Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The Entourage Checks In

Chichester's buddy Boobie Bellafiore, and Steve Greenberg, punditing it up last night on Capital News 9

Pollsters Anonymous

Remember all those useless polls conducted for a possible Hillary-Rudy race in 1999 and 2000? The Mayor never even officially announced. Yet it was one poll after another before Rudy said he wouldn't run.

Here we have Quackapiac Quinnipiac with another useless, Hillary-Rudy poll. It claims Hillary leads Rudy 52-41 percent in New York.

The SCHIP Misnomer

President Bush vetoed the $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. We're going to see how resolute, how determined House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be in advocating limited government and market alternatives for health insurance. Because if you can't stand up against a monstrous federal program with the word "children" in it, where the benefits also go to adults, you should just head for permanent Bob Michelville.

Speaker Pelosi Doesn't Disappoint

Well, I said Speaker of the House Tracy Flick's Nancy Pelosi's appearance on that Algonquin Round Table, The View, would be Stooges-level funny. It didn't disappoint, as the WaPo noted.

The highlight:

"Trying to shout over Whoopi and her other gabbing co-hosts and excited audience members, Barbara turned to Guest Pelosi and said she has heard Whoopi say before that she'd 'do Paul Newman.'

"And I think she'd like to do your husband as well," Walters deadpanned in that quintessential accent that made her the subject of late-night lampooning over the decades."

And she wanted to be taken seriouswie when co-anchoring the evening news with Howrie Wreasoner.

How To Annoy Chichester IV

By using UPPER CASE to EMPHASIZE a point. Because if you don't use UPPER CASE, no one will understand what you're ATTEMPTING TO COMMUNICATE in an e-mail.

Rudely standing in front of the half-and-half and carrying on a conversation (that means you Senate staffers in Russell's Cups).

And standing right in front of the elevator door when you know there will be people getting off (yes, you staffers in Russell, again).

Chichester Edits Statements For Accuracy

Mayor Giuliani's "strategy memo" from yesterday:

TO: TEAM RUDY (TEAM RUDY, WHO VOTED FOR DEMOCRAT MARIO CUOMO)

FROM: BRENT SEABORN, STRATEGY DIRECTOR

RE: 4th QUARTER KICKOFF

DATE: OCTOBER 2, 2007

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FIELD

. . . Mayor Giuliani continues to lead all major media polls (because Republican primary voters are in an apparent coma). A recent Pew Report poll reports Mayor Giuliani’s percentage of the ballot share has increased 5 points from the previous Pew survey conducted in July. The most recent Pew survey also reports Mayor Giuliani leading the important Republican candidate attribute categories of "tough", "energetic" and "smart", among a handful of others (the important Republican candidate attribute categories of "divorcing your wife via news conference," "weird" and "a track record that includes pro-abortion, pro-gun control, pro-rent control, pro-gay rights positions and trashing an honorable man like Mayor Giuliani's former boss Attorney General Edwin Meese" were not included).

A recent FOX News poll reports Mayor Giuliani’s ballot support has increased 5 points from the previous FOX News poll conducted in August (we love citing numbers, and not our full record, on TEAM RUDY).

In addition to national polling, Mayor Giuliani is favorably positioned in a number of early and February 5 primary states. The Mayor leads nearly all Florida primary polls with a 2007 average of 30%, followed by Thompson 17%, McCain 14% and Romney 9% (we on TEAM RUDY are trying to Lilli Von Shtupp-seduce you with our numbers; don't pay attention to the full record).

. . . Most notably, Mayor Giuliani continues to hold strong with socially conservative voters. Socially conservative voters are becoming more comfortable with Mayor Giuliani as they hear him speak clearly about his agenda (he won't be dressing in drag any more) . Two of the Mayor’s 12 Commitments that are most important are "to increase the number of adoptions, reduce the number of abortions and protect the quality of life for our children" (which Rudy rarely talked about while New York City Mayor since the Planned Parenthood crowd would have went nuts, and Ruth Messenger would have had a big issue in the 1997 race).

Let's Play Nutball

The Newsweek brief interview with Chris Matthews regarding his new book:

Newsweek: I would not have expected you, the hostus interruptus of "Hardball," to have an appreciation for listening.

Nutball: It was the way Bill Clinton got girls, and he taught it to his wife as a way to get votes. Another one of these rich ironies. My mistake in the old days was drinking with girls and saying how great I was.

Chris, please retire.

Governor Richard Milhouse Spitzer

The New York Sun reports the latest outburst from Governor Spitzer in a speech yesterday regarding his scheme to provide driver's licenses to illegal aliens:

"No amount of hysterical rhetoric will prevent us from doing what is right. I'm not going to run from the fight just because the other side decides to demagogue it."

"Hysterical rhetoric. "

A major focus of this blog is frauds, fakes and phonies in public life. Governor Spitzer has used "hysterical rhetoric" throughout his career, and largely never paid a price for it.

Until now, as Wayne Barrett notes in today's Village Voice.

I'm surprised he made it through this speech without dropping an f-bomb or ten on his audience.

The Daily Chichester

Pollsters Anonymous: Hillary clobbering Sen. Obama in new WaPo poll

Sen. Fred Thompson will address the New York State "Conservative" Party October 15th

Peanutsism: Jimmy Carter, once again, achieving nothing and looking good doing it

The Washington Post, the public relations firm for Anita Hill, on the Clarence Thomas book

Senator Bob Packwood Isiah Thomas costs the Knicks $11.6 million

My Mets Keep Willie (it's Omar who should go, btw)

Chichester Responds To E-mail / RE: Iraq

Q: Do you honestly believe victory [in Iraq] is even possible at this point? And what do you so dislike about Democrats?

A: Of course I believe we can achieve victory. The United States military is the greatest institution our country has ever produced. I know first-hand.

I dislike the Democratic party's inability to accept the consequences of war. I dislike its overwrought Oprah-esque talk show host, emotion-only approach to why we are in Iraq. I dislike the language the party leaders use that damage morale. Nancy Pelosi said it was a "grotesque mistake" and Harry Reid said "the war is lost." This language is deeply disturbing to me. Our soldiers hear this bile.