Pataki to drop out: report

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/264406-pataki-to-drop-out-report

December 29, 2015, 05:24 pm
Pataki to drop out: report

By Jonathan Swan
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) is reportedly dropping out of the presidential race after months of lagging near zero percent in polls.
"Scoop: @GovernorPataki is calling his NH supporters this afternoon telling him he will drop his bid for president #fitn," Boston Globe political reporter James Pindell tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Pataki made little impression in the undercard debates and failed to build an infrastructure of any meaningful size. He was struggling to raise money but insisted to The Hill at the recent Las Vegas debate that he was still holding fundraisers and could still marshal support from donors.
 
The Hill has contacted Pataki's campaign for comment.
 
Pataki's absence of organization was laid bare earlier this month when he was the only presidential candidate on the debate stage who failed to submit signatures for the Virginia primary.
 
To get on the Virginia ballot, candidates need to present 5,000 signatures, with 200 coming from each congressional district. Pataki's campaign did not explain at the time why it failed to meet these requirements.
 

[mystery-ak]

Pataki was in this race?......lol

[Formerly Once-Ler]

Pataki was in this race?......lol

That is funny.  I was going to write the same thing.

[alicewonders]

That is funny.  I was going to write the same thing.

Me too!   

[240B]

I do not know who Pataki is?

[aligncare]

I do not know who Pataki is?

Wasn't he the guy who was on the original Star Trek series and he's gay?

[libertybele]

All I know about him is he never made it past the kiddie table.  Perhaps now all of his supporters will go to Bush, giving Bush a bump in the polls from 3% to 3.5%.   

[jmyrlefuller]

I do not know who Pataki is?

A mediocre Governor of New York who got pushed around by liberal Democrat Sheldon Silver and only managed re-election year after year because independent billionaire Tom Golisano managed to split the opposition vote between him and the Democrat all three times.

Believe me, America isn't missing much.

[Longiron]

Wasn't he the guy who was on the original Star Trek series and he's gay?

No he was a hockey player in Slap Shot 2!

[jmyrlefuller]

I do not know who Pataki is?

On second thought... ever seen the cartoon Hey Arnold!?

Helga was a Pataki.

[Longiron]

On second thought... ever seen the cartoon Hey Arnold!?

Helga was a Pataki.

Good One! 

[Formerly Once-Ler]

Jamie Weinstein ‏@Jamie_Weinstein 5h5 hours ago

How Pataki could have won:
1.) Raise $10,000 
2.) Pay Dick Morris $10,000 to declare candidacy has no shot.
3.) Prepare inaugural address

[Free Vulcan]

Wasn't he the guy who was on the original Star Trek series and he's gay?

That would be George Takei.

I always thought Pataki was a Klingon insult.

[aligncare]

 

[mountaineer]

All I know about him is he never made it past the kiddie table.  Perhaps now all of his supporters will go to Bush, giving Bush a bump in the polls from 3% to 3.5%. 

Seems that guys like Graham and Pataki had to run just to satisfy themselves that they'd done it, as though it was one of those "bucket list" things. Dunno. 

[Longiron]

Seems that guys like Graham and Pataki had to run just to satisfy themselves that they'd done it, as though it was one of those "bucket list" things. Dunno. 

POSSIBLE but I think GRAHAM ran to screw things up in SC for Conservatives until he found out no one cared what his opinion was. He would have dropped out after SC Primary anyway but found out no one cared he was running for anything. JMO

[mountaineer]

Reuters via NY Post:

Former New York Governor George Pataki on Tuesday ended his long-shot bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

“While tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president, I’m confident we can elect the right person, someone who will bring us together,” said Pataki, who ranked at the bottom of the Republican pack in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Pataki, 70, made the announcement in a prime-time TV ad that aired in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which hold the first three contests in the battle for the party’s nomination.

His withdrawal is likely to have little impact on the Republican race, which still has 12 candidates. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump leads the field ahead of the opening contest on Feb. 1 in Iowa.

Pataki has vowed not to support Trump if he is the Republican nominee for the November 2016 election, saying the real estate magnate is unfit to be president.

A former three-term governor who has not held office in nearly a decade, Pataki was a moderate voice in a Republican field heavy with conservative candidates.

As governor of one of the most Democratic-leaning states, he supported abortion rights and signed tough gun control legislation.

