Rudy has been doing that ALL over the country and campaigned as hard for the party as ANYONE as well as working for individual conservatives. He was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm everywhere.
It is this wide appeal which has the Rudyphobes so panicked. They realize that should he get the nomination and win their days of Threat and Sulk are over and their influence drops precipitously.
If I had to bet a six-pack of Shiner, I'd bet on it being Rudy v. Hilly in the Election. With Rudy winning pretty handily.
Then again, I thought the Cowboys had a shot at the playoffs this year . . . :-(
I'm not even sure it's just Rudy; I think it might be anybody that got the nod that they don't like.
Rudy campaigned here in Ohio for Ken Blackwell, who is as strong a social conservative as you will ever see. This was at a time when Ken's campaign was not going so well and he ended up losing by over 20%. Yet Rudy still showed up. That kind of support for fellow party members who are not necessarily aligned with you perfectly and are not in a winning position is what make you popular in your own party.
One other point. Republicans running in 2008 want a good candidate at the top of the ticket who is a team player. Who do you think they will support -- Rudy or McCain?