Campaign 2008

[Guest Felonies!]

the media LOVES Obama so a Democrat would get some postive media coverage for once.

*snort*

[gWIL 0]

Because they were sooo nice to Kerry, Gore and Clinton.

[snuffbox 0]

YARRRGH! (repeat 10 billion times)

[Guest Felonies!]

Yeah, John Kerry had it tough.

[gWIL 0]

Yeah he did.

 

Was it a medal or a ribbon?

The photoshop picture with Jane Fonda.

Not discrediting the 'Swift Boat Veterans for Truth"

The media circus over the 'stuck in Iraq' comment.

 

No the media loved John Kerry.

 

 

Snuffbox, I want to know what you find so hard to believe about what I said early. If just look at the electoral college a Bayh, Obama ticket could win. I've yet to see you say one thing that in any way discredits that.

[snuffbox 0]

Electing a Senator to the Presidency is the ultimate rarity in American politics. For the people to get behind two Senators, from 2 neighboring states (one incredibly vanilla), appears beyond the realm of possibility.

[Guest Felonies!]

There's nothing really wrong with Evan Bayh, but there's nothing that really sets him apart from the pack, either. A moderate Democrat from Indiana. How much more unremarkable can you get than that? And besides, who knows if America will still have a crush on Barack Obama in two more years? What if another handsome non-threatening half-black guy comes along? He might be old news by then.

[SuperJerk 0]

Electing a Senator to the Presidency is the ultimate rarity in American politics. For the people to get behind two Senators, from 2 neighboring states (one incredibly vanilla), appears beyond the realm of possibility.

 

That's because senators usually don't have many examples of political leadership to point to the way governors like Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush could. Evan Bayh was a pretty successful governor, but he also has the national security expertise that comes with being a senator. Most of your senator-turned-nominees couldn't say that.

 

And regional balance is overrated. Compare 1992 and 1996 to 2000 and 2004.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Well, we won't have Russ to kick around anymore.

 

Sen. Russ Feingold will not seek his party's presidential nomination in 2008, the Wisconsin Democrat told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday.

 

"I never got to that point where I'd rather be running around the country, running for president, than being a senator from Wisconsin," Feingold said in a phone interview from Madison.

 

Feingold, 53, conceded that he faced long odds of winning the nomination.

 

"It would have required the craziest combination of things in the history of American politics to make it work," he said.

 

But Feingold said waging an underdog campaign appealed to him. What didn't appeal to him, he said, was "the way in which this effort would dismantle both my professional life (in the Senate) and my personal life. I'm very happy right now."

 

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Disappointing. I don't see anyone out there right now I'd rather vote for at this point.

[snuffbox 0]

Goddam it.

[SuperJerk 0]

I seem to remember making a prediction that Hillary and her massive warchest would scare a lot of others out of running. I'm not saying that Hillary scared Feingold off, but I'm sure was a factor in his decision. Warner AND Feingold staying out seems odd if Hillary doesn 't run, but my gut is still telling me she won't. I know nobody gave Bill Clinton a chance in hell when he announced he was running in October of 1991, but Hillary lacks his campaigning skills, and has nothing going for her but name recognition at this point. Her personal negatives are HUGE. She knows this. Hopefully she'll only let her name float out there long enough to keep the weaker candidates from sucking campaign money away from people who could actually win. Likewise with Obama, who I think is only letting the rumors about him fly because he's trying to sell books, which sucks because the longer he lets the rumors float, the less time other will have to raise money.

 

Getting closer

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., expects to decide on his presidential bid sometime after New Year's Day.

 

In a luncheon Thursday, Bayh said he is weighing the various factors that go into seeking the White House, including the agenda he wants to pursue, the strategy for winning the nomination, the ability to raise money and win support, and the impact on his family.

 

"Is it the responsible thing to do?" is how the senator put the personal considerations, noting that the Bayhs' twin 11-year-old sons, Beau and Nick, "have only one father."

 

Bayh and his father, former Sen. Birch Bayh, talked about a possible campaign about a year ago. The younger Bayh said he told his father how much he had always admired his humility. The elder Bayh ran for president in 1976.

 

Evan Bayh said he shared with his father a nagging skepticism about seeking the presidency, saying that it was hard to convince himself looking in the mirror every morning that "of 300 million Americans, there's the one!"

 

"You don't have to think about that," Evan Bayh quoted his father as saying. "You've only got to think you're better than the other five or six who are thinking about doing it."

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...601/1008/NEWS01

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

This guy does a pretty good job of explaining why Russ Feingold is my favorite politician.

 

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/11...ehend-russ.html

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Evan Bayh was a pretty successful governor, but he also has the national security expertise that comes with being a senator. Most of your senator-turned-nominees couldn't say that.

 

Bayh's "national security expertise" didn't lead to him to make a very good decision on the war over in that desert place.

[SuperJerk 0]

Evan Bayh was a pretty successful governor, but he also has the national security expertise that comes with being a senator. Most of your senator-turned-nominees couldn't say that.

 

Bayh's "national security expertise" didn't lead to him to make a very good decision on the war over in that desert place.

