Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

These are my links for May 6th from 20:01 to 20:03:

• Dentistry 2.0 – Dentists Linger In Social Network "Land of the Lost" – For many Americans the Internet has become a credible source of health information.  Medical sites like WebMD, MayoClinic.com, Vitals.com, Healthgrades.com and others offer unprecedented access to health information to feed this growing consumer appetite for health information.  According to a recent survey by Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 61 percent of Americans turn to the web for online medical advice and information.  This trend will certainly grow as the penetration of the Internet and mobile devices continue to grow and change the way Americans demand, search, and consume media.

  At the same time, healthcare professionals, including dentists are seeking the best possible position online by developing websites for their practice, and increasingly using tools like search engines (organic and pay per click), blogging, and social media.   Although dentists have been using the web to promote their practices in the United States by spending thousand of dollars each year on the medium, aggregate data on quality of dental websites in terms of user experience, search engine friendliness, and patient conversion rates are not readily available in the marketplace.   Now dentists are speeding ahead into the wild west of social media and staking their claim on properties like Facebook.

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  Read it all

• Rudy Giuliani could be ‘talked into’ running in 2012 – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani admitted Friday that he can "probably be talked into" a run for the presidency.
  While speaking to a group from the Republican National Lawyers Association at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Giuliani asserted that his major goal is for a Republican to be elected as president in 2012.

  But he wouldn't rule out his own bid when responding to the question of whether he will consider a run.
  "Sure, but not right now," he said. "I enjoyed the debate so much last night…I will, sure, think about it, but not yet."
  And if Giuliani turns out to be the best Republican for the job, the 2008 candidate for the GOP nomination said, "I could probably be talked into doing it."

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  In other words, Rudy is running for Vice President. And, he would make a good one or Attorney General which I think really is the job he wants,if not President

Quinnipiac University National Thermometer poll is out.

The Quinnipiac University poll asked voters to rate leaders from 0 to 100 degrees on a “feeling thermometer,” with the highest numbers reflecting the warmest feelings. The mean scores and the percent who said they did not know enough about the people to rate them are:

The most interesting HOTS to me are Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie. The other potential GOP Presidential candidates are NOT so hot.

These are my links for March 5th from 19:09 to 19:15:

• Senate 2012: Republicans in solid shape to take control of Senate next year – An early spate of Democratic Senate retirements has put Republicans in solid shape to retake the majority in the upper chamber next year.

  The first edition of The Hill's 2012 race ratings puts five Democratic-held seats in the toss-up column. Republicans need a net gain of at least three seats to win the Senate.

  Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) are the two incumbents that top of the list of vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2012. And, thanks to retirements, another three Democratic-held seats are toss-ups — the ones held by Sens. Kent Conrad (N.D.), Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) and Jim Webb (Va.).

  +++++++

  I would say that Missouri, Florida and Michigan are also possible.

• President 2012: Rudy Giuliani Not Close to Decision – Rudy Guiliani insisted on Fox News that he's considering another presidential bid in 2012 but he didn't sound very convincing.

  SEAN HANNITY: Are you running for president?

  GIULIANI: Not right this minute.

  HANNITY: How close are you to making a final decision?

  GIULIANI: I'm not close. I've got a lot of thinking to do, and I'm thinking.

  HANNITY: But you're considering it.

  GIULIANI: Yes.

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  Rudy like Sarah Palin is not running for President

The but is that it depends upon what President Obama does in the next few months. The headline from CNN is incorrect, since Rudy does not doubt Palin can beat Obama – it just depends. For example, if the stock market were to crash and there are massive layoffs, I could see the public blaming the President.

Is this scenario likely? 

Probably not.

With the President surging in the polls and with the GOP better positioned in the Congress, there will be no sense of urgency for American voters to throw out the incumbent President. Sarah Palin is very young for a Presidential candidate and there is no urgency for her to run and then lose in the general election.

It is probably better to say at this point that it may be doubtful for ANY Republican nominee to beat Obama, including Sarah Palin.

I have always maintained that Sarah Palin could beat Mitt Romney in a GOP Presidential primary race, but why bother if your chances of beating Obama are diminished because of the incumbency factor and racial politics.

Better for Sarah to keep her powder dry for a run in 2016 or later. She has plenty of time.

Now, this is interesting and I have not heard from any of Rudy’s 2008 campaign people about a Presidential race by the Mayor. But, maybe he is lying low, unlike the last time.

On Monday’s hour-long “Piers Morgan Tonight” interview, Rudy Giuliani tells Piers Morgan he’s more likely to run if Sarah Palin runs in 2012. “The more Republicans in which I can show a contrast…the better chance that I have,” he said, describing himself as a moderate.

But if he does run, Giuliani says he would concentrate on winning Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, sites of the first presidential nominating contests. In 2008 Giuliani focused his resources in Florida, a strategy that that led to the demise of his run after he finished third in the state’s primary.

However, the former U.S. Attorney said he doesn’t see a frontrunner in the Republican field, which makes for “a fluid situation.”

“There is no obvious frontrunner right now,” Giuliani said. “I guess everybody is happy with that, because nobody wants to be the frontrunner at this point because it always seems the frontrunner gets all the attention, all of the negative publicity.”

Well, the Mayor in a three way race with Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin would split the regional GOP alliances. There are many GOP delegates in the Far West and Northeast that would support Rudy over Romney (as the anti-Palin) and Palin.

One of the main criticisms of Sarah Palin is her lack of executive experience and Rudy certainly has that experience – as New York City Mayor and U.S. Attorney.

But, could Rudy win the GOP nomination?

Probably not unless Sarah Palin imploded. But a Rudy candidacy would certainly freeze out Mitt Romney. Two moderates Vs. Palin = a Palin nomination.

There is little doubt that Giuliani COULD beat Barack Obama with a center-right coalition that would challenge the President in more battleground states – like Colorado, Washington, Nevada and Virginia.

But, Rudy will not be running unless it is as a stalking horse and foil for Palin.

Rudy would make a terrific Vice Presidential nominee with Sarah or as U.S. Attorney General under ANY GOP Administration.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (L) joins former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) and his wife Judith Nathan as they attend the New York Yankees MLB American League baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York, June 7, 2009

The Mayor picks up around 3:00 of the video and discusses mental illness as the cause of the Jared Loughner Tucson shootings and at 8:30 defends Sarah Palin.

Giuliani said during a “Face the Nation” interview on CBS that her use of that term was off the mark — but the former New York City mayor also defended Palin.

He called her response to the blame “one of someone accused” unjustifiably, adding “facts and circumstances” uncovered thus far show alleged shooter Jared Loughner was not motivated by an politician or ideology. Rather, his apparent unstable mental condition is to blame, Giuliani said.

“This had nothing to do with left or right,” Giuliani said. “Or a map.”

The transcript of the Giuliani interview is here (PDF file).

I think the Mayor makes the correct analysis, defends his colleagues and develops a sensible plan for the future. A problem solver, Giuliani remains one of America’s best.