Blog @ MoreWhat.com

What the hell is Newt Gingrich thinking? For one who decided to either allow his persona to demonstrate what conservative values are or parlayed that perception to be used for political advantage another decision by the former Speaker of the House and focal point of the once proud and subsequently abandoned ‘contract with America’ has produced another obvious contradiction.

He supports Scazzafava (beans) for the NY (23)???

Gingrich is apparently willing to overlook Scozzafava’s support for same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

“The Republican Revolution in 1994 started very much like what we see today,” Gingrich said in his statement. “Like then, our country is reeling from misguided liberal policies, high taxes and out-of-control spending. This special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District could be the first election of the new Republican Revolution, but we need the momentum to get it started.”

That is simply a politically motivated assessment. If you support a candidate based on a belief that they have the best chance to win while ignoring their rejection of conservative and traditional American values the culture of corruption is what you endorse. An absolutely appalling decision by someone whom this blog has always viewed as suspect although few if any posts have expressed that position. Sometimes it is reasonable to withhold comment until more evidence is gathered. The apparent revelation of the Gingrich departure from conservative principle demands notice and commentary.as well as strong support for a candidate previously analyzed as a wild card based on lack of relevant data.

At this point supporting a currently unknown quantity like Mr Hoffman is an easy decision. Scozzafava’s candidacy is also reported to have triggered a deep divide among House Republicans, with some of the most conservative members refusing to support her campaign. And with good reason ‘the most conservative members’ distance themselves from such an alliance.

The most prominent GOP endorser of radical leftist NY-23 congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava is openly musing about running for president in 2012.
No, thanks:

Check the link above to support this blog’s position that Newt Gingrich has left the conservative reservation on this and possibly other issues.

Support and advance conservative principles or withdraw from the GOP. That is this blog’s recommendation for politicians who are registered Republicans.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Republican Nationl Committee vs. Conservatives

Doug Hoffman Sarah Palin: Palins Hoffman Endorsement: (video)

(Video below provided for perspective)

Among a long list of other witnesses providing testimony on The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 at a hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Energy and the Environment (whew!) are Newt Gingrich and Al Gore. Mr Gore’s prepared remarks are available on the House website and the linked text below will retrieve it for you. The excerpt below is representative of Mr Gore’s position on this issue. It expresses eminent crisis and his assertion we must act on it now. He has held this opinion for a long time.

By Repowering America with a transition to a clean energy economy and ending our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels, which is the common thread running through all three of these crises, this bill will simultaneously address the climate crisis, the economic crisis, and the national security threats that stem from our dependence on foreign oil.

We cannot afford to wait any longer for this transition. Each day that we continue with the status quo sees more of our fellow Americans struggling to provide for their families. Each day we continue on our current path, America loses more of its competitive edge. And each day we wait, we increase the risk that we will leave our children and grandchildren an irreparably damaged planet.

While Mr Gore expects you to believe his opinion is conclusive his own words, like Rep Lowey in another post on this blog, betray him. His first argument supporting his opinion in the prepared remarks states, ‘the entire Arctic ice cap may totally disappear in summer in as little as five years if nothing is done to curb emissions of greenhouse gas pollution.’ It would be more convincing if Mr Gore’s phrasing here used the word ‘will’ rather than ‘may.’ It underscores that even Mr Gore cannot be certain of his own view.

In another argument presented regarding the salmon population Mr Gore uses the phrase ‘Researchers are now working to determine the cause….’ While he states the dire consequences of not acting right now on this subtopic he admits the cause is not currently known. To be fair, Mr Gore makes other statements and draws other conclusions that would have to be researched to respond to in this post. And that is beyond the scope of this post by virtue of the time required to perform the task. The point is without dissecting every word in his prepared remarks Mr Gore regularly states all the facts are not available yet urges we act this very minute. And they wonder why so many reject his opinion.

A link is provided below from the subcommittee’s webpage on this hearing. It includes a witness list, an announcement that the hearing will be broadcast today on CSPAN and other links and information.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, Day 4

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The Thrilla in Vanilla: Gore vs. Gingrich in Global Warming ‘Showdown’? 

