John McCain was my choice for president for the upcoming republican primary set to kick off in 2008. Yes, if the election were held today, I would vote for him... if he was still going to be on the ballot. Ironically, I may have to throw my support behind Rudy Giuliani if McCain does indeed drop out of the running. The former NYC mayor, as you remember was the one I poked fun of on this blog of being a former drag queen. But the ethics of his former staff workers in no way tarnish my view of the distinguished senator from Arizona. McCain's numbers in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire appear to still be strong despite a recent drop. South Carolina to me being the most important of those big 3. South Carolina usually signals the candidate's staying power and momentum following the NH primary.
SOURCE: http://politics.wizbangblog.com
The latest ARG polls of likely primary voters in the early states shows Hillary Clinton and John McCain leading their respective fields in all three states. Full results at ARG.
In Iowa, Hillary garners 31% support over Edwards' 25% and Obama with only 11%. The only polls that show her at or over 30%, going back to last October, are ARG polls, though. They also show Obama with about half the support other recent polls give him.
On the Republican side, McCain is seen leading Giuliani with 25% to 23, as Romney trails with 16%. However, again: the only poll showing McCain at or above 25% since before Christmas are ARG polls.
The other states have a similar tale to tell:
In New Hampshire, the poll shows Hillary with a commanding lead of 34% to Edwards' 18% and Obama's 15%. Hillary's number is right about the RCP poll average, but ARG and Survey USA have consistently given Hillary high results, while ARG is alone in finding lower support for Obama than the other pollsters.
On the GOP race, McCain is seen ahead with 30% (his highest in any NH poll since January), with Romney at 23% (sharply down from other recent polls) and Giuliani at 21. The RCP average has Romney ahead with 30.0 to McCain's 23.7, so once again ARG is out of line with the others.
~~~~~~~~
In South Carolina, Hillary leads with 34% to Edwards' 30% and Obama with 18%. Obama has been polling in the mid-to-upper 20s here since February, and the support shown for both Clinton and Edwards is their highest of recently reported polls.
McCain is also the beneficiary of ARG in SC with 32%, where they have been the ONLY poll giving him over 30% since before Christmas. The RCP average shows him with a lead, but only with 24% over Rudy's 20 and Fred Thompson's 13.3, with Gingrich at 11.7 and Romney at 9.0.
It sure seems that someone at ARG likes Hillary and McCain, doesn't it?
Now it's been a hot minute since morning radio personality; Don Imus referred to the players on the women's basketball team at Rutgers:
IMUS: That’s some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and –
McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.
IMUS: That’s some nappy-headed hos there. I’m gonna tell you that now, man, that’s some — woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like — kinda like — I don’t know.
McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.
…ROSENBERG: It was a tough watch. The more I look at Rutgers, they look exactly like the Toronto Raptors.
Well I agree with Al Sharpton and his cronies on one issue. This comment was horrible and should never have been said and deserves the sincerest apology. However I disagree with him and his fellow radicalists when it comes to the whole "boot him off the air" crap. We live in a free society, we must allow the market to dictate whether or not Imus stays on the air. It is NOT our call. Why doesn't Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson get their act together and deal with the real issues facing Black America? It seems their only job is to cry foul over anything and everything that takes place, but forget about the countless times where the term "ho" comes from and who it is most primarily used by. I don't see this a race issue as much as I see it as a gender issue. We need to quit getting up in arms over the small faux pas that plague our airwaves....
You didn't hear quite the same type of outcry when these words were uttered over the national broadcast on HBO: "More people in the world would live if Vice President Dick Cheney died", political commentator Bill Maher said on his HBO telivision show. Unlike Mr. Imus, Bill Maher spouted out something slightly more hatefilled and intentional... But where are the "White Civil Rights Leaders" defending white people who are victims of a "bad joke" over our telivision set or radio broadcast?
