I'd say that it's a legitimate function of the federal govt to watch how it's money is spent, hence reforming a welfare system is a political issue.
Child support laws, adoption laws, etc. All legitimate functions of the federal govt, in my opinion.
Sanctioning Gays is *not* a legitimate function of the federal govt. I also think abortion should be a state's issue. I'm a fan of the 'component architecture' of the Constitution -- leaving most things to the states.
Anyway -- if the CWA was the difference maker, then is abandoning it and going with social issues first likely to be a wise choice?
I didn't say anything about abandoning the items contained in the CWA. The CWA included fiscal, economic and social issues. The CWA was successful and helped to increase the number of seats the GOP ultimately gained. No one is talking about one issue here. If you look at Spiff`s chart, you'll see exactly where Rudy stands on ALL the issues. He is opposed to the vast majority of items contained in the GOP platform. Rudy opposes them because he is a liberal.