Saturday Morning GOP Roundup

The Republican Debate scheduled for May 3 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as of Wednesday includes Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Tommy Thompson. I would be surprised if Tancredo did not go as well, as we was even reported to be attending; he doesn’t have anything to lose by debating.

Chuck Hagel

Democratic Sen. from Nebraska Ben Nelson said he would like to see Hagel run, and that he would be a competant President, but that he can’t win the Republican nomination as an anti-war candidate. That’s definitely safe to say.

Duncan Hunter

NewsMax conducted an interview with Hunter about immigration, stem cells, the trade deficit, Iraq, and the status of his campaign. Pretty standard interview, nothing controversial or especially interesting if you’ve been following his campaign. More interesting is this video outreach to conservative bloggers pleading for support.

Hunter did not raise much money in the first quarter, less than $500,000.

Hunter campaigned in Iowa this past week.

Fred Thompson

It’s less than a month until Thompson makes an appearance in Orange County, and the ‘Draft Fred Thompson’ site has already re-launched in anticipation.

Some evangelical leaders think Thompson might be the answer to the lack of socially conservative candidates.

This Politico report indicates that Thompson has begun to assemble a campaign around him.

Another national poll shows Thompson doing exceptionally well, at 14%, taking most of his support from Giuliani.

Jim Gilmore

A rare look inside the Gilmore campaign. What a disaster. His staff buying beer at a liquor store minutes before hi CPAC speech? His campaign manager not playing the fundraising ‘game’? Considering campaigning in New Hampshire a “waste of time”? His numbers cannot change unless he shakes up his staff (and even then, don’t count on much).

John Cox

State chairs are leaving the Cox campaign, including this teenager who was his state chair in Wisconsin.

Cox vowed in an interview published with the Des Moines Register to stay in the race through January. He also talked about abortion (against it in all cases, including rape and incest), the FAIR tax, and supply-side economics - and his distaste with the Republican Party as it is.

John McCain

McCain will make a policy speech on Iraq this Wednesday at the Virginia Military Institute. The goal is to convince potential supporters that the war in Iraq is still winnable, and is essential to American’s security. This comes after clips of McCain saying he misspoke about Iraq (it’s not yet clear exactly what he said he misspoke about) on 60 Minutes, which will air in full this Sunday.

This article in the NY Times details how McCain is overhauling his fundraising to more mirror the structure Bush used. Also, McCain’s schedule is being loaded with fundraisers in the next few months and his campaign fundraising chair admits it’s a sprint, not a marathon (hear that, Mike Huckabee?)

McCain announced his ‘Sportsmen Coalition’ in New Hampshire, which will contrast starkly with the Romney hunting stories going around.

Mike Huckabee

Huckabee was interviewed by Hugh Hewitt, going in detail over his thoughts on immigration, guns, and his marathon times. Huckabee was asked about machine guns, to which he stated, “I’ve got friends who own them. They have the legal process to own them. But once again, I’m not afraid of a law abiding citizen owning anything. I’m afraid of a criminal getting his hands on a gun. That’s where the crackdown needs to be. This country’s gone crazy. It’s cracking down on law abiding citizens, and turning their heads at people who break the law. That’s the polar opposite.” Mike Huckabee has friends who own machine guns? More seriously, the long dialogue about his marathon times is one reason people might not take him seriously as a presidential candidate. It seems so trite for a presidential candidate in an interview to spend so much time talking about the marathon he ran in New York.

Huckabee answered ten questions posed by voters for Time. The answer to the first question is purely a cliche. I can’t imagine anyone would vote for him just because he says he’s the underdog. His answer regarding ‘accepting responsibility’ seems to end right in the middle.

Huckabee will be the guest at a luncheon in Iowa this Wednesday, the end of this article notes. It’s also mentioned that the Huckabee set a goal of only $500,000 for fundraisingin the first quarter. That’s either a complete lie, or the campaign from the beginning knew it would be running this far behind.

Mitt Romney

A lengthy write-up in the Boston Globe of the Romney hunting debacle. He does not own a firearm, despite claiming to earlier in the year. Read more here.

A Zogby poll taken in New Hampshire just after the April fundraising numbers came out shows Romney jumping up into a tie with McCain for the lead in the state, with Giuliani just behind.

Romney received some endorsements from Iowa politicians.

