Rudy and Advanced Pandering

Given his comments on upholding Roe v Wade today, it's pretty evident that Rudy Giuliani's time as a Republican front-runner might be limited if he can't get his pandering game on track.

A couple of days ago when Rudy spoke favorably about government funding for abortion, I wrote that he was taking a pandering break.

I still think that's the case.

But it's also time for Step 3 in my Rudy analysis.

Step 1: Rudy as the candidate of white racism promising to apply the same tough tactics to global non-whites that he developed in New York.

Step 2: Rudy as getting weary of pandering to other people rather than having others suck up to him.

Step 3: Refining the pandering theme. In his own mind, Rudy seems to still be pandering to New York voters who believe in controlling minorities but like abortion rights, feel comfortable with gays, and arent' that big on Jesus. He hasn't quite realized that Republican voters in South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia have very different pandering needs. As a result, there's just something missing in Rudy's current pandering arsenal that leads him to make such non-pandering remarks on abortion before Republican audience. Maybe Rudy doesn't have the kind of pandering commitment that Mitt Romnew brings to the table. Maybe Rudy's running out of energy like John McCain. Or maybe Rudy's doesn't yet have the pandering expertise needed to succeed as a Republican presidential candidate.

If expertise is the problem, I have the answer. I'm sure Newt Gingrich would be glad to give Rudy advanced pandering lessons in exchange for a humble vice-presidential nomination.

Nobody panders like Newt. And he's so humble about it.