Continuing their brilliant “I hate brown people” pitch to America, the Right’s Field has forced the cancellation of a Spanish-language debate:

Due to lack of interest, cable television station Univisión has canceled its September 16 Republican debate in Spanish, the Miami Herald reports. Only Sen. John McCain agreed to participate in the event at the University of Miami.

The cancellation adds to the growing distance between the Latino community and most of the Republican field, who “also ignored invitations to attend Hispanic-oriented conferences in Florida organized by the National Association of Latin Elected Officials and the National Council of La Raza.”

It’s OK, Florida isn’t an important swing state or anything.

The GOP is being led by its nativist base right off a cliff. It is undeniable that Hispanic turnout at the polls will only continue to increase, and simply ignoring their issues because a certain strain of their supporters is consumed by hatred makes no sense. This is the kind of thing politicial parties do that ends up destroying them for a generation.

Endorsements, John McCain, Presidential Debates | 4 Comments »

Roger Stone, a GOP operative who was just dumped from the New York State GOP for making a threatening phone call to Eliot Spitzer’s father (here’s the audio); who has actually tried to claim in his defense that “unnamed Spitzer operatives broke into his New York City apartment, presumably with a voice impersonator, and placed the threatening message to Spitzer’s father from Stone’s phone”; a man who is one of the all-time dirty tricksters in the Republican Hall of Shame; whose past includes allegations that he routinely placed swinger ads looking for “muscular, well hung, single men” to party with him and his wife…

…makes the case for Rudy Giuliani today.

He joins such upstanding citizens as racketeer Bernie Kerik, coke dealer Thomas Ravenel, child molester Monsignor Alan Placa, and others in the new 527 “Moral Lepers for Rudy.”

Endorsements, Rudy Giuliani | 2 Comments »

The as-yet-mostly-untold story of yesterday’s Iowa GOP Straw Poll in Ames is not about dueling bands and barbecues, of red inked thumbs or voting machine malfunctions; it is about tax policy.  Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the coveted second-place spot over Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback on that alone.

Brownback’s record on taxes was spotless enough to inspire the Club for Growth to run negative ads against Mike Huckabee in the week leading up to the Straw Poll.  He supports an “optional flat tax,” whereby citizens could opt to pay a flat income tax rate if they wanted to instead of paying income taxes based on the current system (I don’t know much more than that).

Huckabee, on the other hand, supports “FairTax,” a policy proposal that would shut down the IRS and, simplistically speaking, impose a national sales tax to pay for the federal government.  There would be what they call a “pre-bate” that the government would send out to families every year to make the system a little bit less regressive, but I won’t get into the details, because they aren’t interesting.  Americans for Fair Taxation actually sent me a few free copies of their book (coauthors are Rep. John Linder and controversial talker Neal Boortz), so I know more than I’m letting on.

Perhaps both of these proposals are preposterous (although an alarming number of Republican Congressmen and Senators claim to support one or the other), but policy implications took a back seat to political implications at the Straw Poll.

Read the rest here. 

Endorsements, Iowa, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback | 83 Comments »

Cross-posted at Iowa Independent

In a conference call today with Iowa Independent and other media, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he would do well in the Ames Straw Poll with the help of Iowa social conservatives, though a failure to do so would have grave consequences for his campaign.

Huckabee was joined by Bob Vander Plaats, a prominent Iowa social conservative and chairman of Huckabee’s Iowa campaign, and Dr. Michael P. Farris, another influential social conservative and co-founder and chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

After a brief introduction by Huckabee, Farris outlined the reasons that the association’s political action committee recently endorsed Huckabee, never straying far from the letter sent to HSLDA members. “It’s my judgment that Mike is in the very best position of any Republican to defeat a Democratic candidate, be it Hillary Clinton or somebody else,” he said.

[snip]

Vander Plaats next gave an assessment of the campaign’s Iowa strategy, which centers on the Ames Straw Poll. “August 11 is going to be a very important day for us. And we feel like we’re extremely well positioned to do well in the straw poll,” he said. “When we get Governor Huckabee in front of Iowans they want to sign up.” Therefore, Huckabee will be spending a lot of time in Iowa between now and August, cultivating the support of social conservatives.

[snip]

When questioned by reporters, Huckabee emphasized his ability to appeal to social conservatives in ways the GOP front-runners couldn’t. “Those are constituencies that have joined with me because of the consistency as my record as a governor. There’s no YouTube of me out there taking different positions on crucial issues,” he said. “All of these groups are very energetic; they have the capacity to mobilize. They don’t have a detached interest in politics. They go to events.” Huckabee said his candidacy attracts the “true believers, true activist types, which is what we need in the straw poll.”

