Christian conservatives met in Salt Lake City on Saturday to discuss the possibility of backing a third-party candidate should the Republican Party nominate a pro-choice candidate, namely Rudy Giuliani.

The group making the threat, which came together Saturday in Salt Lake City during a break-away gathering during a meeting of the secretive Council for National Policy, includes Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps the most influential of the group, as well as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the direct mail pioneer Richard Viguerie and dozens of other politically-oriented conservative Christians, participants said. Almost everyone present expressed support for a written resolution that “if the Republican Party nominates a pro-abortion candidate we will consider running a third party candidate.”

However, not everyone in the Christian Right are firmly behind running a third-party candidate — yet.

Rev. Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcast Network, for example, has provided relatively generous coverage to Mr. Giuliani and his campaign. Gary Bauer, a Christian conservative political advocate and a Republican primary candidate eight years ago, said that, speaking by phone to the meeting, he urged the group to proceed with caution. “I can’t think of a bigger disaster for social conservatives, defense conservatives, and economic conservatives than Hillary Clinton in the White House,” Mr. Bauer said.

Still, he added, “But I do believe there are certain core issues for the Republican Party—low taxes, strong defense and pro life— and if we nominate some who is hostile on one of those three thing it will blow up the GOP.”

Other Candidates, Rudy Giuliani | 6 Comments »

Last night, the Iowa Christian Alliance held a dinner and invited former Sen. Fred Thompson, who came to the dinner as part of his second swing through Iowa as a presidential candidate. Thompson was told he would not have an opportunity to speak at the dinner, only to attend.

Iowa Independent’s Jay Wagner described how Thompson’s staff dealt with the media gaggle that showed up to cover Thompson, who has been a bit of a stranger around these parts:

Although all the presidential candidates were invited to attend, the ICA had told them in advance that they wouldn’t have an opportunity to speak. The Thompson campaign told reporters during the event that their candidate would avail himself to reporters prior to his departure so as not to disrupt the meeting. But after he finished eating - and before the program got underway - Thompson and his family and staff slipped into an SUV and departed, leaving the media gaggle behind without a chance to answer a single question.

A Thompson staffer promised a media availability outside the event so questions wouldn’t interrupt the dinner itself, and then there wasn’t one. Jay wasn’t the only reporter to blog about the experience afterwards. While his story merely mentioned Thompson’s media dodge toward the end, Radio Iowa’s Kay Henderson and WHO TV’s Dave Price both highlighted the treatment they had received in blog entries. Said Henderson:

No questions. No answers. If you want to know what he said tonight, you’ll have to ask Jeri.

Dave Price of WHO TV characterized the evening in his post title, “Fred, Fried Chicken and a Lie Pie for dessert.” He concluded:

Then, we followed him after he left the bathroom. Perhaps, this was our chance. Nope, he made his way back to his table. Then, he turned around and went outside. Now, it was our chance to get all those faith questions answered. Thompson walked outside…and then walked into the SUV waiting for him. Then, he left. Another staffer said there would be plenty of time for questions during the rest of the trip. Will there or is that another slice of lie pie?

If Thompson was hoping to be the media darling candidate this time around, a la Sen. John McCain in 2000, he’s missing his opportunity.

Crossposted here.

Updated 10/01/07 at 8:13pm by Matt Ortega: TAPPED posted the video of a local Iowa news report on FDT’s skipping out on the press.

Fred Thompson, Iowa | 5 Comments »

Senator John McCain is a shell of his former self. There was once a time when I greatly admired and respected McCain as a lawmaker, but his presidential ambitions have tarnished that image of him.

In an interview with Beliefnet, McCain stated that the U.S. Constitution “established the U.S. as a Christian nation” and suggested support for a religious litmus test in selecting an American president.

A recent poll found that 55 percent of Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. What do you think?
I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation. But I say that in the broadest sense. The lady that holds her lamp beside the golden door doesn’t say, “I only welcome Christians.” We welcome the poor, the tired, the huddled masses. But when they come here they know that they are in a nation founded on Christian principles. [emphasis added]

Steve Benen, literally the hardest working man on the blogs (seriously, this guy is everywhere these days), aptly pointed out at Talking Points Memo:

[W]hat BeliefNet did not mention in the question is that the poll was conducted by the First Amendment Center, which released the results on Constitution Day. The accompanying report noted that far too many Americans are confused about the Constitution.

