Lunchtime Inbox Dump, May 21 Edition
Posted: Monday, May 21, 2007 12:20 PM by Chuck Todd
From NBC's Chuck Todd
Another edition of emptying my inbox and both actual and mental. Some additional items and thoughts that I will share as frequently as possible. Here's today's brain/email dump:
-- Gallup is out with new numbers on abortion. The headline: a growing minority would like to see Roe overturned. The actual number is 35%, still a minority, but the majority saying don't overturn is 53%. That's a all-time Gallup low. That said, abortion rights supporters should take heart in the fact that more folks still think abortion should be legal in most circumstances compared to those folks who believe it shouldn't be legal at all or very rarely allowed. Bottom line: the country appears to be warming to a day when the feds don't have a say on abortion but these same folks want their own states to keep abortion safe, rare and legal. (poll conducted 5/10-13; 1,007 adults; +/- 3%)
-- Mike Huckabee is trying to make himself more aligned with the Christian conservative crowd. He tells CBN's David Brody that he does NOT believe in teaching about sex and birth control in schools.
-- The most under-reported angle to the James Dobson-can't-support-Giuliani-or-McCain story? The fact that he did NOT single out Romney in a negative light. The Dobson primary appears to be a two-candidate race between Romney and Fred Thompson. If Dobson gives his ok to a Mormon, that would be HUGE for Romney in both Iowa and South Carolina. ... Also, staying on the social conservative front, don't miss this Bonnie Erbe column that quotes longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. As conservative as Giuliani "may be on other issues, Schlafly says the average GOP primary voter has yet to divine Giuliani’s position on abortion rights. And once those voters understand he’s pro-choice, she says, they will run as fast as Kansans fleeing an oncoming twister."
-- Al Gore's "I'm not a candidate" tour made its way on to ABC's airwaves this morning. In his "GMA" interview, Gore added of '08: "I'm not pondering it, I'm not focused on that. .. I'm focused on how to solve the climate crisis and in order to solve the climate crisis I'm convinced we will have to fix the cracks in the foundation of democracy." Gore even took a shot at the network for using a 2008 logo to promo the interview. Gore: "The frame, the logo for this discussion, 'Campaign '08'… that's not what this is about. This book is about what's gone wrong and how we can fix it." As I've indicated before, take Gore at his word. Unless there's a real vacuum come November (translation: Obama falters), he's not getting in.
-- The Florida Factor: Florida made it official today, as has already been noted on the "First Read" blog. Just a few thoughts for those attempting to set Conventional Wisdom: Florida is the finals. Coming a week before Tsunami Tuesday, set for Feb. 5, Florida will likely crown the winner with Tsunami Tuesday adding the exclamation point. Also, don't assume the DNC will punish FL. They can't afford to let the GOP own the state for the primary. The FL Dem primary on Jan. 29 will count. Look for the DNC to let SC Dems move up their 1/29 primary to a week earlier (possibly on the same day as the SC GOP primary). And expect another big state to join Florida on Jan. 29. That big state: Michigan. The two parties in that state get along well on this issue. A FL-MI Jan. 29 axis is HUGE for the process and will make that day as dominant as Iowa.
-- Fred Thompson is edging ever-so-closer to announcing his exploratory committee. Frankly, don't be surprised if he drops a hint or two this week about. One thing over the weekend caught my eye. Thompson, in a Chicago speech on Sunday, used this phrase, 'the day after Iraq," to frame all the domestic and int'l problems the next POTUS has to focus on. I thought the phrase was quite effective and seemed to give the Republicans a chance of coming up with a case as to "why them" and not the Dems. For instance, Thompson used his "day after Iraq" line to talk about China and entitlements, "saying the military and economic threat the country poses is among the critical issues - along with untamed growth in entitlement spending - that are not being dealt with while the U.S. is fixated on the war in Iraq."
