I’ve seen two posts now suggesting that Rudy Giuliani may consider dropping out. Political Insider says that the Mayor just hasn’t made up his mind yet. And in an article on McCain locking up SC donors, LJ of Race42008 says of Rudy:
The way the Republican primary schedule is shaping up, the nominee will be decided for all intents and purposes by February 5th, 2008 (a mere 13 months from today). That’s why having such a broad based national organization set up early is the key to be competitive. McCain has that ability and to a lesser extent, so does Romney. Given the frontloading of the primaries, I’m not sure how Giuliani can really compete. Realistically, he’d have to win either Iowa or New Hampshire to be able to stay in the game and not see his support dry up. With the revelation that his fund raising operation leaves a lot to be desired, I still think there’s a chance (20-30%) that Rudy ends up dropping out before the primaries even start.
I still think that there’s room for an alternative strategy for Rudy, even without the organization, and it would explain Rudy’s hiring practices.
In any case, the question of his commercial dealings, at one point HotlineTV’s most important obstacle for Rudy, is now getting some scrutiny. Today, the NYT ran an article about the structure of the firms. And the NY Daily News — which Rudy should really fear, with its substantially weaker standards — ran an article that mostly focused on Rudy trademarking his name (Rudy Giuliani® or Rudy®?) but did say:
In the five years that Giuliani has worked in the private sector, his clients have run the gamut, from gambling interests like the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which may further trouble Christian conservative voters, to large power-generators like the Atlanta-based Southern Co., which environmentalists regard as among the worst polluters in the nation.
NYT named a few more names:
Active clients, Mr. Hess said, include Entergy, Purdue Pharma, and TransCanada Corp. and Shell.
Update: LJ has more thoughts, in some ways echoing mine.
Update II: of course, there’s the recent Newsweek article. I wasn’t so impressed by this, but it has gotten a lot of notice.
5 Comments
race42008.com » Blog Archive » Rudy’s Candidacy Is Not Assured · January 7, 2007 at 7:37 PM
[…] UPDATE: Soren Dayton, of the excellent EyeOn08 blog, adds some other obstacles for Rudy Giuliani (and his newly trademarked name). When the NY Daily News article about Rudy mentioned that one of his main concerns were the clients that his private sector firm represents, I was quite intrigued. In a follow up article, it seems that Rudy’s clients represent some, shall we say, unsavory interests: In the five years that Giuliani has worked in the private sector, his clients have run the gamut, from gambling interests like the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which may further trouble Christian conservative voters, to large power-generators like the Atlanta-based Southern Co., which environmentalists regard as among the worst polluters in the nation.He has lent his name to every corner of the energy industry – representing nuclear, oil and natural gas concerns – and worked with the pharmaceutical industry to keep cheap prescription drugs from flowing into the U.S. from Canada. […]
eyeon08.com » Romney’s Dial-a-thon (update) · January 8, 2007 at 11:28 AM
[…] I’ve slammed Mitt Romney a bunch, but this is a great idea. The Globe and Hotline both have great coverage. Hotline points out that Romney already has pledges for over $1m. I wouldn’t be surprised by $2m or even $3m. The goal here is clearly for Romney to scare people out of the race. McCain can match whatever happens today, and he will have to. His fundraiser will be scheduled last for a reason. And imagine what Rudy Giuliani is thinking. He lost the expectations game, had trouble controlling his documents, and then got bad press about his clients. The fallout will be interesting. […]
eyeon08.com » Giuliani/Gingrich WSJ/Iraq op-ed · January 13, 2007 at 10:13 PM
[…] Second, the lost binder and lackluster fundraising have made his campaign seem a little … weak. Is he genuinely serious about running? […]
eyeon08.com » Giuliani “revamps” campaign · January 19, 2007 at 8:07 AM
[…] The problem is that no one believes that Giuliani is really running. So donors and staff aren’t signing up: […]
eyeon08.com » Rudy jumps in … and people start dumping on him · February 6, 2007 at 12:13 PM
[…] Well, yesterday Rudy Giuliani acted to ease people’s fears. He is really in. I had my suspicions otherwise, but no more. I have friends being offered jobs in New York City (and friends who have already left) and others who are taking jobs in Iowa, South Carolina, and other states. […]
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