Big Names, Big Money, Big Shoulders

By Kevin Robinson in News on Oct 5, 2007 4:20PM

One day after Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson stopped by Chicago for a fundraiser, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani visited Chicago for a fundraiser.

Conventional wisdom holds that Giuliani is the man to beat for the GOP nomination, but Fred Thompson has his supporters too. "I think he has a homespun quality that is appealing.... [H]e comes across as a guy that is very comfortable in his own skin and I think he has a presence about him that is very presidential," local political consultant and commentator Dan Proft told CBS2. As if that weren't enough, Hillary Clinton swung through town yesterday as well. With Barack Obama still raising big bucks and digging in in Iowa, and the GOP looking for its standard-bearer, Hillary is taking a page out of Richard Nixon's playbook, attending a fundraiser by Republicans for Hillary, which was expected to raise $250,000. Whether or not letting the opposition anoint her as the inevitable nominee is good strategy remains to be seen.