SCHotline Press Releases

Chicago, IL – During a rally at American University in Washington, DC, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Representative Patrick Kennedy, and Caroline Kennedy today endorsed Barack Obama for President.

As Prepared for Delivery:

Remarks of Caroline Kennedy
Introducing Senator Edward Kennedy
January 28, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery

Good Afternoon Everyone, and thank you, Patrick, for that introduction and for continuing our family’s proud tradition of public service.

                It’s a special privilege to come to American University where President Kennedy made his immortal call for a  peaceful world - a world made safe for diversity—a world that cherishes our children’s future.

                Over the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wish they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This longing is even more profound today.  Fortunately, there is one candidate who offers that same sense of hope and inspiration and I am proud to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President.

I am happy that two of my own children are here with me, because they were the first people who made me realize that Barack Obama is the President we need. He is already inspiring all Americans, young and old, to believe in ourselves, tying that belief to our highest ideals - ideals of hope, justice, opportunity and peace – and urging us to imagine that together we can do great things.

My Uncle Teddy feels the same way, and I am proud to stand with him today. For more than four decades in the Senate, Teddy has led the fight on the most important issues of our time: civil rights, social justice, and economic opportunity. Workers, families, the elderly, the disabled, immigrants, and men and women in uniform – all have no stronger champion. He has stood with teachers, students and parents to improve our public schools and help with the high price of a college education. When it comes to fighting for quality, affordable health care, Teddy is in a league of his own.

I know his brothers would be so proud of him. He is an inspiration to all the members of our family – always looking to the future, never the past, always hopeful, always believing that we are capable of our very best. You know him well but I’m honored to introduce him now – Senator Edward Kennedy.

Remarks of Senator Edward M. Kennedy
On Endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President
January 28, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Caroline.  Thank you for that wonderful introduction and for your courage and bold vision, for your insight and understanding, and for the power and reach of your words.  Like you, we too “want a president who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again.”  Thank you, Caroline.  Your mother and father would be so proud today.

                Thank you, Patrick, for your leadership in Congress and for being here to celebrate and support a leader who truly has the power to inspire and make America good again, “from sea to shining sea.”

                Thank you, American University. 

                I feel change in the air.                

Every time I’ve been asked over the past year who I would support in the Democratic Primary, my answer has always been the same:  I’ll support the candidate who inspires me, who inspires all of us, who can lift our vision and summon our hopes and renew our belief that our country’s best days are still to come.

                I’ve found that candidate.  And it looks to me like you have too.

                But first, let me say how much I respect the strength, the work and dedication of two other Democrats still in the race, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. They are my friends; they have been my colleagues in the Senate.  John Edwards has been a powerful advocate for economic and social justice.  And Hillary Clinton has been in the forefront on issues ranging from health care to the rights of women around the world.  Whoever is our nominee will have my enthusiastic support.

                Let there be no doubt: We are all committed to seeing a Democratic President in 2008.

But I believe there is one candidate who has extraordinary gifts of leadership and character, matched to the extraordinary demands of this moment in history. 

 He understands what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “fierce urgency of now.”

He will be a president who refuses to be trapped in the patterns of the past. He is a leader who sees the world clearly without being cynical. He is a fighter who cares passionately about the causes he believes in, without demonizing those who hold a different view.

He is tough-minded, but he also has an uncommon capacity to appeal to “the better angels of our nature.”

                I am proud to stand here today and offer my help, my voice, my energy and my commitment to make Barack Obama the next President of the United States.

                Like most of the nation, I was moved four years ago as he told us a profound truth—that we are not, we must not be, just red states and blue states, but one United States.    And since that time I have marveled at his grit and his grace as he traveled this country and inspired record turnouts of people of all ages, of all races, of all genders, of all parties and faiths to get “fired up” and “ready to go.” 

I’ve seen him connect with people from every walk of life and with Senators on both sides of the aisle.  With every person he meets, every crowd he inspires, and everyone he touches, he generates new hope that our greatest days as a nation are still ahead, and this generation of Americans, like others before us, can unite to meet our own rendezvous with destiny.

                We know the true record of Barack Obama. There is the courage he showed when so many others were silent or simply went along. From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq.  

  And let no one deny that truth.

                There is the great intelligence of someone who could have had a glittering career in corporate law, but chose instead to serve his community and then enter public life.

