With foreign policy their top concern, students see Clinton, Giuliani as most probable 2008 candidates rings the sub-headline from Yale Daily News
He may be locked in a three-way dead heat in the latest polls of Iowa Democrats, but with one day to go before the voting begins in the 2008 presidential primaries, Senator Barack Obama has the residential-college vote all but locked up.
The Illinois Democrat was the top choice of 26.4 percent of undergraduates surveyed in a recent Yale Daily News poll, giving him more than twice the support of New York Senator Hillary Clinton LAW ’73 — the only Yale graduate in the field — who registered 12.1 percent.
With 42.3 percent of students saying they are still undecided, no other candidate even came close to matching that figure: the next-highest finisher was former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who won 3.7 percent of the vote. Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, who has represented the Nutmeg State since 1980, garnered just 0.2 percent support.
On the Republican side, the top vote-getter was maverick Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who pulled 3.2 percent of the vote. The next four finishers were former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 2.5 percent, Arizona Senator John McCain at two percent, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 1.9 percent and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee at 1.2 percent.
The News’ poll — conducted online between Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 and sent to the entire undergraduate student body — received 1,833 responses.
Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, gives a speech outside Kerckhoff Hall at an event put on by Take Hold.
During the talk, Kucinich spoke out against the war in Iraq and particularly emphasized the potential of youth to enact change. She said her husband’s presidential platform would end war as an instrument of foreign policy.
Ron Paul (R): Non political. Includes a large happy family. Very festive. Makes the candidate appear warm and human. Overall rating: its great. Extra points for not wussing out and saying the forbidden word “Christmas”.
Mike Huckabee (R): This commercial recieved a lot of media attention while pundits asked themselves weather the “floating cross” in the background was intentional or not. Huckabee says it was not and it’s just a bookcase. How that is a book case, we have no idea, since it looks like its a window, but whatever. Good points for the overall format. Bad points for mentioning “Jesus Christ” as Christmas is a federal (and thus secular) holiday honoring the philosopher Jesus of Nazareth whom most of the country believes is God, however not all Huck. Not all.
Hillary Clinton (D): Not a terrible idea but one that was terribly executed. The music is a little too menacing and the visuals fall right into the liberal caricature she’s trying to avoid: she’s sitting down using YOUR tax money to give YOU gifts. Taking our money and regifting it to us is not exactly keeping with the Season. Including “Middle Class Tax Cuts” is also a gaffe since her husband famously promised them during the 1992 campaign and failed to deliver on it. For that reason she should only mention that promise of hers with an explanation, not just putting it out there asking to be attacked. Ends with a weak “happy holidays”. Overall rating: Bad.
Rudy Giuliani (R):: A little silly, a little goofy, but softens up and shows some humor on the gruff and tough mayor. The “WHAT!?” is all wrong in the context they give here. I suspect a line was cut after the fruitcake objection. Something saying how lame a fruitcake is would make more sense because Rudy’s WHAT reaction is in the fashion of “WHAT? Are you crazy!?” where as if all a person said to him was “a fruitcake?”, he would have given a “whaaaat? whats wrong with a fruitcake??” type “WHAT”. Get it? His response about why the fruitcake is a good idea is also pretty 3-Stooges. Could have toned it down JUST a tad.Overall rating: not so good. too awkward.
His second one is much better:
Overall rating: Good. Ain no one gonna be gettin along this campaign. Even Santa thinks its a pipe dream. Cute.
John Edwards (D): This one is the best ‘on message’ ad as it isn’t in-your-face political because it gets to that point from the back door of motives and not policy. This would win out of all of them if it weren’t for the ridiculous and semi-insulting political correctness of ignoring that its Christmas. The (holiday?) tree in the background is barely visible, Christmas is not mentioned at all, and the Edwards camp even labeled this video on you youtube: John Edwards – “Season” TV Ad. Season? For someone who wants to be so generous with other people’s money, he sure is a Scrooge here.
John McCain (R): This seems to be McCains response to the Huckabee cross flap, as if to say “you think that’s a cross? I’ll show you a gad dang cross”. The story is a powerful one. As a Christmas ad, its only so-so. Overall rating: good
Team Huck has released this response to Coulter on MikeHuckabee.com. It addresses further comments by Coulter made in a column and not the appearance above specifically:
Ann Coulter’s comments are based on a response I made during a radio call-in show in which a caller asked what I thought about the Supreme Court ruling on Lawrence v. Texas. At the time I had not read the ruling and was basing my opinion on the summary by the caller. After reading the decision I believe it is obvious that the ruling was wrongly
decided. Lawrence v. Texas is an extreme example of judicial activism. It could, in fact, be inappropriately used to attack our marriage laws nationwide.
I am in agreement with the dissent by Justices Scalia, Rehnquist, and Thomas:
“[The ruling] dismantles the structure of constitutional law that has permitted a distinction to be made between heterosexual and homosexual unions, insofar as formal recognition in marriage is concerned. If moral disapprobation of homosexual conduct is ‘no legitimate state interest’ for purposes of proscribing that conduct, …what justification could there possibly be for denying the benefits of marriage to homosexual couples exercising ‘the liberty protected by the Constitution’?”
Furthermore, As Justice Thomas said, we might disagree with the wisdom of a law, but that is the province of the Legislature, not unelected judges. No such activist Justices will be appointed as long as I am President.
I wish Ms. Coulter had contacted me or my campaign to discuss my position in detail before writing her column. I would have appreciated the opportunity to clarify this matter.
This new ad from the McCain camp seems to give him the grandfather role of “you may not like my rules, but they’re good for you and you’ll thank me later”. Will it work? The first act appeals to independents and Reagan Democrats, and the shot of him WITH Reagan himself attempts to reassure the conservative base that despite all his conservative heart breaks, he has always really been one of them.
