Rudy Gains Conservative Support
The I-am-who-I-am Campaign
By California Yankee Posted in 2008 — Comments (19) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Rudy Giuliani has polled very well since he has made his presidential ambitions clear. In a recent Quinnipiac University poll Giuliani does well in blue, red and purple states beating Clinton 48 - 43 percent, Obama 47 - 40 percent and Edwards 48 - 40 percent. Much can and will happen between now and the November 2008 presidential election. The electorate is fickle, just ask President Bush and his father.
Can Giuliani maintain his momentum as the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination? Will he be able to overcome video's like the one below, which will appear on countless blogs and other websites?
Giuliani has plenty going for him. He is the U.S. attorney who decimated the Mafia. He turned New York City around with tax cuts, welfare reform, and tough-on-crime action. He became "America’s Mayor" for his post-9/11 leadership. Is that enough to overcome Giuliani's pro-choice, pro-gun control, and pro-civil unions positions and win the confidence of conservatives?
Read on...
My esteemed RedState colleague, Hunter Baker, writes that Giuliani was well received at the Conservative Political Action Conference after announcing that former Solicitor General of the United States Ted Olson had joined his campaign. Olson's endorsement may not be enough by itself, but there is more.
Two days ago, Louisiana's conservative first-term Senator, David Vitter, also endorsed Giuliani:
"Obviously, I disagree with Rudy on some significant social issues, and these are very important to me and to many of the people I represent," Vitter said. However, he said, after numerous meetings with Giuliani, "it's very clear to me that he's not running for president to advance any liberal social agenda."
Vitter also said that he is convinced that Rudy will appoint the best federal judges of all the major candidates. Giuliani added he would do everything he could to "appoint judges who would interpret the Constitution rather than execute their own social policy."
Today Roll Call reports the fiscally conservative Club for Growth has kind words for Giuliani, while making the group's distaste for McCain clear.
So far, Giuliani has run a smart campaign. Aptly described by Richard Miniter as "I-am-who-I-am," Giuliani's campaign is embracing Giuliani's mayoral record, rather than trying to hide from it.
Will this be enough to overcome conservatives reservations about Rudy's warts? It's a good start, but I still just can't get past that image of Rudy endorsing Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo for reelection over George Pataki.
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Rudy Gains Conservative Support 19 Comments (0 topical, 19 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
You could make the case that we'd have no chance in THIS election if his nominaton becomes appaerent soon enough to allow for a 3rd party challenge from a James Dobson or someone like him, but 1 President can't destroy a party, and in a head to head matchup, I don't see any Dem beating him.
That said; I support the ONE AND ONLY well known candidate on either side of the aisle who has NEVER EVER WAIVERED on his pro-life stance.
Any guess who that might be?
"Life is too short, can't we all just eat pork and kill some terrorists?"
For every extremist Conservative uncomfortable with Rudy Giuliani, who leaves the GOP if he gets the nomination, the GOP will pick up 2 to 3 times as many libertarian-leaning voters who are enthusiastic about the "fiscally conservative/socially tolerant/strong on defense" Barry Goldwater-esque image of Giuliani.
Trust me. I know the Constititon Party well. You will not be happy over there. They're more disorganized and disunified than the Libertarian Party if you can believe that.
Eric Dondero
www.mainstreamlibertarian.com
You know that Rudy is perhaps the least libertarian of all the candidates in the field, right? The man made his reputation through strict gun control laws, oppressive zoning regulation and enforcement, and ironclad support of the local police. If "libertarian" just means "pro-choice" these days, you'd be on to something; if "libertarian" really remains consistent as a philosophy, and "libertarians" are half as educated about candidates as they like to claim, they'll be every bit as alienated by a Rudy candidacy as the SoCons.
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[F]or by the fundamental law of Nature, man being to be preserved as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred...
-John Locke
I think there are more than 1,000 conservatives who might tell Rudy to take a running leap; by your formulation, that would run through the nation's supply of libertarians stupid enough to think the most autocratic candidate in the race is the man for them.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
Giuliani's social views are not 'tolerant', they are leftwing. Despite what the Left would have one believe, those two things are not the same.
If it were just about tolerance, then there would be no real Culture War, as we are a tolerant nation. What the Left demands, however, is not tolerance but acceptance. In fact, its probably beyond acceptance now, as things like gay marriage show they are demanding the celebration of alternative lifestyles.
Tolerance is one thing, while using the courts to impose a far-left social agenda by creating bogus new rights on nonexistent Constitutional grounds is something else entirely.
The bar for Giuliani in convincing us he'd put conservatives on the Sup Court is higher because of his own record, and because to put such judges on the bench would go against his own policy preferences. I still don't understand how he can think Roe is good law, yet at the same time pledge to appoint justices who know better that it is not.
Its just very hard to reconcile Giuliani's refusal to criticize Roe as bad law and admit that it should be overturned with his claim to want to put Scalias and Alitos on the Sup Court. With Scalia at least, we know that he holds the Constitutionally-correct position that Roe is garbage, and that the matter of abortion should be returned to the states.
