Only to the cravenly credulous.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Spinmeistering for the Rooy Toots, are you?
Come and get some:
Posted on 03/01/2007 4:22:47 PM PST by meg88
Presidential rivals grasp at straw-poll glory By AARON GOULD SHEININ asheinin@thestate.com
FILE PHOTOGRAPH/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani More photos Anonymous critics aim at Romney Spartanburg — Agnes Spong thinks she’s landed in political heaven. The lifelong Republican from Upstate New York retired to Spartanburg two years ago and quickly discovered she was among friends.
“I think it was just about the greatest thing in the world,” Spong said Monday at Wade’s Restaurant prior to a campaign appearance by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
Spong is not alone in thinking this Upstate bastion of Republicanism is the greatest thing since Barry Goldwater.
Brownback and about a half-dozen other GOP presidential hopefuls are spending thousands of dollars and making countless campaign phone calls and personal visits to the county in advance of tonight’s straw poll vote.
The Spartanburg County Republican Party’s 93 precincts will meet to elect officers and county executive committee members. Then, participants will “vote” for their choice for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.
It’s a long way from primary day — but you wouldn’t know it.
“It’s been awful,” said Jimmy Moore, organizer at Westview A, one of the largest Republican precincts in the state.
“I have literally every single day gotten 10 calls from these people (candidates). It just gets annoying. If this is what’s happening a year out from the primary, what the heck is going to happen later?”
County party Chairman Rick Beltram said candidates are pouring money and energy into Spartanburg:
nþBrownback and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani have sent thousands of direct-mail pieces to Republican voters.
nþFormer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is running TV ads and has done direct mail.
nþThose three, along with U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., have visited the county in recent weeks.
CNN reported on the straw poll Wednesday. Beltram said Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes” will broadcast straw-poll results live from county party headquarters tonight.
As Beltram explained the attention, his other phone line rang; it was The New York Times.
“The whole week, it’s been constant like this,” he said.
Why?
The answer depends on the campaign. For McCain, the S.C. front-runner, a good showing confirms his status. For Brownback, who’s on a different tier than McCain and Giuliani, it’s an opportunity to break through.
Moore agrees but says there is another reason: money. The winner gets to tell donors, “See, those Spartanburg County Republicans down in South Carolina love me, and that’s why you should give me money,” he said.
It also illustrates a candidate’s ability to win in a key county in a key state. George W. Bush won 58 percent of the vote in Spartanburg County in 2000. McCain had 36 percent. Bush won the state overall with 53 percent.
The GOP grip on the county is fierce. Gov. Mark Sanford took 61 percent of the county’s vote last year, up from 59 percent in 2002.
Even when Democrats win statewide, they typically lose Spartanburg. Democrat Jim Hodges defeated Republican incumbent Gov. David Beasley in 1998 but lost Spartanburg 48-52 percent. However, keeping the race close in Spartanburg also may be a key to Democratic success.
Jim Rex came as close as any Democrat, but still lost when he defeated Republican Karen Floyd for state education superintendent last year. Rex lost the county, where Floyd lives, by only about 200 votes.
The Spartanburg County Republican Party has been holding straw polls since 2001, Beltram said. The first one in late 2001 was for the 2002 gubernatorial primary. Then-Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler won — but not by much.
“Even though he won, people went back and said, ‘Wow, he’s vulnerable,’” Beltram said. Sure enough, Peeler was the top vote-getter in the primary but lost the runoff to Sanford.
In late 2003, the straw poll for the U.S. Senate primary gave Greenville’s Jim DeMint a boost. DeMint won the straw poll, finished second in the primary then swamped Beasley in the runoff.
All the attention is exhausting but encouraging, Beltram said.
“When I was elected chairman in 1999, I told delegates my No. 1 goal was to make the relevance of (the) Spartanburg County party as high as I can take it. That’s what we’ve done.”
Reach Gould Sheinin at (803) 771-8658.
WHY SPARTANBURG?
Tonight’s straw poll: The event has grabbed national media attention.
