Posted on 05/02/2006 9:42:32 AM PDT by Crackingham
Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said on Monday that he was seriously exploring whether he has "a chance" of winning the presidency in 2008, as he visited politically important Iowa and huddled with state advisers, donors to President Bush and other prominent Republicans. While Mr. Giuliani was officially in Iowa to attend two Republican fund-raisers, his behavior and remarks came close to politicking for himself. He ruminated openly about running, disclosed he was not sure what he would do if his friend John McCain also ran, and argued that if Republicans are to be a majority party, they need to accept politicians like himself who support abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.
"I've got a lot of places to go and a lot of people to talk to and a long process of figuring out whether it makes sense to run for president in 2008," Mr. Giuliani said before speaking at a daytime fund-raiser in Des Moines for a Republican congressional candidate. "I don't know the answer to that yet."
He added: "My effort this year will be to help Republicans get elected, and then, quite honestly, as part of it, saying to myself, does it look like I have a chance in 2008? And make that decision after the 2006 election."
At a fund-raiser in Davenport on Monday night, Mr. Giuliani offered a stout defense of President Bush's leadership, arguing that the economy was growing and that Mr. Bush would go down in history as "a great president."
"I don't know what we're all so upset about," he said, referring to concerns about the economy and rising costs, such as gas prices.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I think Rudy would be an excellent VICE-Presidential candidate. He doesn't have a snowball's chance of winning the GOP Presidential nomination ... but Rudy is a hawk on defense and terrorism, he's still extremely popular with a lot of MOR people in this country, and he has shown definitively that if something drastic happens, he's a man who can handle the situation, whatever it may be. All of these are excellent qualities in a Vice President. I hope he keeps his name in the ring just to "show willing," so that the eventual GOP nominee will snag him for his (or her) VP.
"Legal immigration has been and continues to be the life blood of our nation; my mother legally immigrated to America. Unfortunately, illegal immigration is one of the biggest problems affecting our country today and it is undermining our economic and physical security.
I believe that, first and foremost, we need to secure our borders. We need more border agents and detention centers along the border and we ought to be using technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, to help with surveillance. Secondly, we must not reward illegal behavior; rewarding illegal behavior will only encourage more illegal actions." --- Sen George Allen
http://www.georgeallen.com
You're very welcome. My pleasure.
Just out of curiousity, what would you do if it was a Rudy v. Hillary race?
If he wins or not, I hope he dives in.
He's as out of touch as GW plus pro-abort and pro-gay agenda...
I'll pass...
Do you even care what it means to be a Republican? Because Giuliani is on the wrong sode of some pretty major GOP issues. As nominee he would suppress the entire moral component of the Republican voter base. Do you think that's a good idea?
..and homsexuality, and environmentalism....
The Republicans in Iowa would never support Giuliani in their caucus if some bible thumper is campaigning. If I remember correctly, both Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes each scored about 15% of Republican caucus-goers in 2000. That's nearly a third.
"The Dog and His Bone" is one of Aesop's many instructive fables. It's about a dog carrying a bone in his mouth. As he was crossing a footbridge over a stream and happened to glance into the water, he saw his own reflection. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, the greedy dog growled and said to himself, "I'll get that bone, too." When he opened his mouth to take the bone, his own bone fell into the water, never to be seen again.
Allen has not registered a blip on the radar screen here in Iowa. I am not saying he won't down the road but for now he is not generating any talk.
Actually, I believe every GOP ticket since 1952 (but for Goldwater in 1964) has had a Nixon, Bush or Dole. Just think - four individuals, fifty two years.
I don't know what it means, but it's just interesting.
Yea. No need to go back that far. It's just stale. Jeb is a good guy and if his last name wasn' Bush, he would be a major name in the running for the GOP in 2008.
Instead his name is Bush and it's really time for these guys to just go away for 20, 30, or 40 years or so.
That simply reflects the stupidity of the GOP base. They would rather lose entirely then compromise at all. I don't subscibe to that philosophy.
I disagree with so much of Bush's presidency I don't know where to begin, but I'm damned glad he's President with all that's going on in the world.
Rudy would be the most fiscally conservative president we could possibly have and I don't buy the hysteria that he would confiscate guns.
Abortion is not an issue I consider to be a defining issue although I agree with the overturning of Roe V Wade on constitutional grounds.
Rudy would suit me fine.
"'The Dog and His Bone' is one of Aesop's many instructive fables. It's about a dog carrying a bone in his mouth. As he was crossing a footbridge over a stream and happened to glance into the water, he saw his own reflection. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, the greedy dog growled and said to himself, "I'll get that bone, too." When he opened his mouth to take the bone, his own bone fell into the water, never to be seen again."
It is true.
The reason the Republicans are going to lose Congress this November is their stalwart refusal to close the Mexican border.
They have looked 15 years down the road and see a huge Hispanic voting bloc, and have decided to pander to it.
Also, they are obeying the business interests that want an open border and cheap, unprotected labor. So, they've adopted a policy that they think will keep that business money flowing now, and will give them good majorities in the next decade.
Trouble is, they have alienated so much of their conservative base right now that they cannot win the NEXT election, never mind the 8th one down the road.
It's a classic "Dog and His Bone" scenario.
Yes, he is probably busy with his senate reelection campaign. And he probably doesn't want to peak too soon, like Howard Dean did in '04.
"Actually, I believe every GOP ticket since 1952 (but for Goldwater in 1964) has had a Nixon, Bush or Dole. Just think - four individuals, fifty two years. I don't know what it means, but it's just interesting."
Yeah. I can only see one clear thing: whenever a Dole was on the ticket, the Republicans lost! LOL
sigh,, The New Majority and its witting and unwitting supporters don't care what the base thinks or the conservative agenda.
They pay lip service to it and ignore its goals and the planks of the GOP party platform at will yet expect the vote of the base without question.
That is because conservatism is not what they are pushing or striving for. It is all about power, not principle.
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