Political Punch

Well, I stand corrected. There are reports that Rudy Giuliani will be dropping out and endorsing Sen. McCain, possibly as early as tomorrow (Wednesday). With the win in Florida, and if the endorsement materializes, then McCain will have a huge bounce for next Tuesday.

He's EXACTLY like the character played by Bruce Willis in "The Sixth Sense," Jake, except that Bruce Willis is a much more talented actor by far than this so-called "America's Mayor." I would never attempt to predict primary outcomes, but I do feel safe in predicting that Gov. Giuliani won't be having any toast for breakfast tomorrow. WHy? He doesn't want to be accused of cannibalism!

Don, there is a slight difference between Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani. Ron Paul has little chance of winning a single state. Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand, does have his home state of New York coming up on Feb. 5. NY is a winner-take-all state. A win would give him 101 delegates. Also on Feb 5 are the primaries in the neighboring or nearby states of Connecticut (30 delegates), Delaware (18 delegates), New Jersey (52 delegates) and Massachusettes (43 deletates). CT, DE and NJ are also winner-take-all states. Massachusettes, however, is a proportional primary. So even if Giuliani were to somehow pull out a victory in MA, Mitt Romney would still receive a sizeable portion of the delegates.

And then there are the other 16 primaries and caucuses on that day. It doesn't seem likely that Giuliani would do well in any of those states, unless Giuliani were to somehow score the upset of the year by winning Florida. A victory in Florida could generate just enough of a bounce to make him a contender in a few of those states.

Now if Giuliani fails to win a single state on Feb. 5, he will be toast. He would probably drop out of the race the next day!

I find it funny that Ron Paul gets so little media attention and is constantly refered to as a "long shot" or "dark horse". Seems to me that Guiliani is as long a shot as they come.

Ronald Reagan, who was the most accomplished military leader in recent history hands down, was a GOVERNOR!! Not an angry, liberal senator who lied about everything his opponent ever did or said. We conservatives are not stupid, and we know that we want a leader who knows the economy, which is the issue of ALL issues. Everything revolved around the economy! We will NEVER vote for McCain. His war-mongering attitudes will wreak havoc in the world arena. Who will trust him? No one....and he will incite the bitter responses of foreign leaders because of McCain's pompous attitude about his military credentials....which are????? By the way, he graduated in the bottom 5% of his Navy class. Is this who we ant? Never.

The People of America,

George H. W. Bush (George Bush Sr.) was president of America between 1989 and 1993. He passed the presidential baton of command over to William J. Clinton who lead your country from 1993 to 2001. And then a Bush, George W. Bush (George Bush Jr.) came again. His presidential term is due to end early 2009. By this year, two families must have ruled America for a total of approximately twenty years. And now you have William J. Clinton resurfacing again in a woman's clothing. His too much involvement in the campaign speaks volumes of his desperation to go back to your White House.

This Clinton/Bush equation is some 'pseud-monarchy' which is 'against' the very existence of America as a country that practises Federal politics: an unnoticeable virtual constitutional change. A clause of that constitutional change reads; "for about 25 years, just the Clintons and Bushes should lead America".

Imagine an African leader who ruled a country for eight years. And after sometime the wife resurfaces. Do not expect me to name the negative adjectives that will come from the ' big democratic countries' describing the democracy of that African country.

A country that is endowed with unspeakable amount of human resources; resources capable of making at least better presidencies I wonder aloud why you, Americans, see nothing good in other presidential aspirants.

I am in no way making a choice for you. I am only succumbing to my irresistible urge to say a word especially as you're bent on choosing a candidate who symbolises change. I strongly do not believe that the much needed change you're clamouring for will come from same families. The change that Americans need at this very crucial moment in the history of their lives lies in sending someone to the White House - that someone who's not been there before. Someone who's been poor before. The person who's gone through poor, average and rich life. That person who understands where the shoe pinches the average American because they once wore those shoes. Someone who respects all religions and all races. Someone of course, who has a clear-cut agenda of making America America again or even better.

The world will sure judge the maturity of your democracy depending on your definition of change and the kind of change you'll vote to the White House.

Thank you for your time.

Akoson

Tony Iovino: I've lived in NYC for the past 13 years. We do not need Rudy Giuliani. He was a lame duck and persona non grata on September 10 2001. September 11 saved his political bacon (though, as I've written here many times, it's not clear why being the Mayor of a City that is subject to a terrorist attack makes someone an expert on terrorism) and he's shamelessly attached his entire campaign to that tragedy. I'm glad that, by tomorrow, we'll have seen the last of him, for a while at least.

Why are all of you reporters ignoring the way our candidates, supposedly so eager to lead, are doing absolutely NOTHING to defend our Constitution? A measure up for a vote in the Senate today would grant retroactive immunity to the giant telecoms for their complicity in George Bush's warrantless wiretapping of ordinary Americans.

This is absolutely unconscionable. Our Constitution MATTERS!

The media has a function in our democracy that is both essential and critical. Our nation's founders recognized this by defining freedom of the press as a cornerstone of a free society.

Why are the vast majority of you letting our nation down? The relentless chipping away of our freedoms by this administration must cease. "The only thing necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."

The great secret of Ronald Reagan that no one talks about is that he knew he was right and he, to a great extent, ignored the bleatings of the New York Times and the Washington Post. He ignored the polls. He knew what had to get done, and he did it.

Liberals hated him for his tactics, as they do Rudy.

But they loved his results, as they do with Rudy's work in NYC.

We need Rudy.

I hope the good people of Florida agree tomorrow.