Apparently, it’s not just the electorate that’s mistaken.

McCain also expressed discomfort with the idea of a Muslim president.

It doesn’t seem like a Muslim candidate would do very well, according to that standard.
I admire the Islam. There’s a lot of good principles in it. I think one of the great tragedies of the 21st century is that these forces of evil have perverted what’s basically an honorable religion. But, no, I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles…. personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith. But that doesn’t mean that I’m sure that someone who is Muslim would not make a good president. I don’t say that we would rule out under any circumstances someone of a different faith. I just would–I just feel that that’s an important part of our qualifications to lead.* […]

*McCain contacted Beliefnet after the interview to clarify his remarks: “I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the candidate best able to lead the country and defend our political values.”

You bet your ass he did. After a couple weeks of press blasting the GOP as anti-black, anti-Latino and anti-gay for passing on forums/debates targeted towards those constituencies, I don’t think McCain wanted to add the GOP’s disdain for Muslims to the list, too.

But this “clarification” does not excuse that it is incredibly unconstitutional, just like his first answer:

Has the candidates’ personal faith become too big an issue in the presidential race?
Questions about that are very legitimate…. And it’s also appropriate for me at certain points in the conversation to say, look, that’s sort of a private matter between me and my Creator…. But I think the number one issue people should make [in the] selection of the President of the United States is, ‘Will this person carry on in the Judeo Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?’” [emphasis added]

I think John McCain, who has touted his experience plenty as of late, just labeled himself completely unqualified for the Office of the President. Article IV of the U.S. Constitution explicitly states:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. [emphasis added]

That noise you heard was Thomas Jefferson rolling over in his grave.

John McCain | 7 Comments »

Radio host Tom Joyner took a jab at the four GOP front-runner candidates that passed on showing up at the PBS Republican Presidential Forum hosted at Morgan State.

Think Progress noted on Friday:

Last night was the third minority-focused debate in which the Republican front runners refused to participate. They also skipped a debate on gay issues and a Spanish-language debate.

Tavis Smiley appeared on CNN and noted that their avoidance of the PBS debate is part of a “pattern.”

Presidential Debates, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney | No Comments »

Jon Wiener, writing for the Off the Bus series at Huffington Post, spoke with former White House Counsel for President Richard Nixon, John Dean, about the Bush presidency, a possible Giuliani administration and the GOP.

Dean’s assessment on Giuliani? If you thought Bush was bad, just wait for President Giuliani.

“Look at the so-called Watergate abuses of power,” he said. “Nobody died. Nobody was tortured. Millions of Americans were not subject to electronic surveillance of their communications. We’re playing now in a whole different league.”

And how does Bush compare with the Republicans seeking to succeed him? “If a Rudy Giuliani were to be elected,” Dean said, “he would go even farther than Cheney and Bush in their worst moments.” [emphasis added]

In his discussion with Wiener, Dean gave his stark assessment of the current state of the Republican Party. Left in shambles, Dean notes that not all of the candidates are as extreme.

What about the rest of the pack? “I’m very concerned about the current attitude in the Republican party,” he said. “However there are candidates on the Republican side who are not quite as frightening as Giuliani.” When I asked who he had in mind, he laughed and said “Ron Paul.” He conceded that “there’s no chance he’s going to be president.”

Dean continued, asked about the transition from a Bush presidency to a, presumably, Democratic administration:

I asked Dean to imagine the moment when Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, 2009, presumably to be replaced by a Democrat, presumably Hillary — will it then be possible to say “our long national nightmare is over”? Dean replied with one word: “Yes.”

But for some, the nightmare will just be beginning. Wiener notes:

He quickly added, “I do feel strongly that the Republicans have so abused the law and embedded so many people within the system, within the executive branch, that’s it’s going to take a couple of terms of Democratic presidents before you have people there who are representing the American people.”

(Hat tip: Steve Benen, Crooks & Liars)

Candidates, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani | No Comments »

The dream is over.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not run for president in 2008 after determining he could not legally explore a bid and remain as head of his tax-exempt political organization, a spokesman said Saturday.

“Newt is not running,” spokesman Rick Tyler said. “It is legally impermissible for him to continue on as chairman of American Solutions (for Winning the Future) and to explore a campaign for president.”

