Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the Democratic Party's 2004 presidential nominee, will endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president in South Carolina today, Democratic sources told Politico.
That's fine.
Most progressive values voters are still POed at Kerry for a series of betrayals to peace and social justice, and crashing the 2004 Democratic nomination.
Maybe Kerry does not wish to be remembered as a consultant-based, do-nothing void.
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Showing posts with label republican presidential primary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label republican presidential primary. Show all posts
Jan 10, 2008
Novak: Romney Campaign at Death's Door
After spending millions of dollars and contorting himself to appeal to the GOP's religious right, Mitt Romney is being declared all but dead by a rightwing political pundit.
From the Evans-Novak Political Report:
Romney's core tactic in New Hampshire of attacking McCain on immigration fell flat partly because McCain reduced the issue to a squabble over the definition of "amnesty." Also, the negativity seemed to hurt him here as it did in Iowa. Finally, as a well-off corporate raider, it's hard for voters to believe Romney really cares about the issue. It comes across as opportunistic and purely political. Immigration has not proved a winning issue in recent years. ...
While Romney can dig into his own massive fortunes to stay alive, it's hard to imagine where he can win if he can't win in two states where he has spent huge amounts of money and time. The voters who know him best -- including those in his neighboring state of New Hampshire -- aren't quite sold on him.
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From the Evans-Novak Political Report:
Romney's core tactic in New Hampshire of attacking McCain on immigration fell flat partly because McCain reduced the issue to a squabble over the definition of "amnesty." Also, the negativity seemed to hurt him here as it did in Iowa. Finally, as a well-off corporate raider, it's hard for voters to believe Romney really cares about the issue. It comes across as opportunistic and purely political. Immigration has not proved a winning issue in recent years. ...
While Romney can dig into his own massive fortunes to stay alive, it's hard to imagine where he can win if he can't win in two states where he has spent huge amounts of money and time. The voters who know him best -- including those in his neighboring state of New Hampshire -- aren't quite sold on him.
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Jan 6, 2008
John McCain's Whopper on Meet the Press: Bush United Us
Senator John McCain for reasons beyond understanding still gets the red-carpet treatment from the media covering the campaign.
On Meet the Press, after distancing himself from Bush on the salient issues pertaining to Katrina, Iraq and corruption, McCain said this:
"(Bush) led this nation after 9/11 and united us."
Tim Russert let the statement go unchallenged.
Reality check: Were Americans just sitting around waiting for Bush to unite us after 9/11?
Americans were united, the world was united; and Bush took that unity and divided the United States and spread ill will throughout the world to an extent that no American president has ever done in history.
The straight-talking McCain is a joke, and we can expect more political honesty from even the Huckster and Romney than the phony John McCain.
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On Meet the Press, after distancing himself from Bush on the salient issues pertaining to Katrina, Iraq and corruption, McCain said this:
"(Bush) led this nation after 9/11 and united us."
Tim Russert let the statement go unchallenged.
Reality check: Were Americans just sitting around waiting for Bush to unite us after 9/11?
Americans were united, the world was united; and Bush took that unity and divided the United States and spread ill will throughout the world to an extent that no American president has ever done in history.
The straight-talking McCain is a joke, and we can expect more political honesty from even the Huckster and Romney than the phony John McCain.
###
Dec 30, 2007
GOP Running on Empty and Away from Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee
Two things scare the bejesus out of GOP operatives more than a united Democratic party in 2008:
Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.
Fox News, the Republican media organ, is excluding the libertarian, anti-war Paul from a debate the weekend before the New Hampshire primary because, as James Pindell quotes Paul:
"They are scared of me and don't want my message to get out, but it will (get out). ... They are propagandists for this war and I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative."
What the GOP operatives at Fox are afraid of is that Paul will chip away blocks from the Republican coalition needed to be assembled for a winning 2008 presidential campaign. And today's authoritarian, war-at-any-costs GOP does not cut it with Paul supporters, many of whom are veterans.
But the decision to exclude Paul from the debate rather than placate and assimilate him into the GOP fold is, from the GOP perspective, foolish and short-sighted. The GOP underestimates the passion and commitment of Paul's growing supporters and the attempt to suppress Paul is playing right into the insurgent Paul's crash-the-gates appeal.
Huckabee, on the other hand, even as he consolidates the religious right's bigotry block suffers from three tactical political weaknesses: He is perceived to be weak on foreign affairs, weak on crime, and unacceptable to the Wall Street faction of the GOP.