When he joined the Republican race in May, Pataki called for a simplification of the U.S. tax code and vowed to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.

[Jazzhead]

As governor of one of the most Democratic-leaning states, he supported abortion rights and signed tough gun control legislation.

When he joined the Republican race in May, Pataki called for a simplification of the U.S. tax code and vowed to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.

Fiscal conservative, social liberal.    That's the strange beast that has little voice or influence in either party,  yet probably describes a good chunk of the electorate.   It's a significant demographic that has been up for grabs in recent elections,  and may have no place to go if it's presented with the "lesser of two evils" choice of Donald and Hillary.   

[Longiron]

Fiscal conservative, social liberal.    That's the strange beast that has little voice or influence in either party,  yet probably describes a good chunk of the electorate.   It's a significant demographic that has been up for grabs in recent elections,  and may have no place to go if it's presented with the "lesser of two evils" choice of Donald and Hillary.   

Donald And Hillary (Evil). Tell us whom you do not see as evil as the PUBBIE candidate? Also tell us why TRUMP is EVIL other than you don't like him personally? We WAIT? :wtf!:

[Scottftlc]

All I know about him is he never made it past the kiddie table.  Perhaps now all of his supporters will go to Bush, giving Bush a bump in the polls from 3% to 3.5%.   

The bump will be from 3% to 3.05%

[Jazzhead]

Donald And Hillary (Evil). Tell us whom you do not see as evil as the PUBBIE candidate? Also tell us why TRUMP is EVIL other than you don't like him personally? We WAIT? :wtf!:

He's a demogogue with characteristics of megalomania.  He's replaced Reagan's conservative optimism with appeals to the volk's fears and prejudices.  He's attacked and insulted the very people that Republicans will need to attract to win the White House,  and the blowback may well keep us from retaining the Senate.

Damn right he's evil.   If you want a conservative fighter, then support Cruz or Fiorina.  Don't be a shill for the Donald.  He's a rich boy who doesn't need you - but he'll use you to get what he wants.   As for me,  I won't be a good German.     

[aligncare]

Trump is virtually the only candidate to take have taken those fears and prejudices seriously. (A few other candidates have, too, but had not made it the central theme of their campaign, as Trump had).

Prejudice is a first cousin to judgment.

There are reasons to fear (from Islam, and from an uncontrolled southern border) and Trump is right to have taking seriously people's concerns. His poll numbers prove that point.

Remember, just because one is paranoid doesn't mean people aren't really out to get him.

[Jazzhead]

Trump is virtually the only candidate to take have taken those fears and prejudices seriously.

That's simply not true.  All the GOP candidates have addressed immigration reform/border security, and the threat from Islamofascism.   There are no more "moderates" any more with respect to illegal immigration; even Rubio has backtracked from the notion of normalizing those already here until the "borders are secured", whenever that will be.

 (Of course, the REALITY is that to get ANY substantive changes made, legislation must pass Congress and be signed by the President.  And that requires political compromise.  I would GLADLY trade "amnesty" for those already here (and who've kept their noses clean) in exchange for additional border security, stricter enforcement against employers,  and reformed rules to allow employers to get the labor they need legally.   The current strategy of setting preconditions (securing the border) in order to even begin to discuss how to reform the immigration laws is calculated to make sure nothing gets done.  Are we interested in solving the problem or just talking about it?) 

As for the Islamfascist threat,  there's a clear divide between those like Rubio who know damn well we need boots on the ground to defeat ISIS, and those like Cruz who insist "carpet bombing" will suffice.   But ALL the GOP candidates are calling Islamofascism by its name and committed to addressing it with seriousness of purpose.   

[aligncare]

You left this qualifier out of your quote:

(A few other candidates have, too, but had not made it the central theme of their campaign, as Trump had).

I'm not the best grammarian, but that qualifier is pretty clear.

[Jazzhead]

I'm not sure what you're implying, aligncare.   Folks are properly concerned by illegal immigration and Islamofascism,  but it is one thing to speak to rational fears and quite another to appeal crassly to bigotry and prejudice.  I made the point that all the GOP candidates have made these issues important ones in their campaigns.  But Trump more than most if not all has addressed these issues by appealing in a most irresponsible way to the volk's prejudices regarding immigrants, labelling Mexicans as rapists and criminals and Muslims as irredeemably averse to our values.