[snip]

If Huckabee does poorly in the Ames Straw Poll, he said he would consider dropping out. “It’s a milestone for us without a doubt. I don’t think I have to win the straw poll; I think I have to do well,” he said. “If I came in at the bottom of the pack, I’d have to take a long, hard look at what we were doing. It would certainty mount for us a big challenge.”

Huckabee declined to say what kind of showing would prompt such introspection. “We’ve put a lot of resources in this and we believe if we’re going to play, we’re going to play to do well,” he said.

Go read the whole post here.

Endorsements, Mike Huckabee | 2 Comments »

TPM Election Central:

Clinton FBI Director Endorsing Rudy
Louis Freeh, who served as head of the FBI under the Clinton Administration, is endorsing Rudy Giuliani. Freeh has been a critic of Bill Clinton, alleging that there was not a sufficient focus on security in his government. “Until 9/11, we lacked the political leadership and more important the political will to do what had to be done,” Freeh wrote in his 2005 book, My FBI.

Endorsements, Rudy Giuliani | 2 Comments »

Billionaire former presidential candidate Steve Forbes has endorsed Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani followed the Forbes endorsement up by voicing support for Forbes’ signature issue: the flat tax. One awkward wrinkle, though, is that Giuliani had previously bashed the flat tax.

In 1996, when Mr. Forbes first ran for president, Mr. Giuliani, then the mayor of New York City, disparaged a flat tax in general and Mr. Forbes’s plan in particular. The Forbes plan called for a single tax rate above a certain income, instead of several rates based on income. Mr. Giuliani said that a central part of the proposal, eliminating deductions, would hurt taxpayers in urban areas and reduce tax revenues for populous cities and states.

“You’re giving them more authority, more autonomy, and you’re giving them less resources to deal with the problems,” he said then in an interview with CBS, calling the proposal “a mistake.”

He used stronger language on CNN a few days later, saying the Forbes plan “would really be a disaster.”

Obviously flip-flops by Republican front-runners are so common, they hardly merit pointing out. If anyone has a GPS tracking where Giuliani, Romney and McCain actually stand, let me know.

The Forbes endorsement probably hurts Sam Brownback more than anyone else. The flat tax is part of Brownback’s campaign platform and he has hired a former Forbes staffers. Forbes endorsement would have been a huge score for Brownback; it’s not clear whether or not Forbes ever considered giving it to him.

The flat tax remains an issue with an important constituency in Iowa. Forbes will be a very useful surrogate for Giuliani there and in other early primary states. He will help further legitimize Giuliani’s position on taxation for conservative voters.

What’s not clear is whether Giuliani’s support of the flat tax yesterday when receiving Forbes’ endorsement will translate into adding the flat tax to his campaign platform. “[Giuliani] said several times yesterday that the federal tax code should be vastly simpler.” Does wanting a simpler tax code and having Steve Forbes at your side make it more likely that you’ll become a flat taxer? Sure, but is Giuliani prepared for yet another YouTube video showing him bashing something he now supports (or supporting something he now bashes)?

Technorati Tags: flat tax, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Steve Forbes

Endorsements, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback | 1 Comment »

The Boston Globe takes a close look at the role a “secretive coalition that includes some of the most influential social conservatives” called the Arlington Group is playing in the 2008 Republican nominating process.

Over the past few months, members of the executive committee of the so-called Arlington Group have questioned several declared and potential White House hopefuls with the intention of settling on a single candidate, according to Arlington Group members and Republican operatives familiar with the discussions.

A nod from the conservative movement’s biggest names to followers at the grass-roots level would give a major boost to candidates such as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, whose past moderate positions on social issues have hampered his attempts to court the right, or former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who lacks front-runner name recognition and fund-raising numbers.

“If they were to get behind me, it would be a huge surge for me,” Huckabee said in an interview. “I wish I could tell you today that I’m the guy.”

Leaders of the group have interviewed Huckabee, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, US Representative Duncan Hunter of California, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who hasn’t entered the race but may later this year. It’s not clear which other candidates have been or will be interviewed. The group has not yet questioned Romney, Senator John McCain of Arizona, or former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to those campaigns.

It looks like the Arlington Group isn’t satisfied with the top three Republican contenders, as they’ve focused on second and unannounced candidates.

The Arlington Group is a coalition of non-profit organizations and churches, they cannot legally make an endorsement of a candidate. Their goal instead seems to be to come to a consensus decision of who the best conservative candidate is and then individually push that candidate within their areas of influence. The Globe anonymously quotes one member as saying, “It is our desire that all of us, in a united effort, could marshal our resources to the same end.” James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Gary Bauer, Richard Viguerie and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council are members of the Arlington Group. Their endorsements will carry weight with Christian conservatives.

