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Rudy Strikes Out

It's over for Rudy Giuliani. The New York Times provides some of the reasons. Among the milder criticisms:

He allowed a tight coterie of New York aides, none with national political experience, to run much of his campaign.

....He accumulated a fat war chest — he had $16.6 million on hand at the end of September, more than Mitt Romney ($9.5 million) or Senator John McCain ($3.2 million) — but spent vast sums on direct mail instead of building strong organizations on the ground in South Carolina and New Hampshire.

Then there's the ones based on Rudy himself: [More...]

It wasn't that Rudy didn't campaign hard in the early states, he did, particularly New Hampshire.

Perhaps a simpler dynamic was at work: The more that Republican voters saw of him, the less they wanted to vote for him.

His personal life:

he possessed a complicated family life: he has been thrice-married and has two adult children who rarely speak to him. At the beginning of his campaign last spring, he sat for a celebrity photo shoot smooching with his third wife, who snuggled in his lap.

As one observer says:

“Rudy didn’t even care enough about conservatives to lie to us. The problem wasn’t the calendar; it was the candidate.”

Another says:

His numbers were built on name recognition and celebrity,” this adviser said. “He had so many of his old friends around him, sometimes it was like he was running for president of Staten Island.”

His past judgment lapses likely were factors as well.

A federal prosecutor indicted his friend and former police commissioner, Bernard B. Kerik. And a report indicated that Mr. Giuliani had spent city money to visit his girlfriend, now his wife, in the Hamptons; the police also provided some security for his new love.

Then there's his ill-advised shift of campaign strategy:

By late December, Mr. Giuliani made a fateful decision. He formally abandoned plans to run hard in and perhaps win New Hampshire or Michigan. Instead, he made sporadic appearances in those states and retreated to Florida, where he would make something of a final stand. ,,,This was a deeply controversial move; no one had won an election by essentially skipping the first four or five caucuses and primaries.

And in what must be the ultimate disappointment for Rudy,

By Tuesday night, even those voters who rated terrorism as the most important issue were as likely to vote for Mr. Romney or Mr. McCain as for Mr. Giuliani. And those who had voted early for Mr. Giuliani now felt a sense of irrelevance.

Bye, Rudy.

< Tsunami Tuesday and the Delegates Up for Grabs | Why Hillary's Florida Gambit Worked >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Give me the ball son... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by TomStewart on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:46:08 AM EST
    It ain't yer night. Hit the showers.

    Ed Koch couldn't be happier. (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:04:38 AM EST
    Great graphic (none / 0) (#2)
    by Jgarza on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:41:47 AM EST
    made me laugh.

    I agree.... (none / 0) (#8)
    by dutchfox on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 05:38:46 AM EST
    chuckle You always have such imaginitive and usually hilarious, apt graphics! Thanks.

    Parent
    They are the work (none / 0) (#11)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 10:01:00 AM EST
    of C.L., our  "man in Hollywood" who has so graciously designed and contributed them exclusively to TalkLeft the past several years.

    Parent
    Doubt Steinbrenner would ever (none / 0) (#4)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:52:10 AM EST
    have auth. Cashman to sign Rudi.  

    A piece linked on Huff Post opines (none / 0) (#5)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:55:39 AM EST
    voter fatigue with 9/11.  Which doesn't make alot of sense, given McCain and HRC both talk about being ready to respond quickly in the event of another 9/11 type attack.

    Respond HOW? one wonders (none / 0) (#9)
    by Dadler on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 09:52:24 AM EST
    I love these folks, telling us how ready and prepared they'd be for action?  WHAT action?  Invading another nation and making the problem worse?  That none of them has the courage to say "sometimes, there is no justice, no vengeance, no violent act that will serve any purpose except to make things worse."  They still operate on this pandering lie that, when the "next" attack occurs, they will be ready to work an act of magic.  A talent no one possesses in this arena.  We're not an honor killing society, or are we?  When your response to a terrorist attack is to simply terrorize others far away, well, you are honor killing with the "best" of them.   When one of these candidates stands up, apologizes to the world, talks about the grave mistakes we MUST undo and quickly, when one of them actually seems to understand that to ACT like an evolved person and nation, to exhibit some very ugly self-criticism, to take responsibility, is a good thing to show the world, then we might have something.  When all we have is chest thumping and pseudo-magicians, we're doomed.

    Parent
    hehe (none / 0) (#12)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 10:24:24 AM EST
    Invading another nation and making the problem worse?  

    Well, we sure wouldn't want to hurt their feelings, would we??

    Parent

    I'm disappointed (none / 0) (#7)
    by diplomatic on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:45:52 AM EST
    There haven't been that many articles overnight on how this Florida 3rd place finish is "good for Rudy"

    Praise the Sun God.... (none / 0) (#10)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 09:59:42 AM EST
    Now I only hope he takes some consulting job in a land far far away.

    kdog... my advice is to (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 10:26:37 AM EST
    leave NYC immediately if we elect a Demo.

    The terrorist will see that as a lack of strength and will attack within 12 months.

    Parent

    I don't scare easily buddy..... (none / 0) (#14)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 10:48:59 AM EST
    No terrorist will ever drive me from my home.

    Not that I buy for a second that some Islama-whacko cares which corrupt s.o.b. we elect to the highest office.

    Parent

    And we never cared what (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 04:14:02 PM EST
    Soviet leader replaced another..

    Of course the care. It very much influences what strategy they use in the WOT.

    Parent

    I think.... (none / 0) (#16)
    by kdog on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 10:32:46 AM EST
    they care more about the aircraft carriers off their shores and troops around (or within) their borders more than who happens to command those forces.

    Be it Hillary, Obama, McCain, or Romney...those aircraft carriers and troops are gonna be there.  

    Parent

    Identify the problem... (none / 0) (#17)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 01:01:21 PM EST
    al-Qaida is not a country, but rather a loosely organized group of individuals from various countries that sees itself as anointed to establish Shari law throughout the world. This they expect to do through asymmetrical warfare; acts of terror, outright battles and using the West's legal sysyem against the West.

    I remind you of what OBL said in March of 1997 to Peter Arnett, then of CNN.

    REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, will the end of the United States' presence in Saudi Arabia, their withdrawal, will that end your call for jihad against the United States and against the US ?

    BIN LADIN:.... So, the driving-away jihad against the US does not stop with its withdrawal from the Arabian peninsula, but rather it must desist from aggressive intervention against Muslims in the whole world.



    Parent
    We've been there and done that.... (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 01:16:36 PM EST
    old friend...lets just say we have very different interpretations of the world and leave at that.

    How the cards been running....do well in Tunica?

    Parent

    I am merely trying to save your immortal (none / 0) (#19)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 02:21:36 PM EST
    soul.... ;-)

    Tunica was fantastic in January during the tournaments. Come over later, I'm doing another bit on poker....

    Parent

    Will do sir....n/t (none / 0) (#20)
    by kdog on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 02:24:11 PM EST