 

Do we really need to have another debate on exactly what the 2002 Iraq resolution was intended to do?

 

Because not even Pres. Bush characterized the resolution as a decision to go to actually war at the time, but another step to push Iraq into complying with weapons inspections.

The text of our bipartisan resolution is clear and it is strong. The statement of support from the Congress will show to friend and enemy alike the resolve of the United States. In Baghdad, the regime will know that full compliance with all U.N. Security demands is the only choice, and that time remaining for that choice is limited.

None of us here today desire to see military conflict, because we know the awful nature of war. Our country values life, and never seeks war unless it is essential to security and to justice. America's leadership and willingness to use force, confirmed by the Congress, is the best way to ensure compliance and avoid conflict.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...20021002-7.html

 

 

HAVING SAID THAT...You've certainly hit the nail on the head as far as what someone could use against Bayh if he does become the frontrunner. This criticism of his judgement and record on the war won't just haunt him, though. Have Hillary Clinton even said she regretted voting for the 2002 resolution the way Bayh has?

[SuperJerk 0]

Giuliani takes first step toward '08 presidential bid

 

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, known for his apt leadership after the attacks of September 11, 2001, took the first step toward a possible 2008 presidential bid by forming a exploratory committee.

 

Giuliani has not officially decided whether to run, said committee treasurer John Gross in a statement.

 

"We have taken the necessary legal steps so an organization can be put in place and money can be raised," Gross said. (Watch how Giuliani will be pondering a presidential run "quite a bit" -- 1:44)

 

A document from the New York Department of State says Giuliani made the initial filing Friday.

 

Paperwork filed with the department says the committee's purpose is "to conduct federal 'testing-the-waters' activities under the Federal Election Campaign Act."

 

Giuliani, 62, joins Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, as the only Republican to form an exploratory committee.

 

Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa formed an exploratory committee Thursday, making him the only Democrat to do so.

 

Federal election law allows an individual to travel and gauge the level of support without formally declaring his or her candidacy and being subject to federal fundraising rules, according to The Associated Press.

 

An individual who spends money only to test the waters, rather than officially campaign for office, does not have to register as a candidate, the AP reported.

 

Though there is strong support for his candidacy, Giuliani would be a controversial choice for the Republicans.

 

His moderate views on social issues like gay rights and his opposition to banning certain types of late-term abortions are likely to draw fire from religious conservatives.

 

Citing those political stances and Giuliani's past opposition to President Bush's tax cuts and to an increase in the minimum wage, the Democratic National Committee released a statement questioning whether Giuliani could "just explain away" his positions on issues dear to the conservative Republican base.

 

"Throughout his career Giuliani has tried to paint himself as a moderate, but now that he's vying for his party's nomination will he undergo an extreme makeover in an attempt to cozy up to the far-right?" Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney asked in the statement.

 

A graduate of New York University Law School, Giuliani joined the U.S. attorney's office in 1970 and was appointed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1983. Giuliani lost his first bid for New York mayor in 1989 -- to David Dinkins -- by the closest margin in city history.

 

In 1993, Giuliani defeated Dinkins to become the first Republican mayor in two decades. In 1997 he was re-elected by a hefty margin.

 

After leaving office, he opened his own consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, and campaigned for Republican candidates across the nation.

 

In May 2000, amid a messy and public divorce, Giuliani announced he would not challenge Hillary Clinton for the open Senate seat in New York because he wanted to focus on fighting early-stage prostate cancer.

 

Giuliani didn't run for New York's open governorship this year or challenge Clinton in the Senate, which has fueled speculation he is considering a run for the White House in 2008.

 

According to a recent CNN poll, Giuliani is a favorite among Republican voters or independents who lean Republican.

 

The survey, conducted October 27-29 by Opinion Research Corp., indicates 29 percent of Republican voters would "most likely" support Giuliani for their party's presidential nomination in 2008. (Read the full poll results)

 

Runners-up included Sen. John McCain, with 27 percent, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with 12 percent. The poll of 401 Republican leaning voters had a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percent.

 

McCain's top adviser, John Weaver, said last week the Arizona senator was considering a run for the Oval Office but had no plans to set up an exploratory committee until next year.

 

Other names that have been mentioned for the GOP nomination include New York Gov. George Pataki, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/13/giu...dent/index.html

 

It should be noted that my 2008 predictions were based on the assumption Pataki would run instead of Guiliani (I don't see how both of them can). If Guiliani actually runs, all of my predictions go out of the window. His candidacy would be the mother of all political wildcards. There would absolutely no way to predict what might happen. He will singlehandedly keep at least 4 or 5 people out of the race altogether, and will possibly go over McCain as the early front-runner.

[Vampiro69 0]

I really was unsure as to whether Rudi would run for the presidency. He easily has the best name recognition out of possible canidates the Republicans can run.

[SuperJerk 0]

He still might not, but this makes it a 90% possibility. Rudy's got more than just name recognition working in his favor, too. For all the love the press throws McCain's way, Guiliani has a longer list of accomplishments. Can his stands on social issues withstand an assault from the right, though? Will McCain even be the right's standard bearer, or will that title go to Mike Huckabee or Bill Owens? Hard to tell.