Amusing to watch the GOP, which has used the religious right so effectively the past eight years, have their hidden contempt for the religious right begin to pour out into the open.
Huckabee is worse than Paul in his ability to fragment a winning Republican 2008 presidential coalition that has days away from Iowa eluded the GOP.
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Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.
Fox News, the Republican media organ, is excluding the libertarian, anti-war Paul from a debate the weekend before the New Hampshire primary because, as James Pindell quotes Paul:
"They are scared of me and don't want my message to get out, but it will (get out). ... They are propagandists for this war and I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative."
What the GOP operatives at Fox are afraid of is that Paul will chip away blocks from the Republican coalition needed to be assembled for a winning 2008 presidential campaign. And today's authoritarian, war-at-any-costs GOP does not cut it with Paul supporters, many of whom are veterans.
But the decision to exclude Paul from the debate rather than placate and assimilate him into the GOP fold is, from the GOP perspective, foolish and short-sighted. The GOP underestimates the passion and commitment of Paul's growing supporters and the attempt to suppress Paul is playing right into the insurgent Paul's crash-the-gates appeal.
Huckabee, on the other hand, even as he consolidates the religious right's bigotry block suffers from three tactical political weaknesses: He is perceived to be weak on foreign affairs, weak on crime, and unacceptable to the Wall Street faction of the GOP.
Amusing to watch the GOP, which has used the religious right so effectively the past eight years, have their hidden contempt for the religious right begin to pour out into the open.
Huckabee is worse than Paul in his ability to fragment a winning Republican 2008 presidential coalition that has days away from Iowa eluded the GOP.
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Dec 28, 2007
Huckabee Blasts Romney for Negative Ads
Mitt Romney is getting desperate. If Romney gets a poor showing in Iowa, he will go into New Hampshire smelling like a loser, quite possibly dooming his campaign.
So Romney is going negative on Mike Huckabee entering the last weekend before Iowa's caucuses.
A big risk for a faltering Romney campaign with no real choice or promising direction.
Huckabee is using Romney's negative tactics to raise money; and the perceived personal qualities of Huckabee's that have catapulted him into a frontrunner are precisely those lacking in Romney: Positive, sincere, kind-hearted and principled.
From the Huckster's fundraising e-mail:
With only days to go though, we still have a lots of work to do to overcome Governor Romney's organization and his negative attacks. He has outspent us 20 to 1 and nearly everyone I meet has seen one of his negative and false attack ads about me or has received a desperate piece of direct mail from his campaign that makes me sound like I should be run out of Iowa all of the way back to Arkansas.
In political consultant lingo, Governor Romney's campaign is trying to "define me" for voters. The thinking goes, if you run enough negative attack ads, people will begin to believe what they hear and will decide to stay home on Caucus night. It is an old trick in politics and probably one of the worst. Wouldn't it be better if Governor Romney spent his energy and money trying to define himself?
###
So Romney is going negative on Mike Huckabee entering the last weekend before Iowa's caucuses.
A big risk for a faltering Romney campaign with no real choice or promising direction.
Huckabee is using Romney's negative tactics to raise money; and the perceived personal qualities of Huckabee's that have catapulted him into a frontrunner are precisely those lacking in Romney: Positive, sincere, kind-hearted and principled.
From the Huckster's fundraising e-mail:
With only days to go though, we still have a lots of work to do to overcome Governor Romney's organization and his negative attacks. He has outspent us 20 to 1 and nearly everyone I meet has seen one of his negative and false attack ads about me or has received a desperate piece of direct mail from his campaign that makes me sound like I should be run out of Iowa all of the way back to Arkansas.
In political consultant lingo, Governor Romney's campaign is trying to "define me" for voters. The thinking goes, if you run enough negative attack ads, people will begin to believe what they hear and will decide to stay home on Caucus night. It is an old trick in politics and probably one of the worst. Wouldn't it be better if Governor Romney spent his energy and money trying to define himself?
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Dec 26, 2007
Huckabee's Standard GOP Divisive, Bigoted Appeal
Update: Robert Novak in the Evans-Novak Political Report sums up the Huckster thusly: "Huckabee's nomination odds very slim".
The GOP brass does not want this guy to win.
Mike Huckabee's predictable, no-more-mister-nice-guy degeneration into GOP appeals to bigotry and chauvinism have begun in earnest as he attempts to secure frontrunner status in the early GOP primaries.
