Posted on 07/10/2006 9:10:59 AM PDT by xzins
'Condistas' Push Rice for President in '08 By JULIE CARR SMYTH ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -
The names are varied - Team Condi, Rice for America, Condistas - yet the goal is the same: Elect Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice president in 2008.
A disparate group of Internet gurus, political junkies and foes of Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is pushing a Rice candidacy even though President Bush's top diplomat has said repeatedly that she has no desire to be president.
But the Republican also has declined invitations to rule out a bid in 2008, spoken about the likelihood of a minority winning the White House in her lifetime and taken steps to soften her image - words and deeds that have provided a glimmer of hope to her fans.
Mick Wright, a webmaster in Memphis, Tenn., is one of more than a dozen people who registered draft-Rice Web sites in the year after Bush was re-elected.
"Once that was all over, you started thinking, what's going to happen in the next election?" said Wright, a co-founder of http://www.condipundit.com . "The first one to come to mind as a viable candidate was Condoleezza Rice."
Similar Web sites have cropped up in widely diverse cities, including Seattle; West Sand Lake, N.Y.; Magna, Utah; and Cedarville, Ohio. They are promoting Rice's credentials, soliciting donations and marketing T-shirts, bobblehead dolls and "I Like Rice" buttons.
The Miami-based Americans for Dr. Rice political action committee has established chapters in critical states, including Ohio and Florida. A second PAC, Rice for America, emerged in Greensboro, N.C., last July - though neither has yet reported any income or spending to the Federal Election Commission.
These activist groups declare their independence from the Republican Party, and from Rice herself. Yet political experts suggest party leaders must have a hand in Rice's rise as a potential candidate.
"Nothing happens by chance in politics. Absolutely zero," said Bruce Newman, a DePaul University professor and expert in political marketing. "Everything is driven by marketing, by polling, by market research and by very careful analysis of voters' preferences."
Newman, author of "The Marketing of the President: Political Marketing as Campaign Strategy," said the emergence of a grass-roots movement surrounding Rice will allow voters to feel they played a role in her candidacy - though he believes she is clearly being groomed as the political successor to Bush in light of Vice President Dick Cheney's health problems and unpopularity.
"The people running the Bush administration, and pushing for the geopolitical repositioning we're seeing take place around the world, would be happy to see that kind of person keep political power down the road," he said.
Backers like Rice for her intelligence, poise, self-reliance, values and ability to carry on Bush's international agenda. Recent polls show Rice more popular than other top members of the Bush administration: Almost six in 10 hold a favorable view of her compared with ratings in the 30s for Bush, Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
If Rice won, she would be the nation's first black president and its first female president.
While Rice's views on foreign policy are well-known, her positions on domestic issues are not. She has described her stand on abortion as "mildly pro-choice," putting her at odds with many conservative Republicans whose votes are decisive in the presidential primaries.
She recently avoided taking a stand on banning same-sex marriage, saying Americans should be sensitive about discussing issues that touch people's lives.
Greg Haas, an Ohio-based Democratic strategist, said Rice's image makeover is a telltale sign.
"The fact of the matter is when you see somebody revolutionize their style, their appearance and their speaking manner, that is not happening all by itself," said Haas, who ran Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign in Ohio. "She has clearly begun presenting a different image, moving from a harsh persona to one of a more warm public official."
Rice has showcased her talents as a pianist at the Kennedy Center, lifted weights for a local Washington TV news show and discussed her musical favorites, from Elton John to Aretha Franklin to Mozart, for a British newspaper. The latter was a favor to rock star Bono.
Newman is skeptical, however, that Rice is ready for a presidential run so soon. He believes it is more likely Republicans are grooming her as a vice presidential candidate. He said pairing her with Arizona Sen. John McCain, for example, could strengthen the GOP ticket against a run by Clinton.
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It would be the obvious choice. It probably would not be wise to run her as President, but she sure does bring stature, likeability, and gravitas to a ticket.
Shouldn't it be "Condolistas" ??
Rice's connections with the current administraion ini Washington with its pussy-footing around with the Koreans and border porosity insanity and illegal invader amnesty has totally wiped her from any consideration in my mind.
