Italian Bloggers for Giuliani 2008

Rudy & John - Jay Leno Tonight Show

2008-02-03T13:31:00.000+01:00

JAY LENO: My first guest, as I said, truly the comeback kid. Last July the campaign was just DOA. Remember, Kev? He was hitting the band up for money.
(Laughter.)
Remember that? Little support. No staff. This guy ‑‑ you can't ‑‑ remember, he carried his own bags to the airport?
KEVIN EUBANKS: He worked hard.
JAY LENO: It really is an amazing story. Now after three stunning primary victories, he's now the Republican frontrunner. Please welcome our good friend, Senator John McCain, ladies and gentlemen.
(Applause.)
Well, congratulations. You see us about two times a year; if we're lucky, maybe three. And last July, I guess, remember it was, like, "Oh, my God, he's a nice guy, Kev. It's too bad it didn't work out." I mean, and yet you always seem to just ‑‑ does it affect you? Or do you keep it all inside?
JOHN McCAIN: It was the contributions from the band that kept us going.
(Laughter.)
God bless. By the way, my lawyer joke.
JAY LENO: Oh, you have a lawyer joke?
JOHN McCAIN: Yes. Do you know the difference between a lawyer and a catfish?
JAY LENO: Don't know.
JOHN McCAIN: One is a scum‑sucking bottom dweller; the other is a fish.
JAY LENO: Hey.
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: There goes the lawyer vote.
JAY LENO: I guess you can cross out the endorsement from the American Bar Association.
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: They're gone. They're gone. Thanks for having me on. I was reminded back there in July of the words of Chairman Mao, who said, "It's always darkest before it's totally black," and he came back. Remember Mao?
(Laughter.)
JAY LENO: Don't quote Mao on the campaign trail.
(Laughter.)
Not a good idea. It's interesting because I've watched your career, and you seem to revel in being the underdog. It seems like, when the times get rough, you do this conniving ‑‑ do you enjoy that?
JOHN McCAIN: In a way, yeah. If I could just tell you a brief story. I was in Iraq with my friend Senator Lindsey Graham. 688 brave young Americans ‑‑ temperatures like 125 ‑‑ reenlist to stay in Iraq and fight. I mean, it was one of the more moving experiences I've ever had. We were on the plane on the way back, and we were talking, and I said, "You know, you've got these kids out there, these brave young Americans out there, and I'm worried about my political future, and they are putting it on the line. We're not going to let them get defeated. We're not going to have them surrender, and they're going to win," and, by golly, they are winning, my friend.
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: Well, I think that's what people like about you. You're kind of a straight‑talking guy. Sometimes I see people kind of coming over to that. I notice, like, the best example was in Michigan where one of your opponents said, "Oh, the jobs are all coming back assuming they're going to make '57 Chevy's again." And then, you said, "No, these jobs aren't coming back. No, they're not." And I could see people go, "What?"
JOHN McCAIN: And we went to South Carolina and told them that the textile mills aren't coming back, but what we are able ‑‑
JAY LENO: Is this show coming back?
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: Coming back for a long time. But I also told them, "Look, there's green technologies. There's a whole new era out there. There's hybrid cars. There's battery‑powered cars. There's ethanol." I used to have a glass of ethanol every morning before breakfast in the morning in Iowa. Yeah, it's good for you.
(Laughter.)
But the fact is that there are new technologies out there. Look, climate change is real in my view. With green technologies, we can create thousands and millions of new jobs in America, and by the way, this governor who endorsed me today, The Terminator, I was very happy to be with him today ‑‑ he believes in that. He believes here in California that we can clean up the air, clean up the climate and give our kids a better planet in the future, and I believe that, too. And by the way, I saw the gun in the ‑‑
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: With Governor Schwarzenegger, it was ‑‑ by the way, you saw it, didn't you, where Chuck Norris had said that I was too old?
JAY LENO: Chuck Norris said that you were too old. I did see that.
JOHN McCAIN: Schwarzenegger is going to take care of him.
JAY LENO: Really.
(Laughter.)
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: Now, I see your family with you on the campaign trail.
JOHN McCAIN: Yes, my daughter Meghan and my wife Cindy are here, and they're doing a great job. My daughter Meghan is a blogger and doing great and enjoying all of it, every minute of it, especially speaking of some of the nicer places we're staying in some places in America.
JAY LENO: I want to ask you about the debates. Can there be too many of these things? Do you like that forum? Do you think the more the better?
JOHN McCAIN: I think that was our 15th, and I think there was only 14 too many.
(Laughter.)
It gives people a chance to examine the candidates. It was kind of interesting when there was like nine of us, you know. Really you know you'd be asked a question, and you knew it was going to be probably eight or nine minutes before they got around to you again, and I miss some of them.
JAY LENO: You do? Not that much.
JOHN McCAIN: You know, they're an important part of the process. People get to see us in comparison with others, but I like the town hall meetings. I love the town hall meetings.
JAY LENO: Where regular people ask questions.
JOHN McCAIN: Regular people ask questions, and they get to ask a follow‑up question, and we go back and forth a lot of times, and then people feel they're part of the process. Even if they are one of the thousand that never got to ask a question, they're a part of it. Of course, the place where it happens the most is New Hampshire. That's a state where they've grown used to it, and my favorite joke that I stole from Mark Udall many years ago, he said ‑‑ he walked into a barber shop in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was from Arizona as you know, and he said, "Hi. I'm Mark Udall from Arizona, and I'm running for President of the United States." And the barber said, "Yeah, we were just laughing about that this morning."
(Laughter.)
And everybody has stolen it, by the way.
JAY LENO: Including you.
JOHN McCAIN: Including me.
JAY LENO: More with Senator McCain when we come back.
(Applause.)
(A break was taken.)
JAY LENO: Welcome back. We're talking to Senator John McCain. You know, watching the tone of the campaign, especially, first it got contentious with Hillary and Barack, and then I watched the Republicans the next night. You guys couldn't have been more polite to each. Was that sort of ‑‑ did you guys watch that debate and say "Oh, we don't want to do that"?
JOHN McCAIN: No, but you always have to be careful when you're in one of these debates because you're running for President, not the best debater. So you always want to try to appear as thoughtful as you can. People can tune in on any cable show and watch people fight. This is about who they want to be President. I can't tell you the number of times I've run into people and they say, "You did a great job." "Well, what do you like?" "Well, I can't remember anything in particular, but you did a great job." So you've got to be careful about that. People don't expect us to disparage each other's character and integrity.
JAY LENO: Well, the other night you and Romney, to use a military term, got snippy. Is that a military term?
JOHN McCAIN: Yes.
JAY LENO: Is that a military term for fighting? You got snippy. It looked a little (making screeching noise).
JOHN McCAIN: It got a little rough. I understand that we're getting near the end here. I think we've got some momentum. Governor Schwarzenegger, the governor of Florida ‑‑
JAY LENO: Do you like Romney?
JOHN McCAIN: Oh, yes. I think he's a very fine family man. I think he's a good man. I just think that I'm obviously more qualified. So we've got some momentum and ‑‑
(Applause.)
So it got a little rough, but we try to avoid that as much as we can. I want to tell you this guy Governor Huckabee is a good guy.
JAY LENO: Yeah.
JOHN McCAIN: He really is. He's a good sincere person. Fred Thompson has been on your show. You know, he's a great guy.
JAY LENO: Let me ask you about that.
JOHN McCAIN: These guys are good guys.
JAY LENO: The Huckabee thing. It was Huckabee. Something I saw happen right before South Carolina. You were able to diffuse it in a way John Kerry didn't. When John Kerry, who I think was a legitimate hero in the war, that whole swift boat thing. I think people remember that, and they made him out like ‑‑ for about one day there a story circulating, what they call that push‑pull, where "John McCain really wasn't a prisoner. He really didn't do this."
JOHN McCAIN: The Manchurian candidate.
JAY LENO: I just said, "Oh, boy, are they going to try to ruin this man?" And yet it just disappeared after one day, the story. Were you guys able too quash that?
JOHN McCAIN: I think it was that, and also people didn't believe it. They know me well enough.
JAY LENO: When the lie is so outrageous like that, like, you were never in a prisoner of war camp, there's always somebody who's going to go ‑‑ how does one deal with it? What do you do?
JOHN McCAIN: The first thing you got to do, and this is easier said than done, don't let it get under your skin. Don't let it bother you. If somebody questions whether I was the Manchurian candidate or not, your immediate reaction is (indicating), but you've got to just let it not get under your skin. You've got to take it for what it is and campaign hard enough that people know you, that they really know you, and that's why we won in New Hampshire. We did a 101 town hall meetings, came back, and started coming back up, coming back up. I didn't ‑‑ after a while I didn't even have to carry my own bags anymore.
(Laughter.)
JAY LENO: Let me ask you something. How do you deal with ‑‑ let me ask you something. On conservative radio, Rush Limbaugh especially, he's "The Republican party is dead if John McCain gets elected." What do you do there? Do you try and win those guys over? Do you ignore it and hope they come around? I mean, the right wing radio thing is pretty powerful. Would you go on his show if he invited you?
JOHN McCAIN: I would go on most any show.
JAY LENO: Well, obviously.
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: I think the important thing is to convince our Republican base which is a very conservative that, one, I'm a conservative, and, two, that I'm the best qualified on taking on their major concern, that is, this struggle against radical Islamic extremism, and I think I can ‑‑ I've been able to do that pretty successfully. Look, the straight talk is that we're going to have to energize our base and get everybody into our party if we're going to win in November. Straight talk, right now, when you look at Democrat versus Republican, we Republicans got our work cut out for us ‑‑ and get back to the principles that made us the majority party.
JAY LENO: Have you been looking at the vice president?
JOHN McCAIN: Well, I know that your contract is up.
(Laughter.)
JAY LENO: Well...
JOHN McCAIN: And if there's anything we could use, it's a little humor in Washington. Right?
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: You know something?
(Applause.)
JOHN McCAIN: What do you think?
JAY LENO: You know, you make more in a good week in Vegas. The money sucks.
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: That's probably true.
JAY LENO: What is the biggest issue for you?
The economy or the war in Iraq?
JOHN McCAIN: I think both. Right now we've got some very tough times economically. I think we can get through it. I think the struggle against radical Islamic extremism is with us for a long time. I think this guy Osama bin Laden gets his message out over the Internet. We've got to get him. My friends, I'll get Osama bin Laden. I'll get him. We'll bring him to justice.
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: Didn't you once say we could be in Iraq for a hundred years.
JOHN McCAIN: Yeah, but the point is it's not American presence; it's American casualties. The casualties are coming down; we are succeeding. We're in Kuwait, right next door. We're in Turkey. We're all over the world. The point is that we are succeeding, and the Iraqi military must take over those responsibilities. Our troops withdraw to bases. If there's some kind of agreement like there is between United States and Kuwait, fine, but the point is American casualties. And it's sad, and it breaks your heart, but I do believe that, if you pull the plug, the way Senator Clinton and Senator Obama want, then all of those deaths ‑‑ well, let me just say, I think it would be greater chaos, and we would be surrendering, and I don't think they want that. The young people are telling me, "Let us win."
JAY LENO: Now, when you were a young man starting your political career, Reagan was running for President. Did you go, "That guy is way too old"?
JOHN McCAIN: I never thought that. I remember him saying he was going to campaign, when he was running for President, in all 13 states.
JAY LENO: Really.
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: I never thought he was too old.
JAY LENO: How important is the Rudy Giuliani endorsement?
JOHN McCAIN: Well, Rudy Giuliani is one of the great American heroes. All of us remember after 9/11 the way he united our nation.
(Applause.)
Why don't you ask Rudy?
(Entrance by Rudy Giuliani.)
(Applause.)
Wow. Well, that's pretty cool. How are you?
RUDY GIULIANI: Just like that.
JAY LENO: You know something? I must say since yesterday, you look so relaxed.
(Laughter.)
I mean that in a good way.
RUDY GIULIANI: I guess in a way, sure. There's a certain amount of disappointment because, when you run for President, you want to win. I thought I was the best, but I did announce at one debate that, if I weren't running, my candidate would be John McCain.
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: Can you stick around?
RUDY GIULIANI: Sure.
JAY LENO: Can you stay?
RUDY GIULIANI: Sure.
JAY LENO: I want to talk to you about this. Don't go away. More with Rudy Giuliani right after this.
(A break was taken.)
JAY LENO: We're back talking with the Senator John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Now, you two are friends. How did you guys meet?
RUDY GIULIANI: I met John when I was the mayor and he was the senator. I worked with him. I think we did some campaigning together and became good friends.
JOHN McCAIN: We became good friends from the 2001 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Diamondbacks. We went to Phoenix, Arizona, together. They played some games in New York City. And here we're sitting next to each other, 46,000 fans. Rudy Giuliani with a New York Yankees hat on, he shows up on the Jumbotron. 46,000 people stood and cheered and cheered because of what he'd done for America. That really cemented our friendship.
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: Let me ‑‑ a lot of Republicans think you guys are too liberal. What do you think?
(Laughter.)
RUDY GIULIANI: I don't know who they are. Read the editorials about me when I was mayor of New York, and you would never ‑‑ everybody has their own definition of all of these things, but on national security, fiscal policies, just about all the ways in which you define conservative, I think both of us are conservative. But I think both of us also want to get things done. If you're mayor of a city like I was or a senator who's trying to get things done, you have to work with the other side. There are times in which you've got to accept three‑quarters of what you would like in order ‑‑ or maybe even half. Ronald Reagan taught me that. Ronald Reagan used to say it's better to get, you know, 70 or 80 percent than to get nothing at all.
JAY LENO: Right. You talked about your campaign because at this time last year ‑‑
RUDY GIULIANI: Do we have to?
(Laughter.)
JAY LENO: It's sort of fascinating to me because, at the time, maybe this time last year, Iraq and maybe national security were the issues, and that's your issue. You're the man on that. And then it seems to have switched to the economy. Do you think that might have explained some of the downturn?
RUDY GIULIANI: I think there are a lot of things that explain it. I don't think it's particularly that. I think the great campaign that he ran coming from where it looked like it was over, and John never accepted it was over. I was asked at the time if I thought it was over, and I said, "Wait and see," because of the way I know John is. I think his great campaign, some of the other things that happened in the early primaries ‑‑ I think that had more to do with it.
JAY LENO: How about putting all your eggs in one basket? Putting everything on Florida. What was the thinking there?
RUDY GIULIANI: The thinking was that that was the primary where we could do the best, and the damage was there was so many ‑‑ three or four primaries before ‑‑ and it was a strategy we had come to. It was a strategy we believed in, and it was obviously one that didn't work.
JOHN McCAIN: It also was an honorable campaign, a very honorable campaign. I've lost campaigns, and I think one of the important things is how you look back on how you conducted it. I think it was an honorable campaign.
(Applause.)
JAY LENO: Could you ever be a running mate? Would you ever be a running mate? Is that something you would consider?
RUDY GIULIANI: No one runs as a running mate. I was asked that question a number of times when I was a candidate for President, and what I said was, "You don't make decisions like that until you're the nominee, and then you give it a lot of reflection. Nobody runs for it. The candidate has to have a total, absolutely open choice as to whoever they think is the best."
JAY LENO: If you were doing this all over again, would you have worked harder in those early primaries? Because it seems like once you get the headlines ‑‑
RUDY GIULIANI: Yeah, it's too early to say. It's too early to say. As you go back over ‑‑ what would you have done? This differently? That differently? The one good thing was I was able to come out of it feeling that we had highlighted a number of really important issues about very large tax reductions, single‑page tax return, sticking with what has to happen in Iraq, remaining on the offense against Islamic terrorism, and we came out of it with the ability to endorse a candidate I really believe in. So we're okay with it.
JAY LENO: Who would you rather campaign against? Who do you want to see get the nomination, Hillary or Obama? Who would be harder to beat?
(Laughter.)
RUDY GIULIANI: I think both are formidable. I think you shouldn't underestimate, but both ‑‑ I think that the fact that I am a conservative and, I think, in tune with most of the American people, and we'll have a conservative Republican against a liberal Democrat, and that would be a respectful but very, very spirited debate. On John's behalf, though, John is a conservative, but John also has the ability to reach out at a number of these Democratic voters, and it makes him a candidate in states that other Republicans might not be a competitive candidate ‑‑ states like Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, Connecticut, and here in California ‑‑ states that we haven't, as Republicans, been able to be competitive, and that's why I think he'll be our strongest candidate.
JAY LENO: Were you guys stunned by the Kennedy endorsement of Obama over Hillary? Did that come as a complete surprise to you?
JOHN McCAIN: I didn't know enough about it to have a thought about it.
JAY LENO: Yeah.
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: I'm not that familiar with the leanings of the members of the party. So I really ‑‑ I honestly didn't know, and I don't know the dynamics, but it certainly has been a very interesting race to watch.
JAY LENO: One last question. You're the straight‑talk express. Who do got in the Super Bowl?
(Laughter.)
RUDY GIULIANI: New York Giants all the way.
Absolutely. All my life.
(Applause.)
JOHN McCAIN: Arizona is the host of this.
JAY LENO: Who do you got?
(Laughter.)
JOHN McCAIN: Straight talk ‑‑ somebody is going to have to show me how you beat the Patriots.
RUDY GIULIANI: Will you give me the points?
JOHN McCAIN: Yes, I'll give you the points.
JAY LENO: There you go.
(Applause.)
I know you guys have to go. You guys are on opposite sides again. That lasted for what? About 24 hours. Now you're fighting again. I know you guys have to run. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming.
(Applause.)
RUDY GIULIANI: Thank you.
JAY LENO: Good luck to you.
JOHN McCAIN: Thank you.
JAY LENO: So long, guys.

