Speaking of political vitriol
People don't believe me when I say that there's no way to underestimate the anti-Clinton (both Clintons) vitriol out there. They really don't. (See below.)
Of course, there are also loud groans of protest when I insist that, if he gets the nomination, Giuliani will win. These groans all come from New Yorkers, who understand how bad of a mayor he was, etc. (No way! It's ridiculous! Like if Ed Koch tried to be president!)
Of course the problem is, the newspaper and pundit types ALSO are New Yorkers who already know all of that. So they don't think it's news, so they don't report it. Unless something (like ShagFest) breaks, and in the right way, and BIG, the only thing Joe Sixpack is going to think about him is that he was "that guy who charged around NYC on 9/11" and "America's Mayor".
And they're going to think that until mid-October 2008, when most people start actively deciding for whom they will vote.