Giuliani (R)
Once More Into the Breach - John McCain
Pony-tailed, Tie-Dyed Bongo Drummers Against McCain’s Offshore Oil Drilling
The apparent Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain stuck his head into the environmental lion’s mouth at a town hall meeting Tuesday in Santa Barbara, California touting his offshore oil drilling banner and drawing the ire of local anti-oil activists. An increasingly unpopular California Governor Schwarzenegger who opposes offshore oil drilling also attended.
The usually timid local Congresswoman Lois Capps (D) chastised McCain for calling for more offshore drilling virtually on the hallowed site of the 3 million gallon 1969 oil well blow out that coated local beaches, launched the modern environmental movement and made Santa Barbara an obligatory political stop to bash offshore drilling which McCain did himself during his 1980 campaign. Capps took pains to read Obama talking points criticizing McCain’s idea as continuing Bush-Cheney policies. Santa Barbara City Councilman, liberal Democrat up and comer and Obama supporter Das Williams blasted McCain in the Las Angeles Times saying, “What we are seeing is just a shameless amount of opportunism from Mr. McCain.”
Six out of ten Americans now support more offshore oil drilling to increase supply and eventually lower gasoline and diesel prices. But an overwhelming majority of California “left coasters” oppose it. In fact Capps’ 23rd District was gerrymandered in 2000 to give her a safe entirely coastal district that runs from Monterey into Los Angeles Counties and in places is only six inches wide gaining the national title of the “ribbon of shame” as the most contorted district in America.
The McCain town hall event followed a $1,000 per person fund raiser Monday night attended by about 200 including the usual freeloaders. Oprah Winfrey hosted a record setting multi-million dollar fund raiser in Santa Barbara a few months ago, and Rudy Guiliani also dipped into local pockets before his campaign imploded. Once conservative the Central California coast has definitely gone liberal with Democrat majorities in Ventura, and Santa Barbra Counties, and while San Luis Obispo County clings to a Republican voter edge the June primary there elected a liberal majority to its Board of Supervisors. John Kerry carried Santa Barbara County in 2004 and McCain trails in California from 20-30%.
Ready Rudy Interview, Chief Hypocrite with Giuliani after Concession to John McCain
CH: Before we begin, let me say how impressed I am with your performance during 9/11 and how you cleaned up crime in New York City.
RR: Thank you, that is what the citizens of New York hired me to do and I think I met their expectations.
KAMIKAZE CONSERVATIVE CONVENTION
Last fall a bunch of arch-conservatives met to wreck Rudy Giuliani’s candidacy and is now visiting the idea of a third party as Sen. John McCain closes in on the Republican presidential nomination while moping about Huckabee’s disappearing act. A favorite of the so-called “hard right” is The Constitution Party. The Constitution Party, The Taxpayer’s Party until 1999, says its “completely pro-life, pro-gun, pro-American sovereignty and independence” and operates under several other names in various States. The Constitution Party in all its iterations has secured spots on about 16 state ballots and hopes to exceed 40, its national field director said.
DIAGNOSIS: HYPOCRISY
I have decided to blog here because a blog about hypocrisy will never run out of material. You might think otherwise. You might say, “Well, Snark, I manage to survive without saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, most days, why can’t the politicians?”
Republicans enjoy nice nice, even a little foot in mouth by Huckabee, no matter
There was a Republican debate Thursday night in Florida. It started like reading the survivors list from the Titanic – a lot shorter than it was originally. Romney, McCain, Giuliani, Paul and Huckabee more or less agreed that the proposed Bush-House economic stimulus package is good but does not go far enough, fast enough or long enough.
Republican Debate Thursday January 24, 2008
Brian Willians asked Rudy Giuliani why his poll numbers were so terrible, half of what they were. The response is there are various polls and what the voters care about is the issues. Rudy has been mentioned negatively by the New York Times, some Republicans believe he should be proud of that.
Huckabee came out strong for the war in Iraq defending that ithe Bush invasion as worthwhile and a big part of our current safety.
Romney addressed the kitchen table issues of the economy, housing and energy costs. He joked, perhaps, that he can not think of any thing worse than having Bill Clinton as R. First Dude, back in the White House with nothing to do. That and using Barack Obama’s own challenges to Hillary gave him the upper hand tonight.
Which Candidate Can Prove The Most CHANGE?
Picture this: The six leading candidates in both parties getting together, pitching their spare change into one of those games where you use a crane controlled from outside the glass enclosure in order to get coins to drop out into a tray. It’s popular at many family restaurants in parts of the country. Dreamy isn’t it. Bipartisan agreement.