Requiem for Rudy

2008-02-01T00:11:00.000+01:00

It’s a shame that Rudy Giuliani couldn’t have run for president in the fall of 2001. Back then, voters probably wouldn’t have cared if he skipped not just the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, but all of the Super Tuesday ones, too.

Whoever the Republicans nominate—John McCain or Mitt Romney—can be counted on to stay the course in Iraq (McCain in particular), but no candidate had the gravitas that Giuliani brought to the issue of terrorism. For Giuliani had experienced something that no recent American mayor, governor, or president had—a sneak attack, shocking and deadly, in which vital decisions needed to be made quickly and for which there was no script. Giuliani’s presidential campaign was criticized for what many saw as the candidate’s overemphasis on September 11—exemplified by Joseph Biden’s memorable line that Giuliani’s every sentence consisted of “a noun, a verb, and 9/11.” Perhaps there is some truth in this, though anyone who sat through the numbing presidential debates of the last six months would know that Giuliani had a wide-ranging platform on everything from economic policy to homeland security. But he couldn’t break through his image as the Mayor of 9/11, and it is a measure of our distance from the events of that day that Giuliani came to seem a relic, a candidate whose moment had passed.

He was no relic that morning, or for years afterward. What Giuliani’s many detractors don’t even pretend to deny is that on that horrific day, his performance was breathtaking. In the heat of the moment, similarly unrehearsed, President Bush looked like a flop. He later recovered, but his fumbling first appearances, disappearance for the bulk of the day, and feeble, demoralizing speech that night made for a harsh contrast with Giuliani’s stirring presence.
Rarely in recent American history had a political leader received such a visible testing ground for the character of his leadership. Giuliani projected a profound, steely calm, and an all-encompassing competence—announcing the latest street closings or bus service changes one minute, pledging resolve and stressing American unity the next, reassuring New Yorkers all the while. He also provided Americans with a lesson in the old-school stoicism that is rapidly passing from our national life. Yet it was a stoicism that left no doubt about the suffering inside. Asked for an update on casualty figures at one point, he shook his head and said unforgettably that the losses would be “more than we can bear.”

It was in the ruins of Ground Zero, of course, that Giuliani’s presidential ambitions became plausible. His mayoral record in New York prior to September 11 more than justified a presidential run, but New York mayors, even great ones, are never considered presidential timber, barring some unique and monumental circumstance. Giuliani’s campaign difficulties have been well documented—from his moderate stands on social issues to his messy personal life, from his questionable primary strategy to his sometimes baffling passivity as a candidate. But his departure from the presidential field represents, in the end, a symbolic break from the preeminence of September 11 in our national consciousness. The psychologists tell us that we need closure—as if anything short of death ever wraps up conclusively—and one way or another, we have all long since moved on personally from that day. But Giuliani’s absence from the campaign will remove a visceral political reminder as well—a flesh-and-blood mayor who stood, covered in ash, and spoke to the nation’s greatest city on its darkest day. None of the remaining candidates can match his standard of
leadership and record of accomplishment; one hopes that we choose wisely in his stead.

Perhaps Giuliani should blame Bush for his campaign’s demise. If Bush had not been so successful in preventing another domestic terrorist attack, Giuliani’s relevance to voters would be painfully obvious, and his deviations from party orthodoxy less compelling. Instead, he and Bush, the two public figures most associated with September 11, will watch from the sidelines as America turns the page.

Paul Beston, sul City Journal.

Thank You

2008-01-31T22:18:00.000+01:00

Dear Friend,
Over the past year, as I traveled around the country, people from all walks of life welcomed me into their homes and communities with open arms. From house parties to parades to town halls and rallies, I have shared in some wonderful moments with you all and for that I am eternally grateful.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with me. Thank you for working with me to provide our children with a brighter and more prosperous future. Thank you for your support and trust and faith. And thank you for being a part of this wonderful journey.

A New York Republican named Teddy Roosevelt once said “aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.” Like most Americans, I love competition. I don't back down from a principled fight.

But there must always be a larger purpose.

Elections are about more than just a candidate. Elections are about fighting for a cause larger than ourselves. They are about identifying the great challenges of our time and proposing new solutions. Most of all, they are about handing our nation to the next generation better than it was handed to us.

Although we were unsuccessful in our endeavor, the fight to strengthen America goes on. Our nation's next President must understand and make a commitment to keep us on offense in the Terrorists' War on Us. He must understand that stimulating our economy requires cutting taxes, because you make better decisions with your money than Washington bureaucrats. He must be committed to ending illegal immigration and securing our borders. And he must use free-market principles to make health care more affordable for all Americans.

I believe John McCain is that man. He is the right leader to move us forward, unite our party and transform Washington. I hope that you will join me in supporting him to be the next President of the United States.

As I look forward to the road ahead, I am optimistic because I believe America's best days are still to come. Our country has a bright future, but we must work together to ensure that our shared prosperity creates new and better opportunities for us all.

Best Wishes,
Rudy Giuliani

Not Endorsed

2008-01-28T23:42:00.001+01:00

Clear

2008-01-27T18:00:00.001+01:00

La mia ricetta per le società del XXI secolo

2008-01-25T23:25:00.000+01:00

Nel primo decennio del Ventunesimo secolo, gli Stati Uniti hanno dovuto far fronte al più mortale degli attacchi e al più distruttivo dei disastri naturali nella storia del Paese. Il termine «sicurezza interna» (homeland security) non era sul tavolo del dibattito nazionale delle elezioni del Duemila. Ora, dopo l’11 settembre e l’uragano Katrina, ogni americano comprende che la sicurezza interna è al centro delle responsabilità di un presidente...
Secondo i rapporti ufficiali, ci sono stati non meno di 14 tentativi d’attacco terroristico interno e nove complotti internazionali contro interessi e cittadini americani. C’è stato un piano per far saltare il ponte di Brooklyn e alcuni aerei sulla rotta atlantica. Dei terroristi hanno cospirato per ammazzare soldati americani a Fort Dix e pianificato di incendiare i condotti del carburante all’aeroporto internazionale Jfk. Ad oggi, non un singolo complotto «post 9/11» sul suolo statunitense ha avuto successo. Non è un caso: è la misura, a livello nazionale, dell’aumento dei controlli.

Continua a leggere l'articolo di Rudy Giuliani pubblicato su Liberal Quotidiano.

Some

2008-01-24T00:40:00.000+01:00

The Case for Rudy

2008-01-23T08:48:00.000+01:00

To the extent that I understand how most Republicans think, it would seem that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani comes closer to the Republican ideal than any of the other viable Republican candidates. They are all good and decent men who would be better for America than either of the Democratic front-runners. But it is difficult to see, from a conservative- and Republican-values perspective, what major shortcoming Giuliani brings as compared to the other candidates. And given the obsession of liberal news media with publishing negative reports about Giuliani and frequent praise of John McCain, it would appear that it is Giuliani whom Democrats most fear as the Republican presidential nominee.

Leggi tutto l'articolo di Dennis Prager su Real Clear Politics.

Diffidate delle imitazioni

2008-01-18T22:12:00.000+01:00

via Phastidio.net

Viva Rudy

2008-01-15T14:43:00.000+01:00

Giuliani insegue il voto ispanico nel Sud della Florida.

Jon & Rudy

2008-01-14T22:40:00.000+01:00

The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee today announced that accomplished actor Jon Voight has endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President of the United States and will campaign on his behalf in both Florida and California later this month. Voight, who earned both an Oscar and Golden Globe for his role as a quadriplegic Vietnam Veteran in the 1978 movie “Coming Home” and numerous nominations for other roles, has been a powerful presence on the silver screen for almost four decades.

“America is approaching one of its most important elections in history and we must elect a leader with the strength and resolve of Rudy Giuliani,” said Voight. “His commitment to keeping our military strong and his track record of transforming New York makes him the right man at the right time for our country.”

Endorsement di Jon Voight per Rudy.

Fox News Sunday/3

2008-01-14T22:37:00.003+01:00

Fox News Sunday/2

2008-01-14T22:37:00.001+01:00

Fox News Sunday/1

2008-01-14T22:36:00.001+01:00

Pompano Beach, Florida

2008-01-14T13:17:00.001+01:00

Giuliani Pushes Hard in Florida

2008-01-14T09:54:00.000+01:00

MIAMI – “Florida is Rudy Country,’’ the new signs and stickers say hopefully. Rudolph W. Giuliani, trying to put his humbling losses in Iowa and New Hampshire behind him, kicked off a three-day-bus tour of his must-win state – providing a second bus for journalists to follow him for only the second time this year – by speaking about his relationship with God at El Rey Jesus, an evangelical mega-church and riding a fire truck along the route of the Three Kings Parade in Little Havana.

Mr. Giuliani, who in the past has tended to keep his faith private, quoted the Bible and opened up about religion at the church, where he gave a sermon-like version of his stump speech, and at one point clapped along as the choir rapped “I’m somewhere in the future and I look much better than I do right now’’ to a hip-hop beat. “I have deep respect for the power of faith,’’ Mr. Giuliani said at the church. “I received a religious education for most of my life, until the time I attended law school. And as you realize, law school is not a religious education.’’

“But up until then I started every day of class making the sign of the cross, praying to Jesus, praying to Mary and asking for help, asking for assistance, and it built into my very being an understanding that we have to pray for help, that we have to pray for guidance, we have to pray to seek God’s will, and we have to pray to make us better people, to live the life that God wants for us,’’ he said. Giuliani supporters along the parade route in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. And Mr. Giuliani, ho is distributing fliers here talking about his faith, as he did in Iowa but not in New Hampshire, said that the seeing the church reminded him of “how faith can transform lives, making families stronger, making communities better, giving people of despair, hope, and giving people a much better understanding of what life is really all about: service to God, and service to others.’’

(...) Mr. Giuliani continues to place all his hopes on winning Florida’s primary on Jan. 29 – which has left him somewhat marginalized both by his distant losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, and by the fact that the other Republican are taking up most of the political oxygen with their hard-fought contests in Michigan and South Carolina. Mr. Giuliani drew a healthy crowd at a senior center in Bradenton on Saturday night, and got a warm reception at the parade in Little Miami (...).

