A skeptical reader:

“Derb–Giuliani on a hunting trip will look as patently false as when Kerry tried to pretend he was a big macho bird hunter (easily the most ridiculous stunt since Dukakis drove around in a tank trying to pretend he was pro-military). Snooty, buttoned-down East Coast city dwelling politicians should not even try to act like good old boys. Such grotesque pandering convinces nobody, and only arouses contempt from friends and enemies alike.”

[Derb] Hmmm. I don’t think the comparison holds water. You’ll hear a lot of bad things said about Rudy, but I doubt the word “snob” will figure among them. He has a down-home-iness (this kind of thing is much easier to say in German) about him that could, with a little massaging, be transferred successfully to rural pursuits, I am sure.

Hunting and class cut all sorts of ways, from the WASP millionaire in his duck blind to the working stiff stalking whitetail in Presque Isle. Rudy’s a working-class boy from the mean streets. He could pull this off, I am sure. It would need careful calibrating, but he really needs to do something along these lines