By Michael Bowman
Washington
15 August 2007

Bowman report (mp3) - Download 776k audio clip
Listen to Bowman report (mp3) audio clip

A new poll of likely U.S. voters shows New York Senator Hillary Clinton maintaining her frontrunner status among Democratic voters in next year’s presidential race, with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leading the Republican field. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports from Washington.

The Quinnipiac University poll shows Senator Clinton with 36 percent backing among Democrats, up one percent from a survey in June, with strong support among women and working class voters. Illinois Senator Barack Obama is holding steady in second place, at 21 percent, and is favored among Democrats with college degrees.

Former Vice President Al Gore, who has stated he has no intention of running for office, polled third with 15 percent support, ahead of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards at nine percent.

Mrs. Clinton may lead the Democratic field, but the news is not all positive for the one-time first lady, according to the head of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, Maurice Carroll.

“Trailing her is a big ‘Hillary hostility’ factor which does raise questions, feeds those doubts about [whether she] can win in November [in next year’s election],” he said. “Forty-eight to 43 percent, Americans tell the poll they have a favorable impression of her. But 43 is a big number, the negative side, and that is the highest of any of the candidates.”

Months ago, some analysts predicted that Senator Obama, whose father was Kenyan, would eventually receive overwhelming backing from black and other minority voters. But the Quinnipiac poll shows no such trend to date, with Senator Clinton doing well among all racial and ethnic groups within the Democratic Party.

Among Republicans, Rudy Giuliani leads with 28 percent support, up one percent from June. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney comes in second with 15 percent, followed by actor and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson with 12 percent and Arizona Senator John McCain with 11 percent. Mr. Thompson has yet to formally announce his candidacy.

Carroll notes that Giuliani is pro-choice on abortion and favors legal rights for homosexual couples - positions that do not endear him with the socially-conservative base of the Republican Party. But he says the former mayor has one great strength that propels him to the top of the Republican field:

“It’s 9/11. Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City when the terrorists attacked and destroyed the World Trade Center. His performance then in rallying the city, reassuring the city - and to an extent the nation, earned him all sorts of plaudits and that is his big pitch. Of those who are for him, more than a third cited his performance after 9/11, his anti-terrorist credentials,” he said.

How would top Democratic and Republican contenders fare if the presidential election were held today? The Quinnipiac poll shows Hillary Clinton edging Rudy Giuliani 46 to 43 percent, and a draw between Giuliani and Barack Obama at 42 percent each. The poll did not pose a hypothetical match-up of Mitt Romney against a Democratic challenger.

Such polls provide only a snapshot of public opinion at the time they are conducted. The first contest of the presidential primary season is still months away, in January, and the general election is more than a year off.

crossposted at:
Maggie’s Notebook | Conservative Blog

FaultlineUSA

Conservative Thoughts

.
Rasmussen Reports for August 14th has the Dems with Clinton 40%, Obama 24%, Edwards 16% and Richardson at 4%. The GOP side is Giuliani 25%, Thompson 21%, Romney 15%, McCain 10% and Huckabee 4%.

With the GOP it was not that long ago that Fred Thompson’s numbers were several points higher, McCain was in third and Giuliani was about the same as now. While Huckabee has received a boost at the Iowa Straw Poll, Romney has been in double digits nationally for some time and has settled in the mid-teens even before Iowa. It looks like Giuliani is holding, Thompson and McCain have lost some strength and Romney plus Huckabee have enjoyed the most improvement from their work. You can still look at polls and scratch your head due to the occasional crazy variations between pollsters or inexplicable changes over short periods of time.

The Dems have the Queen of Cringe not ready to give up much of her lead. Over the past month with the three events attended by Democratic party candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton received more criticism than one would expect from a liberal leader. Her fondness of lobbyist money and characterizing the practice as acceptable when challenged at the last YearlyKos drew a negative vocal response from the crowd. Locking up her White House docs this week until after the 2008 contest was met with suspicion as well. The upside to a long campaign season is voters may have enough time to view all the baggage she would bring to America’s top job. Her numbers may in fact be slightly lower than in the past.

Obama has fallen in recent weeks while peacenik, poverty tour, let my wife do the work, multimillionaire Edwards seems to be enjoying a bit of an upward bump. He may in fact be taking numbers from Clinton and Obama. The only noticeable change is less John and more Elizabeth. But these are only poll numbers with limited value in analyzing the 2008 race.

