Posted on 08/01/2006 8:33:47 AM PDT by Blackirish
The 2008 presidential election is a wide-open contest, and Democrats, as we saw here last week, have responded with a broad field. What could have been an early consensus in favor of Hillary Rodham Clinton is so far anything but, as Democrats fight over how they want to position themselves. The Republican field, by contrast, seems surprisingly underpopulated, again given the givens. Notwithstanding a recent Gallup Poll that gave former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani an edge among Republicans, Sen. John McCain is the Republican front-runner
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
I agree, but my solution is that the populace must be convinced, one person at a time, to embrace conservative values as superior to the liberals.
that's what the polls say....
And the GOP love affair with easily befuddled candidates continues! I tossed Allen overboard when I saw Barb Boxer (no great genius) clean his clock one Sunday morning on a talking head show.
If there is one thing the Dubya presidency demonstrates, that we need a clear, convincing, and articulate leader. Dubya's luck ran out in this respect and he has a hard time convincing anybody of anything these days, with 2 1/2 years left to go. It's a bad, and dangerous, situation.
Let's not make that mistake again.
You gotta be kidding me.
what is a republican ?
1. not a liberal
2. may be moderate or conservative, but not a liberal
3. for low taxes
4. pro business
5. usually for free trade (sorry buchanites)
6. for tort reform/anti lawyers
7. pro death penalty
8. for individual responsibility
9. patriotic
10. for strong military
11. against affirmative action or a more limited form than the democrats.
12. never calls anyone a nazi or hitler
13. believes in integity in elections (no dead people voting, wants photo id)
14. believes in some level of moral integity, that is if anyone pulls "a clinton", we throw them out on their rear.
Pataki can choke off Giuliani's money.... remember, this is the guy who lost Rudy's endorsement to Mario Cuomo in 1994... there's a lot of bad blood there... personally, I love the guy but his positions on gay marriage, guns and abortion are a bit problematic in the gop nomination coalition.... also want to know where he is on right to work and taxes....
what's the question.
The problem with allen and gwb is that they are both sons of famous people. They would not be where they are without the name.
Not true of rudy, condi. romney and jeb also have famous dads, but one suspects they would have made it without the name.
Brownback/Keyes - why crash and burn when you can explode in midair?
I pick Rudy over McCain. McVain has just alienated too many people in the GOP to win his own primary. Allen will get conservative votes, but he is not well known enough. Furthermore, recent historical trends show that senators don't make that great candidates anyway.
I could NO more vote for McCain than I could Quick John the
next JFK wannabe from Mass. Both have ridden military service into political favor. Neither have produced
anything IMO worthy of keeping them as career politicians.
Neithe rhas produced anything IMO worthy of leadership.
WASHINGTON, December 14, 1999 — The Center for Public Integrity is investigating how billions of dollars of allegedly corrupted money from the former Soviet Union have found a haven in the United States, despite strict anti-laundering laws. Last month, the Center reported how a small San Francisco bank became a conduit for questionable funds as it, like many other banks around the country, aggressively pursued the cash from the former Soviet Bloc. Today the Center reports on how political campaigns, also aggressively chasing after cash, end up with equally questionable contributions as suspected Russian organized crime figures seek to move into the U.S. political mainstream In future articles, the Center will show how the failure to sift the good money from bad is being replayed all over America.
A prominent commodities trader who acknowledges a business history with a reputed Soviet Bloc crime figure and a notorious arms dealer has been one of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's top campaign supporters. Commodities trader Semyon (Sam) Kislin and his family also lavished thousands of dollars in contributions to Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer, to the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign, to former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and to a number of state and city politicians. Kislin sits on the New York City Economic Development Board.
For example, Jacob Bogatin, president of YBM Magnex, a Pennsylvania firm that produces magnets, made five contributions totaling $2,750 to the National Republican Congressional Committee from 1996 to April 1998, according to Federal Election Commission records. One month after the last contribution, federal agents raided the company in a money-laundering probe of Magnex and its silent owner, notorious Hungarian mobster Semion Mogilevich.
