It was two in the morning when my phone rang. I could hear a lot of arguing in the background. "Hello, Murphy ... How much! You guys are all for sale, what's your price? NAME IT!" I'd never spoken to John Kerry before. "Well, um, thanks Senator, but I'm a Republican and while I'm
I've received a smattering of emails in the Backseat Driving inbox asking why I don't much mention the candidacy of retired General Wes Clark. It's mostly because I don't think he has a chance. But since the latest heap of ever bouncing N.H. poll numbers has shown a minor bounce for the General, I
Is Dick Gephardt now the main alternative to Howard Dean? With 50 days remaining till the Iowa caucuses, Gephardt is the only candidate holding his own with Howard Dean in a critical place, Gephardt's Fortress Iowa. The Gephardt victory scenario is as follows: win Iowa, roll into NH with momentum and beat an ailing
For months the Democratic primary has been infested by a plague of cable TV debates and they've been a waste of time for nearly everybody, especially the candidates. Voters wait for the real debates on real local TV during the last weeks before the primaries. Those debates move numbers and should be treated with
GOP media consultant Mike Murphy is back from his hiatus as an adviser to some little-known actor turned CA Gov. Remember, this is a column, so send the blowback his way at mmurphy@nationaljournal.com Tan, Rested and Cranky The new governor of California is now sworn in and off to a wunderbar start, so I'm
After a Shaky Opening, a Candidate is Born - The Schwarzenegger campaign was in disarray in early August, but a team of savvy political pros helped him hit his stride.
A year ago when people asked me to foresee the Democratic nominee, I'd hedged a little bit and predicted John Kerry. My rationale was that the primary race in 2004 would be very similar to 1988; a wide-open scramble where a New Englander with a pile of money would have a telling advantage. I
On June 24th the word went out from Kansas City. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers have found their candidate: Dick Gephardt. Meanwhile, Howard Dean rakes in millions on the internet. The trendy insight du jour on all this is obvious and already a cliché: while e-candidate Dean
For the last week the 100 or so party operatives, rival campaign staffers and beltway journalists who together comprise the central nervous system of Democratic conventional wisdom have been cackling over cell phones and emails about how awful Howard Dean was on "Meet the Press." Meanwhile, Dean is busy running circles around his heavy
I sat down to write this column and make a credible case for Bob Graham. That was 30 minutes ago. I'm having trouble. On paper, Bob Graham looks like a powerful contender. He's been very successful in a bigger and politically tougher state than any of his competitors. He's been a Governor and Governors