The left side of the spectrum appears to have been quiet or at least not as vocal on items related to Iraq. With the exception of the heat Obama took over his foreign policy statements, the surrender strategy has subsided somewhat. Another indication of improved conditions related to the war effort. No conclusions are being drawn here, it is just an observation.

Giuliani’s lead with Republicans has not been negatively affected by his stand on social issues. That may be explained by his ability thus far to avoid any significant discussion on the subjects. Leaning pro-choice, gay marriage and anti-gun has been softened by his campaign but may be seriously challenged later this fall. Thompson’s current plan to announce is for Nashville on or after Labor Day. Which direction his numbers will go when he actually does something is anyone’s guess. You might think Romney was leading the pack as one of his staffers suggested earlier with all the interrogations to which he has been subjected. It may be better to wear out the media on their assaults before the campaigns get serious. If Thompson actually enters the race in September the media focus will at least for a time be on him. That may be a benefit for the others since he will be under the microscope if and when he announces. The bet here is their will be one more delay and more reports that Gingrich is still thinking about it.

With Congress on vacation, candidates currently holding office are free to do more campaigning. Not like voting in the Senate has interfered with their plans before with all the ‘not voting’ tallies they generated. After the Iowa Straw Poll, those attending have stepped up work on the trail also. Interested voters can take a dog days of summer break until things heat up this fall or some candidates make headlines before then. Most likely any headlines would only reflect reports not flattering to any campaign.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Rosemary’s Thoughts, third world county, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, The Pink Flamingo, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Giuliani and McCain announcing last June they would drop out of competition at the Iowa Straw Poll was mentioned in the last post here as avoiding a damaging downside. It was also described as a lack of confidence in their national poll rankings.

Giuliani, McCain snub Iowa straw poll
Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times
Thursday, June 7, 2007
(06-07) 04:00 PDT Manchester, N.H. — An Iowa straw poll that traditionally has served as an early benchmark in the Republican presidential nomination race lost much of its luster Wednesday, as first Rudy Giuliani and then John McCain decided not to compete in it.

The article above indicated the possible setaback faced by Giulians as well as McCain by competing in the straw poll. Giuliani’s campaign said the straw poll was not important but they would show for the Iowa Caucus. The important thing is Giuliani and McCain saved several million dollars by not attending.

Trying to move the straw poll to insignificance by not showing up may work for Giuliani and McCain, but what does it say about their campaigns? Perhaps leading the national polls is also insignificant or a false indicator of strength.

In 1987, 1995 and 1999 the straw poll 1st or 2nd place candidate won the Iowa Caucus. Giuliani, McCain and Fred Thompson are betting there is less risk in skipping the straw poll than there is in defying history. Not only has first or second in the straw poll matched the winner of the Iowa Caucus, but the fate of Caucus winners and losers also has a dramatic implication.

The Iowa Caucus was rendered insignificant at least once in the past but the circumstances will not be matched in 2008. Scenarios like the one described at Wikipedia (below) may in part have influenced the decisions of the three Republicans to skip the straw poll.

The nadir of the caucuses was in 1992, when Iowa Senator Tom Harkin ran for the Democratic nomination. None of the other Democratic candidates chose to compete in Iowa, which minimized its importance in the nomination process. President Bush was unopposed on the Republican side, and the media completely ignored the state.

Another excerpt from Wiki puts the importance of the Iowa Caucus in perspective for the 2008 campaign.

While they have been a financial boon to the state, the political value of the Iowa caucuses has gone up and down over the years. In 1988, for example, the candidates who eventually won the nominations of both parties came in third in Iowa. In elections without a sitting President or Vice President, the Iowa winner only goes on to the nomination about half the time.

While a near 50/50 shot is only about an even chance, who wants to ignore preparation for the Caucus by skipping the straw poll and tempting fate? Plus if it remains the first in the nation, the Iowa Caucus can launch momentum for winning other early states like New Hampshire which is also significiant.

New Hampshire used to boast that no candidate had won the presidency without first winning New Hampshire. But in 1992, then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton placed second to former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas in the Democratic primary.