Romney is speaking to a Livingston County (Michigan) Republican dinner on April 27.

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich apologized for saying, “We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English, … so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.”









On Tuesday morning, Gingrich will debate Sen. John Kerry on the environment and climate change. He is speaking at George Washington University on Monday.

Gingrich called for comprehensive health care reform, and focus on preventing health care through physical education in grade schools.

Gingrich is trying to create a massive movement behind his ideals. He’s holding ‘internet-based workshops’ in late September to try to create the massive network. The ultimate goal is for a candidate to embrace his ideals.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul will be campaigning in Iowa this coming Wednesday.

Paul wrote about his campaigning out west earlier this week.

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani has drawn mild and scattered criticism for impersonating Don Corleone on the campaign trail. There’s a zero percent chance Giuliani will change based on this sort of criticism.

Giuliani supports more oil drilling now as a bridge to renewable energy, saying, “Energy independence means everything has to be open for discussion. … The idea of having more oil under our command, so to speak, or within our orbit probably for some period of time is going to be important. The ultimate goal, however, should be renewable sources of energy.”

I do not agree with most of the criticism in this article, but I do agree that the Giuliani abortion speeches seemed to be handled sloppily. What I do not agree with is that his position will kill him. Perhaps in prior years, but not with the primary schedule being the way it is now.

Sam Brownback

A video interview with Sam Brownback on New Hampshire TV, discussing Iraq, health care, social security, and veterans hospitals.

Brownback is stumping in Iowa, attending multiple prayer breakfasts. He wants to economically incentivize poor people to marry.

Brownback raised $1.3 million in the first quarter.

Tom Tancredo

Tancredo is still optimistic about his campaign. His message is still the same, in case you wondered.

Tommy Thompson

Tommy Thompson kicked off his campaign in Wisconsin and Iowa on Wednesday. His speech in Wisconsin reviewed his policy stances on all the important issues.

Thompson raised $400,000 in the first quarter, and has $186,000 on hand.

Newt Gingrich thinks that Thompson could surprise in Iowa, saying, “Given his small-town Wisconsin background, I think he’s going to be very effective in Iowa and very effective in New Hampshire.” He also said, “The truth is, he’s a character, but characters sometimes do very well in American politics. And I think if he relaxes and just is Tommy Thompson, he may do surprisingly well in Iowa and New Hampshire.”

George Pataki

Making a cameo appearance, Pataki appears by joing a NYC law firm to have decided not to run. He said he could support either McCain or Giuliani.

Sphere: Related Content

Republican Wednesday Morning Roundup

Chuck Hagel

It’s noted in this notebook that Republicans in Nebraska interpreted Hagel’s strange announcement last week as a signal that he would retire from politics altogether come 2008, and not seek the presidency nor reelection to the Senate.

Duncan Hunter

Hunter will not seek reelection for his House seat; instead, his son Duncan D. Hunter will contest for the seat. This makes the political article written by his son on his website make a lot more sense.

Will the attack of ethics charges against Hunter actually backfire and increase his popularity? It’s certainly possible.

Fred Thompson

More Tennessee Republicans are lining up behind a potential Thompson presidential run, now Rep. David Davis. The Draft movement has a website up as well. (If you are wondering, it was purchased on February 27, 2007.)

The Small Government Times says Thompson is no conservative either, but instead a neocon globalist. They specifically cite his opposition to conservative immigration reforms. More conservative criticism of Thompson on immigration is found here; the fact that he’s of the McCain/Bush school when it comes to immigration will not help him get grassroots support he many need for this type of bid.

Fred Thompson gets the Chuck Norris treatment.

Jim Gilmore

Gilmore continues to be a seemingly lone voice of dissent against moving primaries up in the schedule; he stated his opposition in Georgia, where he was raising money.

A former Pataki aide joined the Gilmore campaign; another joined the Giuliani campaign.

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but Gilmore’s campaign office opened last week in Virgina.

John Cox

An interview of Cox with the Small Government Times;it’s a long interview and philosophical for he most part about how he would approach government. Regarding the Iraq war, Cox states: “I would do whatever necessary to get their oil pumping at 100% of their capacity, rather than the 30% they are doing right now. Get the money into that economy, get the prosperity to the people and get our troops home. I would also get the Iraqi government to call on other democratic Muslim nations like Pakistan and Indonesia to put together a coalition of Muslim forces to replace Americans in the security role. That would allow us to redeploy to the borders and ultimately home.” I’d be interested to know what he would use to entice to countries as unstable as Pakistan and Indonesia to send troops; particularly Pakistan, where Bin Laden is hiding somewhere, and Musharraf regularly faces assassination attempts.