From the Huckster's fundraiser e-mail:
... the Human Life amendment, the FairTax, securing our borders, ending sanctuary cities, education reform, building on the successes of the Surge in Iraq ... are the issues voters are talking about here in Iowa and elsewhere.
Securing our borders and ending sanctuary cities?
Surely, these are not the public policy prescriptions for working families trying to secure a better life for their children.
But those damn Mexicans and big-city mayors play well to the GOP base in Iowa, South Carolina and Florida as establishment Republicans panic that Huckabee just might just surge ahead these next few weeks.
Typical post-Holiday conversation among neighbors: How's the family, Joe?
The GOP brass does not want this guy to win.
Mike Huckabee's predictable, no-more-mister-nice-guy degeneration into GOP appeals to bigotry and chauvinism have begun in earnest as he attempts to secure frontrunner status in the early GOP primaries.
From the Huckster's fundraiser e-mail:
... the Human Life amendment, the FairTax, securing our borders, ending sanctuary cities, education reform, building on the successes of the Surge in Iraq ... are the issues voters are talking about here in Iowa and elsewhere.
Securing our borders and ending sanctuary cities?
Surely, these are not the public policy prescriptions for working families trying to secure a better life for their children.
But those damn Mexicans and big-city mayors play well to the GOP base in Iowa, South Carolina and Florida as establishment Republicans panic that Huckabee just might just surge ahead these next few weeks.
Typical post-Holiday conversation among neighbors: How's the family, Joe?
- Well, a bit concerned about not having the"Human Life Amendment," and giving the surge in Iraq another chance to bring Iraqis together.
- Ah, yep; me too.
Democrats wish the Huckster luck in his campaign.
###
Dec 9, 2007
Mitt Will Bomb-out
From MAUREEN DOWD's column this morning:
“J.F.K.’s speech was to reassure Americans that he wasn’t a religious fanatic,” Mr. Krakauer agreed. “Mitt’s was to tell evangelical Christians, ‘I’m a religious fanatic just like you.’”
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“J.F.K.’s speech was to reassure Americans that he wasn’t a religious fanatic,” Mr. Krakauer agreed. “Mitt’s was to tell evangelical Christians, ‘I’m a religious fanatic just like you.’”
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Dec 6, 2007
Jonathan Chait on the Huckster's Snake Oil
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is no Jack Kennedy.
And Huckabee is no William Jennings Bryan, the populist turn-of-the-century, three-time Democratic nominee for president.
Jonathan Chait has a nice piece in TNR that demonstrates that Huckabee's quasi-populist appeal that has him near or at the top of Iowa's pre-primary polls is "ideological snake oil," easily removed by analysis and the most superficial glance at Huckabee's record.
Writes Chait:
Seeking more insight into Huckabee's apparently Bryan-esque worldview, I turned to his manifesto, From Hope to Higher Ground. In it, he recounts how, during his governorship, low-wage behemoth Wal-Mart hired away many of his top state employees. This is classic populist grist--a huge corporation buys up government employees to ensure docile oversight. Huckabee expressed his reaction to this outrage thusly: "Frankly, I appreciated it when they saw the same talent and ability in those individuals as I discovered when I originally interviewed and hired them." And he proceeded to call Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton--whose salary surely qualified as immoral if anybody's ever did--a "visionary" with "extraordinary integrity." What kind of populist is this guy?
A very confused one, it seems. When Huckabee first declared his intent to run for the presidency, he was generally dismissed as a naive country bumpkin who had no business in a national campaign. His articulate speeches and rapid ascent in the polls have won him a second look, and he is now lauded in such places as The New Yorker, which called him "curiously unthreatening." Alas, when you look closely at Huckabee's platform, it turns out that everybody pretty much had it right the first time around.
Read more of Jonathan Chait's piece in TNR.
###
And Huckabee is no William Jennings Bryan, the populist turn-of-the-century, three-time Democratic nominee for president.
Jonathan Chait has a nice piece in TNR that demonstrates that Huckabee's quasi-populist appeal that has him near or at the top of Iowa's pre-primary polls is "ideological snake oil," easily removed by analysis and the most superficial glance at Huckabee's record.
Writes Chait:
Seeking more insight into Huckabee's apparently Bryan-esque worldview, I turned to his manifesto, From Hope to Higher Ground. In it, he recounts how, during his governorship, low-wage behemoth Wal-Mart hired away many of his top state employees. This is classic populist grist--a huge corporation buys up government employees to ensure docile oversight. Huckabee expressed his reaction to this outrage thusly: "Frankly, I appreciated it when they saw the same talent and ability in those individuals as I discovered when I originally interviewed and hired them." And he proceeded to call Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton--whose salary surely qualified as immoral if anybody's ever did--a "visionary" with "extraordinary integrity." What kind of populist is this guy?
