John y Elizabeth se mudan con sus hijos a una nueva casa. Al poco tiempo de instalarse, comienzan a sucederles cosas extrañas. Los fenómenos comienzan con objetos que se mueven, pero van cada vez en aumento, hasta que la hija pequeña de la casa, desaparece en su propio cuarto despues de ver en la tele a un espectro de melena rubia, cintura de avispa y piernas largas. La familia contacta con un grupo de parapsicólogos para que les ayuden a recuperar a su hija.
sábado, 7 de julio de 2007
viernes, 6 de julio de 2007
Hillary 45% - Thompson 45% (Rasmussen)
Ayer Hillary Clinton recibió un apoyo importante en su carrera por hacerse con la nominación demócrata. El ex Congresista Dick Gephardt (D - Missouri), conocido por haber aspirado a la Presidencia en 1988 y 2004, se sumó a la larga lista de pesos pesados que han decidido apoyar a la Senadora. La importancia de este apoyo radica en la cercana relación de Gephardt con los sindicatos, y lo que eso puede aportar a la candidata. Conocido opositor de los acuerdos de libre comercio, en 2004 contó para su campaña con el apoyo de más de una decena de sindicatos y gremios industriales que ya lo habían apoyado también en el 88.
Esa fue la buena noticia de ayer para Hillary. La menos buena siguen siendo sus discutibles números en las encuestas cuando es enfrentada a un rival republicano. Está que se sale en todos los sondeos para la nominación partidista. Pero en los "match-ups" con los aspirantes del GOP sigue dando unos síntomas de debilidad alarmantes para una candidata ya tan conocida, que debiera partir con una importante ventaja inicial sobre los demás. Al estilo de Bush en 1999-2000. Pero no es el caso. La encuesta de Rasmussen con fecha del 5 de julio, ayer, la coloca empatada en el 45% con el aún "no candidato" Fred Thompson. Y su ventaja sobre Mitt Romney, el candidato menos conocido a nivel nacional, se reduce a un 4%. Y lo que es peor, la encuesta indica que sus porcentajes siempre se estancan por debajo del 50%. Algo que se debe a las fuertes impresiones que genera, tanto a favor como en contra. Parte con la certeza de que ya tiene asegurado el voto en contra del 46% del electorado.
(...) Because Clinton generates such strong feelings, all general election match-ups involving her are competitive. That’s true even if the Republican candidate is unknown. In fact, Clinton’s support stays between 45% and 50% when matched against any of seven potential Republican candidates. She reaches the 50% mark only against Gingrich. In these same match-ups, Clinton’s opponent earns between 41% and 46% of the vote regardless of how unknown the Republican is.
A separate survey has found that 46% of Americans say they will definitely vote against Clinton if she is on the ballot in 2008. (...)
Esa fue la buena noticia de ayer para Hillary. La menos buena siguen siendo sus discutibles números en las encuestas cuando es enfrentada a un rival republicano. Está que se sale en todos los sondeos para la nominación partidista. Pero en los "match-ups" con los aspirantes del GOP sigue dando unos síntomas de debilidad alarmantes para una candidata ya tan conocida, que debiera partir con una importante ventaja inicial sobre los demás. Al estilo de Bush en 1999-2000. Pero no es el caso. La encuesta de Rasmussen con fecha del 5 de julio, ayer, la coloca empatada en el 45% con el aún "no candidato" Fred Thompson. Y su ventaja sobre Mitt Romney, el candidato menos conocido a nivel nacional, se reduce a un 4%. Y lo que es peor, la encuesta indica que sus porcentajes siempre se estancan por debajo del 50%. Algo que se debe a las fuertes impresiones que genera, tanto a favor como en contra. Parte con la certeza de que ya tiene asegurado el voto en contra del 46% del electorado.
(...) Because Clinton generates such strong feelings, all general election match-ups involving her are competitive. That’s true even if the Republican candidate is unknown. In fact, Clinton’s support stays between 45% and 50% when matched against any of seven potential Republican candidates. She reaches the 50% mark only against Gingrich. In these same match-ups, Clinton’s opponent earns between 41% and 46% of the vote regardless of how unknown the Republican is.