At times Mr. Giuliani seemed to joke about his circumstances. At a dinner in Port Charlotte on Saturday night, he was urging the audience to vote early – Florida permits early voting, beginning Monday – when a woman in the audience called out, “I already voted, by absentee ballot.’’“Do I have a vote?’’ he asked, and as she indicated that he did, he said: “At least I won’t get wiped out! That’s great!” On Sunday morning, in the church, he spoke about his campaign as “a test of faith’’ And his strategy of waiting for a late win is testing the faith of some supporters. “I’m running for president of the United States,’’ he said. “It is marathon, not a sprint. And in many ways it’s a test of strength, and it’s a test of faith. The Bible reminds us, Joshua 10:25, fear not, be strong and of good courage. That’s the way to face the future. Whatever is ahead, we don’t know. Anything can be challenging us. Good, bad, difficult. But if we believe in God, fear not, be strong, and of good courage, that is the way to provide real leadership.”
“That’s what I’ve strived to do all of my life,’’ he said. “I’ve faced odds that were at times seemingly impossible. Situations where people had given up hope. But we didn’t Listen to the doubters. We didn’t listen to the naysayers. You know how many of them there are: it can’t be done, it hasn’t been done before, we can’t handle
this, we can’t accomplish this, no one’s ever done it before. Oh, there are so many that are naysayers. But don’t listen to them. Don’t pay attention to them. Fear not, be strong, and of good courage.’’

Michael Cooper, The Caucus (NYT).

Rudy with Sean Hannity

2008-01-12T18:36:00.000+01:00

First Day

2008-01-10T23:58:00.000+01:00

Norquist, le tasse e Rudy

2008-01-10T14:46:00.001+01:00

Il taglio alle tasse proposto da Giuliani rappresenterebbe un gigantesco salto in avanti per i contribuenti americani e per l'economia degli Stati Uniti. In particolare, il taglio della corporate income tax e dei capital gain sarebbe esattamente quello di cui abbiamo bisogno per evitare una fase di recessione. In più, il piano di tagli alle tasse proposto da Giuliani porterebbe alla creazione di un sistema alternativo (FAST: Fair and Simple Tax) che potrebbe, di anno in anno, essere scelto dalle famiglie americane e dai piccoli imprenditori; un sistema a tre aliquote (con quella massima al 30%) basato soltanto sulle deduzioni più utilizzate. La maggior parte degli americani, se liberi di scegliere questo sistema semplificato, opterebbero per esso senza più tornare indietro. Per anni Hong Kong ha utilizzato un sistema fiscale alternativo di questo tipo e la maggioranza dei cittadini lo ha utilizzato con soddisfazione.

Il presidente e fondatore degli Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist (*), commenta entusiasticamente il piano di riforma fiscale presentato, qualche giorno fa, da Rudy Giuliani. E, sul sito di ATR, comunica che Giuliani (a differenza di John McCain, Fred Thompson e di tutti i candidati democratici) ha firmato il pledge con cui si impegna ad opporsi a qualsiasi aumento delle tasse se eletto presidente. Secondo Norquist, il piano di Rudy porterebbe "al più grande taglio delle tasse nella storia americana" ed è il progetto "pro-growth" più convincente tra tutti quelli presentati dai candidati repubblicani alla presidenza.

Insieme al giudizio estremamente positivo degli Americans for Tax Reform, è arrivato anche l'appoggio del Club for Growth. Il presidente del think-tank liberista di Washington, Pat Tooney, ha diffuso un comunicato ufficiale in cui definisce il piano di Giuliani "una proposta coraggiosa ed innovativa che ricompensa il lavoro e il merito, incoraggia gli investimenti e promuove la crescita ecomomica degli Stati Uniti".

(*) Per chi non avesse idea di chi sia Grover Norquist e di quale sia stata la sua influenza nella crescita, politica e culturale, della destra americana, vi invitiamo a leggere un nostro articolo, dal titolo "A lezione di fusionismo", pubblicato circa un anno fa su Ideazione in occasione di una visita del presidente di ATR a Roma.

Cross-posted @ The Right Nation

Manchester, New Hampshire

2008-01-10T14:08:00.000+01:00

Liderzago

2008-01-10T14:07:00.001+01:00

My Man

2008-01-06T01:27:00.000+01:00

My man Rudy Giuliani got smoked in the Republican Iowa caucuses: 4% of the vote, nowhere.Yet as the smoke clears, it’s going to become apparent that Rudy was the night’s big winner. Here’s why.

The actual Republican winner, Mike Huckabee, cannot win his party’s nomination. Huckabee’s strong social conservatism played well in Iowa, where 60% of Republicans say they attend church every week.Outside Iowa, Huckabee will encounter a much less churchy party. Economic conservatives are dismayed by Huckabee’s record as governor of Arkansas: the fifth worst in the nation according to the libertarian Cato Institute.

Security voters worry about Huckabee’s frequent stumbles in foreign affairs. Huckabee’s immediate reaction to the Bhutto assassination was to call for American “apologies” to the people of Pakistan. His campaign later embarrassedly explained that he had meant to convey only “condolences” — not to imply that the United States was somehow culpable in the killing.The race now moves to New Hampshire, where a majority of Republicans want abortion to remain legal. Huckabee will do well to finish fourth in the Granite State.

If Huckabee’s Iowa win did him little enduring good, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s Iowa defeat does him severe and probably irrecoverable harm.Romney staked his entire campaign on a big Iowa win. He repositioned himself on the issues to appeal to Iowa’s social conservatives. He spent lavishly: at least $7 million, as compared to Huckabee’s $1.4 million. And yet Romney was crushed by Huckabee, 34%-25%.

Badly damaged, Romney now proceeds to New Hampshire. New Hampshire adjoins Massachusetts. These are Romney’s neighbors, practically his constituents. If he cannot win there, he cannot win anywhere. And Romney is running an average of two points behind John McCain.

So is it then McCain who triumphed in Iowa? That’s certainly the impression you would get from the national media, who adore the maverick war hero. McCain won the New Hampshire primary in 2000, and he will probably win again in 2008. His quirky independent politics suit a state whose license plates urge: “Life Free or Die.”Yet McCain faces severe constraints outside New Hampshire. He still polls at less than 20% among Republicans nationwide. Many Republicans remember that McCain nearly accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 2004. Despite McCain’s strong pro-life record, the National Right to Life Committee endorsed Fred Thompson for 2008.

Above all, Republicans remember McCain’s authorship of the detested McCain-Kennedy immigration amnesty — and McCain’s harsh condemnation of those conservatives who opposed him. 28% of Republicans rate immigration as the top issue, more than any other. For these Republicans, McCain is on the wrong side.Nor can McCain realistically hope to get any momentum out of New Hampshire. In the next primary (Michigan, Jan. 15) he polls a distant third. He ranks fourth in the primary after that (South Carolina, Jan. 19). And because McCain’s campaign is broke, he will have difficulty competing in the big, expensive media-market states that vote after January 29.

So who does that leave? Not Fred Thompson. He finished a dismal third in Iowa — and his aides are already telling journalists he will soon quit the race. No, it leaves Rudy. Rudy’s campaign has gone badly in recent weeks. He dropped 10 points among Republicans in early December, damaged by allegations that he had improperly billed city agencies for security costs on visits to his future wife. The allegations have since been disproven and retracted, but the mayor’s standing has not yet recovered.

Still, Giuliani continues to poll first among Republicans nationwide. Republicans rate him the most electable of the candidates. He and McCain are the only two candidates who beat Hillary or Obama in head-to-head poll match-ups. Rudy is the most popular Republican in New Jersey, a must-win state for the GOP in 2008.

With Thompson sunk or sinking, with Romney faltering and listing, it is Rudy who has the best chance to position himself as a viable alternative to the unelectable Huckabee. But a chance is all he has, not a certainty.Giuliani faces one severe obstacle to the nomination: He is pro-choice in a pro-life party. He cannot afford a second obstacle. Giuliani has to move now to align himself with the Republican voting majority on the immigration-reform issue. Immigration is a huge concern for Republicans in South Carolina — and given Huckabee’s dismal record on illegal immigration, the issue offers Giuliani a chance to do well in what might otherwise look like a natural Huckabee state.

If Giuliani can beat the odds in South Carolina, he will be superbly positioned to start amassing big delegate totals in Florida, California and New Jersey, when those huge states come into play in February.The Clash have a song: Rudie can’t fail. That’s going too far. But after Iowa, no Republican has a better chance to succeed.

David Frum, National Post.

Rudy Time

2008-01-05T14:09:00.000+01:00

The biggest beneficiary of the Huckabee win in Iowa is not Huckabee, it's Rudy. The biggest beneficiary of a McCain win in New Hampshire would be Rudy. Romney's strategy was to win Iowa and New Hampshire. He has now lost Iowa. Rudy is waiting to pounce in the next tier of states. That has always been his strategy.

Mark R. Levin, The Corner (NRO).

Karl's Wisdom

2008-01-04T23:31:00.000+01:00

Karl Rove commenta la strategia di Rudy Giuliani: "E' una strategia interessante. Bisogna ricordare che nel 1992 Bill Clinton vinse le sue prime primarie in Georgia, durante il Super Tuesday. E nel 2008 il Super Tuesday arriverà molto prima di quanto non avvenne nel 1992. Voglio anche far notare che nel 2000, per John McCain, non partecipare ai caucus dell'Iowa non fu affatto fatale".

cross-posted @ The Right Nation

Ecco perché Giuliani ha scelto di perdere l’Iowa per vincere l’America

2008-01-04T12:01:00.000+01:00

Des Moines (Iowa). C’erano tutti tranne uno, ieri notte in Iowa, al primo caucus elettorale del lungo e laborioso ciclo politico che nel novembre 2008 porterà all’elezione del nuovo presidente degli Stati Uniti. (...) Tutta l’America sembrava fosse in Iowa, tranne una persona. Non una qualunque, ma il candidato che i sondaggi nazionali continuano a indicare come il favorito del gruppo repubblicano: Rudy Giuliani. L’ex sindaco di New York non si è curato del caucus e ha trascorso la vigilia in New Hampshire e il giorno del voto in Florida. La strategia di Giuliani è perdere l’Iowa per conquistare l’America.

La scelta è stata in parte obbligata dal calendario e dalla tradizione politica dei primi stati in cui si è votato ieri e in cui si voterà nei prossimi giorni, ma è anche una decisione studiata a tavolino dagli strateghi di colui che la neo-obamiana Oprah Winfrey nei giorni dell’11 settembre aveva definito “America’s Mayor, il sindaco d’America”. Giuliani punta sul 29 gennaio, il giorno in cui si voterà in Florida e saranno distribuiti più della metà dei delegati. E poi sul “super tuesday” del 5 febbraio, quando si apriranno le urne negli stati più grandi.

Gli osservatori e un po’ anche i sondaggi cominciano a dubitare di questa scelta nazionale di Giuliani, ma se avrà ragione lui in fututo tutto questo clamore intorno al voto in Iowa, e poi in New Hampshire, potrebbe attenuarsi. L’approccio tradizionale, inaugurato da Jimmy Carter e Bill Clinton, è stato seguito da tutti gli altri. L’idea è che una vittoria o un buon piazzamento in Iowa e New Hampshire garantiscano un’inerzia positiva in termini di spazi tv, soldi e sondaggi necessaria a conquistare la nomination.

La candidatura di Giuliani, malgrado gli scetticismi strategici, resta quella che continua a preoccupare di più il mondo liberal. I grandi giornali non lesinano articoli e inchieste negative, volte a smontare l’immagine di leader efficiente, efficace e risoluto che Giuliani trasmette agli elettori. Il suo ultimo spot elettorale mostra le immagini di attentati terroristici, alternate a manifestazioni di radicali islamici di ogni tipo. Lo spot descrive “un nemico senza frontiere, un odio senza confini, un popolo abusato, una religione tradita, una potenza nucleare nel caos, uomini pazzi pronti a creare disordine, leader assassinati, democrazia sotto attacco e Osama bin Laden ancora minaccioso”. E, infine, conclude: “In un mondo in cui la prossima crisi sta per arrivare, l’America ha bisogno di un leader che sia pronto”.

La stampa però da mesi prova a smontare questa immagine, da ultimo il New Yorker, raccontando un Giuliani inefficiente e autore di errori decisionali che avrebbero potuto salvare parecchie vite l’11 settembre. Nel mondo dei media nessuno crede nelle sue possibilita di vittoria, eppure i democratici sono spaventati. Ai loro occhi Giuliani ha gli stessi difetti di Bush, ma al cubo: si circonda di amici da cui pretende fedeltà assoluta, non ascolta le critiche e adora esercitare fino ai limiti, se non oltre, il potere esecutivo. A New York, da sindaco, governava ingaggiando violente battaglie amministrative con avversari e critici. I liberal si chiedono con terrore che cosa potrebbe combinare nel mondo avendo a disposizione l’esercito e i codici nucleari. Giuliani spera che gli elettori si pongano la stessa domanda, perché saranno costretti a riconoscere che con lui al comando l’America sarà più protetta e sicura.

Christian Rocca, Il Foglio.

Iowa: A Very Cheerful Rudy Giuliani

2008-01-04T11:59:00.000+01:00

On MSNBC, Rudy Giuliani is making a very smiley, happy showing of himself. The result in Iowa could not have been better for Giuliani tactically. Romney has been injured. Huckabee won, but did not apparently win by a huge margin, and there won’t be many other states where evangelicals make up fully three-fifths of the primary electorate. And John McCain did not, it seems, come in third with a surprising showing, but fourth with a very modest showing. If McCain beats Romney in New Hampshire, Romney will have a difficult time going on — but McCain clearly hasn’t yet turned the corner and brought conservative Republicans back in his corner. And Fred Thompson’s third-place showing wasn’t impressive enough to kick his campaign back to life. With no one especially strong on the Republican side through the first few states, the Giuliani strategy of betting it all on Florida on January 29 and the big states on February 5 is looking better than it did a week ago.

John Podhoretz, Contentions (Commentary).

