Posted on 08/21/2006 6:16:02 AM PDT by areafiftyone
The S.C. Republican Party’s sponsorship of “An Evening Honoring Rudy Giuliani” last week spoke volumes.
It reflected what some said is a shift in attitude toward GOP candidates with more liberal views on social issues.
There’s a greater degree of tolerance and acceptance, party officials said.
Giuliani, who rose to national prominence for his take-charge performance after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, supports gay rights, gun control and legalized abortion, which puts him at odds with most Republicans.
Nevertheless, he has traveled the country extensively on behalf of GOP candidates this year while acknowledging his own interest in a possible 2008 presidential bid.
Although his liberal stance on social issues is likely to disqualify him with religious conservatives, the former New York City mayor remains in great demand as a speaker before Republican groups.
In this visit — his first major political trip to South Carolina — Giuliani attended a fundraiser for conservative GOP congressional candidate Ralph Norman, the one-term state representative who is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. John Spratt, a 24-year House veteran in a hotly contested race in the 5th District.
Giuliani ended the day in Charleston at a star-studded $2,500-a-couple fundraiser for the state Republican Party.
He packed the place.
“Rudy is a very popular figure,” GOP chairman Katon Dawson said. “We didn’t have any problem with him coming.”
Giuliani, affectionately known as “America’s mayor,” is seen as middle-of-the-road by most voters nationally, according to Rasmussen Reports, an electronic survey company.
It found 36 percent of Americans see him as a political moderate, 29 percent said conservative, and 15 percent said liberal. Twenty percent are not sure.
Former state GOP chairman Barry Wynn said the party needs to take a fresh look at the way it regards new voters, especially those new residents who’ve settled along the coast and are starting to have an impact on state party politics.
Those voters tend to be more progressive in outlook and are more inclined to support someone like Giuliani.
“I think Rudy could be more popular in South Carolina than most people would think,” Wynn said.
The debate in 2008 isn’t going to be about tax cuts, abortion or Social Security reform — Republican favorites.
“The overarching issues this time will be national security and leadership,” Wynn said. “Everything else will fit under that.”
Such a scenario favors Giuliani, Greenville consultant Chip Felkel said.
Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a GOP activist, said Giuliani is in a “special category.”
He’s a “glittering personality” with star quality who can get away with supporting legalized abortion and gay rights.
His position on those social issues “would not hurt him as bad over the long haul as one may think. If John McCain had the same position, it would hurt him a lot worse.”
Needless to say, the hard-core religious right won’t surrender territory on social issues. They’d rather go down in flames than win.
But unless terrorists no longer are a threat to the United States, national security and leadership will be at the top of the issues heap in 2008.
Voters won’t be concerned about gay rights or abortion. What matters most will be their own security in a volatile world.
And the candidate who stands to benefit is Giuliani.
“If your house is on fire,” Wynn said, “you want a guy with the hose.”
This is a puff article.
Whoever does not believe Guiliani's pro-homosexual, pro-abortion, pro-gun control colectivist rights, and NYC electibility will not hurt him is spending too much time inside the beltway.
Well, none of the ones you support, anyway! LOL!
He isn't MAKING you do anything of the sort. You are SPRINTING for the plank.
The #1 plank for social conservatives is PROTECTING the Nation. My guess is that most of those claiming to speak for social conservatives never voted for President Bush either.
Next we will hear that Rudi is actually the Secret Godfather.
He packed the place.
“Rudy is a very popular figure,” GOP chairman Katon Dawson said. “We didn’t have any problem with him coming.”
Rudy won't have too much trouble winning over fat-cat and country club type Pubs to his side, but I don't believe any GOP nominee can win the general election without a substantial portion of the conservative Christian vote bloc. He would no doubt pick up some votes from moderate and even liberal independents, but not enough IMHO to offset the loss of a large part of the 20 million plus bloc of pro-life, anti-homo "rights", evangelical and Catholic Christians, not to mention millions of very touchy gun owners who would be glad to lynch a gun control zealot like Rudy if they could.
I will vote 3rd party if Rudy is nominated because I vowed long ago to never vote for a pro-abortion candidate for any level of government office, but I have my doubts that he will be the GOP choice. The backroom party bosses pushed Dole on us and he was an unmitigated disaster, I doubt that they want to try that again. As much as I dislike McCain I think he would be a better choice than Rudy. I would hold my nose and vote for McCain, but holding my nose isn't enough for me to vote for RinoRudy.