A very confused one, it seems. When Huckabee first declared his intent to run for the presidency, he was generally dismissed as a naive country bumpkin who had no business in a national campaign. His articulate speeches and rapid ascent in the polls have won him a second look, and he is now lauded in such places as The New Yorker, which called him "curiously unthreatening." Alas, when you look closely at Huckabee's platform, it turns out that everybody pretty much had it right the first time around.
Read more of Jonathan Chait's piece in TNR.
###
Dec 2, 2007
Is David Broder Capable of Being Substantial? No, That Is Why He Ignores Ron Paul
David Broder has never tried to hide his positive bias toward the Bush, Cheney, and Rove administration.
But Broder's bias extends to the GOP generally, and because it's difficult to manage regular, substantial plaudits for the Party, Broder does what he does best: Banal pandering.
Watching last week's CNN YouTube Debate while attempting to adopt the mindset of a Republican primary voter, the immigrant-bashing, war-mongering, hate-fest nature of the forum was impossible to miss.
John McCain and Mike Huckabee did come out with positions approaching rational and human concern for immigrants and their families, positions similar to the standard Democratic position.
Yet, for David Broder, only GOP candidates draw praise in taking rational positions contra the GOP. [In fairness to Broder, rational GOP positions do not often come.] Writes Broder:
What sets McCain and Huckabee apart is most evident in the way they treat the contentious issue of illegal immigration. ...
But, unlike the others, who seem to take their rhetorical cues from the rabidly anti-immigrant Tancredo, Huckabee and McCain always remember that those who struggle to reach the United States across the deserts or rivers of the Southwest are human beings drawn here by the promise of better lives for their families. ...
If the Republican Party really wanted to hold on to the White House in 2009, it's pretty clear what it would do. It would grit its teeth, swallow its doubts, and nominate a ticket of John McCain for president and Mike Huckabee for vice president -- and president-in-waiting. ...
McCain and Huckabee have been notable for their clarity, character and, yes, simple humanity.
So, does this clarity, character, and humanity apply to the Democratic candidates who have taken essentially the same positions (but less putative) as McCain and Huckabee on immigration? No.
Broder continues:
McCain is ... a principled battler for what he considers essential on Iraq and other national security issues.
McCain's position is that we should sacrifice more American soldiers in Iraq (though even the most dim of observers realize that the war was sold through lies), bankrupt our military's readiness, and begin a massive influx of new troops into the slaughter, a pro-war position that is supposed to appeal to the GOP primary voters.
McCain's pandering to the religious right is well known and merits no further comment, other than to ask Broder whether this is another demonstration of McCain's character.
McCain's principle is that he wants to be president. [Though he chastised Romney on torture at the debate, McCain also has caved in to Bush on torture last year, and besides shouldn't the not-torturing position be axiomatic, and GOP pro-torture positions be the subject of non-stop media and political condemnation?]
Broder says this of Huckabee: "His combination of religious principle, good humor, tolerance and clear passion on education and health care ...," blah blah blah.
Clear passion? Huckabee is against universal health care, and, whatever Broder thinks, Huckabee will not go down in history as the Education Governor.
Huckabee is a religious right zealot who does not believe in evolution, and these beliefs have propelled Huckabee to be the favorite to win the Iowa caucuses.
Broder then writes the following of Ron Paul (and other candidates):
" ... are exercising their lungs but running for exercise, happy to be part of the proceedings but with no hope of being nominated."
Broder, like the national GOP, is afraid of Rep. Ron Paul because of his libertarian, clear anti-war positions, his lack of cant, and criticism of Bush's lies on Iraq that has helped Paul raise millions of dollars in weeks in grassroots' contributions.
And Ron Paul's clarity has earned him the favored candidate status from veterans across the nation.
But for Broder, that will not win Ron Paul (or any Democratic presidential candidate) the praise of having "clarity, character and, yes, simple humanity."
###
But Broder's bias extends to the GOP generally, and because it's difficult to manage regular, substantial plaudits for the Party, Broder does what he does best: Banal pandering.
Watching last week's CNN YouTube Debate while attempting to adopt the mindset of a Republican primary voter, the immigrant-bashing, war-mongering, hate-fest nature of the forum was impossible to miss.
