Rudy, speaking yesterday in Florida:
“Some of my opponents are engaging in negative campaigning, using words like dishonesty. This is the thing that our primary will descend into the kind of thing that Senator Clinton and Senator Obama had going on. So I’m gonna try and remain positive, we’re gonna talk about the things we can do for America, the things we can do for Florida. And I think that is going to be the winning strategy in Florida.”
I realize Republicans are not Democrats and Florida is not South Carolina, but that is more or less the argument that John Edwards was deploying in the final days before yesterday’s primary — “I’m the grown-up in this race, my rivals are bickering like little children.”
Well, that got Edwards 18 percent and a distant third place yesterday.
I suspect that most voters roll their eyes when they hear this from the candidate in third place. Of course the leading candidates are arguing, and of course it’s getting heated. That’s what candidates do in competitive races.