A separate survey has found that 46% of Americans say they will definitely vote against Clinton if she is on the ballot in 2008. (...)
jueves, 5 de julio de 2007
Los Clinton y los Romney juntos
Iowa registró ayer un considerable atasco de precandidatos presidenciales que quisieron pasar el Día de la Independencia en el estado que abrirá el proceso electoral. Esto dio lugar a un pintoresco encuentro de unos minutos entre los matrimonios Clinton y Romney en el pueblo de Clear Lake. The Politico reproduce la conversación.
(...) "Mr. President, how are you, Mitt Romney," the Republican said after finding Bill Clinton working the three-deep crowd gathering along Main Ave. "This is my wife, Ann, and my son, Josh."
After introductions were made, Romney observed that "this is kinda fun."
"How many times you done this before?" he asked.
"Once or twice," Clinton deadpanned.
"I bet that's right," Romney responded with a laugh.
Romney then began to explain to the former president that son Josh had taken it upon himself to visit all 99 Iowa counties in a massive Winnebago dubbed the "Mitt Mobile," but Clinton seemed to already know.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the scrum that had quickly developed when Romney approached Bill Clinton.
"Nice to see you!" Sen. Clinton exclaimed to Romney.
Introducing Josh, Romney began to tell Sen. Clinton about his son's plan to drive around the state.
"He's been driving around," Sen. Clinton shook her head knowingly, like her husband, already aware of Josh's travels.
Proving he had been listening to how many stops Josh had made, Bill Clinton then piped up, "He's halfway home!"
"Well, it's a good deal," Sen. Clinton offered
"How many counties have you hit," Romney asked, "45?"
"About 50," Josh quickly responded.
"Well, he's over halfway," Sen. Clinton said, demonstrating her knowledge of Iowa's 99 counties. "You've got this built-in campaign team with your sons, boy I tell ya," she added, good naturedly.
"There's nothing like it," Romney replied. "If we had known, we would've had more."
At this, Ann Romney got a look on her face is if to say, "not so fast" and everybody enjoyed a good laugh.
"We'll see you guys some more," Mitt Romney said. "Yes, you will," Sen. Clinton quickly shot back.
The whole encounter lasted less than two minutes.
Asked on the way back up to his parade entourage if he was surprised that both Clintons seemed to be aware of Josh's travels, Mitt Romney said he was not.
"Oh, you know they keep a pretty close eye on what is going on politically."
Wanting to keep things gracious, Romney pointed out that while he and the Clintons "couldn't be more different on the issues," they both "agree that this is a great nation and this is a day we celebrate the nation's birth."
He was, however, a bit more partisan when he saw Rep. Tom Latham, the local congressman.
"You're lucky, you're following the Clintons," Romney joked.
"Right," Latham said with more than a hint of irony.
Back on the "Mitt Mobile," Ann Romney was a bit more gracious.
Though she has met the former president plenty of times, she'd not met Sen. Clinton before.
"Very warm," she observed. (...)
Fred Thompson sigue sorprendiendo
La última encuesta de Rasmussen confirma a Fred Thompson como favorito para la nominación republicana a nivel nacional. Obtendría el 27% de los apoyos frente al 24% de Rudy Giuliani. Debe ser frustrante para esos candidatos que llevan meses dejándose la piel por todos los rincones del país, observar que son superados en las encuestas por un hombre cuya campaña hasta ahora parece haberse limitado a una sóla gira electoral y a una página web oficial en internet. Qué deben estar pensando....
En los enfrentamientos con sus posibles rivales demócratas también va ganando terreno poco a poco. Se coloca a nueve puntos de Edwards, hace poco eran 13, casi empata con Obama, sólo los separan dos puntos, y está a cinco puntos de alcanzar a Hillary. Números bastante buenos para un candidato que todavía no está recibiendo el mismo nivel de atención mediática que reciben esos dos darlings de la mass media que son Obama y Clinton.