At the very least, not placing 1st or 2nd in New Hampshire is fighting the odds to become President. And with the straw polls influence on the Iowa Caucus, skipping either is a substantial risk. Even with the various primary and caucus venues jockeying for position this campaign season, the early states may not guarantee success but can you really afford to skip them? And what does that say about your campaign? Is it just politics and working the strategies, or is there a more profound implication that voters should take into consideration?

If campaign decisions are not just strategy for elections but a window on leadership skills, would you favor a candidate who accepts the challenge and successfully completes the task? Or are you comfortable with hide and seek tactics that suggest a personal goal outweighs a responsibility to the voting public? The vulnerabilities, real or perceived, may have been glimpsed by the public this weekend.

Here’s a little before and after on this year’s Iowa Straw Poll:

Iowa GOP expects bigger straw poll than ‘99
THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
July 19, 2007
Iowa Republican Party officials said today they expect turnout at the party’s presidential straw poll next month to draw more attendees than the last one eight years ago, despite planned no-shows by some of best-known candidates.

Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa, said he is expecting more than 38,000 GOP activists to attend the Aug. 11 event on Iowa State University campus and more than 24,000 to cast a ballot for their preferred candidate.

The 1999 straw poll results are below:

Iowa GOP Straw Poll results
August 16, 1999

Gov. George W. Bush
7,418 31.3%
Steve Forbes
4,921 20.8%
Elizabeth Dole
3,410 14.3%
Gary Bauer
2,114 8.9 %
Pat Buchanan
1,719 7.3%
Lamar Alexander
1,428 6.0%
Alan Keyes
1,101 4.6%
Dan Quayle
916 3.9%
Sen. Orrin Hatch
558 2.4%
Sen. John McCain*
83 0.4%
Rep. John Kasich
9 0.0%
Sen. Bob Smith
8 0.0%

TOTAL VOTES 23,685 �

* McCain didn’t participate.

Some comparison numbers from straw poll and caucus is offered below.

STRAW POLL VS. CAUCUSES
Top 3 finishers in the Iowa GOP straw poll compared to Iowa caucuses results.

1999 Straw Poll
1. George W. Bush 7,418
2. Steve Forbes 4,921
3. Elizabeth Dole 3,410

2000 Iowa Caucuses
1. George W. Bush 35,948
2. Steve Forbes 26,744
3. Alan Keyes 12,496

1995 Straw Poll
1. Bob Dole 2,582
1. Phil Gramm 2,582
3. Pat Buchanan 1,922

1996 Iowa Caucuses
1. Bob Dole 25,378
2. Pat Buchanan 22,512
3. Lamar Alexander 17,003

1987 Straw Poll
1. Pat Robertson 1,293
2. Bob Dole 958
3. George H.W. Bush 864

1988 Iowa Caucuses
1. Bob Dole 40,661
2. Pat Robertson 26,761
3. George H.W. Bush 20,194

Source: Republican Party of Iowa

And of course, the results of this year’s straw poll:

Mitt Romney
4516
31.5%

Mike Huckabee
2587
18.1%

Sam Brownback
2192
15.3%

Tom Tancredo
1961
13.7%

Ron Paul
1305
9.1%

Tommy Thompson
1039
7.3%

Fred Thompson
203
1.4%

Rudy Giuliani
183
1.3%

Duncan Hunter
174
1.2%

John McCain
101
1.0%

John Cox
41
0.1%

14,302 Total Votes
26,000 Total Tickets Sold

The 1999 straw poll is claimed to have been the largest in its history. Those who say this year’s turnout is disappointing may be wrong. If you assume there should have been twice the number of voters and the missing half would have been spread 3/4 for the missing 3 candidates (or potential candidate) with another 1/4 spread among those competing, the results would have been interesting. It may not be far from what would have been reality. Another reason the other 3 campaigns should have been there. That could have put some questions to bed. And that may be exactly why they really missed the event.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to Right Pundits, Outside the Beltway, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Wake Up America, Right Truth, The Pet Haven Blog, Webloggin, Wyvern dreams, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Iowa Straw Poll Results ( H/T to Cyclone Conservatives )