John McCain and Mike Huckabee did come out with positions approaching rational and human concern for immigrants and their families, positions similar to the standard Democratic position.
Yet, for David Broder, only GOP candidates draw praise in taking rational positions contra the GOP. [In fairness to Broder, rational GOP positions do not often come.] Writes Broder:
What sets McCain and Huckabee apart is most evident in the way they treat the contentious issue of illegal immigration. ...
But, unlike the others, who seem to take their rhetorical cues from the rabidly anti-immigrant Tancredo, Huckabee and McCain always remember that those who struggle to reach the United States across the deserts or rivers of the Southwest are human beings drawn here by the promise of better lives for their families. ...
If the Republican Party really wanted to hold on to the White House in 2009, it's pretty clear what it would do. It would grit its teeth, swallow its doubts, and nominate a ticket of John McCain for president and Mike Huckabee for vice president -- and president-in-waiting. ...
McCain and Huckabee have been notable for their clarity, character and, yes, simple humanity.
So, does this clarity, character, and humanity apply to the Democratic candidates who have taken essentially the same positions (but less putative) as McCain and Huckabee on immigration? No.
Broder continues:
McCain is ... a principled battler for what he considers essential on Iraq and other national security issues.
McCain's position is that we should sacrifice more American soldiers in Iraq (though even the most dim of observers realize that the war was sold through lies), bankrupt our military's readiness, and begin a massive influx of new troops into the slaughter, a pro-war position that is supposed to appeal to the GOP primary voters.
McCain's pandering to the religious right is well known and merits no further comment, other than to ask Broder whether this is another demonstration of McCain's character.
McCain's principle is that he wants to be president. [Though he chastised Romney on torture at the debate, McCain also has caved in to Bush on torture last year, and besides shouldn't the not-torturing position be axiomatic, and GOP pro-torture positions be the subject of non-stop media and political condemnation?]
Broder says this of Huckabee: "His combination of religious principle, good humor, tolerance and clear passion on education and health care ...," blah blah blah.
Clear passion? Huckabee is against universal health care, and, whatever Broder thinks, Huckabee will not go down in history as the Education Governor.
Huckabee is a religious right zealot who does not believe in evolution, and these beliefs have propelled Huckabee to be the favorite to win the Iowa caucuses.
Broder then writes the following of Ron Paul (and other candidates):
" ... are exercising their lungs but running for exercise, happy to be part of the proceedings but with no hope of being nominated."
Broder, like the national GOP, is afraid of Rep. Ron Paul because of his libertarian, clear anti-war positions, his lack of cant, and criticism of Bush's lies on Iraq that has helped Paul raise millions of dollars in weeks in grassroots' contributions.
And Ron Paul's clarity has earned him the favored candidate status from veterans across the nation.
But for Broder, that will not win Ron Paul (or any Democratic presidential candidate) the praise of having "clarity, character and, yes, simple humanity."
###
Nov 17, 2007
Rudy Says He Loves Corrupt, Liberty-destroying Judges Too
Update: Rudy Giuliani's messianic paranoia (Glnn Greenwald at Salon)
One of the things a man must do to secure today's Republican presidential nomination is nail down the support of right-wing attorneys for whom the Bill of Rights and the rule of law are simple obstacles to be overcome in their power grab.
Rudy Giuliani tried his hand in that enterprise yesterday, addressing the 2007 National Lawyers Convention of the Federalist Society, legal rightwingers working to bring about a revolution in American jurisprudence through the appointment of federal judges who would weaken the liberties in the Bill of Rights and serve the GOP and its interests.
Of course, the Federalist Society dresses up their judicial ideology as strict constructionalism, fidelity to the U.S. Constitution and the law.
Like what Rudy said: “We’re seeking to find judges who understand the very, very important concept that judges exist to interpret the law, not to invent the law.”
Reports indicate that at the event Rudy vowed to nominate justices like "Justice Scalia, Justice Thomas, Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts," the four most conservative (strict constructionalist-like) judges on the current Supreme Court. (Walter Shapiro in Salon)
In reality, Rudy is a (born-again) strict constructionist: Someone who wishes to make abortion illegal (now, through the appointment of judges who would do so), sees no great defined liberty rights in the Constitution, is a lousy scholar of Constitutional thought, and will overturn any judicial precedent if it fits with the right wing political network that puts him in power should he win a general election.
Strict constructionalism is to the judiciary what freedom and autonomy are to U.S.-occupied Iraq, an expensive lie that will do one hell of a lot of damage.
