Posted on 11/13/2006 3:01:03 PM PST by screw boll
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, a moderate Republican best known for his stewardship of the city after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has taken the first step in a 2008 presidential bid, GOP officials said Monday...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Republicans Should Stay Optimistic and On Offense
By Rudy Giuliani
RealClear Politics, Nov 5 -
For the past six months, I've been traveling across the country campaigning for Republican candidates. Conventional wisdom from Washington predicts a tough year for the party. By playing offense, solidifying our ranks and reaching out to Reagan Democrats and Independents, I believe that Republicans have reason to be optimistic. Because on the big issues Americans care about - from national security to the economy to the Supreme Court - Republican leadership has delivered time and again on its promises.
Republicans are united by our belief in going on offense to win the war on terror. Five years ago, our nation learned a painful lesson about the dangers of an inconsistent approach to dealing with the evil of terrorism. In his speech to Congress on September 20th, 2001, President Bush declared that we would go on offense against terrorists, and he has made good on that promise. Terrorists have been destabilized and put on defense around the world - including Afghanistan and Iraq.
Americans should remember the positive impact of tax cuts on our economy. Most Republicans agree with Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush that tax cuts are a powerful stimulus to the economy - that's why I cut taxes 23 times as Mayor of New York. Most Democrats disagree with that philosophy - it's an honest disagreement. But let's look at the results: Today, we have a 4.4% unemployment rate in our country - lower than the average in the 70's, 80's and 90's. The stock market recently hit 12,000 - an all-time high. And the lower tax rate is generating more revenue than the higher rate did before - $250 billion more than last year. Republicans stand for lower taxes; Democrats stand for higher taxes - it's as simple as that.
Finally, let's look at the Republican record on judges. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito are models of what judges should be in this country. They are principled individuals who can be trusted to defend the original intent of the Constitution rather than trying to legislate their own political beliefs from the bench. The successful appointments of Justices Roberts and Alito are signs of promises kept.
But there is still more work to do: more promises that need to be kept.
When I talk to people across America, I hear their frustration with the gridlock and scandals from Washington. As a former U.S. Attorney, I spent much of my career bringing corrupt government officials from both parties to justice. Neither party has a monopoly on virtue or vice - but we do have legitimate differences in terms of our ideas and vision for the future. And those principled differences should guide Americans' decisions on Election Day.
The people I've been talking with on the campaign trail want to see government get serious about fiscal discipline by cutting wasteful spending. American families want to see a revitalized education system with accountability, putting the focus on the students, increased school choice and higher standards, so that the United States can continue to be economically competitive throughout the 21st Century. They want us to do more to secure our borders while working to ensure that the virtues of legal immigration and assimilation are respected. They want us to move more aggressively toward greater energy independence.
But of course, the most important piece of unfinished business facing the nation is winning the war on terror.
In the era of President Truman and President Eisenhower, people used to say that "Partisan politics should end at the waters' edge." But lately some influential political voices seem to have forgotten this American tradition. The war on terror is not about "red" versus "blue" states - it is about right versus wrong; it is about good overcoming evil.
That's why these mid-term elections are so important. That's why we can't turn back. That is why Republicans need to solidify our ranks while reaching out with confidence. Because the issues that unite us as Republicans are the same issues that unite the vast majority of Americans: a commitment to winning the war on terror; a core belief in fiscal conservatism; and a faith in individual freedom. Advancing these principles, while staying on offense, can help keep the GOP a strong majority party in the United States
That said, if he gets the nod, I'm afraid that he'll lose New York to Hillary, and that would be a damn shame.
And the South would go third party, which will give Hillary the landslide.
The Midwest, Northeast is slowly but surely slipping permanently into Democrat Blue for electoral votes.
Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey may be permanently lost.
Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri, New Mexico are VERY dubious. Even Colorado is slipping away.
The electorate in the above states is really majority conservative regarding low taxes, reduced spending, limited government, pro-growth, pro-Israel and anti-Islamofascist and has its home in the GOP, NOT with the Democrats.
The GOP needs to LEAD with the issues that attract the rust belt voters who should be voting Republican, issues which are consistent with a government that LEAVES PEOPLE ALONE and doesn't preach to them.
I am not a member of the fundamentalist right, although I am a Christian. I think that bottom line, some of the fundamentalist hot button issues are "quixotic". Work for these values in your community. How are they issues that Congress and the President, the Federal government should be sticking its nose in?
Look at South Dakota. What happened to the abortion referendum there? If it can't win in S.D., where can it win?