Maybe we need to get over ourselves as a nation and quit looking to only see things in black and white. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are living in this fantasy world where they believe they can keep African-American people down to a degree in which they are convinced they constantly need to be patrionized and apologized to. That is not the road to true equality, and that is something at least the Republican party has realized and has come to grips with.
Maybe here in America we need to quit being so bashful about talking about race. If you are racist then you should be shameful and be scared to talk about race. But if you see things as they are with no personal prejudice then you should get a dialogue going about this. Nothing makes Americans progress more with civil rights than keeping the activists out of the limelight and letting nature take it's course; Americans finding out on their own that skin color is not an indicator of a different heart that bleeds different blood. It's common sense people... This Don Imus crap is just another distraction from the real issues surrounding the African American community. Pay attention to self made people like Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice... I would listen to their perspective alot quicker on this issue than Rev. Sharpton who feeds off of any publicity stunt he can find for his own political gain. Thank you all, and God Bless you Rutgers' Women's Basketball team, and God Bless you Don Imus, Only HE can know your heart.
The Associated Press: "Reid Says He'll Try To Cut Off War Funds"(4/2/07)
The Associated Press: "Levin: Senate Will Keep Paying For War"(4/8/07)
Simply unbelievable.... yet so very typical of the leftists in congress. They are starting to crack inside their own political maneuvering. "We're not going to vote to cut funding, period," Levin said. "But what we should do, and we're going to do, is continue to press this president to put some pressure on the Iraqi leaders to reach a political settlement." But the this democratic senator seems to be trumpeting for his party's leadership who has gone on record stating the opposite:
"We're not going to back up one second on this, on this veto threat," said Reid, pointing out that a report last week by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concluded that the military does not need the new funding until July.
But again Sen. Reid, you have promised already not to cut off funds for the troops; at least that is what you stated upon gaining power as majority leader of the senate.
The Remarks Sen. Reid made on Nov. 30, shortly after Democrats won control of Congress. "We're not going to do anything to limit funding or cut off funds," he said at the time.
.....on the PELOSI FRONT:
An Editorial from the washingtonpost.com
Pratfall in Damascus
Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy
Thursday, April 5, 2007; A16
....here is a clip:
Ms. Pelosi was criticized by President Bush for visiting Damascus at a time when the administration -- rightly or wrongly -- has frozen high-level contacts with Syria. Mr. Bush said that thanks to the speaker's freelancing Mr. Assad was getting mixed messages from the United States. Ms. Pelosi responded by pointing out that Republican congressmen had visited Syria without drawing presidential censure. That's true enough -- but those other congressmen didn't try to introduce a new U.S. diplomatic initiative in the Middle East. "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace" Ms. Pelosi grandly declared.
Never mind that that statement is ludicrous: As any diplomat with knowledge of the region could have told Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Assad is a corrupt thug whose overriding priority at the moment is not peace with Israel but heading off U.N. charges that he orchestrated the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The really striking development here is the attempt by a Democratic congressional leader to substitute her own foreign policy for that of a sitting Republican president. Two weeks ago Ms. Pelosi rammed legislation through the House of Representatives that would strip Mr. Bush of his authority as commander in chief to manage troop movements in Iraq. Now she is attempting to introduce a new Middle East policy that directly conflicts with that of the president. We have found much to criticize in Mr. Bush's military strategy and regional diplomacy. But Ms. Pelosi's attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish.
GOP SLAMS PELOSI: GET BACK TO WORK Mon Apr 09 2007 10:28:28 ET
Today, GOP Leaders from both chambers urged Speaker Pelosi to call the House back into session immediately to finish its work on the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill for the troops. Speaker Pelosi neglected to appoint House conferees before the two-week break, further delaying negotiations on a final bill.
The joint letter to Pelosi is attached. Text follows:
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
We are writing to urge you to call the House back into session immediately so that Congress can finish its work on the emergency legislation to fund the Global War on Terrorism. This funding request has been pending since February 5, but your leadership team chose to leave town for more than two weeks rather than completing this bill. As a result, our troops have been put at risk.
