Giuliani's Florida Gamble

Washington Post: Aides Forgo Salaries Amid Waiting Game

(Washingtonpost.com)  Giuliani is spending about $700,000 a week on television commercials in Florida, and is the only Republican candidate on the air in the state since Romney decided to shift his focus to Michigan and do battle there with McCain. In his most recent ad, Giuliani practically pleads with the state's voters to ignore the media coverage of his rivals while they wait.

"With pundits and politicos handicapping the campaign like the Super Bowl, it's easy to lose sight of what's at stake," the announcer says. "An economy in peril. A country at war. A future uncertain. The media loves process. Talking heads love chatter. But Florida has a chance to turn down the noise and show the world that leadership is what really matters."

Other campaigns are beginning to notice Giuliani's increased activity in the state. In a memo to supporters yesterday, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis announced the creation of a Florida Victory Fund and said, "We're working hard to build support in Florida."

If Republicans in Florida ignore the past month of wall-to-wall coverage of his challengers, Giuliani could turn a win there into momentum that vaults him back to the front of the pack, where he was for much of 2007.

But first, he has to wait.

"Early on in the campaign, when you saw the possibility that only one person was going to take all the early primaries, I thought it looked like a very stupid strategy," said Brett Doster, a Republican consultant in Florida who is not working for any of the candidates. "He was in a position of standing back and letting this wave of momentum wash over him."

Now, though, Doster said he is having second thoughts.

"With the dice-and-slice situation, where it looks like you have multiple candidates winning different states, it looks like it might turn out to be a smart strategy," he said.

Other observers are not so sure.

One GOP consultant who is familiar with Giuliani's strategic planning said the decision to wait until Florida looks like "a brilliant one." But he said the campaign has not made the most of the time it has been out of the news.

He noted that the team received very little media coverage of its tax-cutting plan this week. And he said aides have not used the down time to develop a clear, consistent message that communicates what Giuliani's campaign is all about.

"If he can win Florida, it's a new day," said the consultant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be frank about the campaign.

"The problem is, this campaign for some time has been running on luck rather than skill. At some point, the luck runs out."

Staff writers Matthew Mosk and Perry Bacon Jr. contributed to this report.

[denn034]

"Said Reagan during the 1980 presidential campaign: ''My criticism is that [the gay movement] isn''''t just asking for civil rights; it''s asking for recognition and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle which I do not believe society can condone, nor can I.''"
Posted by denn034

I want to restate an earlier posting on this story. Reagan''s opposition was to "recognition and acceptance" and condoning the gay lifestyle not *** personally. In other words, giving homosexuals legal protections and letting them join the military openly isn''t anti-Reagan and doesn''t promote the lifestyle, it only promotes Equal Opportunity Employment and legal protections. Giuliani goes too far in supporting the lifestyle contrary to Reagan and that means that he should stop claiming to be a Reagan Republican. Period!

[hwy71so]

Guiliani, Clinton, Edwards, and Obama could all sit down to tea and there would be no tensions raised. Why? Because they all see things in the same light.

Guiliani is a Democrat posing as a Republican.

[rowdytexan2]

If Guiliani''s employed staff is giving their salaries to the campaign, that''s a donation. How much are they allowed to donate? Is the Guiliani campaign still going to pay the payroll taxes on this money?

Just wondering why he is banking so hard on Florida? Have he and his mob friend Jed cooked up another way to rob the Florida votes? Even in the primaries?

Sorry, Neocons, Rudy isn''t going to be your new stooge! Go home and play with the mob, Rudy! Find a new mistress somewhere!

[abbe91]

"It''s about making sure that as much money as we can have, we have," he said in an interview.

I guess he could get more money from his friends from Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani and Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (the terrorist mastermind who wired funds from Qatar to his nephew Ramzi Yousef prior to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and who also sold the idea of a plane attack on the towers to Osama bin Laden).

[jsilver2th]

There''s a lot of people from NYC in Folrida huh?

[dakotaclark]

Hmmm...

I do not want to offend anyone by making this comment, however I do believe that Rudi Giuliani''s chances of getting elected president of the United States are the exact same as him becoming the next Pope or Czar of Russia...

[sharncedar]

I believe the power elite would prefer Clinton or Giuliani, I think they can tolerate McCain or Rmoney. The others will die if they get too close, or a surpirse will happen to them like Gary Hart, or Howard Dean, etc. etc. etc.