Though members of the Arlington Group are not acting in official capacities as they interview presidential candidates, the line is blurry.

In addition to the fact that members of the Arlington Group’s executive committee are leading the interviews, [Arlington Group executive director Shannon] Royce, according to e-mails obtained by the Globe, has coordinated candidate visits and sent the campaigns an issues questionnaire to fill out. The questionnaire asks candidates their views on, among other topics, a proposed federal same-sex marriage ban, judicial appointments, the budget, and publicly funded sex-education programs. In addition, candidate interviews have been held at the Washington headquarters of the Family Research Council, an influential Christian organization that hosts Arlington Group staff members and meetings.

The Group will have to balance backing a conservative who reflects their values and a candidate who has the money and campaign infrastructure to win the nomination. It’s not clear that one person combines both requisites this election cycle. If a movement conservative can build support of heavyweight activists like Dobson, Bauer, and Perkins it’s conceivably for a religious conservative like Brownback or Huckabee to move up the ladder and gain viability. But for the Arlington Group to back a Brownback or Huckabee over the three front-runners or unannounced heavyweight Newt Gingrich, they would be taking a big risk in terms of what level of access they will have down the road. Endorsements of that type would effectively pit the religious conservative base against the anti-tax and homeland security wings of the Republican Party that have been excited by the Rudy McRomney candidacies.

This isn’t the first time that Christian conservatives’ lack of excitement has come forward during the Republican primary and it certainly won’t be the last.

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Endorsements, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback | No Comments »

Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) sent out an e-mail to supporters this afternoon touting the endorsement from Terri Schiavo’s brother, Bobby Schindler.

Reminding voters of the Terri Schiavo political debacle as part of your presidential campaign strategy? Brilliant.

Cotton McKnight: I’m being told that Average Joe’s does not have enough players and will be forfeiting the championship match.
Pepper Brooks: It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.

And Brownback’s definition of “bipartisan effort”? Democratic senators, Kent Conrad (North Dakota) and Tom Harkin (Iowa) as co-sponsors in the Senate, and 47 Democrats in the House. (Only 100 of the 202 Democrats in the House voted at all.)

Brownback’s likely target voters are all those ‘bleeding heart conservatives‘ out there.

Endorsements, Sam Brownback | 1 Comment »

From a McCain campaign email:

The exploratory committee continues to announce new supporters for Senator McCain’s potential run. Today Senator John Thune [R - SD] announced he would support Senator McCain if he decided to seek the presidency. “Senator McCain has dedicated his life to the advancement of freedom and human rights,” said Senator Thune. “Senator McCain is a once in a generation leader who has my full support.“

Endorsements, John McCain | No Comments »

Things aren’t looking good for our man Mitt. First he comes in fourth in a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll, registering only 3% support. Romney only scored 15% approval among Republicans, with a whopping 41% of Republicans having never heard of him. Then we find out, via Blue Mass. Group, that RedState CEO Erick “They All Suck” Erickson has withdrawn his support of Romney.

I think I’m done with the campaign of Willard Mitt Romney. I’m tired of it. His campaign and the potential for his nomination has jumped the shark. No Republican candidate for President has ever more deserved the title “Multiple Choice Mitt.”

I’m tired of the explanations and I’m tired of the dodges.

First there was abortion. He was for it, then really for it, then really, really for it, then indifferent to it, and now against it. Some of his supporters and people on his campaign have called Sam Brownback pro-choice. At least Sam has never been multiple choice. And when Sam became pro-life, he actually fought the pro-life fight. I’m not aware of Mitt Romney ever passionately fighting the fight for life. He has, at best, been luke warm — playing it safe, but not actually advocating. And he’s played it so safe, that on stem cell research, he’s been willing to split the baby with parental consent.
…
I’m tired of running into these stories. I’m tired of the hedges. I’m tired of the dodges. And I’m tired of the caveated nuance. So let me put this straight and bluntly. I’m more than happy to support my man Mitt if he is the Republican nominee. But, like Hillary Clinton, he is a political opportunist who I increasingly see as someone without principle, only a weather vane.

Multiple Choice Mitt had me at hello. He lost me on the flip.

Erickson’s analysis and critique of Romney is reminiscent of Soren Dayton’s, though I don’t expect Erickson’s RedState blogging to become focused around taking apart the Romney campaign.

On a marginally related note, isn’t it a bit ironic that bloggers (or any other commentators) are given license to publicly move their support from one candidate to another because a candidate has flip-flopped changed their mind on important issues. [Submit obligatory emails & comments that all politicians have a moral responsibility to be intellectually consistent for the duration of their life now]

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, Erick Erickson

Endorsements, Mitt Romney, Polling | 1 Comment »