The Reviews Are In: The More The GOP Learns About Rudy, The Less They Like Him
As Rudy Giuliani heads back to New York today for another campaign fundraiser, the reviews are in for his first campaign swing through Iowa, and the results are hardly encouraging.
From criticism of his “big-city” politicking, to an “anti-Giuliani” petition circulating in Iowa and a spate of polls showing that the race is tightening, it is clear that the more Hawkeye State Republicans learn about the Rudy they don’t know, the more they’re turning away from his candidacy. The following is a sample of recent articles blasting Giuliani’s trip to Iowa:
GIULIANI NOT THE FRONTRUNNER IN IOWA:
Despite Highest Poll Numbers, Giuliani Isn't The Frontrunner In Iowa. ""There really isn't a frontrunner in Iowa right now," former state GOP Chairman Mike Mahaffey said. "The polls say it's Rudy Giuliani. But organizationally, I'd have to say Romney and McCain are doing more of the hard slogging." Giuliani, the former New York mayor, has done little compared with Romney, McCain and others to begin building an Iowa campaign network. However, Giuliani has continued to rank at the top of polls in Iowa. The phenomenon is a factor of the ex-mayor's national name recognition, not measurable support among Iowa's GOP activists, Mahaffey and others said." [Des Moines Register, 4/16/07]
RUDY RELIES ON "BIG-CITY" POLITICKING IN IOWA:
Giuliani Didn't Have The Time To Shake Hands In Iowa. At the Iowa Lincoln Day Dinner, "Mr. Giuliani spoke for 17 minutes, though he left immediately after he was done, passing up the glad-handing of dinner attendees to leave Iowa for a fund-raiser in Missouri." [New York Times, 4/15/07]
Giuliani's Campaign Refused To Recommit To Participation in Iowa Straw Poll. "Giuliani told reporters last week during his first trip to Iowa as a candidate that he would compete in the straw poll, but aides later stepped back from the comment, saying they were considering it." [Des Moines Register, 4/14/07]
Politico: Iowans Might Demand More Intimidate Touch From Candidate Giuliani. Jonathan Martin wrote, "Will Iowa reporters and activists -- not to mention Giuliani supporters in the state like former Rep. Jim Nussle -- demand a more intimate touch from Rudy? " [Politico, 3/30/07]
Des Moines Register: Giuliani Does Not "Get" Politics in Iowa. Veteran Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen, commenting on Giuliani's 2006 trip to Iowa concluded, "He's got a few things to learn about presidential campaigning in Iowa. We do small-state, retail politics here, not the big-city stuff." Giuliani's "five-SUV caravan, security guards and staged media events for his national press entourage" recalled for Yepsen "other big-state politicians - like then-California Governor Pete Wilson - who misfired in Iowa because they didn't understand the need to do one-on-one, grassroots work." Iowa campaigns "are more than money and media. They're about key people. George Pataki and Mitt Romney get it. Giuliani doesn't." [Des Moines Register, 5/9/06]
ANTI-GIULIANI PETITION IN IOWA:
100 Iowa Conservatives Signed Anti-Giuliani Petition. "One hundred Iowa conservatives have signed a petition, vowing that they will not back Republican Rudy Giuliani's bid for the White House. A Christian Coalition organizer in Michigan spearheaded the petition drive and issued what he called "The Conservative Declaration of Independence" just before Giuliani was due to visit Iowa. The petition says Giuliani's "liberal record" and "the conduct of (Giuliani's) personal life make it impossible" for the 100 Iowa Republicans to back his candidacy "under any circumstances." Onawa City Councilman Dick Schlitter signed the petition." [Radio Iowa, 4/3/07]
Giuliani Had Not Reached Out To Iowa Conservatives. "Giuliani has yet to convince influential Christian conservatives who comprise the core of the Iowa GOP. 'So far, he's not made any effort to talk to any of us,' said Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Christian Alliance and a caucus veteran. He's staying neutral in the presidential contest. 'Maybe he thinks that he doesn't need social conservatives,' wondered Scheffler, who has received only minimal contact from Giuliani's campaign. 'I would hope not.' Activists like Scheffler demand a personal touch, and Giuliani has more explaining to do than Bush ever did on hot-button social issues. 'The bottom line is that whether he agrees with social conservatives or not, he has an obligation to have a dialogue,' Scheffler said." [Politico, 4/2/07]