Como curiosidad, apuntar que Thompson, de ser nominado, sería el candidato más alto de la historia, superando a Winfield Scott, (candidato en 1852) quien hasta ahora ostentaba el record. De ser elegido Presidente, Thompson también se convertiría en el Presidente norteamericano más alto de todos los tiempos con sus más de 2 metros de altura.
En este video vemos a Fred con su mujer y sus dos hijos pequeños a su llegada a Nashville la pasada semana, donde ha abierto el cuartel general de su campaña. Concretamente en el viejo edificio "Fall School", una de las instalaciones escolares más antiguas de la ciudad. ya enviaré a mi ayudante Peru Hornblower a investigarlos...
En los enfrentamientos con sus posibles rivales demócratas también va ganando terreno poco a poco. Se coloca a nueve puntos de Edwards, hace poco eran 13, casi empata con Obama, sólo los separan dos puntos, y está a cinco puntos de alcanzar a Hillary. Números bastante buenos para un candidato que todavía no está recibiendo el mismo nivel de atención mediática que reciben esos dos darlings de la mass media que son Obama y Clinton.
Como curiosidad, apuntar que Thompson, de ser nominado, sería el candidato más alto de la historia, superando a Winfield Scott, (candidato en 1852) quien hasta ahora ostentaba el record. De ser elegido Presidente, Thompson también se convertiría en el Presidente norteamericano más alto de todos los tiempos con sus más de 2 metros de altura.
En este video vemos a Fred con su mujer y sus dos hijos pequeños a su llegada a Nashville la pasada semana, donde ha abierto el cuartel general de su campaña. Concretamente en el viejo edificio "Fall School", una de las instalaciones escolares más antiguas de la ciudad. ya enviaré a mi ayudante Peru Hornblower a investigarlos...
miércoles, 4 de julio de 2007
4 de Julio (Tercera Parte)
Por último, en este 4 de julio quiero recuperar algo que se ha perdido. El famoso "Sign-Off" de las televisiones nacionales y locales. Fin de emisión en español. Hasta hace apenas 15 años era algo habitual en todos los canales cerrar la programación del día con el Star Spangled Banner. Muchos dirán que la costumbre era bastante cutre. Pero la realidad es que servía para fortalecer la convicción de cada espectador de que formaba parte de una misma comunidad. De saber que forma parte de "algo compartido" por muy desamparado que se sienta.
También Euskal Telebista utilizaba en Euskadi en los años 80 y primeros años 90, el Gora ta Gora para abrir y cerrar su programación con un recorrido visual por los símbolos más característicos del país. Por la tarde, justo cuando los niños estaban esperando los dibujos animados, lo volvían a poner para reabrir la programación. A algunos les parecería propaganda del partido gobernante para apropiarse del vínculo sentimental que une al ciudadano con su entorno y su comunidad. Pero era un ejercicio capaz de despertar ¡¡en cualquiera!! ese sentimiento de pertenencia al grupo que tanto nos reconforta a todos los animales.
La costumbre se perdió cuando la mayoría de televisiones comenzaron a emitir ininterrumpidamente. Como también se perdieron los avances de programación. Ahora la relación del espectador con la televisión es más libre, pero mucho más fría, menos directa y menos entrañable. Aprovechando el 4 de julio, recupero un par de "sign-off" que se utilizaron en USA hace unos 20 años.
Esta la utilizó la NBC a mediados de los 80.
Esta es mi favorita. La utilizó por la misma época la WCYB en sus televisiones locales. Lamentablemente no se ve muy bien. Era rápida y eficaz.
También Euskal Telebista utilizaba en Euskadi en los años 80 y primeros años 90, el Gora ta Gora para abrir y cerrar su programación con un recorrido visual por los símbolos más característicos del país. Por la tarde, justo cuando los niños estaban esperando los dibujos animados, lo volvían a poner para reabrir la programación. A algunos les parecería propaganda del partido gobernante para apropiarse del vínculo sentimental que une al ciudadano con su entorno y su comunidad. Pero era un ejercicio capaz de despertar ¡¡en cualquiera!! ese sentimiento de pertenencia al grupo que tanto nos reconforta a todos los animales.
