The 2008 GOP Primary Contenders – Rising and Falling Stock By Jayson Javitz

The NFL draft is coming up this weekend. In connection therewith, you often hear people saying, of a prospect, “his stock is rising,” or “his stock’s really fallen.”

And ever since the equities markets started their nice, healthy (and overdue) correction, there’s been chattering about the stock market in political circles. On the part of nervous conservatives and “librule,” Kos-ian college students alike.

Well, in keeping with the stock market theme, I figured I’d kill a bit of time by pontificating about the rising or falling prospects of the presumed contenders for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

Falling Stock

1) John McCain.

Sometimes I wonder whether he’s actually trying to commit political suicide. The vote against ANWR drilling was bad enough, but then announcing, in advance, that he’ll oppose the effort to allow President Bush’s judicial nominees an up or down floor vote??!!

Fah-get-a-’bout-it.

I’d be surprised if he makes it past the South Carolina primary.

2) Bill Frist

The irony with Limp Frist is that, with McCain utterly imploding, he could have set himself apart to some extent. Instead, he’s buried himself.

Not having a personality is bad enough. But not having a personality and also lacking cojones is far worse.

This guy is heading towards the dustbin of GOP political history.

3) Rick Santorum.

Sure, he might not really be in the loop, for ‘08, in any event. But if he doesn’t get it together soon, he’ll throw away any possible chance of being on the ticket.

First, he proposed some wacky minimum wage deal. Then, he got wobbly on the death penalty (or at least allowed the Associated Depressed to give that impression). Now, in recent weeks, he’s been all over the map on the judicial filibuster issue.

Memo to Santorum: Get your head screwed back on straight.

4) Rudy Giuliani.

FWIW, I honestly don’t consider him a viable national candidate in any event. But, putting that aside, if he wants the nomination, he needs to stop cavorting with {shudder} lawyers, to stop lapping up hedge fund money like it was milk, to stop kissing off chances to win or at least to compete for the GOP in major races, and to stop presuming that the “hero of 9/11? schtick will pay off winning dividends six and-a-half years later.

Memo to Rudy: How many people have gone straight from holding no political office, whatsoever, to the presidency???

Rising Stock

None.

Not that I can see.

In fact, it looks like the GOP field won’t really begin to take shape until after the 2006 election cycle. Which is fine. No problem.

But, at that point, the pretenders will be dead in the water, and the contenders better have their stuff together. Hillary is the most ruthless politician since “Landslide” Lyndon Johnson. The eventual GOP nominee better be prepared to slip off the velvet gloves, and to strap on the brass knuckles.

UPDATE:

P.S. – That rhetorical question about Rudy was meant to be taken colloquially, not as a literal question to be “contested.” In any event, do you really believe Rudy will have the kind of juice that Reagan or Ike did, by way of example? And, regarding Ike, keep in mind that it took a good measure of backroom dealings, involving Robert Taft and Earl Warren, to break a stalemate at the nominating convention, and thereby to make Ike the nominee, despite the fact he was one of the biggest heroes in American history at the time.

This content was used with the permission of Polipundit.

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