Una gara incerta favorisce Giuliani anche secondo il Cato Institute

2008-01-03T20:28:00.001+01:00

Secondo il Cato Institute, il probabile vincitore delle primarie in Iowa è il candidato che meno vi ha investito, in proporzione: Rudy Giuliani.

Mitt Romney si è talmente impegnato nella tradizionale strategia di vincere nei primi stati a tenere primarie, nella speranza di ottenere un vantaggio psicologico e mediatico, che una sconfitta lo macchierebbe forse definitivamente come un perdente, escludendolo dalla corsa. E i primi tre stati a votare sono quelli più congeniali ad altri tre candidati: Huckabee, McCain, Thompson.
A Giuliani serve soltanto attendere il super tuesday, dove voteranno gli stati maggiori e dove l'ex sindaco di New York ha puntato di più, mentre i suoi avversari potrebbero arrivarvi dopo essersi esauriti ed avere diviso il voto della base repubblicana meno favorevole a Rudy

clipped from www.cato.org

For the Republicans, it's a battle to take-on Rudy Giuliani on Super Tuesday. Mike Huckabee must win Iowa, as he won't be winning New Hampshire. Mitt Romney's traditional early state strategy will be in tatters if he loses tonight, as he faces the prospect of losing next week to John McCain. Which leaves Fred Thompson, if he's still in the race, waiting on South Carolina to restart his plodding campaign. Separate winners in Iowa and New Hampshire may strongly reposition Giuliani, despite a dwindling national lead, to face-down his divided, socially conservative opposition

tag: Blogs for Giuliani, Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire,

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, 2 gennaio

2008-01-03T15:21:00.000+01:00

Looking Good

2008-01-02T11:15:00.000+01:00

Lisa Schiffren, su The Corner, ha pubblicato un interessante memo scritto da Brent Seaborn, strategy director di Team Rudy, in cui vengono delineate le linee essenziali della strategia elettorale dell'America's Mayor per le primarie. Vi proponiamo la versione integrale del documento. Tenetene conto, quando domani arriveranno i risultati (con ogni probabilità disastrosi) dei caucus in Iowa.

TO: TEAM RUDY
FROM: BRENT SEABORN, STRATEGY DIRECTOR
RE: Looking Good
DATE: December 31, 2007

As voting nears in the Republican nomination process, our campaign remains convinced that our strategy we have long had in place is right - bold, innovative and designed to deal with the radically different election calendar. While many of the beltway insiders seem to remain committed to the old "Carter/Clinton" approach and have questioned the adjustments we have made to our strategic thinking based on the new calendar, we clearly have a winning plan to secure the nomination in an election cycle unlike any other. History will prove us right. As we enter the final stages of the campaign we have seen a tightening in the national polling and the emergence of a real 5-way race for the Republican nomination. Mayor Giuliani has led virtually every national major media poll conducted in 2007. We are now at a point in the campaign where we are seeing increasing polling volatility as public attention turns to the horse races in individual states. Important to our long term strategy, Mayor Giuliani has enjoyed a commanding lead in nearly every public poll conducted in the delegate rich states of Florida, California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey.

2007 November - December Public Polling Averages Mayor Giuliani and Closest Opponent in state
Florida 30% 17%
California 29% 15%
New Jersey 38% 12%
New York 40% 12%

The Primary Calendar 2008 will be unlike any recent Republican nomination process. What typically has been a primary process that stretched into March or April has been accelerated and compacted into a 33 day sprint. Our rivals seemingly have built campaigns based on the old calendars' strategies — a couple of very early state wins to propel them deeper in to the nomination process. To the contrary, our plan allocates time and resources to the many states which vote a bit later — on January 29 (Florida) and February 5. For the record, only 78 delegates will be picked prior to Florida whereas 1,039 delegates will be picked on January 29 and February 5. Additionally, it is important to note that voting HAS ALREADY STARTED in Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and New York - tens of thousands of people will have already cast their ballot by the time you are reading this note. And more February 5th states, including California will begin early and absentee voting soon. All of this points to the folly of over-estimating the impact of the results of Iowa and New Hampshire and the wisdom of our strategy. Putting a high priority on spending our time and money in a proportional basis in Florida and the large delegate states voting on February 5th is clearly the right thing to do. The Early States The pre-February 5th states are Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, Florida and Maine. Delegates are at stake in just five states before February 5. Wyoming will select a portion of its delegates at their caucus in January, but will not allocate all of their delegates until later in the year. Iowa, Nevada and Maine award NO delegates at this time. Florida is the big prize on January 29, with 57 winner-take-all delegates - the only winner-take-all state before February 5th.

Pre February 5th Contests
Estimated Delegates after RNC Penalty
1/3 Iowa 0*
1/5 Wyoming 12
1/8 New Hampshire 12
1/15 Michigan 30
1/19 Nevada 0*
1/19 South Carolina 24
1/29 Florida 57
2/1 Maine 0*

Because states selecting delegates before February 5th are in violation of Republican National Committee rules, those states have been penalized half of their normal delegates; Iowa, Nevada, and Maine do not select any delegates at their caucuses, but rather at state party conventions in late spring. The states before February 5th will allocate delegates to multiple candidates under varying state election laws and state party rules. Thus, it is highly unlikely that any single candidate will win all of any one state's delegates except Florida's, which will be winner-take-all. Florida accounts for more than 40% of all delegates allocated before February 5th and has almost twice as many delegates as the next largest state. It is therefore easy and correct to conclude that in a multiple candidate race, whichever candidate wins Florida, with their winner-take-all delegates, will very likely have a delegate lead going into February 5th.

February 5th
On February 5th, 982 delegates will be in play. Most importantly, a bloc of 201 winner-take-all delegates will be at stake in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware, all states in which Mayor Giuliani has double digit leads. Aside from the huge northeast delegate prize, Missouri will award 58 winner-take-all delegates, and Senator Kit Bond's endorsement gives our organization a great statewide network there. Also on February 5th, large states such as California, Georgia and Illinois will award most of their delegates by Congressional District vote. It is for this reason that Mayor Giuliani has spent a great deal of time in each of those states and has always polled well in them.

Path to Victory
If Mayor Giuliani wins even a minority share of the 78 delegates from pre Florida states, wins Florida's 57 delegates, wins the 201 available in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware, and wins only a plurality of delegates from large February 5th states like California, Georgia and Illinois, he will have a commanding lead in delegates for the nomination with more than half of the delegates selected.
State Polling and OutlooksAs noted above, polling has been and will continue to be dynamic and incredibly volatile. In Iowa for instance -just in December- we have seen polls placing the Mayor's support from as high as 3rd to as low as 6th place. Senator McCain caucus support has ranged from a high of 20% to a low of 5%. And polling over the Christmas and New Year holidays will not be any less fickle. In Iowa, one could anticipate that Mayor Giuliani might finish outside of the top 3. Governors Huckabee and Romney are battling it out for first, Senator Thompson is spending a lot of time in the state over the closing days of the campaign and Senator McCain received a recent boost from the endorsement of the Des Moines Register. While placement in Iowa will be a focus of the media, it should be remembered that Senator McCain came in 5th place in Iowa (behind Bauer and Keyes) before winning New Hampshire. The most covered story out of Iowa will likely be the Democratic race, but on the Republican side, the Huckabee/Romney race will be very interesting. The Romney campaign has invested millions of dollars and assembled a massive paid staff; some now question whether Mitt Romney's Iowa investment and organization will prevail over Mike Huckabee. While Governor Huckabee was climbing rapidly in polls before Christmas, he now seems to have plateaued. Governor Romney's strategy has long been based on winning the first few races to build momentum. Many believe the Romney organization (and a few million more dollars of get-out-the-vote money) will pull this one out for their campaign. New Hampshire is only a few days after Iowa and voters there are notoriously late deciders on their presidential primary vote. New Hampshire will be very much in flux after Iowa. Governor Romney was governor of neighboring Massachusetts and Senator McCain won New Hampshire in 2000. In addition to Senator McCain's base of support, he has recently put together a series of high profile endorsements in the area to further reinvigorate his campaign. The unprecedented personal spending by Governor Romney should not be underestimated. It is apparent that he has put more than $40 million of his own money into this race. Accurate polling in New Hampshire will be nearly impossible, with the holidays complicating it logistically and the Iowa news cycle dominating press and potentially disrupting the order of the race. Although we should expect to see more polling from South Carolina, Michigan and the other early states, one should remember that because of the furious pace of the election calendar and the never ending news cycle, polling will be very difficult to conduct, have a very short shelf life an become even more unstable and unreliable. The polling picture will be further blurred with the range of new polling methodologies that are being tested, ranging from robotic calling to internet polling. Thus, we should all be ready for a barrage of state and national polls in January with seemingly contradictory results — some of it good news, much of it related to early January states as bad news. We should all have confidence in the strong organizations and also in the strong bases of support in Florida and other February 5th states which will endure the ups and downs of January. Also, by the time we get to Florida, the field of candidates and the race will look remarkably different than it does right now. Florida will be the important battleground not only for our campaign but for the race itself. Polling in Florida has been stable all year. For most of the second half of 2007, the support for Mayor Giuliani has averaged 33 or 34%. Virtually every other candidate in the race has polled in second place to us at one point or another over the year. We have remained on top in Florida. As in all races, expect to see signs of tightening in Florida as Election Day approaches, but also expect us to consolidate more support as candidates drop out of the race. We are very proud of our Florida organization, which, like all of our state organizations, is prepared for the long, hard fight to win. One should conclude, as voting nears, that our campaign is focused on the right prize - winning enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination. Our national campaign is the right strategy for getting it done.

Hardball

2007-12-30T19:36:00.001+01:00

Fruitcake

2007-12-28T13:58:00.001+01:00

Romney wins a ringing "NO"-endorsement

2007-12-24T18:41:00.000+01:00

Il Concord Monitor è il rispettato quotidiano locale del New Hampshire, nominato alcuni anni fa "il miglior piccolo quotidiano d'America". E' stato fondato nel 1864 e , tradizionalmente, non ha mai appoggiato esplicitamente nessuno dei candidati alle primarie.

Sino ad ora. La tradizionale equidistanza è stata infranta, non per appoggiare un candidato, ma per dichiarare il disgusto per uno di essi: Mitt Romney, definito un finto candidato, una fregatura, indegno della carica di presidente perché sprovvisto delle qualità filosofiche, morali e politiche necessarie al ruolo, un voltagabbana incoerente. Romney è stato governatore del vicino stato Massachussets, quindi gli editori del Concord Monitor dovrebbero saperne qualcosa.

In a scathing anti-endorsement that called Romney a "disquieting figure," the New Hampshire newspaper's editorial board said he looks and acts like a presidential contender but "surely must be stopped" because he lacks the core philosophical beliefs to be a trustworthy president.

In particular, the newspaper noted the former Massachusetts governor's change of heart on such issues as abortion rights, stem-cell research and access to emergency contraception, as well as on signing an anti-tax pledge.

"When New Hampshire partisans are asked to defend the state's first-in-the-nation primary, we talk about our ability to see the candidates up close, ask tough questions and see through the baloney. If a candidate is a phony, we assure ourselves and the rest of the world, we'll know it," the newspaper said. "Mitt Romney is such a candidate. New Hampshire Republicans and independents must vote no."

Hat tip: NewsMax

Nomination Path: Tougher, But Not Blocked

2007-12-21T16:55:00.000+01:00

(...) Since he surged, Huckabee has been getting much tougher coverage, as any reader of this blog has seen. Romney's still getting hit from a lot of different directions - his dad and Martin Luther King, his immigration positions, the usual flip-flop charges, etc. If McCain wins New Hampshire, you'll see him get coverage that's much tougher. His foes will start reciting immigrationdeal-campaignfinancereform-gangof14-votedagainst Bushtaxcuts over and over again. You'll see every picture he's ever taken with Ted Kennedy dominating the airwaves. If Fred Thompson surges, he'll get knocked around, too. And there's still some possibility of the murder-suicide effect; if any candidate goes too negative on another, the mud splashes on both of them.

So it's possible that by the time we get to Florida, most of the other Big Five have won only one or two states and has higher negatives from several tough primary battles. Rudy can swoop in, win delegate-rich Florida, and then try to execute his big state Super Duper Tuesday strategy, and pound home, electability, electability, electability...

It's not a perfect path to the nomination, but right now, no one has one...

Jim Gerarthy, sul blog The Campaign Spot della National Review.

The Game

2007-12-20T13:16:00.000+01:00

In a baseball game, you've got to play nine innings and whoever gets the most runs at the end of the nine innings wins. So here, you've got to play in 29 primaries. Nobody's going to win all of them, that's for sure.

Rudy Giuliani, 19 dicembre 2007

Gallup: Giuliani +11%

2007-12-18T14:15:00.000+01:00

Una boccata d'ossigeno per Rudy nell'ultimo sondaggio Gallup per USA Today, dopo un paio di settimane davvero difficili. Giuliani in crescita (+2%) rispetto all'inizio di dicembre, ha il 27% dei consensi, con 11 punti percentuali di vantaggio su Mike Huckabee (16%). Alle loro spalle, appaiati al 14% ci sono Mitt Romney, John McCain e Fred Thompson. Lontanissimo, al 3%, Ron Paul.

Tested. Ready. Now. America needs a leader [video]

2007-12-17T15:27:00.000+01:00

Il video integrale del discorso di Rudy a Tampa.

Tested. Ready. Now. America needs a leader

2007-12-16T13:09:00.000+01:00

Da The Page, il blog di Mark Halperin per The Time, pubblichiamo la versione integrale dello stump speech di Rudy ieri a Tampa (Florida).

Thank you. Tested. Ready. Now. America needs a leader. I am running for President of the United States because I believe that I can lead America into a new era with bold leadership, optimism, determination, and distinctly American solutions. If you’re looking for perfection, you’re not going to find it. Not in me, not in any candidate. But if you’re looking for a leader who has been tested in times of crisis; a leader who’s ready to lead right now; a leader who’s achieved results – results that some people thought were impossible –a leader who believes that there is no problem too difficult for American solutions and a free, American spirit. I believe I am that leader.