We are especially troubled by the House's failure to appoint conferees. The Senate appointed conferees on March 29, moments after passing its bill, but the House never did so despite passing the bill a week earlier. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the Senate that he hoped the House-Senate conference would begin on March 30. That hoped-for progress has been thwarted by your failure to act.
It should go without saying that our military leaders are in the best position to know the needs of our troops, and they have left no doubt that this funding is needed urgently. General Peter Schoomaker, United States Army Chief of Staff, has written that, "without approval of the supplemental funds in April, we will be forced to take increasingly draconian measures which will impact Army readiness and impose hardships on our Soldiers and their families." Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has also emphasized the dangers of delay: "This kind of disruption to key programs will have a genuinely adverse effect on the readiness of the Army and the quality of life for soldiers and their families."
Our troops need this funding, and they need it soon. The Senate is in session and ready to work. We respectfully request that you cancel the remainder of your break, call the House back into session, appoint conferees promptly, and work in good faith to pass a clean supplemental funding bill that the President can sign as soon as possible. Every day we don't fund our troops is a day their ability to fight this war is weakened.
Ok... I have been accused already of attacked Giuliani by my fellow republicans. I am not ANTI-Giuliani... However, I am asking questions and so should you as well! I really am not happy with the current field of possible republican nominees, and I will continue to be vocal about it. And to those of you have decided to email me and complain about my negative Giuliani coverage... Get a damn life, this is my take on the former mayor, who seems way too liberal to be in the republican party. And this is coming from me; "a moderate war-hawk".
NEW CASTLE – Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said public confrontations with critics and the breakup of his second marriage at the end of the 1990s did not affect his job cutting taxes, fighting crime and creating jobs as New York’s mayor.
During a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph on Tuesday, Giuliani said questions about his personal life and temperament come as no surprise in this 2008 campaign and voters should carefully evaluate successes and failures he had in public life during those years.
“The issue about somebody’s personal life and temperament comes down to how do they perform their job. I’ve been an employer for a long time. And that’s how I look at those issues,” Giuliani said after speaking to a packed house of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce at the Wentworth By The Sea.
“My analysis is, if it’s being fair, is how did it affect their work?”
Giuliani’s tenure as mayor of New York from 1990-2002 was marked by success cracking down on street crime, reducing the welfare caseloads, cutting several city taxes and ultimately helping the city rebound from unforgettable tragedy with the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.
His critics point during those years to personal struggles, such as the breakup of his second marriage with Donna Hanover.
Giuliani announced a separation the same day in 2000 the New York Daily News reported he was having an extramarital affair with his now-third wife, Judith Nathan.
Throughout his tenure, Giuliani’s strong personality won plenty of enemies.
Former Mayor Ed Koch summed it up after activists questioned Giuliani’s repeated defense of New York Police officers after shooting incidents involving minority residents.
“Blacks and Hispanics . . . would say to me, ‘He’s a racist!’ I said, ‘Absolutely not, he’s nasty to everybody,’ ” Koch said at the time.
Giuliani said with political, and yes, sometimes personal controversy swirling around him, he still did well one of the most difficult jobs in America.
“If they think I had issues in my personal life, did it distract me in any way in reducing the level of crime in New York by 50, 60, 70 percent?” Giuliani asked rhetorically.
“Even as mayor of New York, I made mistakes. When you look at those, you say how many failures and did the successes far outweigh the failures?
“If that suggests the level of success versus failure might be pretty good in a president, maybe I am your candidate.”
Giuliani, a social moderate, denied he’s deliberately refusing to talk about his support for abortion rights, gay rights and limited gun control.
“My position on social issues have been articulated over and over again. On abortion, I oppose abortion, I think it’s wrong. I would counsel people not to have an abortion, but ultimately, I believe that is an individual choice and you can’t put somebody in jail for it,” he said.