Her connection with Bush has killed her chances for nomination - if she ever had any.
Connecting with McCain is just one more nail in the coffin.
> He indicated that at the Scotus level it was not sacrosanct.
True, but it is nonetheless an important point of consideration. If Alito & Roberts were honest (no reason to suspect otherwise), then they'd have a hard time overturning Roe without something new.
The point: the President has little if any impact on abortion. And until such time as Roe is overturned and the decision on abortion is returned to the states... then governors also have little say in the matter.
Abortion is a subject that makes rational people go buggo and work against their own best interests. Single-issue voting doesn't make much sense when you're voting for/agaisnt someone based on an issue they can do nothing about... especially when there are *bigger* issues.
If it comes down to Condi vs. Hillary, every vote that's not cast for Condi is a step forward for Hillary.
"What state's she from?"
She was born in Alabama, grew up in Colorado, spent much of her adulthood in California, and years in Washington D.C. (of course).
I'm not an authority on this subject, and might have missed something. :-)
She'll fix that or miss my primary vote.
I agree but I'll also add that I'll never believe a candidate's view on abortion if it has just changed 2 years before a presidential bid.
"She has clearly begun presenting a different image, moving from a harsh persona to one of a more warm public official."
I liked the old, harsher Rice better.
"...it is more likely Republicans are grooming her as a vice presidential candidate."
I agree, and I would probably vote for her as veep (to the right President, of course). There's no way I'll vote for McCain, however.
The next president will get to replace at least 2 justices.
Awesome dedication. Thanks for the inspiration.
It's coffee then.
I know about the morning pot, but then there's the after dinner with dessert half-pot.
I'm leery about running Condi Rice for president. I don't think it's been proven that she is presidential material. There's more to the presidency than sitting in the Oval Office making decisions. A president needs to lead - communicate with Americans, even inspire or steady them, as President Bush did after 9/11. A president needs to tell Americans where he wants to lead them and how he means to get there. I don't know that Condi Rice can do it.
There are a few problems to electing Condoleezza Rice:
She's a woman. Yes, even in our politically correct age that's something to be overcome.
No one has voted for her in all her life. She has no electoral experience, no one knows if she is a good campaigner. The first office you run for should never be the presidency, except in extreme circumstances - like being a general-hero of World War II. Condi Rice is good, but she's no Dwight D. Eisenhower.
She's unmarried. Okay, presidents should be married, but is that any reason not to vote for her? It does, however, bring up a different point, which is that Condi has never married, never had children, and spent her entire adult life in academia and government. Her ability to relate to the lives of the vast majority of Americans, and their ability to relate to hers, is seriously in question.
She believes the government should not ban abortion. BIG red flag. President Bush thinks abortion should be banned completely, with a few rare exceptions. A lot of pro-lifers may disagree with him, but most will vote for him anyway. Condi Rice's position is farther than many pro-lifers are willing to bend.
I believe so.
frist?
Imagine a Giuliani-Rice ticket. The Dems would just crawl into a hole to begin a painful 4-year planning session, in hopes of having a chance NEXT time. And Condi could get Rudy enlightened re the Second Amendment.
The only sort of single issue voting that makes ANY sense is RKBA. That's the one thing that can be used to secure all other rights. Give that up, and candidates can promise whatever will get votes when they're running, but turn around and attack basic rights (think eminent domain) after they're elected.
Why bother? I can just as easily imagine a second Clinton Presidency, since that would be the inevitable result of such a bonehead maneuver on the part of the GOP.
frist?
lol.
Besides, not being particularly pro-life, nor pro-US Southern border security, she would not have many of our votes.
Unfortunately in this day and age, an untelegenic cannot make it to the White House easily.
> The next president will get to replace at least 2 justices.
And if the next Prez is a Republican, the candidate justices will obviously be conservative picks. I'm not sure how many Largely Conservative judges you can find - the kind who think that the Constitution is the law of the land, that laws mean things, and that they should not "experiment" - who will be "pro-choice."
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