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I'm from Tampa, Florida to answer your first question.

Florida is filled with transplanted New Yorkers, so that might make Rudy seem a little more popular than he is nationwide.

Rudy does not have the outright power in the GOP to do that.

Rudy names cabinet members, appoints all judges, sets the tone on national tv pretty much at will, forces Republicans who may not be too hot on his stands to change their tune or at least quiet down in order to not be conflicting with the party president/leader. The Republican Party under Ford was much different than under Reagan. What's more, getting 60 Senators will mean nothing if they are Lincoln Chafee types. All we need is 51 NON-RINO Senators.

What rudy does bring to the table is crossover votes that no other GOP member could pull off.

I don't discount the Hildebeast because it is never wise to discount the powers of a vampire. In '94, Clinton looked like dead meat. In '96 he won in a cakewalk. But, if not the beast, whom? What Democrat would not be beaten by Gov/Sen George Allen? If you want crazy crossover appeal, Rice would make a lot more sense than Giuliani. That would wreak havoc with the Dems! Regarding crossover votes, Reagan in his loss to Ford in '76 gathered much of his strength in crossover primary states (e.g. Indiana). Winning appeal as a crossover conservative. The true "crossover" voters are Reagan Democrats.

I lived most of my life in Connecticut, and kept up on Rudy, and certainly rooted for him to dispatch Dinkins. I listened to WABC radio and read the New York Post. I know Giuliani's act, and it can play (when all is well)in New York, Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and maybe Pennsylvania and California and Florida. Those are big states. But he won't win them all, and he will make the kind of gaffes that will make Dean look like the epitome of discipline. (Well, maybe not that much, but his judgement is AWFUL!) The fact remains, he has won nothing but a municipality. Even wiothout the cancer, his other gaffes would have forced him out of the '00 race in NY. It was that bad.

And of course, the starting gate is Iowa and New Hampshire. I don't see him doing well in either.

I just do not believe a "heartland-type" conservative like Pence or Tancredo would beat a moderate democratic candidate.

It doesn't have to be either. It could be George Allen. Allen is hardly radioactive.

(1)Buchanan killed Bush 41's re-election and now motivated buchananite types in the GOP will choose a candidate that is just not electable in a national election.

Bush killed Bush 41's chance for re-election by violating the no-new-taxes pledge, accomodating the moderates and showing himself soft, running an AWFUL campaign, and by misplaying Perot. Bush should have bailed out after his poor showing in New Hampshire and gotten a Jack Kemp or similar to take the spot.

If the 2008 Republican presidential primary were held today, whom would you support if the candidates are [see below]?" N=352 Republicans and Republican leaners who are registered to vote,? Rudy Giuliani 25% John McCain 21% Jeb Bush 7%

The fact that barely half could bring themselves to pick ANY of the three shows that to be a bad or premature question. Jeb is out, not because of politics, but because 20 years of Bushes at pres or veep is more than enough. Giuliani and McCain have been turncoats regularly in endorsements, and that alone will alienate much of the party faithful. I know the beast has very high negatives, but they are ruthless, willing to cheat and manipulative to get what they want.