What's the latest on Pataki?

[JSojourner]

Why is George Pataki's name still being tossed about as a possible Presidential candidate?  Is he really thinking about it? 

While I would love to see the field of Republican moderates widen, I'd be shocked if Pataki thought he could win.  I don't think he'd win New York.  Even if Giuliani stayed out.

Any thoughts?

[Eraserhead]

He wouldn't win New York. The guy is seen as a complete failure.

[Smash255]

He wouldn't win New York. The guy is seen as a complete failure.

^^^^^^^

If he ran for Govenor again, he would have lost BADLY,  & not just by Spitzer.  if Spitzer stayed out, and Suozzi got the Dem nod, Pataki would have taken a beating.

[Mr. Morden]

"After leading four former Republican governors on a tour of ground zero, Gov. George E. Pataki said yesterday that he would soon announce whether he would run for president in 2008.

“I’m going to make a decision sometime early next year,” said Mr. Pataki, who is viewed in Republican circles as a long shot for the party’s nomination, but is nonetheless working to raise his national profile and play a role in one of several efforts to redefine the party."

link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/nyregion/11pataki.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[Reaganfan]

I never thought about McCain/Pataki....ehh...nah.

[Boris]

He'll announce he won't run shortly. And there are better VP picks for John McCain, anyway.

[Saxwsylvania]

If he had retired after two terms and ran sharply to the right, he'd be okay.  But why nominate the man who destroyed the New York GOP and never accomplished anything?

Pataki's not going to run anyway.  He'll drop out within the next month.

[WalterMitty]

the best he can hope for is a high level cabinet appointment in a republican administration.

[TheresNoMoney]

Why is George Pataki's name still being tossed about as a possible Presidential candidate?  Is he really thinking about it? 

I'm at least 75% sure that Pataki is going to run. He has been here in NH a lot the past 6 months and from what I've read, has already hired a local firm to run his NH operation.

[JSojourner]

Why is George Pataki's name still being tossed about as a possible Presidential candidate?  Is he really thinking about it? 

I'm at least 75% sure that Pataki is going to run. He has been here in NH a lot the past 6 months and from what I've read, has already hired a local firm to run his NH operation.

Thanks.  It's nice having some Iowans and Granite Staters here to keep us in the loop. 

I am leaning toward thinking he might run, too.  It would be weird seeing Pataki, Bloomberg and Giuliani try to "out-Rockefeller" each other.  None could seriously try to run to the center could they?  That would just be embarassing for them all.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Other candidates should drop dropping out because they can't stop the unstoppable front-runner George Pataki.

[Smash255]

Pataki did some good things early in his tenure.  He strengthened criminal sentencing against tooth-and-nail opposition from the criminal coddling liberal Democrats in the State Assembly.  He cut taxes, and toughened welfare requirements.  I'd call his first term a pretty decent success.

After that, he sold out and became a Democrat-lite.  It's interesting that Democrats are so critical of him, because he pretty much enacted the policies the Democrats wanted, while making a few noises occasionally in the other direction.

I think he lost interest in the job, and should never have run for a third term.  New York politics is interesting in that New Yorkers seem to like their elected officials to serve a long time, even if they're not particularly popular or effective.

I think the most horrible person in New York politics is Sheldon Silver, and that Pataki could have been far more successful without this knee-jerk corrupt criminal coddling liberal in charge of the Assembly.

As far as his presidential run, it's obviously a joke.  The only think I can think of is that he's really running for Vice President, as a prestigious way to cap off his career.

Pataki's problems (regarding popularity at least) started with the start of last term, well in actuallity during his campaign prior to it.  Tried to paint the state fiscal picture as strong.  Shortly after his re-election he suddenly did an about face on the state's fiscal shape.  Suddenly we were in debt and couldn't pay for crap, promised increases in school funding were null & void, in fact tuition at school colleges went up (including my own) after he promised not to touch it.  Overall school funding were well below promised levels, and cut in some cases.  Schools needed the $$ from somewhere, the result increased propeerty taxes.  Pataki pushed through a plan to cut taxes on top of that.  Pataki also pushed through some tax cts which mainly benefitted the wealthy, the small amount that did slip down to the middle class was not even remotley close to the increase in property taxes that arose from the school funding cuts.

It was all downhill after that.  his role in the Freedom Tower problems, as well as him taking a dash to the right over the past couple years hasn't exactly helped.

[adam]

I like Pataki's politics. Having said that, Tancredo would probably out preform him in the primary. Pataki is a very dry, uncharasmatic, unknown, unpopular soon to be has been with virtually no recources to start a campaign with.