I’ve met adversity before. I’ve led in situations that seemed hopeless and dire, in need of a miracle. I don’t just pray for miracles. I don’t just hope for miracles. I expect miracles. Some people look at the challenges we face as a nation and they fear the future. I welcome it. I welcome the opportunity to keep America safe and secure. We will win the Terrorists’ War on Us.

I welcome the opportunity to restore fiscal discipline to Washington D.C. While we empower millions of people to move out of poverty and achieve the American dream. And I welcome the opportunity to win this election. Leading a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House.

But as I travel across our land, I’ve begun to hear a murmur that America somehow has lost the ability to achieve great goals. Some good people have come to believe that our country is on the wrong track. Middle Class families feel that the American Dream may be slipping away. They’re worried about the future. They’re worried that the future may not be as bright as the past. They’re worried that this may be the time where the next generation of Americans doesn’t do as well as the last generation. It doesn’t have to be that way. We — we, you and I — can decide America’s direction. We can determine America’s future. After all, that’s what an election is all about. So let’s decide for optimism, not pessimism; for hope, not despair; for strength, not weakness; for victory, not defeat.

We can’t afford a crisis of confidence at the time we need our confidence the most because our country does face real crisis right now. We’re at war. The American people want to see victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, not humiliation and defeat.

They want their children to live free from the fear of terrorism. They’re telling us, get it done. And we will.

Washington’s culture of wasteful spending is out of control. Everyone knows that. The American people want to see real fiscal discipline. They’re telling us, get it done. And we will.

Americans have heard presidents talk about energy independence for three decades. Now they’re paying more at the pump and they’re seeing their money go into the pockets of some of our enemies. They’re telling us, get it done. Get energy independence done. We will.

The American people are angry that the federal government has failed to protect and secure our borders. And they’re telling us, get it done. And we will.

What America needs in 2008 is a proven leader who will get things done. I’ve been tested. I’m ready. And the time is right now.

This is a time for leadership. A leader is someone who combines vision for the future with the ability to get things done. It’s a person who can dream about a better future and then help bring it into reality, actually make [is] it possible. So today, I’m going to share with you my vision for our future, for America’s future. This summer, we presented a bold agenda for the future. It was my 12 Commitments to the American people.

But today I want to explain it in a slightly different way. I want to explain it by describing my vision of the America that I want to hand over to my successor if you give me the honor of being your president. Because we all believe that everyone of us, no matter what our role or who we are in this country, all of us has an obligation, a responsibility to hand our nation to the next generation better than it was handed to us.

We’re about improving our country for the next generation. We’ve always been about that. This generation has to be about that.

So we’ll hand over an America where our schools are the best in the world – not 21st in Science, not 25th in Math like we are today. I’ve got a goal for America. How about being # 1?
We can reform education—primary and secondary education in this country and we can do it by creating and expanding school choice. We’ll empower parents – not government bureaucrats – let the parents choose where their child goes to school. Who knows better?

All children – rich and poor, middle class or otherwise – all children deserve a quality education: whether it’s public, private, parochial, charter or home-school. To me, this is the great civil rights issue of our time. Our children, all of our children, not just yours, not just mine, all of our children need a good education and if the parents are making the choice, if that’s the rule in this country and not the exception, I’m confident that the decisions will be made in their interest. They’re going to do it better than some bureaucrat who has never met their child, doesn’t know their child. So let’s give the power here, the main power to the parents.

We’ll hand over an America that embraces [is] the global economy. That needs fairness. Of course we need a level playing field, but we should be less concerned about how much we buy from overseas, except from the point of view of safety and security, that’s important. But on the economics of it, what we should really be focusing on is how much do we sell to overseas?
America is an entrepreneurial society. We should view the rise of China and India, the people moving out of poverty in China and India, we should view that as a great opportunity to find what America is always looking for: new customers. Right?

When they think of us as a country that’s militaristic, they’re wrong. The essential nature of Americans is not war. Americans only go to war when they have to and then of course we do it to win and to prevail and to be safe. So do it in a determined way. But here’s the essential nature of America and Americans. Here’s what we really want to do with you all around the world. We want to sell you something. Right?

Isn’t that what America’s all about. America is an entrepreneurial society. But we also need to keep our house in order here in the United States. We’ll hand over a country that’s more fiscally disciplined, with a government no larger than it has to be. It’ll be a country where taxes, regulations, abusive lawsuits don’t drive jobs and businesses out of the United States. And we’ll create—And we’ll create hundreds of thousands of jobs, millions of jobs, in the process. We’ll lower the income tax and the corporate tax rates. We’ll give the death tax the death penalty.

We’ll find many ways to bring tax relief to middle class families where that tax relief is needed the most. And you know what else we’re going to do? We’re going to develop a single page, one-page optional tax form. How about being able to do it all on one page? Wouldn’t that be great?
Ok. The print may be a little small.

But we’ll work real hard to get it on one page. The Democrats running for president seem to want a nanny state. They want to run your life from the cradle to the grave. We don’t want that kind of state. America’s like a country that puts reliance on individuals, on people, what they can do, what they can accomplish. America’s a country that works on initiative. And then we give people opportunity and help to have that initiative, but we don’t try to direct their lives from the day [their] they’re born until the day they die. We’ll hand off a country that doesn’t penalize success. We’ll reward success. We want a country where the “sky’s the limit”. People can reach for the stars and they can have a hope that they can get there. We don’t want to put a lid on their desires, on their ambitions. We want to encourage social mobility. What country has done it better than America in the history of the world? Move people out of poverty, create social mobility, have people in one generation go from the virtual bottom to the virtual top and all the places in between. We do that by being a country of initiative, a country that rewards success, not a country that penalizes success. So we want to encourage social mobility. That’s how we move people out of poverty. That’s how we strengthen the middle class and that’s how we bring the American dream within the reach of every willing person in this country.

Now if you keep doing that, I’m going to stop giving this speech. I’m going to go out and play football. We’ll hand over a country where decisions about your healthcare are made between you and your doctor, not between you and a Hillary-care custodian.

We can make health care more affordable, portable. We can do that through tax cuts, not tax hikes and government mandates. We can open the market, we can increase choice, we can empower individuals and all of that, all of that will drive down the cost so that people can afford health insurance and good health insurance, quality health insurance. That has to be our goal. We do it through an America, we do it through private decision-making and private markets not through socialized medicine.

We’ll hand over a country with 200 new federal judges – or 400, if you give me a second term. Well let’s work on the first one first. Ok. These judges will be responsible men and women, people who understand that their role is to interpret the Constitution, not social activists who legislate from the bench. To do anything less is to deny us the defense of liberty that comes from the separation of powers. We’ll hand over a country where we’ve ended illegal immigration where it has to be done – at the border.

And also a country who’s arms are wide open to people who come here, people who come here legally and openly. We want them, we need them, we will accept them, and what we want them to do, if they want to become citizens, is meet all the requirements and then be able to read English, write English, and speak English.

Ending illegal immigration won’t be easy. It requires changing human behavior – but it needs to be done for everyone’s good. I have the will. I have the way to do it, the plan to do it, and I have the track record to bring safety and order and fairness to a situation that is now [our] out of control. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.

We’ll hand over an America that is stronger, safer and more secure. We’ll make every community better prepared, more prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters something you know about here in Florida. The hurricanes of a few years ago where you had to deal with four all in one short season. The way you did it was a really good emergency response. The rest of the country needs to be at at least that level of preparation and we all need to be at a higher level of preparation. And as we do that, we’ll build a more resilient society – ready to withstand anything that comes our way and ready to help those in need, whenever and wherever they need it. We’re one country. We’re in this together. Natural disaster, terrorist attack, you learned here in Florida. I learned that in New York. We embrace each other.
We’ll hand over an America that is achieving energy independence. We can do it by increasing the diversity of our energy sources. And we can do it by having both a healthy environment and a healthy economy. The two things are not inconsistent with each other. The two things compliment each other if you do energy independence the right way and you move toward the right sources and you support it. And most the most important thing is we’ll approach this goal with the same single-mindedness that America used to put a man on the moon. Remember? Well, some of you don’t remember. You’re too young.

You remember. I remember. You don’t remember. But you’re going to read about this in history, because it’s one of our great historical moments. The Apollo Mission, the mission to put a man on the moon, it was started by President Eisenhower, a Republican. It was advanced greatly by President Kennedy, a Democrat. It was brought almost to its final stages by President Johnson, another Democrat, and it was completed under President Nixon, another Republican. This wasn’t a Republican success. This wasn’t a Democratic success. This was an American achievement.

That’s when we’re at our best. That’s when we’re at our best, when we’re thinking like Americans. We were at our best to put a man on the moon, we were at our best to deal with the horror and the shock and the pain and the suffering of September 11th, weren’t we? No Republicans, no Democrats just Americans. That’s what we need to achieve energy independence and then maybe we can take that sprit and we can apply it to some of these other big problems that we face. What we really need is to reaffirm and we need a new era, not of Republican success or Democratic success, how about we look for things where we can have American success.

Finally, and this is the big challenge of our generation, we’ll hand over a country that is safer, that is more secure from the Terrorists who are at war with us and around the world. We’ll do it the same way that Ronald Reagan accelerated the end of Cold War. President Reagan used to be asked in the early days of his presidency, when the Cold War was in some ways you know very intense, they’d say to him “You know this Cold War’s been going on for a long time is it ever going to end, how is it going to end? People couldn’t see an ending to it, it’d been going on for so long. Will it ever end, can it end? Ronald Reagan listened to them, paused the way he used to, put a little smile on his face and when they were asking him how would it end, he just had that little smile on his face and he said: “They Lose. We Win.”

That’s the same approach that we need to defeat these enemies that we have. We need to stay on offense in this Terrorist War against Us, achieving peace through strength, that’s the only way you achieve peace, through great strength, by being on offense, by being strong, by being confident, by having a military that we expand, not contract. We have to rebuild our military.
I have a goal in Iraq it’s not the Democrats goal, they tried to legislate loss in Iraq, they’re still trying to legislate loss in Iraq. I have a different goal. It will be a very clear decision for the American people. Here’s my goal for Iraq, victory, success for America and for our troops. Let’s achieve the goal that we went there to achieve, a stable Iraq that will act as an ally for us in the ongoing Islamic Terrorist war against us. That is a victory for us and a defeat for them.

Our men and women there believe they can achieve that. They’ve shown us unexpected progress; many people even opponents of that war have been surprised at how exceptional the progress has been. So let’s help them and support them. And let’s do the same thing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Let’s make sure we finish the job and we eliminate Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

We will hand over an America that has stopped Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
And when we stop them we won’t just be moderately confidant but we’ll be totally sure.
But we also need to win the war of ideas and the war of ideals. Strengthening our ties with the Middle East, embracing those people in the Middle East, in the Arab world, in the Islamic world. The overwhelming majority of people who want peace, who below the cultural differences share the same values that we have. We’ve got reach out to them; we’ve got to get to know them better. We’ve got to get them to know us better. We’ve got to do more business with them. That part of the world is filled with people with the same entrepreneurial spirit that we have. The same love for their children that we have, the same desire for a safe and secure life for themselves that we have. There are a few people and more than a few but by no means anything close to a substantial proportion of people, that have perverted the thinking and turned it into a political ideology now of hatred and anger and viciousness and aggression. But that shouldn’t stop us from reaching out to all of the rest of those people who have the same desires that we have. We should actually be having more contact with, doing more business with, having more cultural relationships with the Middle East now than we have ever had before. It is another way to win the Terrorist War against all of Us. And I will do that and I will make sure that we open up in the same way that we will be strong and on offense, we will also have a very big open arm for all those people who want to work with us. We’ll embrace them, they’ll embrace us, it’s not the first time America has done that, it won’t be the last and it will work. I guarantee you it will work.

So all of this is saying that America needs bold leadership to meet these very very big challenges that we have. But I know we have the strength to hand our nation to the next generation stronger than it’s been handed to us. We have the capacity to improve things the way our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, mothers, fathers, people all over have done for us. I have faith in the Genius of America: the power of free people to solve whatever problems they face. That’s why my solutions all begin with a simple thought, a simple philosophy: Give people more power.

America’s not unique because of its central government. America is great because of self-government. We unleash the genius of America when we increase freedom. The freedom to pursue success, prosperity, happiness, fulfillment, in the way that you choose, not the way that the government dictates to you. The genius of America is you. The individual American. When you decide how to spend your money, you’ll spend it more productively than any government ever will.

When you’re the one deciding what school your child should can go to, you’ll make a much better decision than some government bureaucrat can make for a child they never met or never known. And when you decide what kind of healthcare you should have, you will make a much better decision than some government custodian can make for you.

It’s really simple. I believe in the strength and wisdom of the American people. Look at our history and you’ll see why. Because no matter when or how your ancestors came to this country, we are all the proud descendants of pioneers and patriots. They created this for us, their optimistic American spirit, the defiant determination to do what some other people thought was impossible, that is our greatest inheritance. Each generation of Americans has been called to overcome great challenges. Previous generations fought for our independence, signed the constitution, ended slavery, healed the wounds of a Civil War, settled the West, overcame the Great Depression and secured civil rights. So when we see all of that, are our challenges any greater than theirs? They won the Second World War against Nazism and fascism and the Cold War against communism. That’s the same strength that’s in each of us. We inherited it, we have it. We’ve got to believe that we do. And now it is our generation’s turn to make history in this new century. I know that this generation can overcome any challenge. I’ve seen your strength, I’ve been sustained by it.

