Martin Eisenstadt’s Blog

I’ve been here a week. Hot as hell, and only half as stressful. I’ve noticed the hotel rooms and the rental cars are both getting smaller as the campaign moves forward. When Jimmy, the volunteer tells me not to bother saving diner receipts, I know Rudy’s in trouble. Speaking of which, this kid Jimmy Havermayer’s a real find.  (maybe it’s Havenmeyer — not too sure).  A real dyed in the wool midwestern College Republican.  Says he’s old buddies with Dan Mayers back in the Giuliani office.  Anyhoo, the kid’s organized a great agenda for me, given the limited resources for the both of us.  If he ever comes to DC, I’ll bet he could give Eli a run for his money…  Now, then, if we could only find the Denny’s in Tallahassee, we’d be set.

You’ve got to be kidding. But there goes Mitt!

I was invited last evening to participate in a candidate surrogate forum at a synagogue in Des Moines. I found the audience to be very receptive to the Mayor’s stance toward Israel and of course his record on 9/11. The nagging question people had, though, was why Giuliani wasn’t contesting Iowa more. I wish I had that answer. Iowans are personally offended when they can’t meet the candidates. I trust Rudy will hold his own here in third or fourth, and really pick up steam in NH. I head there tomorrow to see how I can help out.

I’m getting very excited about the campaign. It looks like Fred Thompson still hasn’t taken off. Not surprising at all. There’s a difference between a real politician and one who plays one on TV. I have great respect for him, but he appears not to be the white knight of the conservative movement.

Anderson Cooper, son to Gloria Vanderbilt and heir to the fortune I presume, showed last night that rich people with good jobs wield power. A “metrosexual” himself, Cooper managed to guide the Republican debate into a gay and lively discussion about same sex love. Should that be allowed? What if Wolf Blitzer had turned the Democratic debate into a discussion of Zionism and bar mitzvah ritual? Maybe journalists should be forced to take non-loyalty oaths, like Kennedy had to do regarding his Catholicism.

And what was the great Grover Norquist thinking submitting a youtube question to politicians who clearly hate him? And with such stiff competition. My favorite was the retired gay general (the Hillary plant), or how about the black father and son at the gym, or the kid who had the gun tossed to him. No wonder McCain was so mad. Seven years in a POW camp for this? How humiliating!