                There is the tireless skill of a Senator who was there in the early mornings to help us hammer out a needed compromise on immigration reform— who always saw a way to protect both national security and the dignity of people who do not have a vote. For them, he was a voice for justice.

                And there is the clear effectiveness of Barack Obama in fashioning legislation to put high quality teachers in our classrooms—and in pushing and prodding the Senate to pass the most far-reaching ethics reform in its history.

                Now, with Barack Obama, there is a new national leader who has given America a different kind of campaign—a campaign not just about himself, but about all of us.  A campaign about the country we will become, if we can rise above the old politics that parses us into separate groups and puts us at odds with one another.

                I remember another such time, in the 1960s, when I came to the Senate at the age of 30. We had a new president who inspired the nation, especially the young, to seek a new frontier.  Those inspired young people marched, sat in at lunch counters, protested the war in Vietnam and served honorably in that war even when they opposed it.  

                They realized that when they asked what they could do for their country, they could change the world.

                It was the young who led the first Earth Day and issued a clarion call to protect the environment; the young who enlisted in the cause of civil rights and equality for women; the young who joined the Peace Corps and showed the world the hopeful face of America.  

                At the fifth anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps, I asked one of those young Americans why they had volunteered.

And I will never forget the answer:  “It was the first time someone asked me to do something for my country.”

                This is another such time.

                I sense the same kind of yearning today, the same kind of hunger to move on and move America forward.  I see it not just in young people, but in all our people.

And in Barack Obama, I see not just the audacity, but the possibility of hope for the America that is yet to be.

                What counts in our leadership is not the length of years in Washington, but the reach of our vision, the strength of our beliefs, and that rare quality of mind and spirit that can call forth the best in our country and our people.

                With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion.

                With Barack Obama, we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay.

                With Barack Obama, we will close the door on the old economics that has written off the poor and left the middle class poorer and less secure.

                He offers a strategy for prosperity—so that America will once again lead the world in better standards of life.

                With Barack Obama, we will break the old gridlock and finally make health care what it should be in America—a fundamental right for all, not just an expensive privilege for the few.  

                We will make the United States the great leader and not the great roadblock in the fateful fight against global warming.

                And with Barack Obama, we will end a war in Iraq that he has always stood against, that has cost us the lives of thousands of our sons and daughters, and that America never should have fought.

I have seen him in the Senate. He will keep us strong and defend the nation against real threats of terrorism and proliferation.  

                So let us reject the counsels of doubt and calculation.

Let us remember that when Franklin Roosevelt envisioned Social Security, he didn’t decide—no, it was too ambitious, too big a dream, too hard.  

                When John Kennedy thought of going to the moon, he didn’t say no, it was too far, maybe we couldn’t get there and shouldn’t even try.

                I am convinced we can reach our goals only if we are “not petty when our cause is so great”– only if we find a way past the stale ideas and stalemate of our times – only if we replace the politics of fear with the politics of hope – and only if we have the courage to choose change.  

                Barack Obama is the one person running for President who can bring us that change.

                Barack Obama is the one person running for President who can be that change.

                I love this country. I believe in the bright light of hope and possibility. I always have, even in the darkest hours. I know what America can achieve. I’ve seen it.  I’ve lived it—and with Barack Obama, we can do it again.

                I know that he’s ready to be President on day one.  And when he raises his hand on Inauguration Day, at that very moment, we will lift the spirits of our nation and begin to restore America’s standing in the world.

                There was another time, when another young candidate was running for President and challenging America to cross a New Frontier.  He faced public criticism from the preceding Democratic President, who was widely respected in the party. Harry Truman said we needed “someone with greater experience”—and added: “May I urge you to be patient.” And John Kennedy replied: “The world is changing. The old ways will not do…It is time for a new generation of leadership.”

                So it is with Barack Obama. He has lit a spark of hope amid the fierce urgency of now.

                I believe that a wave of change is moving across America. If we do not turn aside, if we dare to set our course for the shores of hope, we together will go beyond the divisions of the past and find our place to build the America of the future.

                My friends, I ask you to join in this historic journey — to have the courage to choose change.

                It is time again for a new generation of leadership.

                It is time now for Barack Obama.
###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 28, 2008
Contact: Obama Press Office; (312) 819-2423

Fox News is reporting this AM that Fred Thompson will drop out of the race for the GOP nomination.

[Watch video coverage of Governor Perry's speech]

Scott Malyerck, Katrina Shealy, Texas Governor Rick Perry & Edward Mullins.