In 1994, a San Francisco diamond company headed by a young Russian businessman contributed $25,000 to the unsuccessful California gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Kathleen Brown and lavished money on other California politicians. The following year it was discovered that the firm, Golden ADA, had been part of a massive scheme to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars in jewelry from the Kremlin's vault.
Only rarely are funds returned or prospective donors told to keep the money. One such instance was in 1995, after the National Security Agency intercepted a conversation between the reputed Latvian racketeer Grigori Loutchansky and a New York businessman in which they reportedly discussed contributing $25,000 to the Democratic Party so that Loutchansky could attend a dinner with President Clinton at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, two sources told the Washington Post.
Giuliani was not the only nationally prominent politician to accept campaign contributions from the Kislins. In 1995, Semyon and Ludmila gave $2,000 to the Clinton-Gore primary committee. Semyon, Ludmila, son David and daughter Regina each gave $2,000 in 1998 for Schumer's successful Senate campaign. Semyon also chipped in $1,000 for the campaign of Schumer's opponent, D'Amato, for whom the Kislins also held a fund-raiser, and Ludmila gave the Bob Dole campaign a modest $250 for his unsuccessful presidential race in 1996.
LONG READ http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:hEltFDTB_aYJ:www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx%3Faid%3D323
Its thats true then what is John Mclaim?..
IMO, it's between Rudy and Allen w/Tancredo as a spoiler if he runs.
The reason conservatives like Rudy is because he's tough on Defense no matter media critism, and he doesn't seek to marginalize them. Maybe he did in past? Don't know, but he doesn't now. Whereas McCain gets off on tweaking us every chance he gets it.
I think the Liberal activists in the primaries have to make a choice. If they really want a shot to get a Lib on the ticket, Rudy's their best shot. Conservatives wouldn't be HAPPY about his liberalism, but most will hold their nose and vote on an '08 ticket because he doesn't hate them and he's solid on WOT. If McCain is their representative choice, they are screwed. McCain hates us, we hate him. He loses.
Allen is the default choice for conservatives. He's not the solid charismatic conservative everyone wants, but he's positioning himself as the most tolerable to the conservative base fiscally, socially, to Hawks, to borders. Conservatives are holding out endorsements hoping a stronger chice emerges, but if not, Allen gets the pick and their support. Newt has too much baggage. Romney remains an unknown. Pence screwed himself with his amnesty proposal.
Then we have Tancredo. If he runs. I'd be surprised if he finished first, but depending on the unity of conservatives and Liberals and their selection of choices, he could squeak in as a second or third place finisher at times. Respectful enough finish to influence a change of policy on this issue at the top. Plus, border security is an issue that bridges Liberals and conservatives in the voting public.
I think it's Allen's to lose. Conservatives like Rudy more, but Allen's more right on the issues generally and in the end it's the issues that are going to matter in the primary. If he's lousy as a campaigner, however, that could create an opportunity for Rudy.
Hey nice post in 35.
Most of the time, I'm ripping you, so I thought I needed to say that.
I do think Romney is not out of it either.
mccain is a solid republican 70% of the time.
the other 30%, he is whoring for the media.
Al Gore is going to be the compromise nominee for the Democrats. Look for him to make a big MSM-driven comeback in late 2007/early 2008 as the Democrats realize once and for all that Hillary is unelectable. He'll keep the Left on board, but won't win the Presidency unless the Republicans fail to unite behind a candidate. Unfortunately, there is every indication at this point that that is exactly what is going to happen: McCain will win a close primary and outraged conservatives will stay home in November.
But New York Republicans are skeptical, and worry about Giuliani’s liberal credentials. Giuliani ran three times for mayor on the state’s Liberal Party line. At the same time, he deliberately distanced himself from the state’s influential Conservative Party.
Others question Rudy’s loyalty to the Republican party. In New York’s hotly contested 1994 gubernatorial race that pitted incumbent Democrat Mario Cuomo against Republican George Pataki, Giuliani decided to endorse Cuomo in the closing days of the campaign, almost costing Pataki the election.
Giuliani’s questionable judgement raised eyebrows in the aftermath of Sept. 11 when he sought to suspend the city’s elections to extend his term of office.
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