As for 2nd amendment issues, if anti-gun laws are passed that are unconstitutional, the Supreme Court will overturn it. I don't see the big paranoia here as something where there no compromises can be made.
Giuliani supports an originalist court, as a former prosecutor, his ideal justice is Antony Scalia, and he's praised John Roberts and Sam Alito as judges he would appoint. What else can the fundamentalist right ask for in a candidate as far as practical action?
The GOP needs to come to grips with losing MN, WI, OH, PA, NJ, NH, IA, NM, MO, CO, and MI or ALL will soon be lost.
Rudy Giuliani is a candidate who has great promise of turning those states red again on a consistent basis, and not with a "me-too" Republicanism of Arnold Schwarzenegger or of the 1950's and 1960's country club GOP of Evertt Dirksen and Gerald Ford, but with true Reaganite policies across the spectrum of issues that make the GOP the Less Government/ More Freedom party.
I'm an extremely conservative libertarian hawk. BECAUSE I am so extreme I'm determined to WIN in the long term and to create a PERMANENT majority with a conservative message that also sells/ suceeds.
Now is not the time to play around.
Hillary Clinton could easily win every state Kerry did, with Iowa, New Mexico, and Colorado on top. Don't underestimate her.
I have to wonder if he's thinking that his way to the White House is through the VP slot. I guess he figures if he has any chance of being picked for VP he will have to keep his name in the news by running for President.
I dont like his gun control stance, but Im ok with all his other positions. Id be very happy with him being the nominee.
The Republicans better come up with somebody for 2008 besides McCain, Guillani, or Newt Gingrich. Unless we just want to surrender to the democrats like in 1996 with Bob Dole.
All 3 of these have been pushed as good candidates but all come with so much baggage that a large part of the Republican base will not vote.
McCain - Keating Five, think we won't hear it. Plus hes insane. Lots of folks can't stand him period, no matter what the media and his fans here at FR say.
Guillani - cheats on wife, pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-gun and people HERE on FR are actually pushing this guy. By 2008, it will have been 7 years since 9/11 and hes been out of the public eye too long. The tales of the heroic mayor will be ancient history. Plus he choked and dropped out of running against Hillary twice.
Gingrich - cheats on not one, but two wives. That'll get the base going TO STAY HOME. Plus the book deal and other general crap, plus he choked and then quit also. Been out of politics too long. He has some good ideas but does anyone really think he is electable nationwide?
I'm not concerned with Giuliani doing anything, per se, about any of the issues mentioned. I'm worried about the leftward slide of the GOP should it choose to place a man with those values at the head of the party.
When the GOP moves left, the goal lines shift, and the Dems will move further left (they want absolute power, not shared power in a consensus centrist government).
If we go left, America goes left. I regard that a disastrous thing for our country and its future.
If Rudy is the candidate and you sit it out....Hello, Hillary. Would you rather have her as the CIC? Not me.
Hillary would CRUSH Rudy in NY. Wouldn't even be a contest... This thread's soooo for you! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1643972/posts
He's bald... I just can't believe that in this day and age, a bald guy will get elected... Sounds silly, I know, but I really believe it
I would vote for him as well, especially if it means keeping McCain out of the WH. Now if he can tap a conservative to run with him like Mike Pence or Tom Tancredo it would make for an even stronger ticket. How knows, if (GOD FORBID) we are in the midst of a bigger struggle with terrorism in 2008 then someone like him may be our only ticket to winning this war.
That's cute. But you're going to need a little more than "cute" to sell Rudy to conservatives.
If you're going to support the guy, you might want to find something in his record to suggest he'd protect the rights of firearms owners. Otherwise, the 2nd Amendment issue will dog your candidate until the bitter end.
How about Duncan Hunter? Isn't he doing the exploritory committee thing?
Rudy is too socially liberal for me, but let's put that aside for a second. This summer he was Larry King and Larry asked about the foiled London Hijacking plot that was uncovered.
Larry pitched Rudy a softball "How do we deal with people who have no regards for their own life?" easy question right.
Rudy could not use the word kill or destroy to describe how he would deal with terror.
I wouldn't vote for Rudy if he ran against Hillary, I would just vote against her.
President Perdogg?? That has a nice ring. The White House would be the ultimate bachelor pad!!!!
Of course, he's a dyed-in-the-wool lib, but the media portrays him, and he portrays himself, as a Moderate.
I'll pose the question in a more simplistic manner: Why is Rudy Giuliani "anti-gun?"
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