On gay rights, Giuliani said he supports marriage as only between a man and a woman but would support laws granting some legal rights to gays and lesbians.
The former mayor and federal prosecutor said he believes the Second Amendment in the Constitution gives individuals the right to bear arms and he would appoint judges who agree with that interpretation.
Giuliani touted his record of cutting city taxes 23 times in New York while Democrats dominated the City Council, a record as a fiscal conservative he claims no GOP primary rival can match.
“I would not make a pledge. I would just ask people to do something more important than take a pledge. Look at my prior record,” Giuliani said.
This I aquired courtesy of: http://giulianitime.com/
THE FACTS:
Rudy Giuliani was elected mayor of NYC in 1993, and re-elected in 1997. He served as mayor until December 31, 2001.
ELECTIONS
* Of the 3.3 million registered voters in New York City, Rudolph Giuliani received 930,237 votes in 1993, 28.2% of the total. (Source: NYC Board of Elections) * In one of the lowest turnouts in New York City history, Giuliani received 22% fewer votes in 1997 than in 1993. (Source: NYC Board of Elections) CRIME
* While Giuliani often boasted that his strategies drastically reduced crime in New York City, overall the nation’s violent crime was 27% lower in 1998 than it was in 1993 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Violent and Property Crimes at Lowest Level Since Survey Began," July 18, 1999). * Serious crime fell by 16% from 1990-93, the last three years of the Dinkins administration, the first time it had in 36 years (Source: “RUDY!” by Wayne Barrett, p 341) * In 1992, police arrest 720 people for misdemeanor marijuana-related offenses. In 2000, under the Giuliani administrations “quality of life” strategy they arrested 59,945, an increase of 4,549%. (Source: The Daily News, December 20, 2000, "Quality Crimefighting NYPD crackdown on minor offenses is paying off, by John Marzulli") * From 1991 to 1999 misdemeanor arrests rose by 64 % (Source: The New York Times, 12/26/00, "Police Feel Scorn on Beat And Pressure From Above," By Kevin Flynn) * Over a 10 month period in 1996-1997 DOC strip-searched 50,000 misdemeanor detainees. A $50 million lawsuit is filed and awarded (Source: NYC IBO Office "Inside the Budget" January 30, 2001 Inside the Budget No. 76) * After analyzing 175,000 reports, Eliot Spitzer’s report on NYPD “stop and frisk” practices found that Latinos were stopped 39% more often than whites, and blacks 23% more often. (Source: Spitzer Report, page 178) * Complaints of police abuse jumped 56% in the first four years of the Giuliani administration (Source: New York Civil Liberties Union, A Seventh Anniversary Overview of Civilian Complaint Review Board, July 5, 1993 - July 5, 2000)
POVERTY, WELFARE AND THE WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM (WEP)
* In 2000 one in four New Yorkers lived in poverty and the City’s poverty rate remained as high as it was during the 1989-1992 recession - 21.8%, a rate of nearly twice the national average. (Source: “One in four New Yorkers Live in Poverty” Winter 2000, Vol. 16, No.1 Community Service Society of NY report.) * In December 2000 the homeless population was at its highest point since 1989. From January 1998 to late 2000 alone, the homeless population grew by 19%. (Source: Coalition for the Homeless “State of the Homeless Address” Feb 8, 2001) * The Giuliani administration reduced capital spending on affordable housing by 44% since the early 90s and has cut back on the creation of apartments for homeless households by 75%. (Source: Coalition for the Homeless “State of the Homeless Address” Feb 8, 2001) * In 1970 there was a surplus of 270,000 affordable apartments in NYC. In 1999 there was a shortage of nearly 390,000 affordable apartments for extremely low-income renter households earning less than $16,100 a year. (Source May 2001 “AlterBudget Agenda: Visions for the Future” By City Project.) * Requests for Emergency Food Assistance grew 24% from January 1997 to Jan 1998, 36% from January 1998 to Jan 1999. In January 1999 alone 74,000 requests for food were denied (Source: “Downside, the Consequences of the Giuliani Administration’s Welfare Caseload Cuts,” November 2000 by Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Inc.) * In NYC, one in every three children lives in poverty. (Source: “Hunger Is No Accident,” a report by the NYC Welfare Reform and Human Rights Documentation Project. July 2000) * The food stamp rolls have dropped 35% in NYC since Welfare Reform was first implemented in 1996. In 1994, 27% of applicants were rejected from welfare. By November 1999 75% of Job Center applicants and 52% of applicants overall were rejected. Of the first 5,300 people to enter the job search program, only 265 people were placed in jobs. (SOURCE: “Hunger Is No Accident,” a report by the NYC Welfare Reform and Human Rights Documentation Project. July 2000) * Less than 6% of workfare participants have been able to get jobs from workfare and less than 4% of welfare recipients are enrolled in education and training programs. (Source: Welfare Law Center, “City’s Poor Don’t Need More Belt Tightening,” by Marc Cohan. Article appeared in 10/12/01 edition of Newsday). * In 1995 28,000 students at CUNY (11% of the entire student body) were on welfare. WEP has forced 13,000 students out of college and into workfare assignments. (SOURCE: April, 1998, Welfare Rights Initiative Newsletter) * Between 1991 and 1999 WEP force grew from 170 to 2,389 in Parks, while Parks Dept. Employees dropped from 4,285 to 2,101. WEP workers for the Parks Department made $1.80 an hour while a Parks employee made $8.65. * Nearly 60% of welfare applicants were rejected in the first three months of 1995, a 20% increase from the same period in 1994. (SOURCE: NYT April 19, 1995 “New Policy Cuts Numbers On Relief in NYC” by David Firestone)
FIRST AMENDMENT
* As of December 2001, in 34 separate cases the New York Civil Liberties Union went to court to challenge First Amendment violations by the Giuliani administration. The Courts rebuffed the Giuliani administration in all but 4 of the 26 cases. (Source: “Giuliani v. The First Amendment: A Final Assessment,” by Donna Lieberman Dec 2001) * While the Giuliani administration limited news conferences on the steps of City Hall to 25 participants in Feb 1998 following World Aids Day (and later extended the ban to events of any type) the city invited 5,000 guests to the steps to commemorate the NY Yankees' World Series Victory. (Source: AP, April 6 2000, "Judge strikes down rules keeping large groups away from City Hall," By Larry Neumeister) * According to estimates from Mark Green's office, the Giuliani administration has spent in excess of $5 million to defend itself against 22 "speech and information" charges. Under Giuliani, spending by the city's law department has increased by 50% from $59.4 million to $89.5 million (Source: Westchester County Weekly, March 30-April 5, 2000, "Rudy's Rap Sheet" by Elissa Lin).
YEARS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL (SOURCE: “Rudy!” by Wayne Barrett, p.173/4)
* Giuliani's office as Attorney General snared an annual average of 830 convictions, while his predecessor, John Martin got 940. * The 10 other largest Attorney General Offices in the US closed an annual average of 34 cases per assistant, 54% higher than Giuliani's office. * Although Giuliani's office in the Southern District of NY commanded a staff 80% larger than the Eastern District's, assistants in the Brooklyn -based district handled an annual average of 169 cases, 118% higher than Rudy's assistants. They closed an annual average of 37 cases, a rate 67% higher than Giuliani's office. * The number of dismissed cases during Giuliani's tenure dropped from an annual average from 5.3% in 1984 to 10.1% in 1988.
image courtesy of theonion.com
I am in no way dissing the former mayor of New York city, I am simply looking for the truth. I am a republican that wants to cast my vote in the end for the right man. To me; Rudy Giuliani is a man built on 9/11, and that to me is something that qualifies him greatly on leadership questions. Still, I need to know what is he going to offer for substance as my president... and on that front ladies and gentleman I am hard-pressed to find cause for optimism.