Gingrich decided “to continue on raising the challenges America faces and finding solutions to those challenges” as the group’s chairman, Tyler said, “rather than pursuing the presidency.”

Can American Solutions be that lucrative a gig that it’s not worth giving up for a run to be leader of the free world, or did the initial foray into talking to donors reveal nothing but “Ah, no thanks”? Sadly, we’ll never know.

Well, on the bright side for those Republicans looking for a saviour, I hear Ted Nugent is available.

Newt Gingrich | 2 Comments »

Todd Beeton has a good analysis of the most recent Fox News poll over at MyDD. This part is particularly notable:

Interestingly, while independent support for Clinton grows modestly, their support for the Republicans in match-ups against her absolutely plummets. Against Clinton, independent support for Giuliani drops 8 points, support for Thompson drops 10 points and support for McCain drops 6 points. (The undecided column is a larger beneficiary of these defections than Clinton is.) Independents flee Giuliani and Thompson against Obama as well, although in fewer numbers: 6 points and 1 point respectively. But independents’ support of John McCain actually jumps 6 points when against Barack Obama and Obama’s support falls a stunning 13 points; in fact, independents now prefer McCain to Obama 37% to 32%. But one thing is clear: no matter who he is matched up against, Rudy Giuliani is losing independents.

This is the story that the major media are not talking about. There is absolutely a relationship between McCain’s strong performance among independents and his weak numbers among Republicans. It’s becoming ever-more clear that there is something of a zero-sum relationship between Republican support and independent support. And the big victim of that equation right now is Rudy Giuliani, who is watching his numbers among independents drop even as he solidifies his position at the top of the GOP field. The one is a consequence of the other.

The narrative on Giuliani is that he’s a “moderate” or a “liberal” Republican; this notion derives almost entirely from his nominal pro-choice stance and his failure to be as full-throatedly anti-gay as his GOP rivals. He has worked hard to overcome this disadvantage among primary voters, running as perhaps the most savagely partisan Republican in the race. So far this strategy has helped him keep his edge in the fight for the nomination, but it’s undermining his general election chances — hardly a surprise, given the pervasive anti-GOP sentiment in the nation at large.

The fact is that while Rudy may be a “moderate” on abortion, he is an extremist conservative on other very important issues. He is a vocal Iran war hawk; his foreign policy team is full of unreconstructed neocons — most notorious is Norman Podhoretz, but the others are just as bad — and he plainly offers nothing but a hyper-aggressive form of Bushism abroad. His judicial advisors are right-wing extremists; his economic advisors have him wandering the country making ludicrous claims derived from the crackpot theories of the voodoo economists; and he’s deeply out of touch on health care, babbling about “socialized medicine” when most Americans want to see a plan for government-backed universal health insurance. Giuliani is in many ways the most right-wing of the Republican candidates. He is simply not in the American mainstream. If independents are sensing this, it’s hardly a surprise that he’s losing them.

Polling, Rudy Giuliani | 1 Comment »

Continuing the GOP’s effort to remake itself as the “Whites Only” party, Fred Thompson suggested earlier this month that he’d abolish birthright citizenship, thus overturning one of the foundational principles of the American melting pot. Now the Orlando Sentinel reports that Thompson’s ill-conceived remarks have stirred up yet more anger among Hispanics in Florida:

Thompson’s comments have angered Hispanic leaders — many of them Republicans — who say they are a crass attempt to court the GOP base. […]

“It’s not just ramping up the rhetoric,” said Alex Villalobos, a Republican state senator from Miami. “It’s pandering to extremists.”

State Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, while not criticizing any candidate directly, called the idea a “xenophobic” notion that could drive Hispanic voters from the GOP.

“At best, this would be seen as mean-spirited,” he said. “At worst, it’s seen as bigotry.”

Republicans in recent years have shown a remarkable ability to divide themselves by their own extremism. In Kansas, the GOP surrendered its natural majority as fundamentalist radicals drove moderates into the ranks of the Democratic Party. Will the Republicans’ constant pandering to the nativist white base force a similar outmigration among Hispanic party members in Florida?