The second is, who would you consider voting for out of the slate of candidates (where you can pick more than one).
Only to the cravenly credulous.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Spinmeistering for the Rooy Toots, are you?
Come and get some:
Only to the cravenly credulous.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Spinmeistering for the Rooty Tooters, are you?
Come and get some:
A conservative who voted for the prescription drug boondogle, the biggest expansion of the welfare state since LBJ? Don't think so.
Oh. I don't disagree that others are somewhat "religious", but I stand by my opinion that many of the Rudy supporters are more like a religious order than simple supporters -- because Gulliani seems more of a personality pick than an issues pick.
Glad to see Hunter do so well. I donated a small amount of money to his campaign a few weeks ago and received a nice promotion package (for lack of a better term) earlier this week. Buttons, bumperstickers, fliers, etc. Put the bumpersticker in the back window of my car.
LOL. Was that meant to be funny?
Thanks for trying to clear that up but without seeing the actual numbers it still does not make much sense that he would be so low in the second question.
Enjoy this info. about your candidate.
"...Gulliani seems more of a personality pick than an issues pick." Not to me or most. His personality is pleasing but his appeal is from accomplishment and expediency.
Let's say there were 1,000 people in the straw poll. 100 picked Hunter as their first choice, 90 picked Rudy, etc. Hunter wins there.
Now let's say 400 picked Rudy as an acceptable candidate (even if 310 did not pick him as their first choice), 300 picked Romney, 250 picked McCain ... etc., down to 150 picking Hunter.
What it shows is Hunter has very intense support where he has it. But many either don't want him as a candidate or simply don't know anything about him.
There is nothing funny about the venomous attacks from the Rudyphobic on those who like him. Attacks such as your lame-assed tagline.
Only a few subjects have unleased such waves of vitriol here. Rarely have staunch patriots and conservatives been attacked with such hatred and called "traitors", "RINOs", "liberals", "leftists". Congressmen with 100% ACU ratings are "sellouts", long time hard core conservatives receive snide remarks about their integrity and their late wives for supporting him.
One has no right to think differently from the True Believers.
Revolting stuff really.
Yes, and I certainly hope that this gets the Rudy folks back on their own threads putting Rudy in his liberal context and liberal record, rather than trying to tear Hunter down as one who is an unwinnable candidate.
Congratulations on Rudy's NC Straw poll win, which was accomplished with masses of paid volunteers and advertising, while Hunter's placing was accomplished with grass roots volunteers.
Hunter has proven himself a winning candidate, and one who inspires volunteerism through leadership. Mr. Giuliani has not.
I suggest you read it again.
As Hunter said, he doesn't need a multi-million dollar campaign to convince the base he's a conservative.
A conservative who voted for the prescription drug boondogle, the biggest expansion of the welfare state since LBJ? Don't think so.
--
Ya left out a couple things, yaknow.
Guess ya don't have the latest talking points. I can share them with you if you like.. ;-)
Duncan Hunter on Health Care
http://senate.ontheissues.org/Duncan_Hunter.htm
Voted YES on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. (May 2004)
Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)
Voted YES on small business associations for buying health insurance. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on capping damages & setting time limits in medical lawsuits. (Mar 2003)
Voted YES on allowing suing HMOs, but under federal rules & limited award. (Aug 2001)
Voted YES on subsidize privat insurance for Medicare Rx drug coverage. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on banning physician-assisted suicide. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on establishing tax-exempt Medical Savings Accounts. (Oct 1999)
Rated 11% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record. (Dec 2003)
It is difficult to believe that Hunter would be tied with Huckabee. The former has a devoted following and very few don't really like him while the latter has no following and no one cares. Not being "acceptable" means active opposition which does not appear to be the case for Hunter. The only real beef most have is his electibility not his acceptibility.
Way to go HUNTER!!!
Wow, great showing by Hunter! Time for Newt, Brownback, and Huckabee supporters to get behind the one chance we have of stopping MittMcRudy!!!
Could there be a more intimidating name for Iran, Al-Qaeda, NK, Syria to hear than PRESIDENT HUNTER?
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