A few days ago when I was viewing the dinner on c-span I was laughing so hard I fell off the beanbag...not. Well it was entertaining to say the least. After all I did end up voting for the guy the second time around. Have a great day everyone, and always stay objective!
While i was checking email on my underground site to encourage Condoleezza Rice to run for president, I found the most intersting message from a lady who seemed stunned by what she had found; here is the exact message as it was sent to me (in quotes)
"Listen, you guys should check out this site, Im pasting at the end of this sentences. They have Ms. Rice toward the end of it. I don't like this site at all!!! can't believe American Born Citizens are doing this to their own country!!!! Ingrid.
http://www.thewe.cc/soldiers_against_the_war.htm
..... after reading her email i ventured onto the site out of curiosity and much to my amazement i found some horrifying accusations and propaganda symbolic of how far to the left some people actually could go (even here in America). The website went so far to say that Israel is the true sponsor of terrorism in the world and so on... please check it out, I'm sure you will be shocked and dismayed: CLICK HERE TO ACCESS www.thewe.cc PAGE A More In Depth Area of Their Site Here Details How the U.S. and Israel are the Terrorists remember.. as some of us want to guard and fight for our freedom others amongst us believe we are the real enemy, and that is sickening, but read their site and see what they are up to THIS IS THE ANTI WAR MOVEMENT? this would make me a neo con for life hahaha have a blessed day yall.
Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani says British Prime Minister Tony Blair shouldn't back down on his refusal to negotiate the release of 15 British sailors and marines detained in Iran.
"I urge Tony Blair to stand up to them," Giuliani said after shaking hands and dining at a barbecue restaurant Thursday evening in downtown Oklahoma City.
Ok, Mr Giuliani has no experience on the federal level and is underestimating how sensative this situation is. There are 15-16 members of the British Armed Forces basically held hostige under false justification. Now... Correct me if I am wrong, but the good man and former mayor Giuliani should only step where there is ground for him to stand on. And in this situation, a political maneuver is not warranted nor required by a former mayor from our nation's largest city; especially since there is a delicate diplomatic process the British are trying to put forward to ensure the safety and survival of those brave military men and women held captive. Mr Giuliani, stand back and let the professionals do their work man.
Presidental Election 2008 Thoughts... Current mood: calm
If Condoleeza Rice does not step in and vie for the republican nomination, my vote will go to Gov. Mitt Romney (R) -MA.
In all realism the only two people that I can see winning the presidency from the republican side would be Condi or John McCain. Because the republican's support from moderates and democrats has been waning with the obvious push for the religious conservative turnout in '04, republicans now have to put up someone who can bring out enough of the people on the right but still be moderate enough to unite the party and attract independant and democratic voters. No one will do this better than Senator John McCain of Arizona. He's socially and foreign policy-wise conservative, yet seems to exhibit alot of restraint to take the same edge on alot of domestic issues that might lessen the little guy's chance in this country. He's appealing to men & women alike for his service for the country, however I question how easy he will have it given the distance he has placed him self from the "rank and file" republican establishment.
Yet according to the data I have enclosed below Bill Frist holds a slight edge right now in the preliminary rounds of the next republican nomination process. However, it is my belief that Sen. Frist will not garner enough support of moderates and women within the party to move on to the final round. Gov. Romney with his looks, youth, and proven track record as governor just may give Sen. McCain the fight similar to what we saw in 2000 when the two frontrunners had to take on the southern voting bloc. This show could only be spoiled if Secretary Rice decides to run for president. This scenario would probably break it down between McCain and Rice upon which you could see a Rice/McCain Republican ticket which would be virtually unbeatable. But what am I talking about Im just a little guy babbling on and on about nothing.
I hope Everyone is having a great day, and remember to always question your authority and those who want to be your authority. It is your American right to be involved in every bit of the process. Those soldiers over there are not dying in vain.
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