I saw it on the morning of September 11th, 2001. There were points that day, that morning in particular where I wondered, I wondered whether we had the strength to deal with this[,] worst attack in our history, unprecedented, horrific, memories and images that will live with me until the day that I die. But immediately as a I saw the courage and the strength of our citizens and our first responders, when I saw the picture of the firefighters who put the flag up at Ground Zero, just like the Marines at Iwo Jima, many years before, looked just the same didn’t it? You know what I said to myself and this gave me great strength to get through everything. I said to myself this generation, this current generation, our generation, we’ve got the same strength, the same determination, the same patriotism because it comes from our fathers and grandfathers who won the Second World War and did all of these things. Maybe sometimes, maybe sometimes it happens when we’re put under stress and we’re put in a moment of terror and horror and it just comes out. But you know throughout history, people who live in freedom have much more strength than people who live in oppression. That’s been the story of the Old Testament, its been the story of the ancient world and the modern world. It was the story of the 20thth century taught us, if nothing else, that you have to stand up to tyrants, to bullies, to terrorists. It’s in strength that you’ll be able to achieve peace and vindicate freedom. century, people who live in freedom overcome oppression. We are on the right side of this. We have the strength, we have the ability.

With bold leadership, America will meet and exceed any challenge we face. With bold leadership, America will face the future with confidence and reclaim our right to live in freedom from fear. With bold leadership, America will rise to new heights in this still very new century. This is a time for leadership. This is a time for strength. This is a time to roll up our sleeves, not wring our hands. I’ve been Tested in crisis. I’m Ready to lead. And the time is right Now. Thank you.

Tested. Ready. Now.

2007-12-14T17:23:00.000+01:00

(...) Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will deliver a speech Saturday aimed at laying out a broad governing vision for the country, an address his campaign is touting as a turning point in his bid for the Republican nomination. "This will be a closing statement of why he wants to be president," said a senior Giuliani adviser familiar with the speech. The broad goal, according to the adviser, is to define "what will America be like after a Giuliani presidency." For much of the campaign to date, Giuliani has talked almost exclusively about his record as mayor of New York as opposed to what he would do as president. Saturday's speech will change that, his advisers argue, with a speech that will carry the tagline: "Tested. Ready. Now."

The locale and timing of the speech send a signal of their own. Giuliani will deliver the speech in Tampa, Florida, a not so subtle symbol of the importance of the state to Giuliani's path the to the nomination. The Sunshine State and its Jan. 29 presidential primary has long been seen as Giuliani's firewall as poll after poll shows him with wide leads over all of his potential rivals. As for the timing, the Giuliani campaign believes the speech falls on perhaps on the last day before the Christmas rush begins in earnest -- wiping out the ability to firmly communicate a message to voters.

Chris Cilizza, The Fix (blog del Washington Post).

Dal Massachusetts per Rudy

2007-12-14T15:18:00.000+01:00

(...) ... In '98 when I had a tough election campaign here in Massachusetts, uh, he came up the final night -- the day before the election --We went to the North end of Boston -- the Italian section. We kind of had a little, uh, parade for the North end. We ended up at, uh, uh, an Italian restaurant having "pizzer" and beer. And then we went and had a couple of cigars. That's a very fond memory of Rudy helping me out when I needed some help. And he was there for me, and I'm very proud to be there for him.".

L'ex governatore Massachusetts, Paul Cellucci, intervistato da Matt Lewis per Townhall.

One Hour

2007-12-07T15:01:00.000+01:00

Guarda il video sul blog di Giulia NY.

Life After Death

2007-12-07T12:53:00.000+01:00

(...) The question that has dominated the GOP contest is, "Should we nominate someone as liberal as Rudy on social issues?" The answer among the stalwarts is obviously no. As long as the social conservatives are divided among four candidates, Rudy has a shot. But when they rally behind one man (probably Huckabee) conservatives outnumber moderates in Republican primaries, particularly if the independents are drawn into the Democratic primary by Hillary's new vulnerability.
But by losing, Rudy shifts the focus. Republicans will ask, "Is America ready to elect a Mormon?" (unfortunately not) and, "Are we ready to go with Romney or Huckabee who have no experience in foreign or military affairs?" Once again, Rudy will profit from the shift in focus his defeat in the early contests will trigger.

(...) Remember how Gary Hart beat Mondale in New Hampshire in 1984 and Mondale came back to win? And how Paul Tsongas beat Clinton there in 1992 and Clinton eventually won? And how McCain defeated Bush in New Hampshire in 2000 but how Bush came back to win? Different year. New candidates. Same deal.

Dick Morrisu, Real Clear Politics.

Hillary Clinton dietro alle ultime insinuazioni su Giuliani?

2007-12-03T13:17:00.001+01:00

Come mai il clan di Hillary Clinton starebbe già passando dettagli sugli "scandali " di Rudy Giuliani? Forse per timore: Giuliani è l'unico in grado di battere la senatrice, quindi deve essere fermato prima che possa conquistare la nomination.

clipped from news.newsmax.com

Hillary Behind Giuliani Billing Disclosures?

Political insiders are speculating that the hidden hand of Hillary Clinton was behind recent disclosures about Rudy Giuliani’s questionable billing practices as New York City mayor.

The Politico.com disclosed on Wednesday that Mayor Giuliani
billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in
security costs during the time he was starting an extramarital
affair with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons on Long
Island, where she had a condo.

The speculation by insiders is that the information about
Giuliani’s billing practices was unearthed by Democrat Hillary
Clinton’s campaign researchers while she was running for the U.S.
Senate in the 2000 election.

The thinking is that Hillary is convinced that she’ll win the
nomination, and is seeking to knock off Rudy early because Clinton
and her backers believe Giuliani is the only GOP candidate who could
beat her in the general election.

Huckabee può vincere Iowa?

2007-11-29T13:42:00.000+01:00

Secondo The Fix, il blog di politica del Washington Post, Mike Huckabee potrebbe avere una chance in Iowa o, perlomeno, avere un ottimo risultato. Buone notizie per Rudy Giuliani, IMHO: Mitt Romney sta investendo molto in Iowa e sarebbe il candidato maggiormente danneggiato da un'affermazione di Huckabee.

Why (and How) Huckabee Can Win Iowa -

The not-so-unbeatable Hillary

2007-11-27T09:34:00.001+01:00

quirk is: all other Dems would beat any other GOP nominee - looks awkward to me.

clipped from www.newsmax.com

All five of the leading Republican presidential candidates � including John McCain � would beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head match-up, according to a surprising new poll from Zogby International.

The national poll of nearly 10,000 people � about equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, with about one-quarter independents � is more bad news for longtime front-runner Clinton. It shows that she�s slipping not only in Iowa and several other early caucus or primary states, but across the country as well.

Asked whom they would choose in a race between Giuliani and Clinton, 43 percent of respondents said Giuliani and 39.4 percent chose Clinton, with 14.6 percent opting for �someone else� and 3 percent selecting �will not vote/not sure.�

Rudy Delivered

2007-11-22T15:29:00.000+01:00

Martedì 27 novembre, a Roma: aperitivo della "Italians for Rudy Coalition"

2007-11-21T12:39:00.000+01:00

Appuntamento, per tutti i sostenitori italiani di Rudolph Giuliani, martedì 27 novembre alle 19.00, a Roma, presso la Sala Lettura dell’Hotel Aleph (via San Basilio n. 48).

"Se fossimo americani voteremmo Rudolph Giuliani" ha dichiatato uno degli organizzatori dell'iniziativa, Benedetto Della Vedova, presidente dei Riformatori Liberali e deputato di Forza Italia. "Giuliani è un paladino dei valori dell’Occidente, un difensore dell’ordine e della sicurezza e quindi, in concreto, della libertà dei cittadini, un autentico liberista nemico del tassa e spendi e un efficientissimo uomo di governo, come ha dimostrato da sindaco di New York. Accanto a tutto questo (e senza alcuna contraddizione) sui temi eticamente sensibili Giuliani ha anche una visione che in Italia definiremmo libertaria, aperta all’innovazione e al pieno riconoscimento dei diritti individuali. E’ una esperienza che riteniamo di grande interesse e significato, anche al di fuori dei confini statunitensi".

All'iniziativa hanno già aderito all’iniziativa diversi politici e parlamentari tra cui l'ex ministro della Difesa, Antonio Martino, Antonio Salvatore Ferrigno (eletto nella circoscrizione America del Nord), Antonio Martusciello, Gustavo Selva, Nino Paravia, Chiara Moroni, Daniele Capezzone, Marco Taradash e Peppino Calderisi, oltre ad esponenti del mondo economico ed imprenditoriale, dell’informazione, del giornalismo, della blogosfera. Tra cui, aggiungiamo orgogliosamente, anche Italian Bloggers for Giuliani 2008.

Diamo dunque appuntamento a tutti i nostri iscritti a Roma, martedì 27 novembre, a Roma, presso la Sala Lettura dell’Hotel Aleph di via San Basilio 48.

Giuliani and the Tax Pledge

2007-11-19T22:23:00.000+01:00

Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative taxpayer group, regularly asks Republican politicians to sign a pledge not to raise taxes. Three Republican presidential candidates have not signed the pledge, which one strategist said might hurt them during the primaries.

"I worked on Bob Dole's campaign in 1988 and he didn't sign and it killed his campaign in the final week," David Johnson, a Republican strategist and president of Strategic Vision. "That's how the first President Bush was able to turn around and win the New Hampshire primary."

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have not signed the pledge.

"It carries a lot of weight in New Hampshire and it's something that can be used very effectively against a candidate, especially if it's a tight race as we're seeing in the polling right now," said Johnson.[

"The reality is nobody has to worry about whether I'm going to lower taxes, because I did it in a place that was harder to do it than in Washington," said Giuliani on Fox News in October.

"All the rest of them have never done it. So they got to take pledges. I have a record. In fact, that's sort of my distinction with most of the rest of the candidates. I actually have results," he added.

CEOs lean toward Giuliani

2007-11-13T15:43:00.000+01:00

CEOs tend to be students of leadership and strategy, and so it comes as no surprise to Pew Research President Andy Kohut that CEOs are attracted to Rudy Giuliani's "strong leadership image." CEOs have wealth, power and influence, but also are part of a demographic too small to have been analyzed like soccer moms and NASCAR dads. But what little research there is, including an unscientific survey of 154 CEOs by USA TODAY, suggests that they are not monolithic. Two in five vote Democratic. But the typical CEO would vote for Giuliani, which supports the long-held belief that executives worry less about social positions on abortion and gun control and more about fiscal issues such as the economy and federal deficits. CEOs are also pragmatic and see Giuliani as the best hope for a Republican victory a year from now. (...)

Del Jones, USA Today.

Giuliani's Nomination Strategy

2007-11-13T14:24:00.000+01:00

Rudy Giuliani Campaign Manager Mike DuHaime and Senior Strategist Brent Seaborn held a conference call with reporters earlier today to outline their strategy heading into the primary season. The strategy, which focuses on more on the states coming into play on February 5th than on the early contests, is well known, but with the release of the official delegate apportionment by the Republican National Committee last week, DuHaime and Seaborn laid out the case in concrete terms (...)

La strategia di Rudy, passo dopo passo: Tom Bevan su Real Clear Politics.

Rasmussen: Giuliani +13%

2007-11-13T14:13:00.000+01:00

Rudy prende il volo anche nelle rilevazioni statistiche di Rasmussen Reports, uno dei pochi istituti di ricerca che lo ha sempre visto in affanno rispetto ai concorrenti in campo repubblicano. Nell'ultimo sondaggio, Rasmussen assegna a Giuliani il 27% dei consensi. Alle sue spalle: Fred Thompson e Mitt Romney appaiati al 14%, John McCain al 13%, Mike Huckabee al 10% e Ron Paul al 6%.

Interessante anche l'ultimo sondaggio condotto da Rasmussen in Connecticut, che vede Rudy (46%) condurre su Hillary Clinton (43%) in uno degli "stati blu" per eccellenza. Nessun altro repubblicano, in Connecticut, riesce a raggiungere il 40% in un ipotetico match-up con Hillary.

New York Cowboy

2007-11-11T11:54:00.000+01:00

Rather than a break with Bush, Giuliani represents stylistic continuity. The cross-dressing, nonchurch-going, pro-choice New Yorker has more in common with the brush-clearing, evangelical, pro-life West Texan than any of the other Republican candidates. He's an urban cowboy, who tamed New York City with his no-nonsense commitment to law and order (...)

Rich Lowry sulla National Review.

Rudy: arriva l'endorsement di Pat Robertson

2007-11-07T16:52:00.000+01:00

Pat Robertson, una delle più influenti figure del mondo evangelico statunitense e del movimento social conservative, ha annunciato pubblicamente il proprio endorsement a favore di Rudolph Giuliani. (...)

Continua su The Right Nation.

USA Today/Gallup: Giuliani +16%

2007-11-07T14:35:00.000+01:00

Rudy consolida la sua leadership nell'ultimo sondaggio USA Today/Gallup. Giuliani, in lieve crescita, raggiunge il 34% dei consensi in campo repubblicano. E questa volta, alle sue spalle, a condurre il gruppo degli inseguitori non c'è più Fred Thompson (17%) ma un redivivo John McCain (18%), che ormai da qualche settimana sembra essere riuscito ad invertire il trend negativo degli ultimi mesi. Seguono Mitt Romney (14%) e Mike Huckabee (6%).

Rasmussen: Giuliani +8%

2007-11-07T12:30:00.000+01:00

Allungo di Rudy nell'ultimo sondaggio di Rasmussen Reports. Rasmussen, utilizzando uno screening degli elettori repubblicani più restrittivo rispetto agli altri istituti di ricerca, tende sempre a "sottorappresentare" Giuliani. Ma l'America's Mayor sembra ormai volare, a livello nazionale, a prescindere dal sistema di campionamento. Ad inseguire Giuliani (24%), il solito Fred Thompson (18%). Ma la vera novità è che in terza posizione si affaccia Mike Huckabee (14%), dopo aver scavalcato sia John McCain (13%) che Mitt Romney (11%).

Intanto, in campo democratico, Hillary Clinton (40%) è al livello più basso degli ultimi mesi, ma né Barack Obama (21%) né John Edwards (13%) sembrano essere in grado di produrre lo sprint necessario ad insidiarne la vittoria alle primarie.

