Posted on 11/07/2006 6:24:36 AM PST by UncleSamUSA
BREAKING: Anti-Rudy Organization Shuts Down.
In a turning point that could very well be a signal of things to come for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential aspirations, the largest and most outspoken anti-Rudy organization, Say No To Rudy.org (Social Conservatives Uniting to Stop a President Giuliani), issued an official press release today, explaining that it would hereby not only cease its operations, but that some of their top staff were actually now endorsing Rudy for President.
This could be a huge victory in the making for Giuliani, as the website explains it will soon be replaced not just with a 404 page, but with a pro-Rudy organization. This website had been actively petitioning to persuade Giuliani not to run, they had been starting campaigns to discourage local Republican leaders from supporting him, they had been selling all kinds of anti-Rudy merchandise, and were even primed to launch their first anti-Rudy campaign ad the last I read. Such an event may be small now, but its ripples will surely be felt months from now, and could very well be a huge indicator of how Giuliani will fair amongst other social conservatives in the 2008 presidential primaries.
The organization themselves say it best, so here is their official press release:
IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
SayNoToRudy.org Ceases Operations, Endorses Giuliani for President
Sunday November 05, 2006
Today, SayNoToRudy.org will officially cease its operations and will no longer seek to actively discourage former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani from seeking the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008. In what has been a complicated, and outright ironic, transition for the entire organization, we now officially endorse Mayor Giuliani for President in 2008, should he choose to run. It has been a long journey for each of us involved on this team that has made us truly look inside ourselves and ask hard questions, but as of today, the consensus is that we as social conservatives have no reason to so forcefully oppose a Giuliani candidacy in 2008. We want Mr. Giuliani to have a fair chance to explain himself on the positions to other voters without negative preconceptions coloring their judgments. We will no longer write pieces discouraging Mr. Giuliani from seeking the presidency, nor will our writings discourage other voters from considering Mr. Giuliani as a presidential candidate, nor will we actively petition to prevent Mr. Giuliani from being a candidate, nor will we sell anti-Giuliani paraphernalia or engage in any sort of campaign to thwart his aspirations.
The creators of this organization now have a complex, but interesting story to tell. When we began this organization, we had skeletal knowledge of Mayor Giuliani’s views on social issues and some of the issues surrounding his tenure as Mayor of New York City. Uncomfortable with what we knew, we sought to do everything legally possible to prevent such a candidate from becoming the Republican presidential nominee. In our efforts to stop his potential candidacy, we delved deep into his record, poured over his speeches and writings, and spoke personally to those who were most familiar with him as a friend and leader. Unexpectedly, as we began to see more and more of who Mr. Giuliani really is, we found our disdain for his candidacy becoming continually undermined as we found that Mr. Giuliani is truly a committed Republican and an accomplished conservative on many issues. When we felt we had a sufficient picture of Mr. Giuliani, we found that his positives now outweighed his negatives. Furthermore, many of us have, in the past month, come to the conclusion that not only is Mayor Giuliani a leader to be admired and respected, he may also be the Republican Party’s best chance in 2008. Therefore, the creators of this organization, with much humility and apology, beyond all probability, hereby announce that we are willing to endorse Mr. Giuliani for the Presidency in 2008 both now, and if and when he decides to run. We have truly been humbled by this experience and we hope this will be a lesson to all of us in America that we must not be too quick to rush to judgment and that all of us can work together for the greater good, even if we disagree on some issues.
We hope that you will join us in this endeavor to promote a leader who we feel embodies all of the overlying principles that we think make the Republican Party great: Hard work, preparedness, optimism, responsibility, integrity through accountability, smaller government, and a bold vision for the future. We feel that Mr. Giuliani, America’s Mayor, embodies these values more than any other candidate on the political playing field today. As a result, Say No To Rudy is officially and forever shut down and will, in the coming weeks, be replaced by a website that will seek to provide convincing evidence to other social conservatives that it is not only O.K., but also preferable, to support Mr. Giuliani for President.
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All I can say is “Wow.”
by Woodrow Eisenhower @ 5:31 pm. Filed under Rudy Giuliani
Hardly breaking news, it was posted yesterday.
I never heard of this website before they endorsed Mr. Giuliani, I don't think it will have much impact for me now.
I won't vote for Mr. Giuliani in 2008, not in the primaries, and not in the general election. I want to vote for a Republican.
This just irritates the h$ll out of the anti-Rudy crowd at FR.
Is it just me or does it seem like everyone has lost their way lately...
It does not matter to me, this liberal still will not get a dime from me or my vote.
In my uneducated opinion, Rudy is the only Republican who could beat Hillary. My sister is a devout Democrat but she saw Rudy talk about half a year ago hear in Pittsburgh and was in awe of him. She thinks he walks on water.
I know many people say Rudy is a RINO, but I just don't know enough about him one way or another. All I really know is what others have said.
I'm willing to listen to him.
It's not just you. Frist, Hastert and Bush have all lost it. Big government conservative isn't compassionate to the people paying the bills, nor is it constitutional.
Rudy was a fine Mayor for a liberal left coast city, but presidential material he ain't.
Rudy may well be the only republican that could beat the dims. 8 years of another strong republican POTUS would drive the dims insane, it would be glorious.
No matter who gets the Republican nomination, they get my vote.
ANY Republican is better than every demonrat.
Course, I'd rather have a third option too, but that is another story.
What are you going to do if it's Rudy vs. Hitlery?
Still won't vote for Giuliani.
At this point, I'd have to agree with you.
FLIP....... FLOP
Why am I not surprised that a democrat likes Rudy?
So what you are saying then is that if Rudy lands the Republican nomination, you will not vote for him even if that increases the chances that Hillary or Osama will win the election. Stupid is as stupid does.
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