Posted on 02/01/2006 5:23:40 AM PST by areafiftyone
Political pundits have long discounted former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential prospects, claiming that his particular brand of tough-talking, socially moderate conservatism would never play south of the Mason-Dixon Line. But Rudy has never been one to listen to conventional wisdom, and lately at least, he has been turning up the heat in southern conservative political circles.
In just the last week, he endorsed Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry for re-election and met with Evangelicals in Florida. Most impressively, he actually outpaced U.S. Senator John McCain in a just-released Georgia poll, garnering the support of 28 percent of Georgia Republicans to McCain's 22 percent, echoing numbers in December's CNN/USA Today/Gallup nationwide poll. The conservative blog, RightWingNews reported last week that while Condoleezza Rice was the top choice of 230 conservative bloggers for the Republican nomination, Giuliani came in second, beating out U.S. Senator George Allen and Newt Gingrich. Nationwide, Rudy earned a 63 percent favorable rating in a Pew Research Center poll in October.
In addition to supporting Perry, Giuliani has planted a Texas-sized footstep in the Lone Star State—now with three more Electoral College votes than New York. Last spring, he became a name partner in a Houston law firm, Bracewell and Giuliani, noted for its Bush connections and roster of major energy clients.
The Catholic mayor is also busy burnishing his ties to Christian conservatives. Pat Robertson has said Rudy would make "a good president" and the mayor was a headliner for a fundraising committee supporting former Christian Coalition executive Ralph Reed in his bid to be Georgia's lieutenant governor. Last week, Giuliani dropped by an Orlando meeting of the Global Pastors Network and told the Evangelical leaders that "only God knows" if he will run for president. The group offered their prayers for him and he responded in kind, showing an openly devout side not many people had seen before: "I can't tell you from my heart how much I appreciate what you are doing—saving people, telling them about Jesus Christ and bringing them to God."
Still, Giuliani's southern strategy may be an uphill climb. "It's a real stretch for Giuliani to get out voters in southern Republican primaries," Richard Murray, head of the University of Houston's Center for Public Policy said. "He has too much baggage to get through the southern primaries." Murray said Giuliani's best shot may be as a "ticket balancer," a moderate vice president to a conservative ticket leader, especially if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.If that were the case, and Rudy got to take on the senator from New York, he would feel right at home, no matter where he was stumping for votes.
"A big-government, pro-abortion pol from NYC, who can't deliver his state to the Republican column, comes South. Save your cash, Rudy. Southerners deal with the slickest pols from infancy, and you won't fool them into thinking you're a conservative."
I agree. He won't win over the south, or the religious right.
Rudy is even pro-PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION, and against our 2nd amendment rights.
If Rudy is the presidential candidate, I will vote third party.
I worry about what kind of SCOTUS and circuit and Federal court picks Rudy would have when he is pro-SPECIAL rights for gays, pro-abortion, including partial birth abortion, and wants limited restriction on our 2nd amendment rights.
I am well aware of his strengths, but his weaknesses far outweigh his strengths, for a social conservative, and strongly pro-2nd amendment rights person (like me).
http://www.rnclife.org/faxnotes/2000/may00/00-05-05.html
Republican Big-Wigs Support Pro-Abortion Event in NY
Pro-abortion Governor George Pataki and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also supports unrestricted abortion, are co-chairs of the 2000 Choice Award Presentation to be held on May 30 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. The event is sponsored by the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition, a group that is campaigning for the removal of the pro-life plank from the Republican National Platform.
http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503010743.asp
Giuliani is a pro-choice Republican who is friendlier to gay rights than to gun rights. This is hemlock to most conservatives. He will struggle to attract Republican primary voters without soothing them on these matters.
Giuliani could start by approaching the middle ground on abortion. Rejecting partial-birth abortion (as even Daschle did), promoting parental notification for minors, and advocating adult waiting periods might encourage socio-cons to reconsider Giuliani.
On PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Rudy_Giuliani.htm
Pro-choice; no ban on partial-birth abortions. (Dec 1999)
28% to 22%, oh how impressive. When will the leftist socialist miscreant Republicans put up a candidate conservatives can vote for? The conservatives have bailed out the Republicans time and time again and this is the thanks they get.
I think the Republicans are following in the Democrat's footsteps of alienating themselves from the rest of the country.
Go Rudy. I'll vote for him!
George Allen seems smarmy.
