The
dinner-table feasting may be in the rear-view mirror but the main
course of the presidential primary season is just starting to be
served. Some of the dynamics roiling the campaign waters this week:
Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are becoming increasingly pointed
– and personal – in New Hampshire. Giuliani, who has downplayed the
need to perform well in the early states, has spent more and more time
in the Granite State in the hopes of derailing Romney there and the
result is an escalating war of words between the two men. They've gone
back-and-forth on immigration, fiscal policy and health care – and now
it's getting more heated. Giuliani is taking aim at Romney's
appointment of a Massachusetts state judge who released a convicted
murderer who has now been accused of murdering again.
"This whole appointment of a judge goes to a much bigger point --
that Governor Romney had a very poor record in dealing with murder and
violent crime as governor," Giuliani said. More pointedly, according to
CBS News' Ryan Corsaro, Giuliani told reporters, “I think
Governor Romney is trying to distract from what is a mistake that he
clearly made, but the bigger mistake he made was that crime went up –
violent crime and murder – went up while he was governor. And I think
is something that talks about not just an isolated mistake, it talks
about a series of mistakes.”
Romney has called for the resignation of the judge and shot back
with a reference to Giuliani associate Bernard Kerik, who was once
recommended by the former mayor to lead the Department of Homeland
Security and is now under indictment. "Of all the people who might
attack someone on the basis of an appointment, I thought he would be
the last to do so," Romney said.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are accusing one another
of playing politics with their health care plans. The topic has been a
primary point of discussion since it sparked an exchange in the last
Democratic debate. "Senator Obama and I have been having a debate about
health care for a couple of days and it's a very important debate,"
Clinton told the AP. "The difference is my health care plan covers
every American and Senator Obama's plan will not."
More pointedly, Clinton said Obama's health care place was more
about politics than policy. ""He leaves 15 million people uncovered.
It's a plan crafted for politics, not for people," she said. "Hillary's
idea is that we should force everyone to buy insurance," Obama
retorted. "But this is yet another issue where she is not being
straight with the American people because she refuses to tell us how
much she would fine people if they couldn't afford insurance." And
Obama added, "Unless she can answer those questions this is yet another
calculation that's more about getting through an election than actually
solving the health care problems."
Obama has risen in Iowa in recent polls and the prospect of a win
there for him would almost certainly set off one of the most intense
primary battles we've ever seen heading into New Hampshire, South
Carolina and beyond.
Mike Huckabee is finding that criticism comes with
improving poll numbers. The former Arkansas governor was a primary
target of Fred Thompson yesterday on issues ranging from taxes to
immigration to abortion. Other GOP candidates, including Romney, have
increasingly argued that Huckabee is not the conservative he claims to
be. And Huckabee is less well positioned to defend himself from critics
due to lack of funds and organization. But what he lacks in that area
he compensates for in his ability to garner free media exposure.
Huckabee is speaking with reporters and bloggers in conference calls
again this morning and has already appeared on at least one cable news
channel.
John McCain is looking to turn one of his vulnerabilities
into a strength. In a new ad being launched in New Hampshire today,
McCain takes on critics he's angered over the years. McCain has been
hampered in the GOP primary with his support of campaign finance
reform, immigration reform that would allow a path towards citizenship
for some and his past battles with social conservatives. In the new ad,
McCain allows that he's made some enemies, but focuses on government
bueracrats. The script:
"Since I've been in Washington, I've made a lot of people angry. I
made defense contractors angry when I blew the whistle on a $30 billion
dollar boondoggle and the culprits were sent to jail. I upset the
special interests and Washington lobbyists when I passed campaign
finance reform. I made the Pentagon angry when I criticized Rumsfeld's
Iraq strategy, and I upset the media when I supported the strategy
that's now succeeding. I angered the big spenders in Congress when I
called for earmark and spending reform. No more $233 million dollar
bridges to nowhere or $74 million for peanut storage in a defense
spending bill. I didn't go to Washington to win the Mr. Congeniality
award. I went to Washington to serve my country. I might not like the
business as usual crowd in Washington. But I love America. I love her
enough to make some people angry."
A Whole New "Bias" Argument: From CBS News' John Bentley,
on the road with the Fred Thompson campaign: Thompson got a little
testy with Chris Wallace yesterday on "Fox News Sunday" after Wallace
asked him, "Do you know anybody who thinks you've run a great campaign,
sir?" Thompson retorted by saying "It's not for me to come here and try
to convince you that somebody else thinks that I've run a great
campaign." He also said the "constant mantra" of Fox had been
highlighting the negatives of his presidential run so far.
But he didn't just go after the host. Thompson reiterated his
attacks on Giuliani, saying that when he was mayor of New York City he
"apparently felt like gun control was a great idea," and he also took
aim at Huckabee. "He did everything he could as governor to keep the
state legislature from restricting illegal immigration," he said of the
former governor of Arkansas. "He objected when they were arrested."
Attacks on his rivals aside, the reason Thompson appeared on Fox
was to roll out his tax plan. The biggest change from the current
system is Thompson's plan to offer taxpayers a choice between paying a
flat tax - 10% for couples making less than $100,000, 25% if you make
more - or sticking with the current system. "This would be a major move
towards tax reform, which I think is greatly needed," he said.
Otherwise, Thompson basically pulled together all the tax and
economic statements he's been making on the stump for the past two
months and laid them out as his tax plan (you can read it here.