Governor Perry takes questions from the media.

Governor Perry takes time to meet with supporters.

Two of SCHotline’s favorite politico’s; Scott Malyerck & Tyler O’Conner

[Related] Campaigns enter new phase as primaries approach

Surrogates for Obama, Clinton, Giuliani descend on Rock Hill

[Related}

**News conference to held at 12:30.**

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus and former Oklahoma Congressman Brad Carson will hold a news conference tomorrow in Rock Hill to make their cases for U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy.

During his tenure as governor, Mabus passed one of the most comprehensive education reform programs in America, gave teachers the largest pay raise in the nation, and was named one of the top 10 education governors in the country by Fortune magazine. In a 1999 poll commissioned by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Mississippians selected Mabus as the best governor of the millennium.

A Rhodes Scholar and two-term congressman, Carson won re-election to his House seat in 2002 with 75 percent of the vote. Since leaving Congress in 2005, Carson has taught at Harvard and written for The New Republic and Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, among other publications.

Mabus-Carson Rock Hill News Conference

When: 12:30, Mon, Dec. 17, 2007

Where: York County Democratic Headquarters

339 East Main Street

Rock Hill, SC 29730

Reporters interested in attending should RSVP to Sam Wilson at swilson@barackobama.com or 803-255-8008 x 262.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Griffis Amaya Smith

803-255-8008, ext. 234 or ext. 272 or

803-727-0825 803-393-8738

JOHN MCCAIN ENDORSED BY OVER 100 RETIRED ADMIRALS AND GENERALS [Watch Video]

ARLINGTON, VA — Today over 100 retired admirals and generals endorsed John McCain for President of the United States at a press conference in Columbia, South Carolina. These distinguished leaders supporting John McCain come from all branches of the armed services and include former POWs, Medal of Honor recipients and former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

John McCain was joined today in Columbia by five distinguished military veterans: Admiral Leighton “Snuffy” Smith, USN (Ret.); Vice Admiral Mike Bowman, USN (Ret.); Rear Admiral Tom Lynch, USN (Ret.); Rear Admiral Bob Shumaker, USN (Ret.); and Major General Stan Spears, USA, Adjutant General of South Carolina.

“This nation is at war and we’d better damn well understand that fact,” said Admiral Leighton “Snuffy” Smith, USN (Ret.). “John McCain understands it, and he is the only candidate that has not wavered one bit in his position regarding the importance of victory in the war against Islamic extremism or in his commitment to the troops who are doing the fighting. He has consistently demonstrated the kind and style of leadership that we believe is essential in our next Commander in Chief. Our nation faces a growing array of serious foreign policy challenges. John McCain is the ONE candidate who, in our view, truly understands the strategic landscape and is fully prepared to deal decisively and effectively with those who wish to be our friends and, importantly, those who wish us harm.”

John McCain thanked the admirals and generals, stating, “I am deeply honored to have the support of so many distinguished military leaders. I thank them for the trust they have in me, but more importantly, our nation is indebted to their service in defense of our freedom. Our next president will face two wars and an array of national security challenges around the world. My experience, knowledge and background have prepared me to confront these great challenges and lead as commander in chief from day one.”

Retired Admirals And Generals Joining John McCain In South Carolina Today:

Admiral Leighton “Snuffy” Smith, Jr., USN (Ret.): Admiral Smith retired from the Navy after over 34 years of service in positions that took him, literally, around the world. His last active duty assignment was Commander, U.S. Naval Force, Europe, Commander in Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe (NATO) and, concurrently, Commander of NATO’s first ever out of area land operation, the Implementation Forces (IFOR) in Bosnia charged with implementing the Dayton Peace Accords. As a naval aviator Admiral Smith flew carrier-based light attack jet aircraft during multiple deployments to the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Western Pacific and Indian oceans. These included three cruises in waters off North Vietnam where he flew over 280 combat missions.

Vice Admiral Mike Bowman, USN (Ret.): Bowman spent 36 years in the Navy, attaining the rank of Vice Admiral. Highlights of his Navy career include: Naval aviator with tour tours in Vietnam and Wing Commander during Desert Storm and notable assignments including Squadron command, three Air Wing commands, Senate Liaison for the Secretary of the Navy and later Chief of Legislative Affairs, Carrier Group command, Chief of Naval Air Training and Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Rear Admiral Tom Lynch, USN (Ret.): After a 31-year career of naval service, Lynch retired in the rank of Rear Admiral. His naval service included Chief, Navy Legislative Affairs, command of the Eisenhower Battle Group during Operation Desert Shield, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from 1991 to 1994 and Director of the Navy Staff in the Pentagon from 1994 to 1995. Admiral Lynch graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with his Bachelor of Science degree in 1964 and received his M.S. from George Washington University.

