Giuliani Running for Senate, Not Governor
Yesterday, the NYT and other outlets reported that former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided against running for governor of New York. But the Daily News is reporting that he is instead "very likely" to run in the special election to fill the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat. The Republican heavyweight was considered the GOP's best shot ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 20, 2009 08:52
Mike Huckabee and the GOP
Daniel Larison is a bit too charitable here in assessing Mike Huckabee's finish in last year's presidential primaries: While Huckabee was officially the second-biggest vote-getter in the primaries last year, he achieved this mostly through perseverance and concentrated support from evangelical voters. Had Romney continued to compete and waste his money on what would still have been a losing bid, it ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on October 17, 2009 09:18
Three Strikes
Matt Yglesias justifiably has some fun with the news that twice divorced, thrice married Newt Gingrich is charging that "The Democratic Party has been the active instrument of breaking down traditional marriage." And one can't blame him for being amused that twice divorced, thrice married Rudy Giuliani is championing traditional marriage as a cornerstone of a possible gubernatorial bid. To be ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 20, 2009 19:13
Questioning Their Motives
Victor Davis Hanson has a piece out today that I suspect will be the first of many of its kind. Intermixed with some excellent points about the perception of McCain campaign negativity, the politics of race, and scandalmongering, he aims this cheap shot at Republicans who have expressed dismay at McCain or even endorsed his opponent. Second, with Obama now ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on October 13, 2008 10:14
Palin’s Speech Reax
Most of the analysis of Sarah Palin's vice presidential acceptance speech has, predictably, divided on party lines. Republicans tended to love it, thinking it struck the right tone, while Democrats think it was mean-spirited and full of lies. If one reads through the text of the remarks, thereby ignoring the delivery and optics, one sees a pretty standard party convention ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on September 4, 2008 08:33
John McCain ‘Love’ Ad
John McCain's latest ad, "Love," contrasts himself with those dirty hippies who spent the summer of 1968 on sex, drugs, and rock and roll rather than being tortured for their country. The voiceover: It was a time of uncertainty, hope and change. The "Summer Of Love." Half a world away, another kind of love — of country. John McCain: Shot down. Bayoneted. Tortured. Offered early ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 8, 2008 13:30
Obama = Charismatic = Hitler = Armageddon
Arthur Silber is, as am I, fascinated by the cult of personality surrounding Barack Obama. He notes some anecdotal creepy gushing on a local radio show and then Reactions of this kind to Obama are fairly common. No, they are not this extreme much of the time, but such statements are far from unusual. And many of Obama's less obviously deluded ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 1, 2008 08:19
McCain’s First Wife
Steve Benen points to a Daily Mail piece about John McCain's first wife, Carol, whom he divorced for a younger, more attractive, wealthier woman a few years after returning from Vietnam and wonders if there isn't a double standard at work. Now, I should clarify that as far as I’m concerned, McCain’s marital difficulties and adultery aren’t especially significant in ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 9, 2008 15:23
Giuliani Eyes New York Governor Bid
Rudy Giuliani is likely to run for the governorship of New York, should there be another sudden vacancy. In the latest twist in New York politics, Rudy Giuliani is eyeing a run for governor in a special election this fall should Gov. Paterson be forced to resign, sources say. A top adviser to the former mayor, who pulled the plug ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 28, 2008 13:01
Mike Huckabee (Finally) Withdraws
Now that John McCain has mathematically sewn up the nomination even without the delegates Mitt Romney pledged to him, Mike Huckabee has given up his candidacy. Calling his White House bid the "journey of a lifetime", Huckabee spoke Tuesday night from Irving, TX commending McCain on an "honorable campaign" and emphasizing his commitment to the Republican party in the fight ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 5, 2008 05:55
John McCain’s Vice Presidential Not-So-Short List
John Hawkins lists 24 candidates that John McCain might conceivably pick as his running mate with synopses as to the pros and cons of each. I'm rather sure the eventual choice is on that list, as there's nobody that I've heard of who isn't. Indeed, there are several people I haven't heard of on it. Frankly, the available ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 12, 2008 11:58
Fred Thompson Endorses McCain
Fred Thompson has become the latest former 2008 Republican presidential candidate to endorse John McCain. Fred Thompson, the one-time Republican presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. John McCain Friday, calling on the party to "close ranks" behind the presumed nominee. "This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 9, 2008 08:50
McCain’s Giuliani Bounce
John McCain has been the primary beneficiary of Rudy Giuliani's exit from the race, the latest Gallup national tracking poll shows. John McCain continues to be the primary beneficiary of Rudy Giuliani's recent exit from the Republican race for president. The percentage of Republican primary voters nationwide favoring McCain for the nomination rose from 39% in interviews conducted Jan. 29-30, to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 3, 2008 08:25
Schwarzenegger, Giuliani and McCain Republicans
RealClearPolitics' John McIntyre reminds us that the 2004 convention gave President Bush a large bounce in the polls, while the Democratic convention did next to nothing for John Kerry. He's got an interesting theory on why that was: Who did Karl Rove and the GOP strategists chose to put front and center on prime-time television for the American people? ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on January 31, 2008 11:11
Mitt Romney’s Fuzzy Nomination Math
Hugh Hewitt looks at the Super Tuesday math and concludes that his guy, Mitt Romney, will still be very much in the race afterwards. I'm rather dubious on his "worst case" scenario actually being that but he's fundamentally right: McCain won't have the nomination mathematically sewn up at day's end. Still, it's not looking good for Flipper. Hewitt observes, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on January 31, 2008 06:52