A Cox campaign worker and former Alan Keyes supporter writes an article about terrorism attacking the Republicans for crumbling on issues since 9/11, especially going after Giuliani.

John McCain

McCain said againthat he would support overturning Roe v. Wade, despite having said otherwise in the past, when he cited back market abortions as something stopping him. He cited his work supporting human rights across the globe; the article cited his support for taxpayer funded embryonic stem cell research. Like seemingly everything with McCain, his support of a group is complicated and far from complete.

McCain was in South Florida raising money and will be elsewhere in Florida next week, in the week before the March 31 first quarter deadline. While there, he called for AG Alberto Gonzalez to testify to tell his side of the story. McCain also reiterated support for the Cuban community in Miami, in continuing to uphold the embargo.

An interview with McCain with a Christian News reporter; McCain states outright he needs Evangelicals to support him to win.

Mike Huckabee

Huckabee said that he’s still in the race, and that when people beyond “a few activists and some of the money people” look at the race, his numbers will go up. If he doesn’t get some of the “money people” on his side, that day might not come. …

Mitt Romney

Romney received some heat for using a Castro slogan in a recent speech in Miami: “Fatherland or death, we shall overcome.” Romney said the slogan ought belong to all Cubans, but it jarred some to hear Romney say it. That’s always the risk of getting creative: that people might misinterpret what you say.

A co-chair of Romney’s campaign last summer donated money contributed money to a group that compared the Gov. of Michigan to Hitler in a newspaper ad. Reading the articles, I think it’s fair to assume there was no ill intent among anyone within the Romney campaign. Between the DNC and the Romney campaign, the issue has mushroomed into a giant political issue with absolutely nothing at stake. So expect more rhetoric on both sides. It could be over if Romney said he wouldn’t advertise like that, or if the DNC just posed a general question instead of pressing Romney to disavow all attack ads.

Orrin Hatch endorsed Romney. No surprise whatsoever.

Wayne Huizenga is supporting Romney.

Gary Bauer criticized Romney for not supporting Gen. Pace’s comments on homosexuality, saying “I was sorry to hear Governor Romney’s view on that matter. .. The idea that somebody holding office cannot say what their moral view is on something again is something right out of the secular left-wing’s playbook.” Romney had told Larry King that he thought it “inappropriate for the public discourse” for Pace to make the comments.

On Iraq, Romney told Fox and Friends’ Gretchen Carlson and Steve “HUUGE” Doocey that, “The right answer is, that as long as there is a reasonable course that can lead us to success, that’s the course we have to take. … If we were to walk away precipitously, or divide the country and then walk away, you have a very significant potential that massive civil war will break out, with hundreds of thousands dying, and in addition, neighboring countries becoming involved, and that is not good for America or our interests.”

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich was in Tennessee, Tuesday, and stated that he did not believe candidates’ personal lives should be part of the election. Seems that would benefit him and Giuliani. I don’t disagree with him, but it’s kind of suspicious when it comes from someone who would directly benefit.

Ron Paul

Paul’s announcement that he is running for President has received a large response in some quarters, in part because of the internet activism of his supporters As case in point, see this post when I was criticized for not talking enough about Paul; I’ll defend my post, but at the same time, no other candidate - no matter how grassroots they are - have people out there advocating for them like this. (Unless you count Bill Clinton complaining about the NYT being too pro-Obama). Still, this fervent activism could help Paul get more notice than the average Libertarian candidate.

This editorial touts Paul’s economic experience and expertise.

Ron Paul was dropped from the Pajamas Media poll and this writer finds that to be a significant problem (and he has a point - excluding someone so philosophically different is alarming; it’s one thing to force a decision among the big 3, but to include smaller candidates and exclude one here or there, whether it be Paul on this poll or Gravel from the NH debates, it’s just uncalled for. The marginal harm is practically nil. As if Gravel or Paul’s mere presence will embarrass the mainstream candidates. Please…)

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani defendedthe actions of his firm, representing Citgo (which has strong ties to Hugo Chavez). He also said he would work to develop alternative fuels to free the country from being at the whim of Chavez.

