Rarely -- never -- has the Republican Party of Iowa publicly rebuked its party's frontrunner presidential candidate.
Surely, the RPI had to be disappointed that Giuliani's decided to skip Ames -- the party's biggest fundraiser of the year has lost a marquee guest -- but the executive director, Chuck Laudner, was apparently so chagrined that he decided to buck his party's tradition of complete neutrality and accuse Giuliani of not taking Iowa seriously. That's a political argument his opponents are bound to use against him.
Here's what Laudner "said" in a statement:
It's exceedingly difficult to win on caucus night when you have missed the opportunity to speak to over a third of the caucus-goers at the largest gathering of Republicans in the nation,"
That's not the half of it.
The Republican Party of Iowa is disappointed over his decision, but more so over his lackluster campaign efforts in Iowa. Giuliani's efforts in the Hawkeye State have also been disappointing for many Iowans who have not had the opportunity to see, hear, meet or question the former New York Mayor. The Straw Poll would have been an opportunity for Giuliani to show Iowans he is engaged, cares about Iowans' issues and is 100 percent dedicated to Iowa. Regarding Giuliani's decision, Laudner said, "He was in, he was out, he was in, now he's out. Who knows. Maybe he'll change his mind again. Regardless, his name will be on the Straw Poll ballot in August."
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