These strict constructionists would even halt an election and appoint a man like George W. Bush to the presidency if they ever had the chance.
Rudy's kind of people.
###
Oct 16, 2007
Romney's Desperate and Clumsy Pandering to Religious Right
Mitt Romney's attempts to ingratiate himself with the religious right are getting desperate.
Several recent national journals have shed light on Romney, the former Gov. of Massachusetts who supported civil rights for gays and women, and his efforts to persuade the religious right that he is one of them.
It's beginning to look pathetic and phony.
From this morning's NYT:
The current issue of Harper’s (November) has a cover story on Romney by Ken Silverstein. As quoted by Silverstein: “(Romney) says all the right things, his speeches run through the litmus test on conservative issues, but there’s no conviction behind it. …,” said Cyndi Mosteller, a social rightwinger and GOP politico in South Carolina.
###
Several recent national journals have shed light on Romney, the former Gov. of Massachusetts who supported civil rights for gays and women, and his efforts to persuade the religious right that he is one of them.
It's beginning to look pathetic and phony.
From this morning's NYT:
More recently, in a Fox News interview, Mr. Romney made an unusual aside when he described how charged up he often gets after a day of campaigning.Wow, he is religious and whacky.
“I find myself having to read for an hour or so before I can fall asleep,” he said. “And thanks to the Gideons, I’ve got good material.”
The current issue of Harper’s (November) has a cover story on Romney by Ken Silverstein. As quoted by Silverstein: “(Romney) says all the right things, his speeches run through the litmus test on conservative issues, but there’s no conviction behind it. …,” said Cyndi Mosteller, a social rightwinger and GOP politico in South Carolina.
###
Sep 18, 2007
Mitt Romney's Pro-Civil Rights for Gays Flyer
Not as bad as a "Larry Craig Loves You" letter, but Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's credentials as a bigot are in big trouble.
From Huffington Post (via The Note):
"As that shakes out, ABC has obtained one flier Romney doesn't want you to see. It's from 2002, with Romney was running for governor with Kerry Healey as his running mate. 'Mitt and Kerry Wish You a Great Pride Weekend! All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference.' (It's even pink.)"
###
Sep 12, 2007
Rudy Giuliani Swinging for Fences Early in Coded Language, But Fails to Say God
Rudy Giuliani, mercurial, authoritarian and incompetent (and pro-choice and pro-affirmative action as mayor of Sin City, we're with you there, Rudy), has quite a large mailing list.
Giuliani is sending out his Tweleve Commitments to America that establish his rightwing bone fides and his myth as the mayor who braved 9/11, leading us to recovery. The Commitments are similar to Newt's 1994 Contract with America.
They have been out for a while, but one of the very recent recipients was my girlfriend in Madison, Wisconsin who, it may be disclosed, is no big fan of Rudy's (she hates fascists), and tries diligently to stay off marketing lists.
That shows that Rudy is reaching one hell of a lot of people, and raising a lot of money.
Rudy's Commitments
Among the highlights from Rudy's Commitments are:
- Reforming the legal system and appointing strict constructionist judges.
That's code for appointing Federalist Society judges who see their role as protecting Republican networks and chopping at the Bill of Rights liberty interests of ordinary Americans; that is the annoying freedom thing that radical Muslims hate us for and causes them to crash jets into our buildings and kill our people, in Bush's, I mean Rudy's mind. Strict constructionists also wish to make abortion illegal, and they see no right in the Constitution providing for a woman to decide what to do with her own body.
- Give Americans more control over, and access to health care with affordable and portable free-market solutions
That's code for rightwing thinktanks' free-market solutions that if you do not position yourself through your job(s) and provide your family with health care: Tough luck. Kids' having no health care: Too bad!
And, if you do have health care through work, it's likely gold-plated, and you should be paying for it by your self, and no health care should be guaranteed in the free market, because health care is a commodity to be brought and sold, and not a right of Americans.
That also code for obtaining campaign money, lots of it, from the health insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, HMO providers and the other moneyed health care interests who sell out the great majority of Americans.
Other commitments are code for capturing important electoral demographics on immigration, taxes, "school choice," and of-course security-conscious families worried about the terrorists (they gets two mentions in The Commitments).
No God
One word Rudy left out, significantly for his sake of garnering the Republican nomination, is the word "God." (Although maybe it's a conscious risk to appeal to the secular.)
That staff oversight will be corrected soon.
My own feeling is that Rudy takes God for granted because he sees him in the mirror every morning; well, at least a demigod.
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