Thursday’s political round-up

April 5, 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 acknowledged yesterday that he still believes, as he’s said publicly before, that there should be public funding for some abortions. When asked directly Wednesday if he still agreed with his 1989 position on the use of public funds for abortions, Giuliani told CNN’s Dana Bash, “Yes. If it would deprive someone of a constitutional right. If that’s the status of the law, yes.” I wonder what GOP primary voters will think about this?

* Newt Gingrich, still reeling about suggesting Spanish is the language of the “ghetto,” backpedaled a little more yesterday, delivering a video statement — in Spanish and English — in which he concedes his word choice was “poor.” Gingrich did not apologize, but insisted his comments were not an “attack” on Spanish. He added that he has been taking Spanish lessons “for some time now.”

* Mitt Romney told a New Hampshire audience this week, “I purchased a gun when I was a young man. I’ve been a hunter pretty much all my life.” As it turns out, that’s largely false — he’s hunted twice, once at age 15, and again last year.

* Al Franken, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Minnesota, raised $1.3 million in the first quarter, an impressive tally for a rookie candidate. Will the figure discourage potential primary opponents? We’ll see.

* The Democratic National Committee announced today that it will sanction six Democratic debates, one per month, starting in July 2007.

* And Dennis Kucinich argued yesterday that the front-loaded primary calendar will work to his advantage, because more established candidates won’t have time to recover from early losses. “When I run strong in New Hampshire and win New Hampshire it will propel me to be the nominee,” Kucinich said.

“He added that he has been taking Spanish lessons “for some time now.””

What better way to f*ck someone over than to try to win them over first using their own language.

  • As it turns out, that’s largely false — he’s hunted twice, once at age 15, and again last year.

    Whoa, Mitt too? You Republicans really now which politicians are true and which aren’t.

  • Wow…From the liberal press: “send out the “Conservatives” to shoot down their own.”

    Some serious hunters out there huh?

    When I was a kid I went hunting with my Uncle who was avid. He helped me take my hunter’s safety course and I shot guns and hunted for maybe a year’s worth of my life.

    I still to this day consider myself Pro-Gun and Pro-Second Amendment. No where in the LIBERAL article that you got this info from, and you need to admit, that you would have never picked up on it otherwise because you are “Conservative”, does it say that Romney stated that he was against the Second Amendment in the past. While it may have been an error in stating “I’ve been a lifelong hunter”, be honest and quote the whole dialogue and you’ll see that there’s nothing there. Even the article is not that deep. It’s the headline that says more than the article.

    Look rather than attacking the other people in the race so that you can prop your guy, why don’t you go to your guy’s campaign and ask why he isn’t doing more? Why is their message only attracting the “Wiley” intellectuals like yourselves?

    If you’re attacking is based on your hate for Mitt Romney religion then I suggest you go to the other side where they welcome bigots as long as they can do it without being called on it.

    You “Conservatives” need to grow up and leave the left wing propaganda and attacks to them. Heaven forbid that your guy comes to the front and they get shouted out for every little asinine thing they do and to top that off it’s your own that start’s to eat at him. I don’t see you guys licking your chops for Rudy and what did he just say about abortion again?

  • That’s too funny. You have this.

    Gingrich did not apologize, but insisted his comments were not an “attack” on Spanish. He added that he has been taking Spanish lessons “for some time now.”

    Followed by this.

    * Mitt Romney told a New Hampshire audience this week, “I purchased a gun when I was a young man. I’ve been a hunter pretty much all my life.” As it turns out, that’s largely false — he’s hunted twice, once at age 15, and again last year.

    I guess truth is what you want it to be.

  • While I certainly have a lot of problems with Rudy and wouldn’t vote for him, at least when pushed he doesn’t try to fudge as much as the others. Maybe McCain should give him the keys to the Straight Talk Express.

  • Edward Copeland,

    …at least when pushed he [Rudy] doesn’t try to fudge as much as the others.

    I think he fudged plenty. Note this part of his comment: “Yes. If it would deprive someone of a constitutional right. If that’s the status of the law, yes.”

    I think this is his way of saying that he’ll appoint judges that overturn Roe v Wade and thus it will no longer be a “constitutional right”. Then he can fight to deny public funding. I don’t think he did himself a favor with the right wingnuts as that’s too nuanced for them, but he’s still okay with his financial backers, IMHO.

    Conservative Gladiator,

    you are making little to no sense in your comment. It would seem like you think this is a blog written by a conservative. If that’s true, you are mistaken. As for what little substance there is in your comment, give it a rest. Hunting once at 15 and once last year does not make one a life long hunter.

  • Doonesbury‘s been having a great time all week with Mitt’s flip-flops. Actually, that seems too weak a term to use. Complete upheavals is more like it. Abortion, gay rights, gun laws, stem cells … a whole host of things turned 180° ever since Mitt decided to seek the national spotlight beyond the confines of Massachusetts. Wonder how long it’ll be before he turns Baptist?

  • And Dennis Kucinich argued yesterday that the front-loaded primary calendar will work to his advantage, because more established candidates won’t have time to recover from early losses. “When I run strong in New Hampshire and win New Hampshire it will propel me to be the nominee,” Kucinich said.

    LOL! Well, the best of luck to you anyway, Mr. Kucinich.

    Re: Conservative Gladiator: I am guessing this guy is probably someone spamming the blogosphere with a response to this article, since he seems to have no idea that we aren’t conservatives here. He probably only responded because he found a link somewhere and probably won’t be back.

  • Conservative Gladiator is probably some guy who is concerned that Mitt Romney’s lie makes conservatives look like wimps. He’s concerned that people conservatives are wooing are going to read it. So he’s writing something to obfuscate, to make it look as if the Mitt Romney story isn’t true. But he has nothing to go on- Romney did mischaracterize his hunting experience- so he just wrote the beginning of his comment as if he’s caught a story that isn’t true, and then wrote the rest of the comment to sound confusing. That’s why he chose the name Conservative Gladiator too, because he doesn’t want to sound wimpy.

    Nice try, buddy.

  • people conservatives are wooing

    Black conservatives, hispanics, only partially-politicized conservatives, borderline-liberals who are sympathetic to conservatives, etc.

  • Al Franken, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Minnesota, raised $1.3 million in the first quarter, an impressive tally for a rookie candidate. Will the figure discourage potential primary opponents?

    Simple answer: No.

    Mike Ciresi’s share of the tobacco money alone was likely many times that. (for those not from the midwest, Ciresi is of Robins Kaplan Miller Ciresi, a major litigation firm in Minnesota that represented Blue Cross in the suit against the tobacco industry). He could loan himself 1.3 mil anytime he wants without missing a beat.

  • Conservative Gladiator, next time you can be more true than Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney- just call yourself Conservative Dork in your comments.

  • Newt Gingrich got to communicate to conservatives that he’s racist, and cover his ass by pretending to study Spanish. The latinos and the blacks will fall for it more than you would think, and the conseratives won’t begrudge him for covering up himself- 98% of them will see it for what it is.

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