Where's Rudy?
I like Rudy Giuliani as a presidential candidate, and he's definitely my wife's favorite. For quite a while he led the national polls, and maybe he still does. But the extent to which Rudy has been absent from the battle, and the news, in recent weeks is weird. This headline sums it up: Giuliani Steers Clear of Political Fray. I'm not sure that's the path to nomination.
Giuliani's campaign insists that he is following a plan:
Giuliani's communications director tried to deflect criticism of the campaign's strategy. Katie Levinson said that while Giuliani may not be competing as aggressively in the leadoff states, he remains focused on Florida, which votes Jan. 29, and Illinois and Missouri, which vote Feb. 5.More important, absentee ballots already are available in those states—Florida and Missouri beginning last Wednesday, Dec. 26; Illinois last Thursday, Dec. 27.
"This is truly a national Republican primary," Levinson said in an e-mail to national political reporters.
Well, maybe. Certainly the number of delegates chosen in New Hampshire and Iowa is small, and in terms of the delegate count, there will be plenty of room for another contender to emerge. The problem, I think, is that Rudy hasn't just been absent from Iowa and New Hampshire, he has been absent from the headlines and from the thoughts of Republicans who are sizing up the candidates. I think it's clear that a candidate can survive losing in the first two or three states, but it isn't clear that a candidate can survive failing to compete in the early states. While Rudy has been waiting for Florida, the attention has all been going to Romney, Huckabee and McCain. I assume this accounts for Giuliani's gradual decline in the national polls.
Even more ominous, perhaps, is the AP's description of Giuliani as a candidate of Thompson-like intensity:
In New Hampshire, where McCain has been Romney's target, the senator drew enthusiastic crowds on Sunday.By contrast, Giuliani's first town hall meeting had the vibrancy of a Yankee parish service, with him speaking in a low voice and aides shooing away autograph seekers and well-wishers afterward so he could do a live interview with the Fox News Channel.
Later, during a visit to the Loon Mountain ski area, the New Yorker looked out of place as he stood at the bottom of the snowy slopes, dressed in a suit, black overcoat and leather dress shoes. He barely spoke with the people who rushed up to shake his hand or seek an autograph as he wended his way through the lodge.
His final event of the day, a question-and-answer session in the columned conservatory at the Mount Washington Hotel, started nearly an hour late, prompting some in the crowd to leave out of frustration.
On the other hand, this AP story was written by Glen Johnson. So maybe he just wanted a break from bashing Mitt Romney and took the opportunity to take a whack at another Republican. Maybe we should all petition the Associated Press to get Johnson assigned to the Huckabee campaign.
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