Giuliani’s mentionof Nicholas Kristof at a New York fundraiser raised eyebrows.

Giuliani’s history with gun control is starting to get mention now that the initial wave of his pro-abortion history has finished hitting the internet. Giuliani told Sean Hannity recently, “Yes, I mean, a place like New York that is densely populated or maybe a place that is experiencing a serious crime problem … maybe you have one solution there and in another place, more rural, more suburban, other issues, you have a different set of rules.” The fact that Bill Clinton of all people took the opportunity to praise Giuliani for his policies on gun control will undoubtedly rile up the conservative base.

Giuliani is holding a fundraiser in Louisiana in May.

Sam Brownback

In New Hampshire for the first time, Brownback said that it’s not enough for (so-called) pro-life people to only fight against against abortion; he also believes “we should also protect the person that’s in poverty, and the child that’s in Darfur, and working with prisoners so they don’t have so much recidivism and always back in the system.” He also said he was against gay marriage.

McCain and Brownback in particular are getting heat among Republicans for their stance on illegal immigration, as they allow a path to citizenship without illegal immigrants leaving the country.

Brownback testified yesterday to a House committee regarding ending the genocide in Darfur. He issued a press release quoting himself as saying “The American people have shown their compassion by calling for an end to the genocide in Darfur. … More than 200,000 people have died in Darfur and more than 2.5 million have been displaced. I encourage all Americans, from lawmakers to civilians, to do their part to end the genocide in Darfur.”

Tom Tancredo

Tancredo is in Iowa this coming weekend, campaigning in Iowa City on Friday night, and across eastern Iowa all day Saturday.

Pres. Bush criticized Tancredo’s position on immigration as ‘empty talk’; an enraged Tancredo took to the air on Fox and stated, “And what’s the president of the United States saying? That it is difficult for us? No. He didn’t say it would be difficult because, of course, it would be. I would have agreed with that. He said it was empty talk. Well, I am just telling you that it’s infuriating in a way to hear the president of the United States talk that way. He used those words to describe the law of the land.” This is important because the rhetoric has been kicked up a notch; both Bush and Tancredo have support for their positions, although Tancredo’s is clearly a minority within the party. This will not come to a head until the debates at the earliest, and the nominating convention at the latest. Expect controversy when Tancredo is given the pulpit.

Tommy Thompson

Thompson was on Blommberg talking about the stress the FDA was under from doing so many drug inspections. (Video as well).

Sphere: Related Content

Tid Bits

What circumstances would create an 80% chance of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg joing the race?  If each party nominated “extreme” candidates like Edwards and Romney.  [Former Bloomberg advisor's words, not mine. I happen to disagree with her examples.]…

Can Rev. Al Sharpton affect Obama’s support amongst black voters?  He had the following things to say today about Obama [video]…

“Why shouldn’t the black community ask questions? Are we now being told, ‘You all just shut up?’  Senator Obama and I agree that the war is wrong, but then I want to know why he went to Connecticut and helped [Sen. Joseph] Lieberman, the biggest supporter of the war.”

Sharpton is angry because he believes that it was Obama’s campaign that started the rumors that he is jealous of Sen. Obama’s success as a candidate in order to pressure him into endorsing Obama now.  Perhaps this could evolve into something more scandolous over time…

Wondering what’s up with George Pataki?  Well Pataki and senior aide John Cahill joined the law firm Chadbourne & Parke LLP as Counsel, who will focus on energy, environmental and corporate matters….

Learn about Ron Paul….

Wesley Clark thinks another run for president “everyday” …

Quick look at the candidates’ positions on abortion, same-sex marriage, global warming, health care, immigration, iran, iraq and stem cell research…

Sphere: Related Content

More on McCain: Town Hall Meeting, Press Released

John McCain has relaunched his campaign site in conjunction with him ramping up his campaign efforts. He has a town hall meeting scheduled in Des Moines tomorrow as well that will be streamed on his website.

Also on McCain:

McCain is going to talk about abstinence Sunday night in South Carolina. If that’s not courting southern conservatives, I have no idea what is.

Will McCain’s appearance for TV appearances hurt him like Nixon in the Nixon-Kennedy debates? The stories of him looking old keep coming and coming.

