 percent of Americans were watching that, we'll go up 5 percent in the polls. It was beautiful. I had tears in my eyes with Kennedy and I had more tears in my eyes with Michelle Obama. How beautiful."

"The whole key to this convention," he added, "is that the only way McCain wins is to say Barack is not like us, and they do it in a nasty way.  read more »

After Caroline Kennedy addressed the Democratic convention on Monday night, the hall watched a movie about her uncle Ted Kennedy.

It showed Kennedy in black-and-white images as a young man pounding lecterns. It showed him in middle age hitting the campaign trail and then as a grandfather sailing with his children and grandchildren. Colleagues and family spoke about him, some in the past tense, and the film ended with Kennedy, only a few months ago, at yet another podium, shouting, “It is time now for Barack Obama.”

It had all the trappings of a lifetime achievement award, but Kennedy, it turned out, showed that he isn’t done.  read more »

Ted Kennedy not only appeared on stage, he actually delivered a ten-minute address. Around 9:30, just after his niece Caroline spoke and a video tribute was broadcast, the 76-year-old Democratic lion, accompanied by his wife Vicki, stepped out from behind the video screen and onto the stage. A stool sat next to the podium, but Kennedy didn't need it.

He made no direct mention of his battle against an aggressive form of brain cancer, which has been known to claim the lives of its victims within months of its diagnosis, but made it clear that he's not planning to go anywhere anytime soon.  read more »

The star of the opening night of the Democratic convention is supposed to be Michelle Obama, but it's a fairly safe bet that more people will be talking tomorrow about Ted Kennedy, who apparently will appear on stage after a video tribute is screened in prime-time tonight. The presence of the ailing Kennedy, diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer back in late May, figures to provide the convention with its most emotional moment. Inevitably, this will stir memories of the two previous Democratic conventions that were also brought to a halt by emotional tributes to Kennedys.  read more »

The latest ad from John McCain's campaign seeks to widen and exploit lingering divisions among Democrats from this year's primary campaign with clips of Hillary Clinton taking shots Barack Obama. As Marc Ambinder points out, the exact message is rather convoluted and contradictory—the ad suggests Clinton was not offered the vice presidency because she spoke "the truth" about Obama during the primaries, but (as the McCain campaign notes in a separate ad) Joe Biden also criticized Obama during the primaries.

Even so, the tactic is hardly new. After the similarly divisive 1980 Democratic primary campaign, which culminated in Ted Kennedy's refusal to link arms with Jimmy Carter at the New York convention, Ronald Reagan's campaign used some of Kennedy's harshest words about Carter in this fall ad.

At an education forum in Florida, Michael Bloomberg praised John McCain for defending President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, and praised McCain and Barack Obama for supporting merit pay for teachers.

The legislation, which Ted Kennedy also worked on, has faced criticism. 

The mayor's office sent over a copy of the prepared remarks Bloomberg was set to give to the Excellence in Action National Education Summit at Disney World. The mayor said:

"Instituting accountability standards is central to the reforms embodied in the No Child Left Behind Act. And it says a lot about the independence and integrity of Senator John McCain that at a time when the allies of the status quo have made NCLB a political punching bag, he continues to express his support for those accountability standards.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/bloomberg-praises-bush-education-bill#comments Politics Barack Obama George W. Bush John McCain Michael Bloomberg No Child Left Behind Ted Kennedy Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:53:08 -0400 Azi Paybarah 71003 at http://www.observer.com http://www.observer.com/2008/hillary-supporter-demonstration-against-disloyal-kennedy-and-d-n-c

A Kos commenter notices that Ted Kennedy, among other leading Democrats, is denounced in strong terms in this post from a Clinton supporter on Hillary Clinton’s campaign web site.

The notice, posted earlier in the month for a demonstration at D.N.C. headquarters when the Rules and Bylaws Committee meets over the fate of the Florida and Michigan delegates, includes this line:  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/hillary-supporter-demonstration-against-disloyal-kennedy-and-d-n-c#comments Politics 2008 Democrats Hillary Clinton Howard Dean Nancy Pelosi Ted Kennedy Tue, 27 May 2008 12:42:07 -0400 Katharine Jose 69723 at http://www.observer.com