La costumbre se perdió cuando la mayoría de televisiones comenzaron a emitir ininterrumpidamente. Como también se perdieron los avances de programación. Ahora la relación del espectador con la televisión es más libre, pero mucho más fría, menos directa y menos entrañable. Aprovechando el 4 de julio, recupero un par de "sign-off" que se utilizaron en USA hace unos 20 años.
Esta la utilizó la NBC a mediados de los 80.
Esta es mi favorita. La utilizó por la misma época la WCYB en sus televisiones locales. Lamentablemente no se ve muy bien. Era rápida y eficaz.
4 de Julio (Segunda Parte)
Video de The Battle Hymn of the Republic cantado en la Catedral Nacionald e Washington poco después del 11 de Septimebre de 2001
The Battle Hymn of the Republic. El himno más emotivo. La letra fue escrita por Julia Ward Howe en diciembre de 1861. Fue publicada en el Atlantic Monthly en febrero de 1862, en plena Guerra Civil. A partir de entonces se convertiría en una canción asociada a la figura de Abraham Lincoln y a la liberación de los esclavos.
4 de Julio (Primera Parte)
'God Bless the USA' de Lee Greenwood. Una canción relativamente nueva que los americanos consideran casi como su segundo himno. Salió en 1984 y fue un rotundo éxito. El Presidente Ronald Reagan la utilizó inteligentemente para su reelección en una campaña de anuncios por televisión. La recupero con motivo de este 4 de julio.
If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.
And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.
That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
martes, 3 de julio de 2007
La recaudación de Rudy y Mitt
Rudy Giuliani ha recaudado 17 millones de dólares. Mitt Romney se ha quedado en los 14 millones. Ambos menos de lo previsto. Los más optimistas esperaban que Giuliani rondase los 19 o 20. En cualquier caso, ha aumentado en 3 millones de dólares lo recaudado en el primer trimestre.
Romney ha bajado algo más de lo esperado en dinero a pesar de haber subido en número de donantes de 32,000 a 80,000, pero ya ha anunciado que añadirá 6,5 millones de su fortuna personal. Ambos lejos de acercarse al record histórico de recaudación en el GOP, establecido por el Presidente Bush en 49,5 millones recaudados en un sólo trimestre hace cuatro años. Algo imposible de alcanzar este año para un candidato republicano.
Giuliani Raises $17 Million; Romney Gets $14 Million
(...) Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani beat his rivals by raising $17 million for his campaign during the last three months. Mitt Romney raised $14 million and loaned his campaign another $6.5 million.
The former New York City mayor raised and has in the bank $15 million for the primaries. He has another $3 million for the general election if he wins the nomination. Romney, ex-governor of Massachusetts, had $12 million cash on hand, all for the primaries, and Arizona Senator John McCain, who raised $11.2 million in the second quarter, had $2 million in cash for the primaries. (...)
Romney ha bajado algo más de lo esperado en dinero a pesar de haber subido en número de donantes de 32,000 a 80,000, pero ya ha anunciado que añadirá 6,5 millones de su fortuna personal. Ambos lejos de acercarse al record histórico de recaudación en el GOP, establecido por el Presidente Bush en 49,5 millones recaudados en un sólo trimestre hace cuatro años. Algo imposible de alcanzar este año para un candidato republicano.
Giuliani Raises $17 Million; Romney Gets $14 Million
(...) Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani beat his rivals by raising $17 million for his campaign during the last three months. Mitt Romney raised $14 million and loaned his campaign another $6.5 million.
The former New York City mayor raised and has in the bank $15 million for the primaries. He has another $3 million for the general election if he wins the nomination. Romney, ex-governor of Massachusetts, had $12 million cash on hand, all for the primaries, and Arizona Senator John McCain, who raised $11.2 million in the second quarter, had $2 million in cash for the primaries. (...)