Mitt Romney Wins Ames Straw Poll

Results are certified by State Auditor David Vaudt and Chairman Ray Hoffmann:

Mitt Romney
4516
31.5%

Mike Huckabee
2587
18.1%

Sam Brownback
2192
15.3%

Tom Tancredo
1961
13.7%

Ron Paul
1305
9.1%

Tommy Thompson
1039
7.3%

Fred Thompson
203
1.4%

Rudy Giuliani
183
1.3%

Duncan Hunter
174
1.2%

John McCain
101
1.0%

John Cox
41
0.1%

14,302 Total Votes
26,000 Total Tickets Sold

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Is It Just Me?, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Wake Up America, Adeline and Hazel, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Nuke’s news and views, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Wyvern dreams, CommonSenseAmerica, Wake Up America, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, CatSynth.com, The Random Yak, A Blog For All, 123beta, Jeanette’s Celebrity Corner, Adam’s Blog, Inside the Northwest Territory, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, , Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Public Domain Clip Art, CounterCulture, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie Is Wired, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, High Desert Wanderer, Gone Hollywood, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Gingrich to Decide by October on US Presidential Bid
By Jim Malone
Washington
07 August 2007

Malone report - Download 798k audio clip
Listen to Malone report audio clip

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he will decide by October whether to join the already crowded field of Republican presidential contenders. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Gingrich spoke to the National Press Club and said if he runs he will focus on convincing Americans that the United States needs to do much more to win the global war on terror.

“I believe the challenges we face as a country are larger than the Cold War, larger than the Second World War and larger than the Great Depression,” he said.

In the meantime, Gingrich is proposing that the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees agree to a series of weekly debates beginning in September of 2008 and leading up to the election in November, with each debate focused on a separate major issue.

“I believe most Americans would relish an adult conversation and are sick of the canned, consulted, commercialized process we are trapped in,” he added.

A total of nine Republicans and eight Democrats are already in the race for their party nominations in a presidential election cycle that has begun earlier than any in history.

In addition to the possibility of Gingrich entering the race, former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination in September.

The first major test for Republican presidential hopefuls comes on Saturday in the Midwest state of Iowa. Iowa Republicans are holding what is called a straw poll or test vote for the presidential contenders, which is considered by some as an indication of the candidate’s popularity and organizational strength.

This year, however, top contenders including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain and former Senator Thompson have chosen not to participate in the Iowa event.

Experts believe that could provide an opening for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who has been openly courting social conservative voters who make up a key constituency within the Republican Party.

Iowa also plays an important role in the actual nominating process next year by hosting the first presidential caucus vote in mid-January, a key test for White House contenders from both parties.

The war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism already loom as major issues in next year’s presidential and congressional elections.

Fred Barnes is editor of the Weekly Standard magazine. He says Democrats will try to take advantage of the public’s unhappiness over the war in Iraq while Republicans will attempt to position themselves as better able to protect national security.

“Republicans cannot stand having another election about the Iraq war, which was the case in 2006, and of course it was a calamitous defeat for Republicans, not only losing [control of] Congress, but losing a lot at the local and state level as well,” Barnes said VOA’s Issues in the News program.

The latest USA Today-Gallup poll has Senator Hillary Clinton of New York leading the Democratic field by a margin of 48 percent to 26 percent for Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and 12 percent for former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

On the Republican side, the same poll had former Mayor Giuliani in the lead with 33 percent, followed by former Senator Thompson at 21 percent and Senator McCain with 16 percent.

Giuliani holds some moderate to liberal positions on hot button issues. It was not like he could hide them. Perhaps when deciding to run he and his campaign people looked for a strategy than may turn those liabilities into a strength. The brief article referenced below may indicate what the strategy may be.

Rudy Giuliani claims he is the only candidate who can beat Hillary Rodham Clinton. For a reason not entirely clear, both Giuliani and Newt Gingrich have expressed that the Democratic ticket will be Clinton/Obama. It seems at least a little premature to be making such predictions. It also seems odd that Republicans would feel a need to mention this even if they truly believe it.