McCain & Giuliani are benefited only by name recognition. They will not pass the Republican base.
The first look is the Iowa Caucus and that is not until 14 January 2008. That is just about one and a half years from now. The forming of organizations in Iowa comes at about the 6 month out mark or this time next year.
Frist will get out of the Senate and spend his time building a base. He has all the financial resources he needs. His role as Sen. majority leader only hampers his ability to speak freely. (Allen stepped on it by apologizing for the macaca remark, but he'll recover.) Tancredo has a good record, but I don't know about financial backing.
Cheney says he won't run. Gingrich has the marriage baggage still haunting him, but he's the most articulate of all candidates of any party. He also has great name recognition.
It's going to be interesting.
Well said. And the fact is, whoever's the GOP nominee will have to lead on the WOT anyway. Rudy doesn't have a lock on this issue.
But that won't stop the Rudy lemmings.
Reagan gave Guiliani his first major political appointment so that dawg won't hunt.
Any far reaching consequences of a Guiliani presidency would pale in comparision to allowing Hillary to win.
New York City Stonewall chapter LGBT veterans’ convention
David Mixner, Clintons, HRC
Rudolph W. Giuliani as a Listed OFFICIAL of StonewallUpdated as of 2005
Rudolph W. Giuliani listed as a PARTNERED Member
You don't join and financially support a group that funds an ANTIWAR movement.
NONE do.
A cursory glance, at your yelling in all caps, would clarify just who is coming "unhinged," here.
Dear justshutupandtakeit,
Having observed Mark Warner from across the river for some years, he's the candidate I'd choose as most formidable for the Democrats.
"That cannot be allowed to happen even if it means voting for Guiliani or McCain.
"There is no 'principle' which could possibly justify such a disaster."
Sorry, I disagree with you.
I will not vote for Mr. Giuliani.
Although I believe that social conservatives are the single largest bloc in the Republican coalition, we aren't the majority. If the rest of the party nominates him over our objections, then so be it. Then we have been shut out, kicked to the curb.
But it will have been done democratically.
However, he is the comoplete enemy of social conservative concerns, and I won't vote for him. Neither will millions of other social conservatives.
sitetest
They even list the DEAD as supporters.
What'd I tell ya, Tommy----the Rudy claques can't even read----
.....and even if they could read----the braindead suckers can't comprehend.
Then again, it does answer questions about why they support a creep like Rudy.....they can't understand a word the Rudester is saying. LOL.
You must have me confused with someone else. I said nothing about being unhinged nor do I yell in all caps. I use a FEW caps. Big difference.
>>It isn't impossible by any stretch for Mr. Giuliani to get the nomination, but it is unlikely.
I agree. On the issues he looks liberal compared to any other leading Republican, therefore if he is down to the last two, the inclination will be for people to rally round A N Other. And yet, there significant numbers of conservatives, including social conservatives, who find themselves loving Giuliani, in spite of everything. And it does depend who A N Other is. An ACU rating would lead you to believe that McCain is much more conservative than Giuliani. Yet reading the posts here and at RedState leads me to conclude that most conservatives would choose Giuliani of the two. It is less clear, but possible, that the same applies to Romney.
>>However, in that his nomination will fracture (and potentially destroy) the party's coalition, it will be a darn sight harder to win the general election in the unlikely event that he wins the nomination.
On that I disagree with you strongly. There are many conservatives who would stay at home, and in another environment that would be fatal. But in the context of the GWOT I think the large bulk of Republicans would grit their teeth and vote for Giuliani over any Democrat - assuming there is no credible third party challenge.
If it comes down to a social liberal who will fight al Qaeda versus a social liberal who won't, the choice is easy. Perhaps unpalatable, but still easy.
Add to that Giuliani's substantial crossover appeal - beating Hillary in New York according to some polls - and he would win in a landslide.
For Giuliani, November is the easy bit. It is January and February that would be tough.
Social conservatives are not the biggest bloc in the GOP except in a few states. About 35% of the people call themselves conservatives maybe 10% of those are social conservatives. We are speaking of a small minority no matter how inflated their view of their percentage is.
So?
I keep challenging them to BEATING those they hate.
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