McCain’s campaign finally began releasing press releases on their website in conjunction with its relaunch as johnmccain.com.

The first is McCain hiring more staff in New Hampshire, this one a recent former Pataki staff member, who has also worked on various other campaigns.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Poll Vaulting: Clinton, Giuliani with Big Leads; Are McCain’s Age and Giuliani’s Marriages Bigger Problems than Romney’s Religion?

USA Today had a poll published yesterday.

After surveying 425 self-identified ‘Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party’:
Giuliani (40%) is ahead of McCain (24%), followed by Gingrich (9%), Romney (5%), Brownback (3%), Jim Gilmore (2%), Mike Huckabee (2%), Tommy Thompson (2%), Duncan Hunter (1%), Tom Tancredo (1%), Chuck Hagel (1%), and George Pataki (1%).

After surveying 495 self identified ‘Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party’:
Clinton (40%) is ahead of Obama (21%), followed by Al Gore (14%), John Edwards (13%), Bill Richardson (4%), Wesley Clark (1%), Chris Dodd (1%), and Joe Biden (1%).

When narrowed down to just Clinton and Obama, the poll results favored Clinton 62-33. (They did the same for McCain-Giuliani, but the difference was more or less the same).

That all said, I don’t think this nationwide poll is statistically significant. One, not a large enough sample size. Two, people in certain (Iowa, New hampshire) areas know the candidates better than other areas. I’m taking nationwide polls with a large, large grain of salt.

The interesting part was this:

More than four in 10 say they wouldn’t vote for a “generally well-qualified person” for president who was 72 years old — the age McCain will reach in August 2008. Three in 10 say they wouldn’t vote for someone who had been married three times, as has Giuliani.

And later in the article:

However, hurdles remain — including for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who formally announced his candidacy Tuesday. When his father, then Michigan governor, led the Republican presidential field in 1967, 17% said they wouldn’t vote for a Mormon for president. Now, 24% do.

I have to wonder if the phrasing of the questions doesn’t have something to do with this. If polls come back with those sorts of numbers, people will be more likely to pay attention to them.

There’s another possibility. If Ronald Reagan was running and was 72, you would not see these poll numbers. I’m wondering if people are just registering their differences with McCain through these polls. Same with Giuliani. If you ask a Democrat if he would vote for someone over 72 or who has been married three times, it’s not really an invitation to honesty as much as it is a chance to hurt McCain and Giuliani in the polls. And this just isn’t Democrats - McCain supporters would probably do the same to Giuliani and vice versa.

In other words, I doubt the polls, not the candidates or the people. These numbers are red herrings.

Sphere: Related Content

Poll Vaulting: Giuliani Leads McCain in Texas

A poll by Baselice & Associates (who curiously does not list their polls on their website) of 501 Texas voters has Giuliani narrowly ahead, but well within the margin of error, which is 4.5%.

Rudy Giuliani - 28%
John McCain - 26%
Newt Gingrich - 17%
Mitt Romney - 6%
Sam Brownback - 2%
Mike Huckabee - 2%
George Pataki - 1%
Other / Undecided - 18%

I’m a little surprised that neither Tancredo nor Hunter got any support in Texas, a state where illegal immigration is as big as anywhere else. Maybe the people for whom immigration is an issue simply have not decided whom to support?

Sphere: Related Content

Poll Vaulting: Hillary, Rudy ahead in Florida

Clinton (49% !!!) leads Obama (13%) and Edwards (7%) in Florida. Gore also is polling at 7 percent in Florida. Richardson, Biden, and Clark also come in barely above 1%.

Among Republicans, Giuliani (29%) is just ahead of McCain (23%), Gingrich (14%), and Romney (6%). Brownback, Thompson, and Pataki also get above 1%.

Likability (Likes:Dislikes)
60 - 20 % for Giuliani
50 - 21 % for McCain;
51 - 39 % for Clinton;
37 - 18 % for Obama, (44 % don’t have an opinion)
44 - 27 % for Edwards (27 % don’t have an opinion)
46 - 47 % for Gore;
26 - 48 % for Gingrich;
75 % don’t have an opinion about Romney - he hasn’t even really begun to be noticed there.

In terms of upside as a candidate, Obama, Giuliani, and McCain have the most, and Hillary has the least. I’ve battered this into the ground, but that needs to start changing if she’s going to have a chance.