CNN: Giuliani +9%

2007-11-06T12:34:00.001+01:00

Rudy stabile al 28% nell'ultimo sondaggio CNN/Opinion Research. Alle sue spalle, si accalcano Fred Thompson (19%), John McCain (16%), Mitt Romney (11%) e Mike Huckabee in lieve crescita (10%).

Giuliani may boost GOP in Northeast races

2007-11-05T15:33:00.000+01:00

House Republicans see a 2008 ticket topped by former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani making congressional races in Democratic strongholds of the Northeast more competitive, improving the party's odds for picking up the 16 seats to win back the majority. The popularity of the former mayor — polls in the region show Mr. Giuliani neck and neck with Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York — promises to put in play congressional races in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania — districts that typically vote Democrat (...)

S.A. Miller, sul Washington Times.

FOX News: Giuliani +14%

2007-10-26T15:34:00.000+01:00

Rudy sempre in testa nell'ultimo sondaggio di FOX News sulle primarie repubblicane. Giuliani (31%) guadagna un punto percentuale su Fred Thompson (17%), mentre alle spalle del duo di testa resiste John McCain (12%) e crolla Mitt Romney (7%). Stabile Mike Huckabee al 5%.

Rudy in Sicilia per ricordare Falcone e Borsellino

2007-10-25T16:26:00.000+01:00

Rudolph Giuliani, l’ex sindaco di New York, oggi candidato alle primarie del partito Repubblicano per la corsa alla Casa bianca, sarà in Sicilia fra la fine del prossimo novembre e l’inizio di dicembre. (continua su StarSailor)

Florida: Giuliani +16% (e davanti a Hillary)

2007-10-25T15:23:00.000+01:00

Rudy consolida il suo vantaggio nei confronti di Fred Thompson nell'ultimo sondaggio condotto da Quinnipiac in Florida. Giuliani (30%, +3%) ha 16 punti percentuali di vantaggio su Thompson (14%, -5%) e McCain (14%, +6%). Più staccati Romney (12%, -5%) e Huckabee (8%, +4%). In campo democratico, Hillary Clinton (43%, -8%) continua a dominare su Barack Obama (18%, +1%), anche se per la prima volta negli ultimi mesi il suo vantaggio è il calo.

Interessante la tabella dei match-ups che pubblichiamo integralmente qui sotto. Sembra proprio che soltanto un candidato del GOP abbia la forza necessaria per dare filo da torcere ai democratici. Indovinate chi è?

General Election Match Ups

Clinton 43 - Giuliani 46
Clinton 44 - McCain 43
Clinton 46 - Thompson 41
Clinton 47 - Romney 39

Obama 40 - Giuliani 47
Obama 42 - McCain 42
Obama 43 - Thompson 39
Obama 44 - Romney 37

Edwards 41 - Giuliani 44
Edwards 42 - McCain 40
Edwards 47 - Thompson 36
Edwards 48 - Romney 34

Skeptical Elephants

2007-10-24T14:40:00.000+01:00

Titolo del Los Angeles Times: "Giuliani non convince i repubblicani". Sondaggio del Los Angeles Times: Giuliani 32%, Thompson 15%, McCain 13%, Romney 11%, Huckabee 7%. E meno male che non sono convinti...

UPDATE. Le ultime quote dai bookmaker di InTrade: Giuliani 44.0%, Romney 23.6%, Thompson 11.7%, McCain 7.0%, Paul 6.5%, Huckabee 5.0%.

crossposted @ The Right Nation

Californians for Rudy

2007-10-22T14:52:00.000+01:00

Curt Pringle, the conservative mayor of Anaheim and onetime speaker of the California Assembly, is a pro-life Republican who endorsed pro-choice Rudy Giuliani for president last March and since then has been actively engaged in his campaign. After conversations with Giuliani, Pringle takes at face value the former New York mayor's pledge to nominate Supreme Court justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. That reassurance on abortion makes it possible for Pringle and many other prominent California Republicans to pursue an ambitious political design.
Pringle and the state's other Giuliani supporters want to bring California back to relevance in selecting the Republican nominee and electing the president. They resent that the nation's most populous state is presumed to follow Iowa's and New Hampshire's lead in picking presidents. They resent California being consigned as a general election backwater, conceded to the Democrats. Giuliani is seen by Pringle resurrecting California as a significant player for both the nomination and election.
What seemed fanciful in March looks more realistic in October. Giuliani has maintained double-digit California leads over other Republicans all year. With the state primary moved up to Feb. 5 and voting beginning a month earlier, its results could negate the outcome in early small state primaries. Giuliani's popularity here with political leaders such as Pringle is based on the belief he is the only Republican who can challenge Hillary Clinton in blue states -- New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as California. (...)

Robert Novak, Chicago Sun-Times.

Coast to Coast

2007-10-18T13:25:00.000+01:00

Hillary Clinton è riuscita a ritagliarsi il ruolo di candidato “inevitabile” del Partito democratico, dimostrando di essere capace di guidare una formidabile macchina politica, e ora si appresta a stravincere le primarie del suo partito. Eppure, al momento, la più sensazionale performance politica di questo ciclo elettorale non è la sua, ma quella di Rudy Giuliani, l’ex sindaco di New York che guida il gruppo di candidati del Partito repubblicano, malgrado sui temi sociali (aborto, diritti gay, porto d’armi) le sue posizioni siano ai margini dell’ortodossia conservatrice. Il mondo politico e giornalistico da mesi aspetta il crollo della sua candidatura, convinto che mai e poi mai la base socialconservatrice e religiosa del partito accetterebbe di votare per Giuliani, ma più passano le settimane più l’ex sindaco appare sempre più al comando della gara (...)

Le minacce della destra religiosa di presentare un candidato indipendente alle elezioni presidenziali, qualora Giuliani vincesse le primarie repubblicane, sembrano rientrate, anche perché i leader cristiano-conservatori cominciano a rendersi conto che la loro opposizione all’ex sindaco non è condivisa dalla base. La maggioranza dei repubblicani che frequenta almeno una volta la settimana la chiesa, infatti, in un recente sondaggio ha scelto in maggioranza Giuliani come proprio candidato, malgrado sia l’unico dei big di destra e di sinistra ad avere il coraggio di dire che non va regolarmente a messa (...)
Mitt Romney e Fred Thompson mettono in dubbio il pedigree conservatore di Giuliani, ma gli elettori repubblicani vedono il suo passato da numero tre del Dipartimento di Giustizia di Ronald Reagan, da procuratore antimafia e da sindaco che ha ripulito New York. Soprattutto ascoltano proposte di politica economica e di sicurezza di stampo reaganiano e vedono una squadra di consiglieri di politica estera di intellettuali neoconservatori, da Norman Podhoretz a David Frum, da Daniel Pipes a Michael Rubin, fino probabilmente al più interessante di tutti: Peter Berkowitz, saggista, professore di legge, analista della Hoover Institution, studioso di Leo Strauss e senior advisor della campagna sui temi della libertà e dei diritti umani (...)

Christian Rocca, su Il Foglio e Camillo.

Rudy on Alien Invasion

2007-10-17T09:57:00.000+01:00

Them

2007-10-16T13:44:00.000+01:00

Polls & Bookmakers

2007-10-15T15:12:00.000+01:00

Mentre l'Italia si eccita con le primarie false, negli Stati Uniti continua la campagna elettorale per le primarie vere. E ormai, soprattutto in campo repubblicano, si potrebbe essere vicini ad un punto di svolta.

Continua su The Right Nation.

Rudy is Ready

2007-10-11T13:15:00.000+01:00

(...) Rudy is ready e ieri lo ha dimostrato. E’ stato un bel dibattito. Un esempio di competenza che conforta per il solo fatto che i politici che fanno i compiti prima di andare davanti alle telecamere esistono davvero. Erano loro preparati, non le domande ed è per questo che questi dibattiti elettorali hanno un senso e sono politicamente rilevanti. Sono interessanti per chiunque, non solo per chi è appassionato di politica e per chi la segue per professione. Rudy è stato bravo, direi presidenziale (...)

Maria Luisa Rossi Hawkins su Stelle a Strisce.

Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania

2007-10-11T11:34:00.000+01:00

Pubblicati oggi tre nuovi sondaggi della Quinnipiac University sugli swing-states di Florida, Ohio e Pennsylvania. In campo repubblicano, Rudy conferma il suo vantaggio sulla concorrenza. Ecco i risultati in sintesi.

FLORIDA. Giuliani 27% Thompson 19% Romney 17% McCain 8%
OHIO. Giuliani 29% Thompson 17% McCain 10% Romney 8%
PENNSYLVANIA. Giuliani 32% McCain 13% Thompson 13% Romney 8%

Nuovo sondaggio Gallup: Rudy +12%

2007-10-09T15:24:00.000+01:00

Alla vigilia del dibattito televisivo tra i candidati repubbicani che si svolgerà stasera a Dearborn, in Michigan (e che per la prima volta vedrà la partecipazione di Fred Thompson), Gallup ha pubblicato i risultati del suo ultimo sondaggio sulle primarie GOP.

Tutti i dettagli su The Right Nation.

Giuliani's Attacks on Clinton Hit Home

2007-10-08T15:34:00.000+01:00

Rudy Giuliani has found his groove in attacking Hillary Clinton. Whether his barbs will help him beat her in the general election, we don’t know yet. But they will help him to win the Republican primary. The major reason for anyone to vote for Rudy Giuliani is that he has the best chance — we would say the only chance — to defeat Hillary Clinton. And beating Hillary is very, very, very important!

Dick Morris su Real Clear Politics .

State of Fear

2007-10-08T12:04:00.000+01:00

E' ufficiale: i media clintoniani sono terrorizzati dalla prospettiva di uno scontro Hillary-Rudy per la Casa Bianca. (continua su The Right Nation)

So Far Rudy's Run Going According to Script

2007-10-05T15:00:00.000+01:00

Of all the candidates in the Republican field, no one has a right to be happier with the way things have worked out thus far than Rudy Giuliani. Here's a quick look at where things stand:

- After nine months of campaigning, Giuliani remains atop the national polls (to the astonishment of many pundits); he has closed the gap with Mitt Romney to under 4 points in New Hampshire; and he is leading the field in South Carolina and Florida.
- Yesterday Giuliani reported raising $11 million in Q3, putting him atop the Republican money race for the second consecutive quarter. Furthermore, Giuliani has $16 million cash on hand - including more than $11 million available for the primary - which is more than $2 million more than what his nearest competitor has in the bank.

Tom Bevan su Real Clear Politics .

Sondaggio ABC News/Washington Post

2007-10-03T13:49:00.001+01:00

Il Washington Post cerca di minimizzare la situazione, nascondendola sotto un titolo ambiguo, ma l'ultimo sondaggio condotto in collaborazione con ABC News, vede Rudolph Giuliani (34%)nettamente in testa nella corsa alla candidatura repubblicana, con il doppio dei consensi rispetto a Fred Thompson (17%). Più staccati John McCain (12%), Mitt Romney (11%) e Mike Huckabee (8%). Rispetto al sondaggio ABC/WP di un mese fa, Rudy guadagna il 6%, Thompson e McCain perdono, rispettivamente, il 2% e il 6%, mentre Romney e Huckabee guadagnano l'1% e il 3%.

Memo Time

2007-10-03T13:44:00.000+01:00

Su JoinRudy2008, la versione integrale del memo scritto dal "capo-stratega" di Rudy, Brent Seaborn, per inquadrare la sfida in campo repubblicano alla vigilia del quarto quadrimestre di questa lunghissima campagna elettorale. Lettura obbligatoria.

Giuliani proves himself Mr. September

2007-10-01T15:58:00.000+01:00

(...) With predictions of his impending fall still unrealized and the first contests of the Republican presidential primary inching closer, Rudy Giuliani enjoyed perhaps his best month yet of the campaign in September. And increasingly, he and his team believe they can position themselves as the inevitable Republican to take on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton next year.

Jonathan Martin su The Politico.

Florida On My Mind

2007-09-28T14:49:00.000+01:00

Cresce il vantaggio di Rudy in Florida. Nell'ultimo sondaggio di Strategic Vision, Giuliani (34%) ha 11 punti percentuali di vantaggio su Fred Thompson (23%). Molto staccati Mitt Romney (9%), John McCain (6%) e Mike Huckabee (5%).

Operation Granite State

2007-09-27T16:25:00.001+01:00

Secondo l'ultimo sondaggio commissionato da CNN alla New Hampshire University, Rudolph Giuliani ha praticamente recuperato tutto lo svantaggio accumulato nel Granite State in questi mesi nei confronti di Mitt Romney. Il sondaggio vede Romney al 25% e Giuliani al 24%. I due front-runner sono inseguiti da John McCain al 18% e da Fred Thompson al 13%. A luglio, il vantaggio di Romney era di 14 punti percentuali.

cross-posted @ The Right Nation

Rudy Thatcher e Maggie Giuliani

2007-09-21T14:29:00.000+01:00

Rudy Giuliani ha attraversato l'Atlantico per una visita di tre giorni nel Regno Unito, con due obbiettivi: rafforzare la sua immagine nei confronti dell'ala meno moderata del GOP e ridurre la percezione di candidato "domestico", meno attento di altri allo scenario internazionale. L'ex sindaco di New York ha rafforzato le proprie credenziali "conservatrici", grazie all'appoggio di Lady Thatcher e dell'ala thatcheriana dei Tories inglesi: Rudy Giuliani incontrerà la oggi Lady Thatcher e riceverà la prima Margaret Thatcher Medal of Freedom. Inoltre, a dar man forte alla campagna presidenziale di Giuliani arrivano Robert Conquest e Nile Gardiner, thatcheriani doc e storici consiglieri personali di Maggie.

L'incontro con il Primo ministro Gordon Brown ha puntato invece a dimostrare che le doti di leadership mostrate dopo l'11 Settembre sono apprezzate anche al di fuori dei confini americani, ribattendo a coloro che ritengono Rudy un candidato con poca esperienza e poco peso in politica estera.

