Pirro expected to drop bid against Hillary

[ruggerson]

I will say this about Hillary. She seems to have an uncanny knack for vanquishing her opponents.


http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/373699p-317721c.html

<snip>

Jeanine to disa-Pirro from race vs. Hil

BY JOE MAHONEY
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF

Jeanine Pirro is expected to quit her bid to unseat Sen. Hillary Clinton as early as tomorrow, prematurely ending what had been billed as one of the nation's marquee races.
Just a few months ago, the smart, aggressive and charming Westchester district attorney was the darling of a Republican Party convinced she was the right candidate who - even if she couldn't beat Clinton - could at least slice into her high approval ratings.

But now, Pirro, 54, is being written off as the first political roadkill of the 2006 election season. And Clinton never even had to throw a punch.

What happened?

"She's been hurt by a lack of money and a campaign that from the beginning has been sputtering at best," said Marist College pollster Lee Miringoff.

Pirro, he said, also fell into the trap of making a central issue of her campaign that Clinton harbors presidential ambitions and won't finish a second term, a claim that, even if true, doesn't seem to matter much to most New Yorkers.

<snip>

[bluestateguy]

1. I actually view this as bad

As someone who is very much opposed to Hillary getting the 2008 nomination (though I will vote for my party's nominee), this will only further magnify her stature as the Democratic front-runner, and the media will be throwing it in our face for the next two years. It will be like Bush's gubernatorial re-election in 1998 against some boob.

Hillary is now basically running un-opposed in 2006, meaning she can start fundraising for 2008 earlier than all the other candidates.

[wiley]

2. Some Comments

Jeanne Pirro is a non-starter. It was, and hopefully will still be delightful to watch Repukes waste their money on a fight against Senator Clinton. While some flaccid minded Democrats have been sucked into the Hillary is running for Pres in 2008 vortex of free floating angst, Repukes have been orchestrating a campaign to discredit and somehow weaken Eliot Spitzer, the Democratic hands down favorite for Attorney General. They have realized the catfight between two women running for Senate had no traction, so now they plan to run Pirro against Spitzer. Funny thing is that two also-rans have expressed interest against running against Spitzer - Mark Greene and the younger Cuomo. Good thiing Pirro is a witless, arrogant, ambitious and clumsy candidate who will still have to run with her husband's baggage. Imagine an Attorney General whose husband has been purported to have mob ties. Ms. Pirro's problems don't disappear either. Unfortunately for you, Hillary is a great Senator and extremely well liked in New York State. Anyone will have a hard time running against her record. I can only surmise that you are a third party candidate supporter, or a supporter of the other two Dems who might run against Spitzer.

My greatest hope is that Hillary appears big enough in the media that the Democrats run five or less candidates against her in 08, hopefully Wes Clark, Mark Warner, Russ Feingold, Obama and Bayh. I'm much more concerned that John Edwards will waste the Democrats time and money in 08.

Since when is it a problem that a Democratic candidate amasses a war chest of money. Hilary has not only shown she is willing and able to raise money for other candidates, but generous with any funds she has left over. She'll be a New York Senator for many years if we get lucky, and the Boston clan - well, never mind......

[karynnj]

6. Actually, this says nothing about Hillary,

Pirro self destructed with a little help from her husband.

I think a strong challenge would actually help Hillary. I think she would have survived it with flying colors. Think last year, when people spoke about Kerry's previous runs - they were more impressed that he beat Weld, a very popular, charming Republican Governor in 1996, than that he got 81% of the vote in 2002, when he was essentially unopposed.

Hillary had a weak opponent in 2000 (Lazio, who replaced a scandal impaired pre- 911 Guiliani).

None of this is intended to say anything negative about Hillary. She may well be the Democratic nominee and I really wish she had the practice of a tough election. (She might have learned from her husband's though.) It actually may be Republican strategy to let her run unopposed - to save ammunition and to prevent her from being tested at that easier level, because they see her as very likely their 2008 opponent.

[SaveElmer]

7. You're reason for viewing this negatively...is why I am very happy

I believe Hillary is our best bet...any political heat she can avoid in her Senate campaign is a good thing. Although with her political skills, he her attackers usually are the ones who end up looking bad!!!

[MrBenchley]

3. It's funny how attacks on Hillary here have intensified as Pirro sank

"Besides her fund-raising problem, Pirro also was hurt by the media spotlight on her husband, Al Pirro, a lobbyist who did prison time for tax evasion.
She also didn't help her own cause with an embarrassing campaign launch when she went speechless before cameras for 32 seconds, then asked where the missing page of her speech was."

And so now the juggernaut that is John Spencer rolls into battle...and our teen progressives will need to intensify their "Hate Hillary" campaign...

[Montauk6]

4. It would be LOL-hilarious if Pirro puts off making a decision for a while

and then finally, in 9/2006, pulls out. Whereupon some desperate GOPers start an ad-hoc website, draftLazio.com

[MrBenchley]

5. Remember, there were press reports two weeks ago

along these same lines...Pataki was reportedly BEGGING her to drop out...and she announced she was going to fight on then.

Fight Jeanine, er....


er,


er,


uh


does anybody have the next page?

um


oh yeah, Fight!