Maybe God is Trying to tell Rudy Something

From Tuesday nite's (5 June 2007) Republican debate:

Interestingly enough, (conincidence?) Rudy announces today (Wed, 6 June 2007) that he will not participate in the straw poll in Iowa this August. Afraid of a tornado or another lightning bolt Rudy?

Actually, I think he knows the truth about how he will really do in Iowa, & is trying to avoid a fiasco while trying to save face. Iowans respect what he did as mayor of New York City, esp after 9-11. But, he doesn't represent what Iowans believe in, esp when it comes to life issues. So, he is finding a reason to avoid what would be a disaster, losing the Iowa Straw Poll.

But, there still are the Caucuses in Jan. & it is doubtful that he will do much better there. So, the next question is when will he pull out of Iowa completely, & what sort of spin will he use to justify it?

It strikes me that the reality is, that despite claims to the contrary, he has already written off Iowa because he knows he can't do well here for the above stated reason. If he really took Iowa seriously, he would have spent more time here. His actions speak a lot louder than any of his words.

In a release dated 6 June 2007 the Iowa GOP issued a statement entitled: GIULIANI NOT TAKING IOWANS SERIOUSLY. In part it says:

"The Iowa Straw Poll has historically been an accurate indicator of who will succeed in the Iowa Caucus. In 1999, the top two finishers went on to receive over 70 percent of the caucus vote. "It's exceedingly difficult to win on caucus night when you have missed the opportunity to speak to over a third of the caucus-goers at the largest gathering of Republicans in the nation," said Chuck Laudner, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa.

Iowan Jim Nussle, a consultant for the campaign, claims Giuliani can bypass the Straw Poll as a result of his national name I.D. However, his national name recognition and polling has not helped him build an effective grass-roots organization capable of winning the Iowa Caucuses, let alone the Iowa Straw Poll.

The Republican Party of Iowa is disappointed over his decision, but more so over his lackluster campaign efforts in Iowa. Giuliani's efforts in the Hawkeye State have also been disappointing for many Iowans who have not had the opportunity to see, hear, meet or question the former New York Mayor. The Straw Poll would have been an opportunity for Giuliani to show Iowans he is engaged, cares about Iowans' issues and is 100 percent dedicated to Iowa."

The 1st paragraph contains some support for why I suspect Rudy will pull out completely. He knows he will do lousy in the caucuses & is looking for an out. This is the 1st step in doing so.

Why? I think the next 2 paragraphs give us the clue. It points out his inability to build a good grass-roots orginization & his lackluster campaigning. It goes on to talk about his the need to meet with Iowans. & it talks about show showing up at the Straw Poll would: " show Iowans he is engaged, cares about Iowans' issues and is 100 percent dedicated to Iowa."

But, why should he meet with Iowans when all it will do is contrast how different his views are from those of the average Iowan? He knows he can't show that he cares about Iowans' issues or that he is dedicated to Iowa, he doesn't & isn't, so he has pulled out to avoid looking bad at the Straw Polls. & to have an excuse in January when he does lousy in the caucuses.

He knows there are other states where he can find enough support for his out of the mainstream Republican views. So, (& it makes sense to me that he would) he is focusing on them instead. He will get more delegates there than he would here. It won't be enough though. In the end the fact that he is out of the mainstream will hurt him & cause him to lose the party's nomination. He is not on the correct side of way too many issues to get it.

The 1 thing I have still to figure out is why has my former Representative Jim Nussle has thrown in with him?