Would they tolerate Edwards? He is a big phony, but I''m not sure if all the players will be happy with him. the big defense contractors prefer Hillary or McCain or Giuliani, certainly, they are the 3 dirtiest. They will any one of them continue the $500 billion yearly feedbag that is our "defense" industry (and who will defend us from them?)

[prinzowhales]

McCain is a Keating Five crook. His position in the Navy was secured by his Admiral father who helped cover up the attack by Israel on the USS LIBERTY. He is married to the daughter of a Arizona organized crime family member of the Bronfman-connected Kemper Marley alcohol distribution rackets that date back to Prohibition. Bronfman--a Canadian bootlegger--part of the British Intelligence apparatus, controls the Seagrams label and others...they supplied the Capone gang with liquor during Prohibition. Bronfman is works the Zionist, Israel-first rackets of which McCain is an integral part.

In any event, from a counter-intelligence prospective, a man like McCain, who has been under opposing force discipline, should NEVER!! be allowed access to classified information...One can respect his service, but one should NOT violate basic, common sense and long standing practice---His marital and personal relations should preclude high office of any kind.

[iceman_1960]

"Sen. John McCain, Ariz., began running a new radio ad in Michigan featuring a man who was a prisoner of war with him in Vietnam."

Revisiting the Vietnam War is not going to do it for John McCain.

[iceman_1960]

Posts keep disappearing on me.

[iceman_1960]

"Giuliani"s Florida Gamble"

Is gambling legal there ?

[ontheleft]

Iowa and New Hampshire have proven yet again how critical they are to getting the nomination. Giuliani ignored them and now he''s toast.

[j-whitman]

stonebog1,,,, Keep in mind that if Bill had listened to Hillary, Rawanda wouldn''t have happened & Dafur wouldn''t be an issue.

[cdfoxtrot]

This guy demonstrates again and again that he has terrible judgment and is not fit to run anything. He was the genius who chose, against expert advice, to put the emergency response HQ in the basement of the World Trade Center. This was the reason he had to walk the streets of NY on 9/11 - he had nowhere to go after the planes demolished his office. He''s demonstrating again that he has poor judgment by running this weird campaign that focuses on the late voting states.

[soldat44]

The campaign that never was...

[grazinggoat]

Rudy might not get to be president, but mabe he/she Rudy
can get to be voted for the dynamite looking TRANSEXUAL
that he appears to be. Rudy is strange......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by tylenol6 at 02:44 PM : Jan 12, 2008

-Matter of fact this Rudy looks much like my Belorussian Grandma! She had more hair though!

-Rudy stop spending all this money for your lost presidential run. Give that money to charities so ''kicked-out-of-their-homes'' fellow Americans can stay at home a bit longer. Give it back to Mafia to be given back to needy people, IDIOT! This is not what America needs. America''s richest need no more Tax cutz.

[denn034]

Giuliani presents himself as a Reagan Republican. Here''s what Reagan had to say about the very gay rights Giuliani supports: Said Reagan during the 1980 presidential campaign: %u201CMy criticism is that [the gay movement] isn''t just asking for civil rights; it''s asking for recognition and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle which I do not believe society can condone, nor can I.%u201D In short, Reagan opposed "recognition and acceptance" of homosexuality! Time to stop calling yourself a Reagan Republican, Giuliani.

[prinzowhales]

Here is why Bush needed to go to Israel in such a hurry:

http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Metzger_Yona.html

Since this guy is a toe-tapping rabbi and not a toe-tapping church-ite...we aren''t hearing about it here.

[tylenol6]

May be cross dresser Rudy knows there is a definate win
in Florida for him. Let''s face it, Diebold Company voting machine are corrupt. How in the world do you think Hitlery won??? It''s strange that the hand counted
votes were smaller then that of the Diebold machine count for Hitlery. I think Diebold will fix the election in Florida for our crook Rudy. You watch.....If Rudy does not do good in Florida (as was with Hitlery in N.H., he is out) and we all know Rudy is not going to leave this race.

[likeitis5050]

Imagine that....and just one month ago he was considered by so many to be the obvious candidate to run against Hillary....and just 3 months ago...McCain was in the can...washed up because of his soft-boiled attitude toward illegal immigrants. Not much has changed but now he''s the golden child. Stay tuned for more upsets....