Republican presidential hopeful and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani pauses while speaking during a summit October 5, 2007 in Washington, DC. Members of the Americans for Prosperity foundation, a group dedicated to reducing government spending, hosted a summit where presidential candidates spoke. By Brendan Smialowski/Getty.
There’s a general in it. Retired, of course.
A reader writes:
You show a billboard of the repulsive Hannity urging "Stop Hillary Now," and you see that as a force against the former first lady. Why can you not see how energizing such items are for Hillary? I like Obama, think he’s said all the right things and avoided all potential pitfalls to date — I could certainly make a case to myself that he is quite presidential and could be the healing force this country needs. But I will vote for Hillary no matter what. I’m as bothered as anybody about the concept of 3 decades of the Bush/Clinton dynasties. It is very possible that Edwards’ plans for Iraq and healthcare could be more effective than Hillary’s.
But I will vote for Hillary in the primary if Edwards and/or Obama walk on water. Why? Because the Hannitys and the Limbaughs and the Malkins et. al. have made it their mission to stop her. I have voted in every election since 1981 and no vote I have ever cast would make me more proud than one I could use to foil the mission of that revolting scum. Andrew, I am not alone in this. The right wing ranters’ audience already hates Clinton and she has already written them off. But the people that loathe the right wing ranters almost have to vote for Hillary specifically because of this scum’s terror of her.
So you vote for Clinton entirely to stick it to the right. This is the logic of polarization as its own reward. It is faction and dynasty placed at the core of American politics – something the founders rightly feared would destroy a rational democratic polity. It is the toxin that won’t go away. And when this country is attacked again and Clinton needs the trust and support of those who didn’t vote for her? What will America do then?
Dave Weigel was at the GOP confab. Someone tried to hug Ron Paul. Awwwkwaaard. Here’s the voice of the new GOP base if ever I heard it:
By far the most opinionated activist I spoke to was Jerry Sawyer, a 67-year old academic from Fort Myer’s Beach, Florida and the author of a self-published epistle called Liberalism and the Age of the Woman. Ron Paul was unacceptable because "Libertarianism is an incoherent philosophy. How can you say you’ll govern Judeo-Christian principles if you’re not willing to enforce them." George W. Bush is a good president "but I want to choke him for his immigration stance."
A classic:
After Giuliani spoke for nearly 25 minutes, Ron Paul, who may have earned his time to speak with this quarter’s fund raising, took the stage. Speaking for just over 10 minutes, Paul was then cut off by the stage music — a tactic usually reserved for an emotional Oscar-winning actress (or one that gets a little too political) to wrap it up.
(Hat tip: Brian Miller.)
Some Dems are already ridiculing the logo for next year’s Republican convention. The elephant, it appears, has a "wide stance".
The RNC has now sent out its third mailing this week focused on Hillary. She really is the GOP’s last best hope for 2008. Money quote:
The Hillary Clinton fundraising juggernaut keeps on rolling.
This week, the Clinton campaign announced that they have raised $27 million over the last three months, putting Hillary’s total campaign cash at $90 million for the year. She is on pace to raise much more than $100 million by the end of the year.
Democrats and left-wing special interest groups are raising hundreds of millions of dollars to put a liberal like Hillary Clinton in the White House and expand their majorities in Congress. Your secure online contribution of $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 to the RNC today will help keep our campaign programs on track. Thank you.
They need each other. So do the polarized, professionalized political and media classes. That’s why this race is already over, according to Washington, MSNBC, CNN and Fox. And they all make oodles of money off the classic left-right, McGovern-Nixon, Lib-Con circus. It’s win-win. For them.
A glimpse into Beijing-supported totalitarianism today.
A reader writes:
So, if we understand that Obama could very well be the "real deal" this country needs, how do common Americans wrest this election from the hands of the media and the punditocracy that is only interested in spinning a narrative? The "cackle" got more play than Obama’s speech at DePaul. And this extends beyond just Obama. How can we convince reporters and pundits that we are far more interested in Ron Paul’s fund raising coup (is Goldwater back?) than Rudy Giuliani taking a phone call in the middle of a NRA speech? Most people I speak to — fellow early 30s — are far more invested in substance over melodrama, but every night we turn on the 24-hour news networks or open a magazine, it seems more and more disgustingly apparent that the media is hellbent on a Clinton vs. Giuliani showdown.
That’s what blogs are for, right? I’m going to keep noting the actual arguments of Paul and Obama and spend a little more time on their ideas than their jacket lapels. There’s also something called primaries. Paul and Obama and even Edwards show how the Internet can trump MSM easy narratives. My feeling is that the more the MSM assume a Giuliani-Clinton boomer-bust-up next year, the more primary voters may feel cut out of the decision. And they might just rebel against being told what’s inevitable. As for cable news programming, there’s no hope, I fear. The producers are just craven in doing what’s easy and what gets a quick ratings bump. So Hillary and Rudy it is. There’s too much money and ratings to lose in any other match-up.
The Dish 