[NoCalMike 0]

I really think Rudi's popularity outside of the NY tri-state area is over-hyped and he has way too many skeletons in the closet to make a national run. The entire situation with his divorce and parading around with a new girlfriend are exactly the type of things the media likes to get a hold of, and squeeze every last drop out of, and unfortunately the american people usually fall for it everytime.

 

Not that I would want him as the President sanz all that, as there are plenty of reasons I don't want him President.

[bob_barron 0]

I didn't know he was that old.

 

The skeletons will hurt, but not if he runs against Hillary. They'd go skeleton for skeleton. Plus, I think 9/11 can distract from those issues.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Rudy be president, but I wouldn't vote for him in a primary

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Brownbackamania is percolating...

[NoCalMike 0]

I didn't know he was that old.

 

The skeletons will hurt, but not if he runs against Hillary. They'd go skeleton for skeleton. Plus, I think 9/11 can distract from those issues.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Rudy be president, but I wouldn't vote for him in a primary

 

 

if you bring up 9/11....then the motorolla no-bid contracts will definately come with that....which would be a disaster.

[Guest Felonies!]

Brownbackamania is percolating...

I'd buy him gay hookers if it knocks him out of the race.

[bob_barron 0]

if you bring up 9/11....then the motorolla no-bid contracts will definately come with that....which would be a disaster.

 

Just wondering, what's the motorolla thing?

[snuffbox 0]

Brownbackamania is percolating...

 

I thought it had been running wild for some time now.

 

"We're all brothers to God, Brother!"

[NoCalMike 0]

if you bring up 9/11....then the motorolla no-bid contracts will definately come with that....which would be a disaster.

 

Just wondering, what's the motorolla thing?

 

 

Guliani issued no-bid contracts to Motorolla to make the radio-walkie talkies for the FDNY....so on 9/11 when the Chiefs were calling their men to evacuate the buildings because they were going to collapse the official story was "The firemen were so brave that they didn't want to evacuate and they wanted to keep search for people" the truth however was that the radios were malfunctioning and they never got the evacuation orders, and the radios had been malfunctioning for some time before 9/11, yet the contracts with motorolla stayed.

 

There had been public hearings regarding this after 9/11, but it all kind of faded away and dissapeared, much like any other "investigation" into the day of 9/11.

[SuperJerk 0]

You need to also consider the possiblity that maybe the story disappeared because there might not have been any truth to it.

[SuperJerk 0]

McCain forming presidential exploratory committee

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain of Arizona is creating a presidential exploratory committee, the first formal step toward an expected 2008 White House bid.

 

The Republican senator will file the paperwork to register the committee with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, a committee spokesman told CNN.

 

"During the next couple of months, I will be talking with my family, friends and supporters about whether to officially announce a run for president," McCain said in a statement posted Wednesday on the exploratory committee's new Web site.

 

"Prior to that decision, the formation of this committee is the first legal step in that process."

 

He will also deliver speeches to two conservative groups, the Federalist Society and GOPAC.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/15/mcc...dent/index.html

 

Of course this was gonna happen, but a vigorous primary season between two established and qualified candidates within the same party may not only drum up public interest in the campaign (because voter apathy creates the environment where politicians think they can do and say whatever they want), but also help ensure that a distinction is drawn between different constituencies within the GOP itself. There's nothing more boring than 2 guys with identical opinions trying to out-conservative each other, then quickly run to the middle once they have the nomination locked up.

 

Of course, given the stuff that was said about McCain in 2000, and the stuff that'll be dragged out against Guiliani concerning his divorces, the mud slinging by various political action committees will probably also be vigorous and quite disgusting.

[Art Sandusky 0]

You need to also consider the possiblity that maybe the story disappeared because there might not have been any truth to it.

The media doesn't talk about a lot of things. Using lack of coverage doesn't validate dismissing this. This isn't even a loony tale about Israel sending missiles dressed up like planes at the towers. It's something that could have legitimately happened, but because it's talking about that day it, as well as a lot of other things, are brushed aside.

[SuperJerk 0]

You need to also consider the possiblity that maybe the story disappeared because there might not have been any truth to it.

The media doesn't talk about a lot of things. Using lack of coverage doesn't validate dismissing this. This isn't even a loony tale about Israel sending missiles dressed up like planes at the towers. It's something that could have legitimately happened, but because it's talking about that day it, as well as a lot of other things, are brushed aside.

 

I don't know what happened, but until its been proven that this happened, we're talking about something that alledgedly happened. I've never heard of this, never seen any evidence of this, and for all I know its just some rumor somebody started. NoCalMike was talking about it like it was a proven fact Guiliani is personally responsible for a no-bid contract no one can verify existed, that there was an equipment malfunction that no one else has mentioned, and that there was a conspiracy by the media or government to cover this up. A pretty serious charge has been made here, and I'd like some proof before I jump to any conclusions.