Posts filed under 'Republicans'
FOXNews.com relives the republican debate. I wanted to pass along this gem:
Mike Huckabee said Congress has “spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop”. He didn’t quite earn my vote, but that’s what’s so fun about politics.
McCain took time after the debate to praise Guiliani for his poise and handling of Ron Paul implying that our policies are to blame for 9/11. And Huckabee praised him (kind of) during the debate for his integrity regarding his abortion position: “[Giuliani] has been honest about his opinion; he’s been honest about his position. And I think that’s a healthy thing for our party and for this debate.”
Gilmore referred to “Rudy McRomney,” combining the names of McCain, Giuliani and Romney. He cited Giuliani’s position on abortion rights, Huckabee’s decision to raise taxes in Arkansas and Romney’s mandate requiring universal health care while he served as the governor of Massachusetts.
“Did I get left out?” McCain asked to laughter.
“I’ll come back,” Gilmore retorted.
A few seconds later: “It’s a form of flattery to be attacked but I wish my name would get in the moniker. … I could use the bump,” Huckabee said.
Good stuff. McCain and Romney got into it a little bit:
“My fear is that McCain-Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain-Feingold has done to campaign finance and money in politics — and that’s bad,” Romney said.
McCain: “I have not changed my position on even-numbered years or changed because of the different offices that I may be running for.”
It’s a great line John but I’m not sure it’s true.
I don’t know that anyone really one, but I felt like Huckabee made himself look like a serious candidate. Gilmore is overmatched. I’ve heard him speak and he’s not very good on his feet. He can follow a script but when things go amiss he gets flustered
May 18th, 2007
Barack Obama is barnstorming the nation this week, hoping to secure exclusivity as the anti-war candidate get republicans to vote to end the war. I think his sentiment is sincere, but I doubt his behavior would be the same if he wasn’t running for president. In an email to supporters this week, he directs them to a form on his site to email republican senators to get the votes override a veto. He says:
Barack has been traveling across the country asking people to speak out and let their Senators know that it’s time to end the Iraq war.
One Republican colleague has already called this “not Senatorial.” But this isn’t about Washington etiquette, it’s about bringing our troops home.
This isn’t a game. We need just 16 additional votes to override the president’s veto and bring to a close this sad chapter in American history.
It’s going to take some convincing, but Senators need to hear from people in their states that they can join us to bring a responsible end to the war.
That’s where you come in. In your state, an incumbent Senator who voted against ending the war will face a re-election battle in 2008. They will have to make clear very soon whether they will continue to block efforts to bring the troops home.
Will you speak out now and add your voice to the growing public pressure to end the war?
For those myopic souls wanting an immediate pullout, it seems that they’ve found their man. Edwards is talking almost exclusively about domestic issues (not really but as far as his press goes, he might as well be); Hillary is the conservative of the bunch (not surprising to anyone other than Fox News viewers) leaving the popular position for the main issue on voters’ minds for Obama to champion.
May 15th, 2007
Here’s an overview of the first quarter spending is in Clinton is the head and shoulders winner in both cash raised and cash on hand.
| Party |
First Name |
Last Name |
Money Raised |
Money Spent |
Cash on Hand |
Just for the Primary |
Net Contributions |
| Democrat |
Joe |
Biden |
$4,013,090.00 |
$1,174,174.00 |
$2,838,916.00 |
$3,690,008.00 |
$2,110,990.00 |
| Democrat |
Hillary |
Clinton |
$36,054,569.00 |
$5,079,789.00 |
$30,974,780.00 |
$19,100,000.00 |
$26,041,109.00 |
| Democrat |
Chris |
Dodd |
$8,795,706.00 |
$1,313,239.00 |
$7,482,467.00 |
$7,754,658.00 |
$4,043,757.00 |
| Democrat |
John |
Edwards |
$14,031,663.00 |
$3,299,782.00 |
$10,731,881.00 |
$13,064,804.00 |
$14,021,504.00 |
| Democrat |
Dennis |
Kucinich |
$344,891.00 |
$194,217.00 |
$163,887.00 |
$- |
$344,651.00 |
| Democrat |
Barack |
Obama |
$25,797,722.00 |
$6,605,201.00 |
$19,192,521.00 |
$24,800,000.00 |
$25,665,688.00 |
| Democrat |
Bill |
Richardson |
$6,249,355.00 |
$1,226,882.00 |
$5,022,473.00 |
$6,230,357.00 |
$6,236,557.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Republican |
Sam |
Brownback |
$1,871,058.00 |
$1,064,432.00 |
$806,626.00 |
$1,257,171.00 |
$1,257,171.00 |
| Republican |
Jim |
Gilmore |
$203,897.00 |
$113,790.00 |
$90,107.00 |
$174,790.00 |
$174,790.00 |
| Republican |
Rudy |
Giuliani |
$16,623,410.00 |
$5,688,208.00 |
$11,949,735.00 |
$13,579,900.00 |
$14,731,897.00 |
| Republican |
Mike |
Huckabee |
$544,157.00 |
$170,239.00 |
$373,918.00 |
$544,157.00 |
$544,157.00 |
| Republican |
Duncan |
Hunter |
$538,524.00 |
$265,972.00 |
$272,552.00 |
$457,643.00 |
$499,874.00 |
| Republican |
John |
McCain |
$13,087,560.00 |
$8,379,215.00 |
$5,180,799.00 |
$12,965,055.00 |
$12,992,655.00 |
| Republican |
Ron |
Paul |
$639,989.00 |
$115,070.00 |
$524,919.00 |
$639,989.00 |
$638,389.00 |
| Republican |
Mitt |
Romney |
$23,434,634.00 |
$11,570,981.00 |
$11,863,653.00 |
$20,737,149.00 |
$20,737,149.00 |
| Republican |
Tom |
Tancredo |
$1,256,090.00 |
$711,012.00 |
$575,078.00 |
$1,000,000.00 |
$1,185,536.00 |
| Republican |
Tommy |
Thompson |
$391,628.00 |
$252,405.00 |
$139,723.00 |
$308,029.00 |
$315,036.00 |
Fun Raising Trivia
Trivia
Both McCain’s and Obama’s reports showed large numbers of small donors, meaning they can return to those donors for more money. Giuliani’s and Clinton’s reports show donations from large numbers of donors who have maxed out, meaning the candidates must find new sources of cash. Romney and McCain raised less than half of their funds from those large-dollar donations.