What was your prediction on Arnold? Sound similar?
"If Rudy is the presidential candidate, I will vote third party."
Why don't you come right out and say you would cast your vote to put the Clintons back in the White House? Voting Third Party is just a euphemism.
Rudy is going to be our next President. The WoT is too critical to trust to any of the other candidates. Strong and decisive leadership and backbone is what is needed, and international stature. Rudy has that and none of the others do.
If the War is winding down before the 2008 primaries (not going to happen), then Rudy won't win. But if we're still fighting (and we will be), Rudy is the GOP candidate and wins in a landslide.
Absent a Ronald Reagan, we must do all we can to support Rudy. I think he's a shoe-in.
I don't think it will matter. Yes, a few on the edges would sit it out or vote 3rd party, but their numbers would be overwhelmed by the flood of independents and Dems who would cross lines to vote for Rudy.
The media's "Rudy can't win" mantra is a pipe dream. I'm about as deep in the south as you can get and I move in political circles. I could count on one hand the number of people I've ever heard say they wouldn't vote for Rudy. It's all about national security.
Some may not like it, hanging their hopes on "Bible Thumpers" demanding one of their own on the ticket. But they misunderstand southern Republicans. They say "wait til GOP voters find out that Rudy is pro-life, or a gun controller, or see him dancing in drag". You see, we're so stupid and uninformed we must simply wait for the day when the MSM paints a protrait of the candidate for us! The fact is, we already know all that about Rudy. (I think there's something refreshing about a candidate who doesn't have to pretend he's led a perfect life.)
The fact is the MSM and the Dems HOPE they can scare us into NOT nominating Rudy. They know he will draw independent and democrat votes, scuttling any hope for Hillary's triumphant return to the White House. Rudy is their worst nightmare.
Despite repeated polls showing strong support for Rudy in the south, the MSM reports each new one as a big surprise, implying it's an outlier----insert pre-written qualifier: just wait til they find out his views on [whatever]. They're scared to death Republicans will fail to follow the script.
Personally, I can't think of anything more entertaining than watching Rudy take on the White House press corps. It would be 8 years of thoroughly fun-to-watch press conferences.
I certainly do hope you are right. I still can't forgive that little weasel Perot for giving us 8 years of The Arkansas Grifters.
"Personally, I can't think of anything more entertaining than watching Rudy take on the White House press corps. It would be 8 years of thoroughly fun-to-watch press conferences."
I don't know if you are aware that Rudy as Mayor had a Press conference every single day he was in office.
There is no one brighter, more articulate, better speaker or debater on the public scene today. I might add there is no one who has ACTIVELY taken a stand against terrorism and terrorists other than George W.
You might well be right.
It will be interesting to see what McCain has to say. (His son just signed up for the military, Marines, I think.)
How did this old thread come back to life??
Anyway, I do not want Guiliani for President. I do not care for "social liberals". So I'm sure hoping that some solid conservative decides to throw his hat into the ring.
Sun says: "If Rudy is the presidential candidate, I will vote third party."
Cincinna says: "Why don't you come right out and say you would cast your vote to put the Clintons back in the White House? Voting Third Party is just a euphemism."
I voted for Marilyn O'Grady of the NYS Conservative Party, when they had a pro-abortion GOP liberal (Howard Mills) running against Schumer, so it's more than a euthanism to me.
When you run a pro-abortion, including partial-birth abortion liberal against a pro-abortion, including partial-birth abortion liberal, you will end up with a pro-abortion, including partial-birth abortion liberal for POTUS.
No way will I pull the lever for Rudy.
My advice for conservatives is to VOTE IN THE GOP PRIMARIES, so we won't be faced with that choice.
"No way will I pull the lever for Rudy."
As I have previously stated, a 3rd party vote for Conservatives is a vote for Hillary or whomever else the Dems nominate. From the direction their party is taking, it will be someone from the far Left.
You also have the Faggiest name on FR, although you seem like an OK guy.
Sober up.
As I have previously stated, CONSERVATIVES NEED TO VOTE IN THE GOP PRIMARIES.
If you run a liberal against a liberal, you will end up with a liberal.
If it comes down to partial-birth-abortion Rudy, or partial-birth-abortion Hillary, it is time to strengthen a third party by voting for them. Plus, you know, they just might win.
I don't think it will come to that, though. I am optimistic that the voters will vote for a CONSERVATIVE nominee in the PRIMARIES.
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