The war in Iraq is by far and away the most important issue.

Read the entire poll here.

Sphere: Related Content

Follow Up: Pataki’s Out…For Now

To follow up on 2008 Central’s previous coverage of Pataki’s plans…speculation about Pataki’s plans for his candidacy have become increasingly difficult over the past few days as Pataki expressed inconsistent viewpoints about his plans. On February 1, Pataki told supporters in New Hampshire that he won’t be rushing to make a decision and that at this time, he’s not planning on running. Rather, Pataki emphasized that “at this point, there’s plenty of politics, I don’t think there’s enough policy analysis, and that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

This leaves one blogger (and I’m sure many others) to speculate…

Maybe, just maybe, in 10 months or so, the Republicans will be so tired of the candidates running that they will start looking for a fresh face. OK, so the former three-tem governor and 10-year veteran of the Legislature doesn’t qualify as a “fresh face’’ in New York. But he is in most of the rest of the country.

Sphere: Related Content

Thursday Morning on the West Coast Republican Roundup

I accidentally just deleted this post shortly before I was about to post it. Let’s try take 2…

Republicans

Chuck Hagel - I spoke about the Peggy Noonan glowing review of Hagel last week in this space. Today, though, there is a less flattering op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about Hagel. Is it possible being a shoe salesman is more dangerous than being a Senator? … Another editorial about how Hagel represents old conservatism, and how his position has challenged Republicans to side with him or Bush/Cheney, and has allowed Democrats to more freely step forward. What happens with Chuck Hagel in the next two years will in a lot of ways decide the future of the Republican Party… Want to know how anti-war folks view Hagel? If so, you’re in luck … This editorial on Hagel asks everyone to step back from the hero worship, and calls the media out for the maverick labels they hand out from time to time… This editorial reviews how Hagel is the new McCain (and McCain the new Bob Dole)…

Duncan Hunter - Hunter held a press conference yesterday to discuss relations with China, specifically China’s recent anti-satellite missile test. He called for punitive sanctions by the United States of China, saying specifically of the test that it was a test of China’s, “ability to blind American capability, with respect to our security apparatus.” Democrats, including Sen. Ben Cardin, also joined in the press conference and supported looking into sanctions - not just for the satellite test, but also because of the economic trade gap propelled in part by China not floating its currency.

George Pataki - Pataki spoke to supporters yesterday at a private dinner, and while he didn’t close the door on a Presidential run, he certainly did leave the room. He told supporters it would be OK to support other candidates, and unless he’s a Mormon in a way that Romney isn’t, that means he’s out…

John McCain - McCain blasted Gen. George Casey at a hearing in Washington today for mismanaging the war. He’s long had a philosophical difference with Casey, as casey favors more Iraqi soldiers, and mcCain supports more American soldiers on the ground. And attacking Casey has become a way for McCain to attack how the war is run without attacking Bush. McCain told Casey, “While I don’t in any way question your honour, your patriotism or your service to our country, I do question some of the decisions, the judgments you’ve made over the past two and a half years. During that time things have gotten markedly and progressively worse.” … McCain backed off a statement issued in his name that more American troops would need more than more Iraqi promises. His office said that the statement was accidentally approved by a staff member… The Cuban American delegation of Florida to the House came out in support of McCain… Most of the South Carolina House GOP also supports McCain… A list of some early key McCain supporters.

Mike Huckabee - Huckabee runs his campaign on the cheap - and he is damn proud of it, as he’s had success doing things that way in the past. He’s in Florida today and will be in South Carolina and New Hampshire early next week… Gov. Huckabee is touted as a protypical conservative candidate in this article, which stresses his pro-family records… A former Frist aide joined Huckabee as campaign manager…

Mitt Romney - Some religious leaders are lining up behind Romney, indicating that the Mormonism may not be a problem… Before he declared his candidacy for President, Romney took advantage of a loophole in Alabama law to get large donations that would have been in excess of FEC regulations from Alabama donors. Alabama GOP officials have no problem with this… Mitt Romney thinks Massachusetts has the best idea about what to do about health care, and there’s an excellent summary of what it is in the article, including his responses to a few objections… Romney will give a major economic speech Feb. 7 in Detroit… Romney is in New Hampshire today to make up ground on Giuliani and McCain…