Rear Admiral Bob Shumaker, USN (Ret.): After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1956, Admiral Shumaker attended flight training and eventually joined VF-32, a fighter squadron in Jacksonville, Florida. He was a finalist in the Apollo astronaut selection, but a temporary physical ailment prevented his selection. In 1964 he graduated with a masters degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and then joined VF-154 in San Diego, California. In February 1965, he was shot down on a mission over North Vietnam, was captured, and spent the next eight years as a POW. In 1973 he was repatriated and resumed studies, which eventually led to a doctorate degree in electrical engineering. As a Captain he was a government project manager for smart missiles at the Naval Air Systems Command. In 1983 he was promoted to the rank of Commodore and became the Superintendent of the Nav al Postgraduate School. At the Pentagon in 1986, as a Rear Admiral, he was responsible for coordinating the research efforts of the Navy’s air, surface, electronics and space activities. He retired from the Navy in 1989 and became an assistant dean at The George Washington University and later became the associate dean of the Center for Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota, from which he retired in 1991. Admiral Shumaker’s military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, four Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

Major General Stan Spears, USA: General Spears is Adjutant General of South Carolina. He leads and directs the 10,500-member South Carolina Army and Air National Guard. He serves on the Board of Visitors for the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. General Spears is the senior Adjutant General in the United States and the several territories. Born and raised in York County, South Carolina, General Spears is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he played on the football team. In 1962, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard. He served as a traditional Guard member for the next 32 years, achieving the rank of Brigadier General and assignment as Assistant Adjutant General.

RETIRED ADMIRALS AND GENERALS SUPPORTING JOHN MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT

###

UNITED STATES SENATOR JIM DeMINT

For Immediate Release                                                                                                      

December 6, 2007     

Contact: Luke Byars
803-528-5902

Statement from US Senator Jim DeMint –

“Today, Governor Romney demonstrated an understanding of America’s religious heritage and a vision for America’s future that make him the best candidate for President of the United States.

No President should promote a particular religion, but every President must understand the importance of faith in America and protect our freedom to worship the Creator as we choose.  Governor Romney has shown that he clearly understands that faith is foundational to freedom.  As the Governor so eloquently said, “Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.”

Governor Romney’s speech was presidential in both substance and delivery, and I believe it will be remembered as the key speech of this election.”

###

NEWS RELEASE:

Former Arkansas Governor Ups Lead in Iowa to 5, Takes Second Place Nationally

LITTLE ROCK, AR – New poll numbers released by the Des Moines Register show former Arkansas Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee leading in Iowa by 5 points, while yet another national poll by Rasmussen shows Huckabee in possession of second place.

Poll numbers this week released throughout last week show Huckabee leading in Iowa, double digits and climbing in both New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida, and in second place nationally.

“The numbers show we are climbing in the early states as well as nationally. My conservative message of faith, family, and freedom is resonating with the American people. They know it’s authentic. Ironically, the more we get attacked, the more our numbers soar,” said Huckabee.

“There’s no substitute for message — and the voters know it. That is why we’ll be out front in the only polls that really matter – those on the respective primary and caucus days,” he said.

Key findings of the Des Moines Register poll show Huckabee wins the support of 29 percent of Iowans who say they definitely or probably will attend the Republican Party’s caucuses on Jan. 3 – up 17 percentage points from an earlier poll taken in October. Huckabee leads Governor Romney, his nearest rival, among men, 28 percent to 20 percent, and he has more support among caucus-goers between the ages of 35 and 54 and is preferred 2:1 by those who wish their presidential candidate to be a social conservative.

Huckabee also outscores the entire Republican field as the candidate who is the “most socially conservative, the most civil in tone and the most principled.”