Fonte: The Washington Post

Giuliani Attacks Clinton In The First Web Ad

2007-09-16T22:15:00.000+01:00

She Changed

www.JoinRudy2008.com

Why Conservatives like Giuliani

2007-09-15T10:44:00.000+01:00

(...) Another bit of conventional wisdom is that social conservatives are willing to swallow Giuliani because his tough stand on terrorism trumps his moderate social stance. Yes, but what eludes the commentariat is that social conservatives' outlook might just be more nuanced than the stereotypes hold.
Giuliani promises to appoint strict-constructionist jurists to the U.S. Supreme Court. Even more than the tax cuts, the high court appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito are the crowning domestic achievements of the George W. Bush presidency. The next president surely will get to make one or more high court nominations, and conservatives would like a GOP president to consolidate Bush's transformation of the court.

Steve Huntley su Chicago Sun-Times

Rudy Over Hillary

2007-09-14T17:51:00.001+01:00

(...) The latest FOX News poll shows that if the United States were hit with a terrorist attack, by a 50 percent to 36 percent margin, Americans would rather have Giuliani in charge than Clinton, including 28 percent of Democrats and an overwhelming 80 percent of Republicans. Independents split in Giuliani’s favor 47 percent to Clinton’s 28 percent.

I dettagli su FOX News e Weekly Standard.

Quel che non sanno di Rudy Giuliani

2007-09-06T15:56:00.000+01:00

(...) 1) Spesa pubblica: Rudy Giuliani da sindaco ha risanato le casse di New York, eliminando programmi inutili. Ha ridotto del 20 per cento la burocrazia cittadina, ma non ha toccato il numero di insegnanti e poliziotti.

2) Tasse: Giuliani ha tagliato 23 volte le tasse cittadine. I contribuenti hanno risparmiato oltre 9 miliardi di dollari. Anche oggi Rudy Giuliani è l'unico campione della reaganomics, «perché l'ha attuata e ha visto che funziona».

3) Guerra al terrorismo: la pensa proprio come Bush, si deve insistere e andare avanti perché «la libertà vincerà questa guerra di idee, l'America vincerà la guerra contro il terrorismo».

4) Irak: proprio per questo, Giuliani pensa che «fissare un calendario artificioso per il ritiro dall'Irak sarebbe un errore gravissimo, perché incoraggerebbe i nostri nemici. L'Irak è solo un fronte del più ampio conflitto contro il terrorismo. Un fallimento in Irak condurrebbe a una guerra regionale ancora più estesa e più sanguinosa».

5) Sicurezza: siamo al punto che tanto piace ad Amato, come se potesse essere estrapolato, sradicato da tutto il resto. Quando nel novembre del 1993 Giuliani è stato eletto sindaco, a New York c'erano 2000 omicidi all'anno. Mandando molti poliziotti nelle strade, sottratti a lavori d'ufficio, scorte neanche a parlarne, e molti più delinquenti in carcere, Rudy ha dimezzato i crimini e ridotto di due terzi i morti. I vagabondi che nelle amministrazioni democratiche precedenti si piazzavano gratis nei dormitori e mangiavano a sbafo con i food-stamps, i buoni gratuiti della City, sono stati invitati ad andare a lavorare, a pulire parchi e strade, oppure a trovarsi un altro posto. Scomparsi. (...)

6) Educazione: come sindaco, Giuliani ha riformato il più grande sistema scolastico pubblico del Paese, più di un milione di studenti. Lo ha fatto sostenendo la libertà di scelta nell'educazione, pubblica e privata sullo stesso piano, perché è uno dei più importanti diritti civili contemporanei. (...)

Ottimo articolo di Maria Giovanna Maglie su Il Giornale.

Why the Conservatives Like Rudy

2007-09-05T12:33:00.000+01:00

(...) Heading into the post-Labor Day sprint to the primaries, Rudy Giuliani has utterly defied the pundits who predicted that Republican voters would never accept a twice divorced, pro-choice New Yorker.

Rather than wilt, Mr. Giuliani has cemented his lead in national polls and in South Carolina—one of the most conservative states in the country. The latest Diageo/Hotline poll shows that he not only leads his closest competitor Fred Thompson by 10 points, but also leads among Evangelicals by the same margin and is up by six points among voters who believe abortion should be banned entirely.

Why did the pundits and many conservative critics get it so wrong, and why is Mr. Giuliani scoring so well with died hard conservatives?

Perché Rudy piace ai conservatori (secondo il New York Observer).

Rasmussen Reports

2007-08-05T21:57:00.000+01:00

Secondo Rasmussen Reports, l'unico istituto di ricerca statunitense che nelle scorse settimane vedeva Fred Thompson in vantaggio su Rudy Giuliani, l'ex sindaco di New York ha scavalcato il rivale nella corsa alla candidatura repubblicana per la Casa Bianca e oggi conduce con 4 punti percentuali di vantaggio (26% contro 22%). Dietro la coppia di testa, inseguono Mitt Romney (14%) e un John McCain sempre più in difficoltà (9%).

Iowa e New Hampshire

2007-07-31T19:04:00.000+01:00

Forse abbiamo le traveggole. Nell'ultimo sondaggio dell'American Research Group, Rudolph Giuliani è in testa (per un soffio) sia in Iowa che in New Hampshire.

(continua su The Right Nation)

Giuliani non piace alla gente che non ci piace

2007-07-27T14:36:00.000+01:00

Anche in America non si fanno mancare nulla: come da noi esistono Leghe pro-Islam, come le nostre più o meno sotterranemente rifornite di soldi dagli stessi che foraggiano Hamas. Laggiù si chiama CAIR - Center on American Islamic Relations. Recentemente 'sti qui hanno messo il bollino nero addosso a Rudy Giuliani, reo di aver ripetutamente usato la madre di tutte le frase proibite: "Terrorismo Islamico". (Continua su Ne quid nimis)

Rudy, the Surprise

2007-07-27T13:31:00.000+01:00

(...) He leads among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents because they believe he's their most electable candidate. (Coincidentally, Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents also think Giuliani's the GOP's best hope.) And he offers what Republicans polled said they prize most in a candidate: strong leadership, something they apparently associate with his role in New York in reducing crime and handling the city's post-9/11 trauma.

(...) Giuliani has been, without question, the surprise of the race. He's managed this with a smart and energetic campaign that has let him put a discreet distance between himself and Bush while burnishing his own anti-terrorism credentials. As he insisted to Republicans in Manchester, N.H., "Democrats don't understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us." A Democratic president, he said, would "wave the white flag ... put us back on defense." W could not have said it better.

John Farmer, sul Newark Star-Ledger.

Leading America Toward Energy Independence

2007-07-26T12:16:00.000+01:00

I will move America toward energy independence. It will require setting goals, sticking to them and energizing the American people to achieve them. It will require expanding our reliance on a much more diverse range of energy sources that America can control.

Rudy Giuliani, su Real Clear Politics.

Rudy, sempre lui

2007-07-25T14:46:00.000+01:00

Ogni volta che la sua candidatura viene data per morta, Rudy Giuliani trova sempre il modo di smentire gli uccelli del malaugurio...
(continua su The Right Nation)

Out of Control

2007-07-24T13:08:00.000+01:00

Better Judges, Better Courts

2007-07-23T20:34:00.000+01:00

As President, I will nominate strict constructionist judges with respect for the rule of law and a proven fidelity to the Constitution – judges in the mold of Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito and Chief Justice Roberts.

Rudy Giuliani, in persona, in esclusiva su Pajamas Media.

Ronnie & Rudy

2007-07-19T13:26:00.000+01:00

In my lifetime, only two politicians have really and truly delivered: Ronald Reagan and Rudy Giuliani. Reagan saved the entire world. And then Rudy did something even harder. He saved New York.” (Josh Gilder)

Is Rudy the Democrats’ Worst Nightmare?

2007-07-12T13:22:00.000+01:00

Based on his heroic image, his obvious executive ability, his making New York City a livable, governable place and his proven track record as a winner on overwhelmingly Democratic turf, Giuliani would be an extremely dangerous opponent for Democrats. In his 1997 re-election, Rudy ran 38 points ahead of Republican registration. He won nearly half of all Democrats and more than two-thirds of white Democrats. Not even Ronald Reagan was able to do that. (...)

Patrick Reddy, The Buffalo News.

Why and How Rudy Giuliani Can Win Over Evangelicals

2007-07-12T13:19:00.000+01:00

In the 2004 presidential campaign, a Northeastern, blue-state, former Catholic altar boy was unable to comfortably explain his pro-choice position on abortion and his have-it-both-ways approach to same-sex relationships—a difficulty that contributed to his defeat in November. Today a Northeastern, blue-state, former Catholic school boy running for president is struggling to comfortably explain his pro-choice position on abortion and have-it-both-ways positions on same-sex relationships. This time, however, the candidate seems to have a plan. And it might work.(...)

David Domke, Real Clear Politics.

Fiscal Discipline

2007-06-24T23:56:00.001+01:00

Republicans for Obama? Democrats for Giuliani!

2007-06-20T15:22:00.000+01:00

Date un'occhiata alle tabelle pubblicate alla fine di questo articolo di Tom Bevan su Real Clear Politics, in cui viene analizzato il presunto (molto presunto) fenomeno dei "Republicans for Obama". E scoprirete perché...

(...) when you look at this data, combined with the various scenarios that play out on the electoral map, you can see why Rudy Giuliani, if he can possibly make it through the Republican nomination process, poses real problems for Democrats and probably gives the GOP its best shot at hanging on to the White House.

Il patto di Rudolph Giuliani con gli americani

2007-06-13T16:04:00.000+01:00

Ci sono due modi di presentarsi agli elettori come candidati alla guida di un Paese. Uno è questo, e i risultati, dopo poco, sono questi. L'altro è il modo serio. Rudolph Giuliani, candidato alle primarie del partito repubblicano americano, ha scelto il secondo.Il suo programma si articola in dodici punti, appena presentati. Dodici impegni ("commitments") dinanzi agli elettori: chiari, semplici, concreti. (...)

Continua su A Conservative Mind.

Rudy piace agli Evangelici (e pure ai media?)

2007-06-09T18:30:00.000+01:00

“Giuliani leads among Evangelicals; Clinton leads among Catholics.” (Baptist Standard, 30 aprile). La sintetica sintesi, confermata dai dati di poll institute come Quinnipiac, fa innanzitutto giustizia di un sacco di luoghi comuni, sopratutto europoidi. Con buona pace del mainstream media, emerge che Giuliani non pare essere quello che "i Social Conservative non voteranno mai"; d'altro canto molti nella sinistra europea non gradiranno scoprire che la "loro" Hillary piace ai papisti americani (pedofili)! Oibò, che la Clinton somigli più a Rutelli che a Zapatero? Infine ce n'è anche per i Cattolici, non potranno più dire che Giuliani non va votato per via dell'aborto: è apprezzato da cristiani rigidi sul tema almeno quanto loro e molto più praticanti nella media. Aldilà dei luoghi comuni sfatati, approfondire l'apparente paradosso sull'allineamento politico delle comunità cristiane in America è interessante e può portare lontano (...).

Continua su Neo Quid Nimis (grande Abr!).

New Hampshire: GOP Debate

2007-06-08T11:34:00.000+01:00

Il dibattito televisivo ha mostrato un Giuliani in grande forma, molto più presidenziale, preparato e concentrato rispetto alle due precedenti occasioni. Ha voluto dare l’impressione del “problem solver”, di quello che risolve i problemi, che fornisce la dritta giusta, del politico capace, efficiente, senza paura.
(...) McCain e Giuliani, addirittura, non prendono in considerazione il ritiro dall’Iraq nemmeno se a settembre la relazione di Petraeus sullo stato della missione fosse negativa. Giuliani, infine, ha prontamente risposto “assolutamente sì”, alla domanda se ancora oggi ritiene che invadere l’Iraq sia stata la scelta giusta. “Siamo in una guerra vera”, ha ribadito Giuliani, l’unico ad attaccare direttamente i democratici e Hillary in particolare perché, ha detto, “non sono stati nemmeno capaci di pronunciare le parole ‘terrorismo islamico’ nel loro dibattito di domenica”. In generale, la differenza più grande è proprio questa: i repubblicani dicono che l’America è in guerra, i democratici no.

Christian Rocca, sul Foglio (e su Camillo), racconta il dibattito televisivo tra i candidati repubblicani in New Hapmpshire. Aspettando Fred Thompson, ha vinto (ancora) Rudy.

GOP: Rudy consolida il suo vantaggio

2007-06-05T11:41:00.000+01:00

Giuliani ancora in testa negli ultimi due sondaggi sulle primarie repubblicane. Secondo Washington Post e ABC News, l'ex sindaco di New York avrebbe il 32% dei consensi nell'elettorato del GOP con 13 punti percentuali di vantaggio su John McCain (19%). Più staccati: Fred Thompson (11%), Newt Gingrich (9%) e Mitt Romney (9%). Anche secondo l'ultimo sondaggio Gallup/USA Today, Rudy (32%) avrebbe il 13% di vantaggio su McCain (19%). In questo caso, però, il terzo classificato sarebbe Romney (12%) seguito da Thompson (11%) e Gingrich (8%).

L'endorsement di Louis Freeh per Rudy

2007-06-02T10:32:00.000+01:00

L'ex direttore dell'FBI, Louis Freeh, sosterrà ufficialmente la candidatura di Rudy Giuliani alla Casa Bianca. Freeh, che quando era all'FBI (dal 1993 al 2001) ebbe una serie di durissimi scontri con l'amministrazione Clinton, sarà il Senior Homeland Security Advisor di Giuliani e il responsabile della sua campagna in Delaware. "Conosco e ammiro Rudy da oltre 25 anni per la sua leadership e le sue capacità di innovazione nel campo del law enforcement - ha dichiarato Freeh alla stampa - per la sua devozione verso la sicurezza dei cittadini e il rispetto della legge, che hanno trasformato una delle città più pericolose degli Stati Uniti in un modello di law and order".