Rudy Giuliani - Giuliani is sending people to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states… Another clumnist notes how liberal Giuliani is on social issues and wonders what it means… A rare negative view of Rudy’s record as mayor, which criticizes him for being too combative. As if Hillary and McCain aren’t combative either. (I doubt you’ll have a problem finding a contrasting editorial on the internet should you, you know, read anything on Rudy)… Ralph Reed owes Rudy a favor, so perhaps he can help with conservative Christians - if he has any sway left…

Sam Brownback - Brownback spoke about the economy, Iraq, and social conservatism yesterday in an attempt to get big-money supporters in Michigan to come to his side. Specifically about energy consumption, Brownback stated, “We’re onto grain based ethanol and that can get us to 10% of our fuel needs, but we can get 30% if you can get the grass to bas type of move.” … Brownback is also a supporter of the flat tax, as it turns out. Connecting that with social conservatism, he stated in his speech at Ave Maria Law School, “I’m a strong proponent of cutting taxes to promote growth. I think we need to rebuild the family. I think we need to rebuild the culture.” He also spoke about electric cars, in addition to the ethanol proposal above, and wants the government to help developing them, using tax incentives. He doesn’t want any tax deductions or exceptions on the flat tax - apparently he doesn’t feel the same about corporate taxes?… Brownback and Huckabee are neck and neck for conservative support, and Huckabee could move ahead… Brownback is going to Florida this weekend, then South Carolina, and then flying home…

Sphere: Related Content

Wednesday Morning Roundup

Democrats

Barack Obama - The Sun gives a brief overview of Barack Obama’s life and candidacy…

Bill Richardson - A anti-death penalty bill in the New Mexico legislature threatens to put Bill Richardson between a rock and a hard place. He’s always supported the death penalty, according to the article, though, so I would expect him to veto it as such if it came to that… A touching story of the long, slow journey of one senator’s dream to ban cockfighting, and how Gov. Richardson’s eventual support in the end (after wavering all of his first term) was crucial.

Christopher Dodd - Chris Dodd is behind in the polls - he’s even behind Joe Lieberman, who isn’t even a Democrat officially and isn’t running. Ouch.

Dennis Kucinich - Kucinich will be on community TV in Portland, Oregon promoting his idea for a Dept. of Peace. Here’s video of him on Hannity and Colmes last night.

John Edwards - Edwards went to a fundraiser Monday night. Also, there’s a story of a somewhat plausible way for Edwards to get ahead in the Democratic primary. I’m not sure it will work, but it might be possible.

John Kerry - Kerry gave his opinion on the pending global warming legislation sponsored by McCain, Clinton and Obama: it doesn’t go far enough. I doubt any of them is going to lose sleep over the rebuke.

Republicans

George Pataki - Pataki was speaking in Naples and would not rule out a run at the Presidency.

John McCain - Romney and McCain had dueling announcements of support yesterday; Romney announced Zrizona supporters, McCain announced supporters in the county Romney is visiting on Thursday… Why the general lack of news for McCain compared to other candidates (look at how few times he’s been mentioned comparatively on the right sidebar since this site launched)? Mostly because McCain is biding his time and waiting for the opportune moment to announce…

Mike Huckabee - Huckabee hired directors for his campaign in Iowa. Huckabee was in Des Moines, Waukee and Urbandale yesterday and will be in Grinnell, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Tipton and Bettendorf today… Yesterday, he said that he wanted Republicans to be Republicans. “I think if people look at my record, they see there’s a consistent and authentic conservative record that was translated into action,” Huckabee stated. “I think at times it’s almost as if we’ve been seen that we’re not the party that’s on the front burner for education reform, for health care reform.”

Mitt Romney - Romney and McCain had dueling announcements of support yesterday; Romney announced Arizona supporters, McCain announced supporters in the county Romney is visiting on Thursday… The abortion isse will not go away regarding Mitt Romney; some people are convinced - and some are not convinced.

Rudy Giuliani - Giuliani attended a fundraiser in Palm Springs, California.

Sam Brownback - Reminder: Brownback is in Michigan today… Brownback wants to focus on building bridges on consensus, and is building his campaign around human trafficking, climate change and poverty. I’m not sure those three issues will send him shooting to the top of the polls. Also noted on the page is that Brownback was actually dis-invited to the National Review dinner that Romney was keynote speaker of this past weekend.