DesMoines Register Iowa Caucus Poll: December 1, 2007
Huckabee 29%
Romney 24%
Giuliani 13%
Thompson 9%
McCain 9%

Rasmussen Iowa Poll: November 28, 2007
Huckabee 28%
Romney 25%
Giuliani 12%
Thompson 11%
McCain 4%vantage/Maj. Opinion

Rasmussen National Tracking Poll: December 1, 2007
Giuliani 24%
Huckabee 15%
Thompson 14%
McCain 13%
Romney 10%

American Research Group South Carolina Poll: November 30, 2007
Giuliani 23%
Romney 21%
Huckabee 18%
Thompson 13%
McCain 10%

Rasmussen New Hampshire Poll: November 30, 2007
Romney: 34%
Giuliani 15%
McCain 15%
Huckabee 14%
Thompson 3%

Insider Advantage Florida Poll: November 28, 2007
Giuliani 26%

Huckabee 17%

McCain 13%

Romney 12%

Thompson 9%

“This recent flurry of polls showing upward momentum is great news, but what matters is performance. I’m going to continue to campaign hard to win the hearts and minds of the voters who I believe will be receptive to my positive message of change for America’s future,” said Huckabee.

# # # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ROB GODFREY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2007 (803) 988-8440

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson issued the following statement after Hillary Clinton claimed in her visit to Aiken, “I am proud to say I have a lot of Republican support in South Carolina…”:

“Hillary Clinton is as popular among South Carolina Republicans as President Bush is among San Francisco liberals. Bill Clinton never carried our State, and Hillary certainly won’t carry South Carolina next November.”

-###-

Dawson: Clinton’s promises for “change” are wrong for South Carolina, America

SCGOP Chairman urges voters to challenge Clinton on her record

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson today released the following statement on Hillary Clinton’s South Carolina campaign visit  in which she plans to “organize for change”:

“Hillary Clinton is touting herself as the right candidate to change our country, but her idea of change is wrong for America – and wrong for South Carolina.  On the campaign trail, she has repeatedly promised to raise taxes, socialize medicine and surrender in Iraq.  In the U.S. Senate, her idea of change was voting to undercut our troops, saddle working families with higher taxes and fund abortions with federal dollars.  The change Hillary Clinton promises to bring proves she’s out of touch with voters across this State and across America.”

-###-

Former AR Governor Will Attend Clemson-Carolina Game with Ric Flair

Little Rock, AR – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee will return to South Carolina on Saturday, November 24, 2007 for a two-day visit.

Highlights of the trip will include attending the Clemson-Carolina Football Game at the University of South Carolina’s Williams Brice Stadium with World Wresting Champion Ric Flair on Saturday and stop by a Meet and Greet at the home of Senator David Thomas in Greenville on Sunday.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

5:00 p.m. ET – Columbia, SC – Joins supporters and 16-time World Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, The Nature Boy Ric Flair, for a tailgate party in stadium lot spaces 433-434, located just outside the West Entrance to Williams Brice Stadium before the “Battle for the Palmetto State” between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.  (Contact Adam Piper, 803-237-0974)

7:00 p.m. ET – Columbia, SC – Attends University of South Carolina vs. Clemson University football game at the University of South Carolina. (Contact Adam Piper, 803-237-0974)

Sunday, November 25, 2007 

9:00 a.m. ET – Irmo, SC – Speaks at Gateway Baptist Church, located at 1615 Dutch Fork Rd. in Irmo, SC. (Contact Adam Piper, 803-237-0974)

11:00 a.m. ET – Fountain Inn, SC – Speaks at First Baptist Fountain Inn, located at 206 North Weston St. in Fountain Inn, SC. (Contact Adam Piper, 803-237-0974)

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET – Appears on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer.

1:30 p.m. ET – Greenville, SC – Attends “Meet and Greet” hosted by upstate legislators at the home of Senator and Mrs. David Thomas, 305 S. Weston St. in Fountain Inn, SC (NOTE: Residential address is not for public distribution.) (Contact Adam Piper, 803-237-0974)

4:00 p.m. ET – Spartanburg, SC – Attends a sportsmen’s “Meet and Greet” and skeetshoot at the Spartanburg Gun Club, located at 180 Fretwell Rd. in Spartanburg, SC. (Contact Adam Piper, 803-237-0974)

Monday, November 26, 2007

8:10 a.m. ET – Greenville, SC – Joins Dr. Tony Beam and Gary Miller on broadcast of “Christian Worldview Today” heard live on Christian Talk 660 AM and online at ChristianTalk660.com. Interview will occur in studio, located at 2420 Wade Hampton Blvd. in Greenville, SC.

# # # #