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Enquirer takes a look at the potential consequences of the Republican snub of minority voters for the party’s chances in Ohio. Bush won the Buckeye state in 2004 thanks in large part to his ability to increase his share of the African-American vote there to 16%. The Republican candidate in 2008 looks unlikely to repeat such a performance, thanks to the GOP’s process of ethnic self-cleansing.

Ohio, Fred Thompson, Florida | 4 Comments »

Rudy Giuliani made an effort to reach out to the fundamentalist right yesterday, sitting down for an interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, home of all things sequined and fanatical. You can watch the interview here, or read excerpts courtesy of CNN here (note that, in the passages cited, he manages to refer to 9/11 — in unrelated contexts — twice).

Giuliani, of course, is under attack from the fundies on two fronts — his supposed unreliability on abortion and other policy matters, and his rather unconventional personal life. In the interview, he used a biblical analogy to defend himself on the second subject, though he screwed it up a bit:

“I’m guided very, very often about, `Don’t judge others, lest you be judged,”‘ Giuliani told CBN interviewer David Brody. “I’m guided a lot by the story of the woman that was going to be stoned, and Jesus put the stones down and said, ‘He that hasn’t sinned, cast the first stone,’ and everybody disappeared.

“It seems like nowadays in America, we have people that think they could’ve passed that test,” he said. “And I don’t think anybody could’ve passed that test but Jesus.”

In the New Testament story, related in the Gospel of John, Jesus does not actually hold stones. The Pharisees bring Jesus a woman charged with adultery, reminding him the punishment for adultery is stoning. They are testing Jesus in an effort to charge him with breaking the law.

Brody himself was forgiving over this little gaffe, later writing that he “understood the analogy. It was simply to say that people shouldn’t be so judgmental of others.” Which is a nice sentiment, if one that seems to somewhat contradict the entire premise of a network like CBN. It’s not really for me to say, but it seems that the problem with Giuliani’s argument here, from the evangelical perspective anyway, is that it asks for a total suspension of judgment. It’s one thing to say that we should all try to be less judgmental; it’s another to infer that, since none of us can be as good as Jesus, there are no grounds for anyone to criticize anyone over matters of personal morality. Giuliani is trying to remove his personal life from the equation altogether, trying to assert that the choices he has made should mean nothing. But if fundamentalists accept that, then they have to abandon their project of making the personal political altogether. Somehow it’s hard for me to imagine they’ll agree.

Rudy Giuliani | No Comments »

As the third quarter winds down and the FEC reporting deadline looms, here’s what to expect from the top candidates.

Giuliani advisers won’t provide an estimate of their expected haul — they are very good at keeping their estimates in house — but they probably will not raise as much as they did last quarter. Through June 30, Giuliani had raised nearly $35M and had $16M left to spend, a burn rate of about 45%.

Romney has loaned himself nearly $9M, which, when subtracted from his $12M cash-on-hand, would suggest that receipts in have not kept pace with disbursements, generally, which have totaled more than $32M. Romney donors said that they had been told that Romney was prepared to spend another $5M to keep his campaign’s budget intact. They give a range of $10M to $12M for individual contributions in the third quarter.

John McCain will raise between $4 and $5M; Fred Thompson will probably raise around $6M.

Quick thoughts here. One, Romney is spending untold amounts of money. He’s had to, in order to raise his name ID against well-known challengers. So he has to raise lots more than every other candidate to keep financial parity. This is not happening.

Two, nobody’s raising as much as last quarter, and still not nearly as much as the Democrats.

Three, McCain and particularly Thompson’s numbers are pathetic. Thompson just started raising money, meaning that he just started hitting up his biggest supporters for maxed-out donations. And all he could scrounge up was a measly $6M? I suppose on a two-day-a-week work schedule, that’s decent enough, but for someone who actually wants to be President…

There’s a decent amount of bad news for all of these candidates here. And considering their continued disrespect of minority voters, as well as the difficulties succeeded an historically unpopular President, the pump is primed for….

A new savior!!!!

Newt Gingrich is poised to enter the presidential contest on Monday with an interesting device: A self-made draft site.

The site will ask people to pledge money for his campaign if he were to run, and will lay out his ideas for the country.

It’s like the Night of 100 Stars, if by “stars” you mean “cranky Republicans seeing their grip on power slip away.”

Fred Thompson, Fundraising, Newt Gingrich, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney | 1 Comment »