The Making of a Candidate
The Boston Globe, periódico de mayor tirada del estado de Massachusetts y de toda la región de New England, dedica un reportaje especial a la figura de Mitt Romney. Su infancia bajo la influencia de George Romney, un padre poderoso, su etapa como misionero mormón en Francia, su paso por Harvard, sus años como hombre de negocios, la organización de los Juegos Olímpicos de Salt Lake City, su mandato como Gobernador de Massachusetts... todo con texto y fotografías.
HillCam
Para contrarrestar el "efecto Obama" que pueda llegar después de conocerse las buenas cifras de recaudación de su rival, Hillary Clinton ha lanzado a su marido Bill al ruedo en Iowa. Su arma secreta para momentos como este. Bill ha hecho escasas apariciones en la campaña hasta ahora. Básicamente a través de videos rindiendo tributo a su mujer.
El tour que comenzaron juntos ayer, será pues su primera participación activa en campaña. Para darle mayor publicidad, han creado la llamada Hillcam, una especie de webcam a través de la cual los internautas podrán echar un vistazo a la pareja mientras recorre Iowa en autobús. De momento ya han logrado desviar la atención de los números de Obama. Ese era el propósito.
El tour que comenzaron juntos ayer, será pues su primera participación activa en campaña. Para darle mayor publicidad, han creado la llamada Hillcam, una especie de webcam a través de la cual los internautas podrán echar un vistazo a la pareja mientras recorre Iowa en autobús. De momento ya han logrado desviar la atención de los números de Obama. Ese era el propósito.
lunes, 2 de julio de 2007
McCain se queda corto
11,2 millones de dólares. Esa es la cantidad recaudada por el Senador John McCain en el segundo trimestre que finalizaba este pasado fin de semana. Por debajo de los 13,6 millones que consiguió reunir en el primer triemstre, números que ya eran pobres entonces. Para poner remedio a estos decepcionantes resultados, se anuncian cambios importantes en su personal de campaña. Aunque estos no afectarían a los cargos más relevantes, como el campaign manager Terry Nelson. McCain Shakes Up Campaign
(...) John McCain's campaign, trailing top Republican rivals in money and polls, is undergoing a significant reorganization with staff cuts in every department, officials with knowledge of the shake-up said Monday.
Some 50 staffers or more are being let go, and senior aides will be subject to pay cuts as the Arizona senator's campaign bows to the reality of six months of subpar fundraising, these officials said. (...)
(...) John McCain's campaign, trailing top Republican rivals in money and polls, is undergoing a significant reorganization with staff cuts in every department, officials with knowledge of the shake-up said Monday.
Some 50 staffers or more are being let go, and senior aides will be subject to pay cuts as the Arizona senator's campaign bows to the reality of six months of subpar fundraising, these officials said. (...)
2000 GOP Presidential Primary
Muchos fueron los republicanos tentados de entrar en la carrera en el año 2000. La retirada de Bill Clinton suponía el final de dos mandatos demócratas consecutivos. Los analistas habían personalziado ese éxito en el talento individual del saliente Clinton. Ahora, los demócratas quedaban huérfanos de un liderazgo fuerte y los republicanos veían una ocasión única para asaltar la Casa Blanca.
Hasta 11 precandidatos republicanos presentaron sus candidaturas a la nominación: el ex Gobernador Lamar Alexander, de Tennessee; el activista conservador Gary Bauer; el Gobernador George W. Bush, de Texas; la ex Secretaria de Trabajo Elizabeth Dole; el multimillonario Steve Forbes; el Senador Orrin Hatch, de Utah; el Congresista John Kasich, de Ohio; el ex embajador Alan Keyes; el Senador John McCain, de Arizona; el ex Vicepresidente Dan Quayle; y el Senador Bob Smith, de New Hampshire. Pero finalmente todo se reduciría a una brutal batalla entre Bush, candidato del aparato del partido, y McCain, el maverick insurgente.
