It seems as though some of America’s most preeeminent politicians, while out on the campaign trail, might want to spare a few minutes to brush up on their Dale Carnegie.ÂÂ
On the Democratic side, Bill Clinton is going on his “don’t call it a mea culpa” tour of black churches today. The Clintons have to be smarting a bit that Sen. Ted Kennedy has swung his full corpulence behind Sen. Barack Obama. They would not be in this position had the Clinton’s not pursued a racially-tinged “southern strategy” starting with South Carolina, and had Sen. Hillary Clinton not implicitly slighted JFK as part of that strategy.ÂÂ
Hillary has gone from a big lead to trailing Obama in Connecticut, where ex-candidate Sen. Chris Dodd is thought to be miffed at his treatment by Bill during Dodd’s quixotic presidential campaign. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, whose job before Congress was helping to elect Democratic women as the director of EMILY’s List, is endorsing Obama over Clinton. Her husband, pollster Stanley Greenberg, was an adviser of Bill. Coincidentally, DeLauro is also a former chief of staff to Sen. Dodd.
On the other side of the aisle, Mitt Romney failed to make friends as chair of the Republican Governors Association in 2006, accounting in part for why just three of the nation’s 22 Republican governors have endorsed him:
“Right or wrong, the general impression was that he spent way too much time on himself and building his presidential organization,†said a top Republican strategist who has worked closely with the RGA in recent years. “I don’t think anyone ever questioned Romney’s commitment to the organization or the work he put in. They questioned his goals or his motives. Was it to elect Republican governors, or to tee up his presidential campaign?â€Â
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For Romney, his inability to win over the governors he worked closest with has proven costly. On the eve of Tuesday’s crucial primary in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist announced his support for John McCain â€â€Ã‚ despite the fact that Romney, as chairman of the RGA, had greenlighted a $1 million check to Crist’s campaign in 2006.
Romney can be glad that his rival, Sen. John McCain, is so unloved by some folks right of center that he benefits from being Mr. NotMcCain. The distaste for McCain is based not only on his stances on various key issues, but for his tone in taking those stands. As David Frum put it, “(H)e does not love this party, and the party knows it.â€Â
I don’t think anyone ever questioned Romney’s commitment to the organization or the work he put in. They questioned his goals or his motives. Was it to elect Republican governors, or to tee up his presidential campaign?
How many Republican Governors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
And as Patrick Ruffini points out, the decision by Romney to go negative against Huckabee in Iowa (and the wails and moans from the conservative chorus when he won there) rank as pretty high strategic blunders, now that Romney’s last hope lies in attracting the Huckabee folks to his campaign.
And who was the first major columnist/yakker to say, “Wait a minute, Huckabee’s not unacceptable, he’s a fine man”?
Why, it was McCain supporter Michael Medved. I get the feeling that Michael has played some chess and knows how to think more than one move ahead.
How big’s the light bulb?
Romney can be glad that his rival, Sen. John McCain, is so unloved by some folks right of center that he benefits from being Mr. NotMcCain.
The problem is, I am not inclined to vote for Romney to stop McCain any more than I’m willing to vote for McCain to stop (insert Democrat here). Neither candidate gives me much reason to vote for them and that’s a doomed campaign.
Its clear . We must accept McCain with all his faults or face extinction as a party being out of power the White House, Senate and House and perhaps even a Dem Super Majority. At least a major McCain victory can protect some GOP seats that are at risk in 2008.
Dennis – a lot of people are of the opinion – not unconsidered – that accepting McCain includes a substantial risk of extinction as a party.
The two major concerns are that the MSM will savage McCain the moment he’s nominated, practically ensuring a Dem victory given McCain’s high negatives, and that even if McCain wins he will govern practically as a Democrat – especially with regards hostility to Republican policies and politicians.
Hell of a campaign, ain’t it?
Even Bill Clinton can’t screw in a light bulb. Practically anywhere else, yes, but not in a light bulb.
Most of our friends, whom all vote, agree that this world isn’t black and white, like the Republicans and Democrats have to pretend/act like they are. We vote Republican because the economy for the middle class and particularly the small businesses, that pay the bulk of money, in this country do better under the Republicans. Both Parties have good and bad ideas. Not every Republican is against a womans’s right to choose, nor are we against stem cell research. We want both of them but the parties seem to think that we are of their 100% mind frame because we vote for them. Most of us are not! John McCain is the best Republican for this Country at this crutial time. He has already proven that he doesn’t have to be so black or white, for or against something just because his party had to take the “other side” of an issue that the Democrats were for or against. He decides what he thinks, what the people want and bridges people from there. Now finally someone who has worked with both sides and is comfortable doing that and not just what his “Party” thinks. Finally someone who really can bring the parties together instead of tearing them apart. The “we want change” is just that! Stop your petty bickering and self promoting ways and get something done, that is the change that all Americans want. He is not the lesser of the evils, we feel like he is the best qualified of the noncrooks!