But this may be a subtle reference to Giuliani’s strategy. Without coming right out and saying it, play down your liberal attitudes and say little more than abortion should be a state’s issue and we should reduce the demand for them. Could it be Giuliani is offering some of his less than conservative positions as the GOP version of a liberal Democrat? Is he thinking he can sway liberal voters away from the Democratic field with his resume’? It would be a risky strategy other than what do you do with liberal positions in a GOP campaign? The downside would be the chance it backfires and the difficulty in not making much noise about it. Hoping the voters can figure it out for themselves without any campaign prodding. It’s just a thought.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Giuliani says only he can beat Clinton-Obama

August 8, 2007
London, England - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is predicting that Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be the Democratic ticket for president. At least that’s what he’s hoping for.
“If you want to defeat Hillary Clinton, I would be the best person to do that because I can make this campaign nationwide,” he said. “We can build it to have a chance of winning in New York and in New England and in California and Oregon - these are states where Republicans haven’t even had a campaign for a long time.”

Friday, June 29, 2007
New York Senator Hillary Clinton, the front runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination is viewed as politically liberal by 47% of American voters. While that’s down from 55% a month ago, it’s still higher than the percentage of voters who see her major opponents as politically liberal. Just 42% say that former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is politically liberal while 41% say that label applies to Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

from MoreWhat.com:
This is strange enough but the entire report at Rasmussen rates how conservatives, ‘moderates’ and liberals view the Queen of Cringe in terms of political leanings. It would be more accurate to rank her as not conservative, moderate or liberal. HRC is not concerned with the agenda of any political persuasion. She is only concerned about HRC. To say whatever is deemed necessary to enter the White House is it. There is no other agenda. Get in the White House and try to rule the planet HRC style.

For 2008, the GOP in Congress is probably going to lose some more members in light of events since the midterms. The Democratic majority has been so pitiful since the midterms they will lose some members also. Net effect, to early to tell who will be the majority next time.

For President, your choices on the Dems side are too risky. No explanation should be necessary in terms of HRC. The personal and political history are enough of a reason for an informed voter to reject Hillary Rodham Clinton. While Barack Obama has some staunch support from a wide audience it is probable he will not be able to win enough key states to win the nomination. Plus it is his first time out and coupled with the limited experience chances are slim. Edwards and Richardon will suffer from fund raising difficulties indicating their limited support. Edwards will do better than Richardson in the first primary or two. But they will both fail.

So your only choice is on the GOP side of the world. McCain’s bid is essentially over though he denies it and never really got started after a pathetic open with little attention paid to fund raising. Alienating deep pocket contributors from the past and taking hard stands on Iraq and illegal immigration were the stake in the heart. Giuliani will likewise succumb to liberal attitudes and history shortcomings after an intense attempt to rebuild his image and look Presidential. Brownback and others will go the way of most 2nd tier candidates and the final contest will be between Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. If Thompson’s strategy does not betray him he may have an edge over Romney. If the success of his strategy does not launch him to the stars after the annoying delays of an announcement, if it ever comes, Romney may have won enough from early spending, continued fund raising success and victories in the early states to make it a convention fight for the nomination.

Barring a massive scandal or two on either side of the Presidential race for 2008, Romney or Thompson will likely face Clinton or Obama in the election. The Dems will lose again and begin the mourning and another allegation of voting fraud and a stolen election. The GOP victor will face a first term with another slim Democratic majority in Congress. But the GOP members of Congress will have seen the error of their party ways and provide even more difficulties for the Dems and retake the majority in the midterms following the 2008 election.

Go ahead, suggest that this is not a probable outcome over the next few years.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Three of Mitt Romney’s competitors for the 2008 GOP Presidential nomination have in some way apologized for their campaign personnel or themselves for attacking the Mormon faith. Romney seems to have played the unfortunate comments or actions down until now. Today he indicated one’s faith should not be part of the campaign discussion while it appears that at least some people in the other campaign camps seized the opportunity to use it as a negative campaign tool.

Giuliani’s campaign troubles will come from his liberal social positions like marriage and abortion. McCain’s campaign troubles will come from his positions on Iraq and immigration. McCain has the additional problem of fund raising as does one of his Democratic rivals, John Edwards. With Fred Thompson laying in the weeds attracting some support in the polls without campaigning, the remainder of the GOP field including Romney may view this as the largest challenge if and when Thompson announces.

