Tomorrow, It’s Round One For The Republicans…
…and Craig Crawford says the onus is on John McCain:
An adamant supporter of the troop buildup in Iraq that is being carried out by President Bush, Sen. John McCain of Arizona needs a surge of his own in Thursday’s first Republican presidential debate of the 2008 race.
Overtaken by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for national front-runner status in Republican preference polls and badly outdone in this year’s first quarter of fundraising, McCain seemed headed for an honorable discharge from the campaign. But lucky for him, the race remains scrambled.
Giuliani, the main benefactor of McCain’s slump, is dogged by gossip about his three marriages and at least one messy divorce. While former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney looms as a serious contender, Giuliani should be in McCain’s debating crosshairs.
No need to target Giuliani directly, Sen. McCain. Just a bit of passive aggression would do.
Well, I don’t see McCain targeting Giuliani directly or indirectly, frankly. It would be a huge mistake and a sign of desperation. McCain merely has to make a good impression, and above all, make a strong case for Iraq to a skeptical public.
Going after Rudy would only be a distraction, and it would hurt him more than Giuliani (but somebody needs to ask Romney if he wants to rescind that “Battlefield Earth” endorsement)…
At the risk of going off on a tangent, I take issue with the description of John McCain as having been “Overtaken by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for national front-runner status in Republican preference polls”
Um, no. Rudy hasn’t overtaken McCain. Rudy and McCain are in the exact same place in public opinion polls they have been for the last TWO YEARS. Just because most of the media chose to ignore Rudy, the fact is that he’s been the frontrunner ALL ALONG and you (and many others) simply chose to ignore that fact. Ignoring Rudy’s support for almost two years wasn’t fair to Rudy and, frankly, belatedly highlighting that support now to exaggerate Rudy’s momentum isn’t fair to McCain.
Sorry about the leftyish lapse into allcap-speak, but really, this gets on my nerves.
Oh, Mark: the “you” was in reference to Craig Crawford and not, you know, you. Just wanted to make that clear.
Crystal clear – and you’re right…
Do you know of a site that will post a video of the debate? I will not be able to catch it tonight but dont want to miss out on all of the hot Rudy action.
At this stage of the campaign (wicked early), the best and most effective way to compare and contrast yourself with the other candidates is to focus on explaining your philosophy and what you believe in, rather than going into attack or even passive-aggressive mode. Most people don’t know most of these guys, at any serious level of detail, for some watchers this will be the first time they have seen the candidate’s live. With all that in mind, it will be mostly party partisans watching so it is important not to puke on your shoes.
Degree of difficulty: 3 (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being most difficult).
Level of importance: 3 (on a 1-5 scale, 5 being most important).
Well, if you’re looking for video, you can always go to MSNBC, maybe they’ll have a replay on their website – or try YouTube…
Thanks, its posted up on MSNBC in several sections complete with commercials from “Progressive” car insurance. Im sure its coincidence but an interesting sponsor choice non the less.