Oh-eight (R): More Kerik
Posted: Monday, November 12, 2007 9:12 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Republicans
GIULIANI: Here’s the
New York Daily News’ lead on the importance of Kerik: “When Rudy Giuliani steps into the cold winter light of Iowa and New Hampshire, Bernie Kerik's shadow will be right behind him. Kerik's indictment on multiple corruption charges - many committed while working as Giuliani's bodyguard, jail chief and police commissioner - has all but assured that what some call the ‘Bernie Business’ will never be far away.”
The
New York Post writes that Kerik’s indictment “set into motion what promises to be a long-term distraction and embarrassment for his one-time patron, Rudy Giuliani.”
Yet another Giuliani Partners story. The
New York Post: “By the time Giuliani declared his run for president last spring, his namesake firm had grossed an estimated $100 million. The ex-mayor himself was worth of as much as $66 million. But on the campaign trail he has been fending off questions about the shady clients, disgraced employees and murky business decisions.”
Here’s the New York Post’s
graphic on the story.
HUCKABEE: He said “he's the only Republican candidate who can be effective against [Clinton],” the
New Hampshire Union-Leader reports. “As evidence, he cites his experience of beating back the "headwinds" of the Clinton's Arkansas influence in the 1990s.”
MCCAIN: The Arizona senator is negotiating a $3 million loan, the Boston Globe writes.
The
New York Times covers the rise of non-profit organizations -- including one that portrays McCain in a glowing image -- that are being created to help candidates in the primary and general election campaigns. “The group running the commercial in South Carolina is registered as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation. As such, it is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts from individuals without any disclosure, as long as it can argue that it is more concerned with the promotion of an issue — like the final passage of the Wounded Warriors bill — than the election of a candidate… Mr. McCain immediately called on the group to cease its activities when its existence was first reported, by The Associated Press, on Friday.”
The New Hampshire Union-Leader looks at how immigration is still a sore subject for McCain. “McCain has not abandoned his idea of a temporary worker program, but he has purposely shifted emphasis, he said earlier in the day, to accommodate the demands of the American people. Immigration could still hurt him in the three early-voting states, McCain told reporters.”
PAUL: The
Boston Globe’s Pindell reinforces that Paul is not interested in running as a third-party candidate. "I have no intention of doing that," Paul said while in New Hampshire. "This country is not very democratic and only allows for two parties."
The New York Times profiled the Ron Paul Revolution on Sunday.
ROMNEY: This is interesting. The New York Sun reports as fact that Romney has already prepared a speech to explain his faith in the event that his religion becomes an "electoral liability."
But according to the candidate, his chief aides have
warned him against giving this speech. Should a candidate be so open about admitting that he allows political aides (and possibly polling) dictate what he should do? Then again, this has the feel of Romney setting up a "brave" moment by giving this speech against the advice of many, bringing more attention to a speech that no one is likely to criticize in the MSM because it's just not the thing to do.
Bob Jones III once called Mormonism and Catholicism "cults which call themselves Christian." Romney responded to a question about his relationship with Jones while speaking at Bob Jones University and said, "We've had good, long discussions... We don’t talk about doctrines of churches, all right? Because he says, 'Look, your church is wrong,' and I say, ‘Fine.’”
THOMPSON: “Two months after Thompson made his belated entry into the Republican presidential race amid talk that he would transform the contest,” the
Boston Globe writes, “his visibility is minimal among voters in New Hampshire. Even some second-tier GOP candidates are attracting more attention than the star of ‘Die Hard 2’ and ‘Law & Order.’”
The
Columbia State’s Lee Bandy wonders if Thompson’s “bored by it all.” “Thompson got a bit testy here recently when a reporter asked him if his heart really was in the 2008 presidential race. At times, Thompson doesn’t act -- or look -- like it.”
Human Events' Jennifer Rubin interviews Thompson manager Bill Lacy, and she gets some sense of the campaign's strategy. "Lacy contends that Thompson is ‘exactly where he wants to be.’ He says that Thompson still registers in second place in some national polls. However, Lacy places great emphasis on Thompson’s ability to use paid TV ads to his advantage. He notes that Thompson has just gone on the air in Iowa and next week will be up in South Carolina. Lacy argues that ‘a dollar worth of Fred on the air is worth 2 or 3 dollars of any of the others.’”
Katie Smith, a Republican caucus-goer from Cedar Rapids, and Hank Brand, a student at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, both asked Thompson questions yesterday about his approach to addressing the AIDS epidemic, NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports. Brand asked specifically about President Bush's "Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which is expected to treat one third of all people in need of AIDS treatment by 2008" -- and whether Thompson would continue the president's program.
"Don't know enough about it," Thompson replied. "But I'm aware of the program. I have not studied it. It's certainly a laudable goal. I assure you I'll give it serious consideration. Thank you for that spontaneous question."
Then Smith asked whether Thompson would join John McCain in pledging to rid the country of long waiting lists full of people in need of AIDS medication. "I'm not sure how you'd do that, but I'll check with John and see how he plans to do that and maybe I'll sign up with him," Thompson said rather abruptly.
After the event, Smith said she was sorely disappointed with Thompson's response to the problems caused by AIDS. "I've gone out and I've talked to many of the Republicans in the field and what I'm looking for is the Republican who's going to stand up and say that the global and domestic AIDS crisis is not something that's owned by the Democrats, it's something that we can lead on as Republicans as well," she said. "President Bush is the one that got us the first U.S. global AIDS initiative. [Republicans] need to continue that. We need to own this and recognize that this is an important issue to Americans and to people all over the world.