The basic tenants are: Permanently extending the 2001 and 2003 tax
cuts; Permanently repealing the Death Tax (aka the estate tax);
Repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax; Reducing the Corporate Tax Rate
from 35 percent to no more than 27 percent; Permanently extending small
business expensing and updating and simplifying depreciation schedules.
A More Serious Turn: Huckabee is following up his Chuck
Norris ad with a more traditional offering for Iowa voters. In a veiled
shot at Mitt Romney, whose positions on core GOP issues like abortion
have evolved in recent years, Huckabee makes a pitch for the
conservative base. “Faith doesn’t just influence me. It really defines
me," he says in the opening. The ad then switches to footage of a
Huckabee speech: "I don’t have to wake up everyday wondering, ‘What do
I need to believe?" More from the ad (mixed footage of to-camera
statements and speech excerpts): "Let us never sacrifice our principles
for anybody’s politics. Not now, not ever. … I believe life begins at
conception. … We believe in some things. We stand by those things. We
live or die by those things.”
Around The Track
John Edwards was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2004 but you wouldn’t know it from listening to him
in 2007. "I've made it a practice not to go back and analyze the
campaign," he tells the Des Moines Register. "I don't think there's
anything to be gained from it. I don't. I'm sure you can get lots of
other people to do it."
If you think the fight over being the first-in-the-nation
primary contests is just a silly matter, you will reconsider in light
of a Boston Globe analysis
which found that Iowa received the seventh highest amount of
congressional earmarked appropriations passed earlier this month. Hey
presidential candidates, what have you done for Iowa lately?
Which will get older faster for residents of Iowa and New Hampshire – the campaign ads or the holiday shopping ads?
Nevada brothel owner Dennis Hof (of the Moonlite Bunny
Ranch) said he'll collect contributions from his customers for
libertarian-minded GOP candidate Ron Paul. A spokesman for the Texas
congressman says Paul doesn't approve of prostitution personally but
added, "it's not the role of federal government and it's not in the
constitution for federal government to regulate these things."
Now
you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not CBS News stuff;
it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By
using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.
In
the battle for the Republican Nomination we have Traditional Values vs.
Religious Bigotry, unfortunately, the latter is winning...
Anyone interested in what Huckabee is really like face to face should try this funny (but it actually happened) column: http://goupstate.us/index.php/l anefiller/2007/11/02/title_14
It
really doesn''t matter. There is no way that this country will elect a
black man, a woman or any person from the church of LDS. Just look at
our history. Sadly, Gulliani will win the GOP primary and will sweep in
the presidency. He will win Florida, Texas and New York (which is
usually a blue state). The top two frontrunners in the Dem primies
couldn''t win a southern state if they tried. They hate blacks and they
hate women. That''s 151 votes alone (from TX to VA). We can all look
forward to another four years of complete chaos in foreign policy and
national debt... but hey, he did such a "good job" with 9/11.
I
disagree with Huckabee''s attacks on Romney who is implying that
Romney''s religion is why he was not born voting pro-life in the
legislature and that Huckabee was because of his Baptist religion.
Romney has sincerely, but only slightly, changed his point of view. His
audience has changed drastically. He has long beleived that abortion is
wrong. He simply promissed not to change the laws already on the books,
when he was senator, in an overwhelmingly liberal state. He had lot''s
of other good things to do and he did. He kept his word. His so called
"flip flopping" is really just smart and honest politics combined with
an honest and only slight development in his views.
What really
makes me sick is that Baptists have long hated Mormons; now there''s an
iconic struggle between the two as presidential candidates. Huckabee is
clandestinely calling up hard-core evangelicals'' suspician that
Mormons are not trustworthy and are a members of a cult inspired by
Satan. Reality couldn''t be further from the truth. All of Howard
Hughes top managers were Mormons (because he trusted them). The dean of
Harvard Business school and the CEO''s of dozen''s of top companies
like Deloitte & Touch, Dell, JetBlue, Madison Square Garden, CFO
American Express were Mormon Bishops like Romney. Mormonism, for those
who live in the real world, is synonymous with integrity and honesty.
It
is becoming clear that Mike Huckabee is equiped to overcome the
unfounded slams of his opponents, which appear to only promote his
message and improve his poll numbers.
If you believe in Mike Huckabee''s message, I urge you to take my challenge and visit www.abuckforhuck.com
Simulcast 11.27.07(0:01) TONIGHT:
President Bush brings the leaders of Israel and the Palestinians
together. How Clinton and Obama will fare with the black vote. And our
special series, "Generation Rx."
Sign-Up For Breaking News E-Mail Alerts
Sudan Charges Brit Over "Muhammad" Bear
7
del.icio.us
digg
Sphere It
E-Mail This Post
Printable Version
Simulcast 11.27.07
RSS
Photos Of The Day
Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not CBS News stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.
http://goupstate.us/index.php/l
anefiller/2007/11/02/title_14
Go Romney.
What really makes me sick is that Baptists have long hated Mormons; now there''s an iconic struggle between the two as presidential candidates. Huckabee is clandestinely calling up hard-core evangelicals'' suspician that Mormons are not trustworthy and are a members of a cult inspired by Satan. Reality couldn''t be further from the truth. All of Howard Hughes top managers were Mormons (because he trusted them). The dean of Harvard Business school and the CEO''s of dozen''s of top companies like Deloitte & Touch, Dell, JetBlue, Madison Square Garden, CFO American Express were Mormon Bishops like Romney. Mormonism, for those who live in the real world, is synonymous with integrity and honesty.
If you believe in Mike Huckabee''s message, I urge you to take my challenge and visit www.abuckforhuck.com
http://RonPaul.meetup.com