Fuentes: Wikipedia y Union Leader.
(...) Following Bob Dole's loss to Bill Clinton in the 1996 election, George W. Bush became the frontrunner, acquiring unprecedented funding and a broad base of leadership support. In 1998, Governor Bush won re-election in Texas in a landslide victory with nearly 69 percent of the vote. Bush, the governor of the second-largest state in the Union, the son of a former president, and the favored candidate of the Christian right, was portrayed in the media as the establishment candidate. Bush's campaign was managed by Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and Joe Albaugh, as well as by other political associates from Texas. He was endorsed by a majority of Republicans in 38 state legislatures.
Bush had launched an expensive strategy that sought a quick victory in the early states. He spent $50 million of his $70 million campaign war chest before January 31, 2000, indicating his desire to quickly end any challenge. In the first, non-binding, test of electability for the Republican Party nomination, the Iowa Straw Poll, Bush was the winner, with Steve Forbes second. Elizabeth Dole placed third and she pulled out of the race in October 1999 before any of the primaries, largely due to inadequate fundraising. In January, Bush easily won Iowa Caucus.
Several aspirants withdrew before the Iowa Caucus, unable to secure funding and endorsements sufficient to remain competitive with Bush. These included Alexander, Dole, Kasich, Quayle, and Smith. Steve Forbes, who could self-finance, did compete in the early contests, but did not do as well as he had in 1996. By late February, Bauer, Forbes, and Hatch had all dropped out. That left Bush, McCain, and Keyes as the only candidates still in the race.
En la imagen: John McCain y su mujer Cindy, 2000.
The New Hampshire primary shook up the Republican field, giving U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona a landslide win (48 to 30 percent) over Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Steve Forbes came in third, followed by Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer with a fraction of the Republican vote. Voter attention to the issues was further enhanced by McCain, whose campaign bypassed the Iowa caucuses to focus nearly full time in New Hampshire. His “Straight Talk Express” bus tour of the state resulted in more than 100 town meetings, where he met more than 60,000 people.
The main primary season, then, came down to a race between Bush and McCain. McCain's campaign, centered on campaign finance reform, drew the most press coverage and the greatest popular excitement. Many Republicans complained that Democrats and other non-Republicans enrolled in the party for the express purpose of voting for McCain, thus skewing the results. Bush's campaign focused on "compassionate conservatism", including a greater role for the federal government in funding education and large reductions in the income and capital gains tax rates.
In the South Carolina primary, however, Bush soundly defeated McCain. Some credited Bush's win to the fact that it was the first major primary in which only registered Republicans could vote, which negated McCain's strong advantage among independents. Some McCain supporters blamed it on a campaign of dirty tricks such as push polling, including the false suggestion that McCain fathered an African-American child out of wedlock, perpetrated against McCain by his political enemies. Whatever the real reason, McCain's loss in South Carolina stopped his momentum cold. Analysts attribute McCain's loss in South Carolina to Bush's mobilization of the state's evangelical voters.
En la imagen: George W. Bush hace campaña en Carolina del Sur, 2000.
Allegations were made that Karl Rove was responsible for a South Carolina push poll that used racist innuendo intended to undermine support for McCain: "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?". Although McCain campaign manager Richard Davis said he "had no idea who had made those calls, who paid for them, or how many were made," John Weaver, political director for McCain's 2000 campaign bid, said "I believe I know where that decision was made; it was at the top of the [Bush] campaign." Rove has denied any such involvement.
Senator John McCain's campaign roared back to life february 23 with wins in the Michigan primary and his home state of Arizona. McCain beat George W. Bush in the open Michigan contest by cobbling together a combination of moderate Republicans, independents, and a surprisingly large number of Democrats. Bush had hoped to dispatch McCain in Michigan, where the Texas governor was backed by the political machine of the state's controversial governor, Republican John Engler. But Engler's efforts may have backfired by bringing out Democrats to vote for McCain.