The attraction to using the cheap shot about Romney’s faith may be signs of panic from the Giuliani, McCain and Brownback camps. Mitt Romney has mostly stayed on message and only recently made any real notice of the religion issue. One can hardly blame him for finally expressing his own comments as if to say enough already.

Another poll was out today from Gallup claiming a huge rise in the popularity and numbers of Democrat versus GOP candidates. After reviewing the polls of the last few months it is difficult to believe the Dems would have been able to reverse the trends since the campaign season began. Even the polls regardless of source year to date were more of a conversation piece than anything to take seriously this early on. The fantasy scenarios to which polling subjects were expected to respond suggest the pollsters were looking to boost the numbers for various candidates in order to increase demand for the polling data. In other words, the validity of polls may be more suspect than typical.

From this blog again comes the prediction that based on limited support and fund raising capacity, the McCain and Edwards campaigns will continue to fade and become the first top tier candidates to withdraw. The earliest indications to lead to that conclusion was the refusal of Giuliani and McCain to compete in the Iowa straw poll. Signs of Romney strength in the early states may show their reluctance to spend limited funds against a stronger opponent with a much larger war chest.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Romney Objects to Campaign Attacks

By BROCK VERGAKIS
Associated Press Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mitt Romney said Saturday that criticism of his Mormon religion by rival GOP presidential campaigns is happening too frequently.

“Clearly, any derogatory comments about anyone’s faith - those comments are troubling. The fact they keep on coming up is even more troubling,” Romney said during a fundraising trip in the home state of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This story has been out for a few days at least and shows no signs of being abandoned by the press. It may be there insatiable appetite for cheap news that last forever and costs nothing. Then again, they may be thinking this is the first story that could stand to be a self-inflicted wound for the Romney campaign. It comes nowhere near the meltdown proportions of Howard Dean’s primal screaming session in ‘04′ but it could be the first campaign flaw. Unless you count the one where the big fund raiser in Utah is the subject of multiple law suits.

Why would anyone with a brain in their head do something like that alleged in the story? If the press is on your tail it should be no surprise if you are part of a national political campaign. News people and others in the media have a tendency to follow the stories even if the outcomes are not that impressive. The folks at the Romney campaign should be having a few meetings they may have missed at the beginning. The ones that define what is expected and vet the members of the campaign to avoid these situations. If someone dropped the ball about these matters it will do more damage to a campaign than the actual news reports like the one here.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Romney Aide Takes Leave Amid Probes

Saturday June 23, 2007 3:01 AM
By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) - An ever-present aide to Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney took a leave of absence Friday after he became the subject of investigations in two states for allegedly impersonating a law enforcement officer. His attorney denied the charges.

Quite the long wait for an apology but then doesn’t this sort of thing happen during political campaigns? Does Mitt Romney really care what someone thinks about his faith? Maybe the McCain volunteer should apologize to all Mormons or is an apology really needed at all? Some will find it distasteful and others may think it much ado about nothing.

One reason if may be thought of as much ado about nothing relates to information beginning to accumulate about fund raising of both McCain and Edwards. Not only are they weaker candidates in their respective grouping, they seem to be the only ones having difficulty raising funds. McCain may have damaged relationships with big wallets in defense contracting while Edwards funding problems are not so clear. Who will be the first casualty of this exceptionally long campaign season and will it happen before the first primary?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

McCain Campaign Apologizes to Romney

Saturday June 23, 2007 5:16 AM
By AMY LORENTZEN
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - John McCain’s presidential campaign has apologized to Republican rival Mitt Romney for comments about the Mormon church allegedly made by a volunteer earlier this year.
A participant at the meeting said Workman questioned whether Mormons were Christians, and he referenced an article alleging that the Mormon church supports the Islamic militant group Hamas. The participant talked to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because he is involved in Iowa politics and wanted to protect his identity.

Is this Rudy Giuliani’s idea of providing ‘details’ of his plan for fiscal discipline? The title of his press release indicates it is. If this is to be typical of his 12 commitments and how he intends to ‘detail’ them it is no plan at all. It is just another example of crafting campaign messages that sound alright but tell the public nothing.

