Friday’s political round-up

February 16, 2007

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* Rudy Giuliani, the pro-choice, pro-gay rights serial adulterer, will speak at TV preacher’s Pat Robertson’s Regent University in April, the school announced yesterday. The news comes just one day after Regent announced that Mitt Romney will deliver the school’s commencement address on May 5.

* Speaking of Giuliani, religious right leader Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said this week that the former mayor’s position on social issues is a deal-breaker in the GOP primaries. Land said “the vast majority” of social conservative voters will not vote for Giuliani even if he gets the nomination and faces off against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). “If he wins, he’ll do so without social conservatives,” Land said.

* John McCain is apparently prepared to skip tomorrow’s Senate vote on a resolution criticizing the president’s escalation strategy, and will instead appear at a town hall meeting Des Moines, Iowa.

* Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) may not have a lot of poll support, but he’s raising eyebrows with his fundraising prowess. “Among Democrats, Dodd’s $5 million campaign nest egg is surpassed only by that of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), who has one of the most elaborate fundraising machines ever assembled,” the WaPo reported. “Dodd’s electoral riches can be traced to the banking panel, whose jurisdiction includes some of the wealthiest industries in America — banking, insurance and financial services.”

* And in candidate spouse news, the AP had an interesting item about Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, and what an asset she is likely to be to the senator’s campaign. “We’ve heard this spewed from the lips of rivals,” the candidate’s wife told about 1,000 donors at a Chicago fundraiser this week. “Every phase of our journey, he is not experienced enough, he should wait his turn. He is too young, he is not black enough, he is not white enough … he is too articulate. “Don’t be fooled by these claims because they are mere distractions. Distractions to keep us focused once again on what is not possible. Distractions that keep us mired in fear so that we are unable to focus on the real issues that are dragging us down as a nation. What we need right now is a leader. And a leader is more than a set of finite experiences.” As the campaign heats up, don’t underestimate the value of a spouse who can deliver a great speech on the candidate’s behalf.

So what if Giuliani does win the Republican nod? Will the Republican taliban sit this election out?

Good for Barack. If he can pick a good mate, I’m sure he has the intellect to pick other smart people to be around him if he attains the presidency. I’d value good judgment over experience any day.

  • Ms. Obama is smart as hell, and evidently very tough. When he was publicly deciding whether or not to run, my strong hunch was that she would thumbs-down it and he’d sit out the race. That she’s in and committed to winning is an enormous asset to the guy.

    A number of the prominent Democratic candidates have great spouses who add tremendous value. I like Elizabeth Edwards better than John, and Gert Clark is wonderful. Certainly beats the other side trotting out wives #2 or #3, most of whom don’t exactly seem to be brain surgeons.

  • Giuliani will win many of those ‘social conservatives’ over as soon as they find out who Amidou Diallo is.

    With Giuliani you get Mussolini and Sen. Theodore Bilbo. The trains run on time, and the colored people know their place.

    For that combo, your typical GOP voter will overlook a lot.

  • Wow, I’m in love with Ms. Obama already! I wonder if we could get her to accept the VP spot on the ticket? That would be so cool!! 🙂

  • Giuliani might well win hordes of religious voters’ votes, despite the opposition of their leaders. Kind of like how Regan won union voters despite the opposition of union leaders. This was interpreted, correctly, as a sign of waning union power in politics, and contributed to the broader decline in union membership, prestige, etc. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Giuliani’s campaign marks the final shark-jumping of the odious religious-right leadership, as it becomes clear that their flocks are nowhere near as intolerant and monolithic as they’ve been made out to be? Well, anyway, here’s hoping.

  • God bless Barack Obama and his lovely wife, Michelle, for stating what needs to be said. Ms. Obama is certainly an asset as a presidential contender’s spouse. Let’s ignore those who want to level spurious claims against Barack and Michelle.

    • Comments are closed.