McCain had 50 percent of the vote in Michigan to Bush's 44. Former ambassador Alan Keyes trailed with 5 percent. In Arizona, McCain beat Bush by 60 percent to 36 percent, with Keyes a distant third, at 4 percent. McCain comeback launched the Republican contest into a dramatic two-week dash toward the March 7 Super-Tuesday blockbuster round of more than a dozen primaries and caucuses.
But Senator McCain made serious mistakes that negated any momentum he may have regained with the Michigan victory. In Virginia, he began criticizing conservative Christian leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. McCain lost the Virginia primary and then, a week later, went on to lose 9 of the 13 primaries on Super Tuesday. His overall loss on that day has been attributed to his going "off message", ineffectively accusing Bush of being anti-Catholic in response to his visit to Bob Jones University and getting into a verbal battle with leaders of the Religious Right. McCain would go on to win a few more primaries (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont), but in a two-man contest he was unable to catch up.
Texas Governor George W. Bush took the majority and handily won the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. In July 2000, the name of former Senator John Danforth (R - Missouri) was leaked as being on the short list of potential vice presidential nominees for Republican candidate George W. Bush, along with Michigan Governor John Engler, New York Governor George Pataki, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and former Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole.
Bush secretly met with Danforth at a hotel in Chicago, and three days later Danforth held a press conference stating he would be stepping down from his appointed role in the Waco investigations because an unforeseen political opportunity had suddenly come up. However, despite growing speculation that John Danforth was Bush's final pick, Bush surprised pundits selecting former Scretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, to be his running-mate. (...)
Video del discurso completo de George W. Bush en la Convención Republicana de 2000, en Philadelphia (Real Player).
Hasta 11 precandidatos republicanos presentaron sus candidaturas a la nominación: el ex Gobernador Lamar Alexander, de Tennessee; el activista conservador Gary Bauer; el Gobernador George W. Bush, de Texas; la ex Secretaria de Trabajo Elizabeth Dole; el multimillonario Steve Forbes; el Senador Orrin Hatch, de Utah; el Congresista John Kasich, de Ohio; el ex embajador Alan Keyes; el Senador John McCain, de Arizona; el ex Vicepresidente Dan Quayle; y el Senador Bob Smith, de New Hampshire. Pero finalmente todo se reduciría a una brutal batalla entre Bush, candidato del aparato del partido, y McCain, el maverick insurgente.
Fuentes: Wikipedia y Union Leader.
(...) Following Bob Dole's loss to Bill Clinton in the 1996 election, George W. Bush became the frontrunner, acquiring unprecedented funding and a broad base of leadership support. In 1998, Governor Bush won re-election in Texas in a landslide victory with nearly 69 percent of the vote. Bush, the governor of the second-largest state in the Union, the son of a former president, and the favored candidate of the Christian right, was portrayed in the media as the establishment candidate. Bush's campaign was managed by Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and Joe Albaugh, as well as by other political associates from Texas. He was endorsed by a majority of Republicans in 38 state legislatures.
Bush had launched an expensive strategy that sought a quick victory in the early states. He spent $50 million of his $70 million campaign war chest before January 31, 2000, indicating his desire to quickly end any challenge. In the first, non-binding, test of electability for the Republican Party nomination, the Iowa Straw Poll, Bush was the winner, with Steve Forbes second. Elizabeth Dole placed third and she pulled out of the race in October 1999 before any of the primaries, largely due to inadequate fundraising. In January, Bush easily won Iowa Caucus.
Several aspirants withdrew before the Iowa Caucus, unable to secure funding and endorsements sufficient to remain competitive with Bush. These included Alexander, Dole, Kasich, Quayle, and Smith. Steve Forbes, who could self-finance, did compete in the early contests, but did not do as well as he had in 1996. By late February, Bauer, Forbes, and Hatch had all dropped out. That left Bush, McCain, and Keyes as the only candidates still in the race.