At the bottom of the press release was a teaser link suggesting more information about his 12 commitments. Instead it was a link to a cheap stunt to encourage signing a petition about his dubious dozen.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

06-20-2007

Rudy Giuliani Details Commitment to Fiscal Discipline for the American People

In a speech in Des Moines today, Mayor Rudy Giuliani will continue to discuss his 12 Commitments to the American People by detailing his commitment to restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.

The plan approaches budgeting like a business, demanding greater efficiency, transparency and accountability in government to ensure fiscal discipline. Giuliani will call for ending anonymous earmarking, requiring federal agencies to identify annual spending reductions and savings, and reducing the federal civilian workforce through attrition and retirement.

“If we are going to keep our economy moving in the right direction we need to change the way Washington works,” Giuliani has said. “We must address the culture of spending and return to our core principles of fiscal discipline and fiscal responsibility. I commit to making the Federal government more efficient and accountable to the American people and cut irresponsible spending.”

Restoring fiscal discipline and cutting wasteful Washington spending is one of Rudy’s Twelve Commitments to the American People, his bold vision aimed at moving America forward. He will continue to travel the country this summer to detail each of his Twelve Commitments. For more about the Twelve Commitments, please click here.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, DeMediacratic Nation, Jeanette’s Celebrity Corner, Right Truth, Webloggin, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Right Celebrity, stikNstein… has no mercy, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Family values has been an abused but recurring theme in political campaigns for some time. It may have been driven by the significance attributed to the religious right and their serious effort to become part of the discussion in politics for more than a decade. Like so much of what politicians do it is difficult to determine how sincere their attachment to real family values are. It ts less of a puzzle with Mitt Romney. If limited to the frequency of repetition it is hard to argue against the annoyance that is the Mormon bashing of Mitt Romney. But one thing is clear whether his opponents take the cheap flip-flop shots or low blows about his faith. Mitt Romney has an exceptionally strong sense of family.

What should be at the core of a return to America’s former greatness and current potential is strong family traditions and the honest structure it brings to society. So much of what made this country great throughout its relatively brief history had a foundation based on family. The family, home, sense of pride and positive effects on community and country are sorely missing to a large extent in the US of the 21st century. Much of the good in this country grew out of the collective histories of family and community. All these strengths are in need of repair and rebuilding. Mitt Romney and the other candidates can do a service to this country by attaching family value to the campaigns. A sincere attachment not just a sound bite or two.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Romney keeps focus on family values

PERRY BEEMAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 17, 2007

Burlington, Ia. — Long-haired rocker Ted Nugent prepared to take center stage at the Burlington Steamboat Days on Sunday night, but first it was short-haired fellow conservative Mitt Romney’s turn to play to this riverfront town.

Romney has become a Republican rock star, leading some polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, key states in a race that still is more than a year away from decision day.

The first thought on reading Mitt Romney’s take on managing civilian military matters may raise concern over spending. But if a nation’s military is at a less than optimal capacity for handling security and defense requirements, other spending can take a back seat. If your defense capabilities in manpower are not adequate, other concerns may be moot.

Returning the US to its former strength has many benefits other than the obvious. Requiring military personnel to prolong their deployments beyond typical limits has no real upside. While some may view this as mismanagement, poor planning or not typical, the fact remains it happened and can be avoided in the future. This may have been a lesson worth learning now rather than during a crisis.

Civilian oversight of military matters as well as many other former areas with exceptional histories of performance will need improvement in the coming years to return this nation to its former self. This is just one issue on which Mitt Romney is pointing that out.

It is not just politicians needing to reevaluate the condition in this country. The general public is equally responsible for accepting a share of the blame. If the troubling times we’re experiencing are raising everyone’s awareness of a need to improve, the difficulties may be a mixed blessing. Returning to time tested traditional methods, values, behavior and personal judgment for decision making may be just the thing this country needs. That includes increasing the capacity of our armed forces.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Romney vows to carry ‘the big stick’

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said yesterday that if he’s elected, he wants “to carry the big stick” by increasing the size of the nation’s military.

The former Massachusetts governor said his plans include reversing Clinton administration troop cuts and increasing the military budget. He repeated a call he’s made previously to boost the size of the military by at least 100,000 troops.