Hillary Rodham Clinton raised $26,041,109 from 70,300 contributions.
Barack Obama raised $25,665,688 from 104,000 contributions.
Mitt Romney raised $20,737,149 from 32,074 contributions.
A sizable segment of Romney’s haul came from Utah, suggesting that fellow Mormons were significant contributors. Four of the 10 Zip codes from which Romney received the most money are in Utah, and the leading Zip code is home to Brigham Young University, which Romney attended. He raised $2.8 million in the state, more than one-tenth of his total.
In the Los Angeles area, where Obama and Clinton have waged a high-profile battle to capture the support of big donors and celebrities, particularly in traditionally liberal Hollywood, Clinton collected $892,950 to Obama’s $713,142. The other contenders from both parties raised a combined $1.2 million in that region.
Dennis Kucinich is the only Democratic candidate to have not raised any funds for the general election (that doesn’t mean he isn’t in it to win though).
April 16th, 2007
I was initially pretty sceptical of the high polling numbers given Guiliani (as seen in the 2008 presidential odds post). I’m slowly coming to the opinion of this article, that moderate stances are not hindering Giuliani . I won’t go so far as to say they’re helping him, but he’s at least holding to his guns (obviously not literally ;->). McCain and Romney are making deals with the devil and reinventing themselves to woo disillusioned conservatives to their camps, but Guiliani has tried to find common ground without moving (much). I would never have guessed that in a campaign against McCain, Guiliani would be the one treating the issues and his beliefs with the most integrity.
March 15th, 2007
Per the AP: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledged he was having an 
extramarital affair, with his now-wife Callista Bisek, even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair.
“The honest answer is yes,” Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. “There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There’s certainly times when I’ve fallen short of God’s standards.”
When I first saw the headline, I figured Romney was starting a smear campaign to keep Gingrich on the sideline. I was surprised to see that Gingrich brought this on himself, likely to test the waters to see if he would endure the kind of scrutiny and ill-will accompanying Giuliani (also like Reagan with 2 divorces). We’ll see if it hurts im or not. He’s got as good a chance as anyone even though he isn’t running.
March 9th, 2007
a) Bush Sober No More: As if we didn’t already know that
b) When you’re the President, someone’s always watching
c) Vlad-i-mer says it works wonders for him
d) That which doesn’t kill me, can only make me stronger
Or suggest your own in the comments…
March 5th, 2007
Robert D. Novak talks in the washingtonpost about the void on the right among GOP primary candidates. He speaks of a push poll in which Jim Gilmore of Virginia would win the nomination. It was obviously a manipulated result, but it demonstrates how uneducated and wide open the GOP nomination is. Novak states:
The most commonly mentioned potential void-filler is not Gilmore but Newt Gingrich. A straw poll by the right-wing organization Citizens United of its political contributors showed Gingrich leading with 31 percent (followed by Giuliani at 25 percent, Romney at 10 percent and McCain at 8 percent). But based on his actions as speaker of the House, Gingrich’s conservative record is far from flawless.
Gingrich has really demonstrated some resilience over the past decade. He’s done really good work on the issue of health care and is such a persuasive orator. He is to the democrats, though, as Clinton is to the republicans. An object to be loathed, embodying the worst sterotypes of their party. I doubt he’s electable, but he’d do great in a debate.
UPDATE: 3/5/2007
Rather than a whole new post, I figured I’d add to this one as it’s the same topic. Ann Coulter was questioned about the best candidate for conservatives and had the following to say, per csc:
During a question-and-answer session, Coulter said she believed Romney “is probably our best candidate.”
She described Giuliani as “very, very liberal,” and said that despite doing good things in New York, he “has a list of negatives that makes [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi look like the rational middle.”
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, she said, like 1980s music, was not likely to come back into style.
March 1st, 2007