En la imagen: John McCain y su mujer Cindy, 2000.The New Hampshire primary shook up the Republican field, giving U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona a landslide win (48 to 30 percent) over Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Steve Forbes came in third, followed by Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer with a fraction of the Republican vote. Voter attention to the issues was further enhanced by McCain, whose campaign bypassed the Iowa caucuses to focus nearly full time in New Hampshire. His “Straight Talk Express” bus tour of the state resulted in more than 100 town meetings, where he met more than 60,000 people.
The main primary season, then, came down to a race between Bush and McCain. McCain's campaign, centered on campaign finance reform, drew the most press coverage and the greatest popular excitement. Many Republicans complained that Democrats and other non-Republicans enrolled in the party for the express purpose of voting for McCain, thus skewing the results. Bush's campaign focused on "compassionate conservatism", including a greater role for the federal government in funding education and large reductions in the income and capital gains tax rates.
In the South Carolina primary, however, Bush soundly defeated McCain. Some credited Bush's win to the fact that it was the first major primary in which only registered Republicans could vote, which negated McCain's strong advantage among independents. Some McCain supporters blamed it on a campaign of dirty tricks such as push polling, including the false suggestion that McCain fathered an African-American child out of wedlock, perpetrated against McCain by his political enemies. Whatever the real reason, McCain's loss in South Carolina stopped his momentum cold. Analysts attribute McCain's loss in South Carolina to Bush's mobilization of the state's evangelical voters.
En la imagen: George W. Bush hace campaña en Carolina del Sur, 2000.Allegations were made that Karl Rove was responsible for a South Carolina push poll that used racist innuendo intended to undermine support for McCain: "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?". Although McCain campaign manager Richard Davis said he "had no idea who had made those calls, who paid for them, or how many were made," John Weaver, political director for McCain's 2000 campaign bid, said "I believe I know where that decision was made; it was at the top of the [Bush] campaign." Rove has denied any such involvement.
Senator John McCain's campaign roared back to life february 23 with wins in the Michigan primary and his home state of Arizona. McCain beat George W. Bush in the open Michigan contest by cobbling together a combination of moderate Republicans, independents, and a surprisingly large number of Democrats. Bush had hoped to dispatch McCain in Michigan, where the Texas governor was backed by the political machine of the state's controversial governor, Republican John Engler. But Engler's efforts may have backfired by bringing out Democrats to vote for McCain.
McCain had 50 percent of the vote in Michigan to Bush's 44. Former ambassador Alan Keyes trailed with 5 percent. In Arizona, McCain beat Bush by 60 percent to 36 percent, with Keyes a distant third, at 4 percent. McCain comeback launched the Republican contest into a dramatic two-week dash toward the March 7 Super-Tuesday blockbuster round of more than a dozen primaries and caucuses.
But Senator McCain made serious mistakes that negated any momentum he may have regained with the Michigan victory. In Virginia, he began criticizing conservative Christian leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. McCain lost the Virginia primary and then, a week later, went on to lose 9 of the 13 primaries on Super Tuesday. His overall loss on that day has been attributed to his going "off message", ineffectively accusing Bush of being anti-Catholic in response to his visit to Bob Jones University and getting into a verbal battle with leaders of the Religious Right. McCain would go on to win a few more primaries (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont), but in a two-man contest he was unable to catch up.
Texas Governor George W. Bush took the majority and handily won the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. In July 2000, the name of former Senator John Danforth (R - Missouri) was leaked as being on the short list of potential vice presidential nominees for Republican candidate George W. Bush, along with Michigan Governor John Engler, New York Governor George Pataki, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and former Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole.
Bush secretly met with Danforth at a hotel in Chicago, and three days later Danforth held a press conference stating he would be stepping down from his appointed role in the Waco investigations because an unforeseen political opportunity had suddenly come up. However, despite growing speculation that John Danforth was Bush's final pick, Bush surprised pundits selecting former Scretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, to be his running-mate. (...)
Video del discurso completo de George W. Bush en la Convención Republicana de 2000, en Philadelphia (Real Player).
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