Why can't Giuliani use his blue-state cred to try and educate blue-staters about the fact that if Roe were overturned, abortion would simply return to the states (and would not be made illegal by the court as the Left and media often falsely suggest or outright claim), and therefore it would remain widely legal and available throughout the blue states?
And I'd really like someone to question him a little deeper on his support for civil unions. Does he think that homosexuals have a right to public recognition for their unions, or does he believe that states should be free to offer zero recognition of such unions if they so choose (which is the case with most states). Would he support a Sup Court imposition of civil unions? Would he support a Sup Court version of the Vermont and NJ sup court decisions whereby the only decision left to the people/legislatures is the name that they give to what is in effect court-imposed gay marriage?
For some reason I would not be all that surprised if a President Giuliani put 'moderate' (i.e. liberal) judges on the Sup Court.
I believe Romney when he says he is now pro-life and I believe Giuliani when he says he'll use Scalia, Alito and Roberts as models for judicial picks. Why do I believe them? Because doing anything else would shatter their credibility and make it impossible for either to lead the GOP. Leaders require followers and a betrayal of this magnitude would be devastating.
Winning elections and governing effectively is about assembling majority coalitions. If Giuliani were to alienate the vast majority of his party, his presidency would wither. Olson and Vitter understand this. Vitter's remarks at the endorsement event implied that Vitter had satisfied himself about what Giuliani was going to DO on the social issues front. And it looks as if Vitter believes that it won't be much. The essence of the deal is that Giuliani is willing to relegate his social views to the back burner. From Rudy's standpoint, the presidency is ample compensation.
Isn't this the Big Tent party?
Are we not allowed to have different positions on, say, pro-life vs pro-choice? Is this the Republican Party or is it the Pro-Life Party?
When has any candidate met everyone's conditions on every single issue?
If Giuliani says he will appoint conservative justices, then what more can he do (constitutionally) to move the pro-life agenda forward?
Why is it so terrible that he can appeal to Reagan Democrats and Independents and win the general election, including states like New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and California, which we haven't carried in ages?
Rudy is no liberal, which is why conservatives should back him -- and why, I think, they will.
"If Giuliani says he will appoint conservative justices, then what more can he do (constitutionally) to move the pro-life agenda forward?"
He could shaw evidence that he would actually appoint conservative judges, By explaining why he thinks Roe V. Wade is good law. Of course I am not inclined to acept a flipflop from somebody who has proven to be dishonest.
Can you name the prominent pro-life Democrat in the race?
Can you name the Democrat in favor of personal accounts for Social Security?
We ARE the big-tent party. There is a dirrence however in supporting people who disagree on one or two issues and nominating people who are diametrically opposed to SEVERAL major parts of the conservative agenda. IE; I am totally fine with Arlen Specter. He is pro-choice, but at loeast he supported the partial birth ban. He is pro- expanded embrionic stem cell research funding, but at he supported President Bush for re-election. Lincoln Chafee however supported basically none of our values. Someone like that does us no good and I say good riddance. I am not saying Guliani is as liberal as Chafee, but on several key issues, he is way liberal; not moderate; LIBERAL.
"Life is too short, can't we all just eat pork and kill some terrorists?"
But don't forget whose tent it is.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
He can also pledge to veto any possible attempt by Congress to use federal funds for abortion. He could pledge to keep in place the pro-life Executive Orders established by Reagan, and then reestablished by Bush the Younger.
And he could of course repudiate in a completely unambiguous manner the far, far left views expressed in the 'public funds for abortions' youtube video.
This is some major news breaking. If Rudy picks up this endorsement, he's going to be near unbeatable.
It would prove to be a solid credential amongst the hard right that Rudy is definitely one of us.
I see that one major Blog is already slamming Rudy as a "Right-wing extremist" cause he may be getting this endorsement: Scientific Politics, or something?
Eric Dondero
www.mainstreamlibertarian.com
I don't know how we can have a nominee such as Giuliani who is pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay and pro-illegal immigration. The Feds told the Mayor that he needed to crack down on the illegals in NYC and he told the Feds to go fly a kite. Is this the kind of guy you would feel good having your kids emulate? Not I!
FLRecounter
The fact that Sen. Vitter endorsed Giuliani doesn't say much. Everyone knows our elected representatives aren't the cream of the crop. Sen. Vitter has demonstrated his low IQ by his endorsement. Someone should be fired in Vitter's office for advising him to endorse. But, the Senator does reflect well on his home state...
FLRecounter
The War on Terror is the main issue to most Americans and is the only issue to some. This is why Guiliani is doing so well in the polls despite the fact that he is being attacked by all sides.
http://www.richardlandlive.com/issues.asp
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070310/ap_on_el_pr/giuliani_firefighters
The GOP is officially over if Giuliani is nominated. That's it, pack your bags, move over to the Constitutionalists.
FLRecounter