THE POLITICAL HALFLIFE OF AN ARROGANT...:

Rudy’s First Trimester: Our Ex-Mayor Knew About G.O.P. and Abortion When He Got In, Now He’s in Trouble for Being a Little Bit Pregnant on Choice; Says One Pollster: ‘They’re Going to Prove How Right They Are’ (Jason Horowitz, May 15, 2007, NY Observer)

It isn’t so much that Rudy Giuliani’s tripped over the issue of abortion, which everyone knew was going to be a difficult one for a pro-choice candidate to navigate in the context of a pro-life primary.

It’s the amount of time it’s taking him to get back up. [...]

“No offense to those guys, but what do they know about Republican Presidential politics?” said Tony Fabrizio, a Republican pollster unaffiliated with any candidate. “And I think it’s all a reflection of Rudy. Any campaign would know that they were in trouble by keeping slipping on the same banana peel, but not these guys. They are going to prove how right they are. They are going to explain it.”

Mr. Fabrizio argued that instead of admitting differences on social issues with the Republican base and moving on to his perceived strengths, like matters of national security, the campaign’s “too-cute-by-half” explanations only had the effect of drawing more attention to the areas of disagreement.

“He’s a lawyer, and he thinks that the average voter is going to find the nuance—they’re not,” said Mr. Fabrizio. “Instead of finding a way not to focus and trip up on those differences, they have managed to trip, fall, stumble and just continually focus on those differences.”

Because it is his nature, the Mayor can't stop making these mistakes.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 19, 2007 10:54 AM