Sphere: Related Content

Saturday Round Up

Duncan Hunter continues campaigning through South Carolina and again tried to portray himself as the Reagan candidate by citing ‘Peace through Strength.’

George Pataki continues to try to position himself to the left of the Republican candidates on the war, stressing that he would encourage compromise right now. The problem, as stated in the article, is that he has no money and a compromise-with-democrats platform isn’t likely to get him any.

The Service Employees International Union Executive Board met with the big 8 Democratic candidates. This National Journal article notes their support for Mitt Romney.

This is an extensive LA Times interview with Richardson concerning foreign policy. He’d get out of Iraq this year, talk to Iran, and go full bore with diplomacy.

Chuck Hagel did an interview with GQ. In it, he goes heavy on the criticism of the Bush administration, possibly even heavier than the Democrats:

GQ: And producing a National Intelligence Estimate that turned out to be doctored.
Hagel: Oh yeah. All this stuff was doctored. Absolutely. But that’s what we were presented with. And I’m not dismissing our responsibility to look into the thing, because there were senators who said, “I don’t believe them.” But I was told by the president–we all were–that he would exhaust every diplomatic effort.

It’s an extremely strong interview and eventually goes into his feelings on other issues, and a good history of the role of Congress in the Iraq war to boot. I may go back at some point and revisit this interview; it’s that strong.

John Edwards hired a campaign manager and some help in New Hampshire.

Rudy Giuliani was in New Hampshire. Notable is that he didn’t talk about the social issues he’s liberal on.

If Bush was the candidate everyone wanted to have a beer with, then Hillary is the candidate everyone wants to … have over to dinner?

An early copy of McCain’s resolution is circulating.

Some technical glitches with the site today. We appreciate your patience.

Sphere: Related Content

Evening Round Up

KUTV Salt Lake (CBS Affiliate): A couple mormons are turning on Mitt Romney. The bigger story is how everyone seems to be accusing him of changing positions for political gain. Sooner or later, this will probably catch up with him.

CNN: John McCain is now supporting benchmarks in Iraq so that people can tell if the troop increase is working. “There is a legitimate concern about the lack of congressional oversight, about sending Gen. [David] Petraeus there saying we don’t approve of his mission … One of the areas we really want to work on is setting some benchmarks, so the American people and Congress will know if we’re making progress or not.”

Collegiate Times: Jim Gilmore formed an exploratory committee, officially. But apparently no one from his campaign was available for comment.

The Badger Herald: Tommy Thompson hired some much needed help for his campaign, who admits getting money will be a challenge.

CQ Politics: John Ensign is in charge of regaining the Senate for the GOP.

The Hill: Obama has gotten some help from people who used to work for Gephardt and Gore. Also, the NSRC has pledged to deny campaign contributions to anyone who votes against the troop surge: that would presumably affecct Chuck Hagel at the least and possibly Sam Brownback as well. It’s unclear what the NSRC would do to someone like Pataki who is not in the Senate.

Sphere: Related Content

Pataki’s Forward Thinking - Iraq War

Today, Pataki announced that he opposes the troop surge: “Sending more American troops into Baghdad is unnecessary to achieve the core victory over al-Qaida in Iraq.”

Yesterday, I mentioned it appears as though Pataki is putting the cart before the horse by campaigning in Florida already. Is he doing this again or shifting tactics as he prepares to seroiusly enter the race?

My thoughts after the jump…
Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Pataki’s $.02 Along With Other Highlights

Pataki ignores the majority of people (that know who he is) who still think he’s joking about his run for the White House and tosses his $.02 into the Iraq discussion.

He’s raising his profile as he emerges as a more serious candidate and yet doing things that indicate that he’s not running (or trying a very strange strategy at least). He’ll be raising his profile in the coming weeks as he tests the waters in the national arena.

Signs that he’s running…

* On January 26, 2007, he will give a speech at Georgetown’s Center for Peace and Security Studies entitled “A Way Forward in Iraq.” Often times, $.02 is used as a metaphor, but something tells me that it’s not in this case.

* Phasing out state security and replacing them with private security (why would he need that unless he was running)

* Giving a speech in Florida on January 22, 2007 — Florida, eh? Is someone putting the cart before the horse?

Sign that he’s not running (or attempting a new strategy)…

* Closing his New Hampshire PAC office (and subsequently listing it on Craigslist)

Sphere: Related Content