McCain CAN and DID
Eight years after George Bush torpedoed the John McCain campaign for president In South Carolina, JohnCan bested the rest of the Republicans, with Huckabee coming in a very close second and Romney placed, while others, maybe showed or not.
Ducan Hunter of California, announced he would drop out of the race. Bets are that he will back McCain.
While McCain bagged, meaning avoided rather than winning, the Nevada caucus probably due to the high number of Mormons in Nevada who would vote for Mitt Romney, he is well positioned for Florida and Super Tuesday.
Can John of JohnCan Fame, Remove Rudy’s Mask?
A dozen senior campaign staffers for Rudy Giuliani are forgoing their January paychecks, aides told Associated Press Friday, a sign of money trouble for the Republican presidential candidate that he denies. His Florida “firewall” is on fire as McCain takes the lead there. Republican Romney is said to be consulting his personal piggy bank and if he loses South Carolina, although he’d be politically dead, he’d likely stick around.
It snowed in Baghdad Friday for the first time in 100 years and some residents are calling it an omen of peace – hey it worked for the Green Bay Packers. Maybe for McCain too.
Now, it’s all about the Wallet
A
year ago everybody knew the next President would be elected based on Iraq, illegal immigration and terrorism, and once again “everybody” was wrong. It is now all about a slumping economy exemplified by the per gallon price at America’s neighborhood gasoline stations. No amount of White House or Wall Street assurances; or highfalutin sounding puff will mean squat doodle if those gasoline price billboards stay where they are or, as predicted, continue to increase.
Hillary Clinton upstaged everyone Friday in a Los Angeles speech calling for a $70 billion economic stimulus package. By Saturday critics were hammering the idea of “vote buying”
Join us in Michigan Primary Discussions
On this date, no one joined us in the Michigan Primary Discussions.
Rock, Rocks Clinton
Chris Rock cracked up the audience at his New Year’s Eve show with a few quips about Hillary Clinton. “I think America’s ready for a woman president . . . just not that woman,” Rock told the crowd at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“Being married to somebody doesn’t make you good at their job. I’ve been with my wife 10 years now. If she got up here right now, y’all wouldn’t laugh.
January is Not OVER YET
One thing is clear — tactically almost anyone running for anything in November 2008 better have a strong strategy for women and younger voters.
Next up are January 15: Michigan; January 19: Nevada, South Carolina (R); January 26: South Carolina (D) and January 29:
Florida. It is probable Clinton will win in Nevada where she is well ahead – but Obama just got the endorsement of
Nevada’s biggest labor unions and he could pull it out.Hillary is still prowling the political battlefield poking at staffer wounds amid her downward spiral in the national polls. The axe was sharpened but stuck in a stump after the
New Hampshire win waiting to see how much bounce she gets.
Newsmax John LeBoutillier on New Hampshire
Newsmax’s John LeBoutillier gives this gritty post
New Hampshire assessment paraphrased as follows: McCain’s support is among the so-called mainstream media, independent voters, and a thin slice of Democrats. Romney is an empty suit – when you look deep into his eyes all you see is the back of his head. Huckabee is a damn good candidate but he doesn’t have broad enough support. Ron Paul isn’t getting anywhere. Fred Thompson is a political dead man. Hizzoner Rudy is fading fast. Maybe the Republican candidate hasn’t even started yet.
Democratic Press “Hills, uh, has too much exerperience”
The Clinton Machine, not for the first time, has been taken back by relatively small numbers of Iowas voters.
But that is not the real problem for the Clinton Machine to overcome this time.
GOP GOTCHA
Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are tied nationally at 30% each according to polls released Sunday. Remarkably Giuliani has collapsed by 17% in one month. Mitt Romney, who has become the Eddie Haskell (Leave It To Beaver) who runs around disingenuously complimenting everyone, is more than holding is own. But, it is John McCain who is surging. McCain has tied Romney in New Hampshire while Romney has surged well ahead in Iowa. John McCain has the highest favorable rating (52%) and the smallest number committed to voting against him (33%) of any Presidential candidate in either party.
Jonathan Martin on Republicans in the Primaries
What the Republicans up to in the 2008 campaign according to Jonathan Martin of Politico.com
Ready Rudi (R)
He spent a lifetime diligently pursuing his private and public law career, becoming a noteworthy mayor of a complex city but when 9/11 came along he was catapalted into the pool of possible candidates for president.