I've said it a million times before. Today's Republican Party is the party of Tom Tancredo and Hal Turner. George W. Bush isn't nearly vicious enough to satisfy their base. The wingnuts have resolved themselves to elect a "True Conservative" to represent their party this time, paying no heed to the electoral disaster that awaits him.
So goes the story of Rudy Giuliani. He's awful in so many ways, but he's just not awful in the right ways to win the Republican nomination.
A little more below the flip. UPDATE: Also read here for more on this story!
The Washington Post is reporting that James Dobson, who fancies himself Kingmaker I suppose, has rejected Giuliani as a candidate in 2008:
Religious conservative leader James Dobson said on Thursday he would not vote for 2008 Republican presidential contender Rudolph Giuliani under any circumstances because of his support for abortion rights and his three marriages.
Dobson, head of the influential Colorado-based group Focus on the Family, said Giuliani was not suited for the White House. Dobson said he would be willing to sit out the November 2008 election if Giuliani is the Republican presidential nominee.
Now, I know this sounds like the usual whining when the far-right isn't getting appeased to enough, but Dobson's threat is ominous. Republicans seem to be in a bit of a Catch-22. Either they nominate a complete wingnut who will lose by 150+ EV's, or they pick a centrist fraud and their base stays home. The reaction to today's news on immigration is probably the most poignant evidence of a major rift on their side.
Here's a poll, being held, err, somewhere on the internets right now, to illustrate that point:
It's getting more and more clear how important the Democratic nomination is this time around.