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Giuliani touts experience, but personal life may be an issue
Newsday ^ | 28 January 2008 | Craig Gordon

Posted on 01/28/2007 8:24:22 AM PST by Spiff

Giuliani touts experience, but personal life may be an issue

BY CRAIG GORDON
Newsday Washington Bureau

January 28, 2007

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Rudolph Giuliani argued yesterday that his record of cutting taxes, improving security and guiding New York through 9/11 are proof that he could do the same as president - offering his strongest signal yet that he's serious about a White House bid.

[...snip]

Giuliani is trying to bat down questions from top Republicans about whether his White House ambitions are a popularity-fueled dalliance or something more serious. His speech laid out a point-by-point rationale for his possible candidacy, seeking to portray himself as a tested leader for dangerous times in the mold of Ronald Reagan.

[...snip]

He also appeared intent on quieting questions about his marital history by giving wife Judith Nathan an unusually high-profile role here. She barely left his side in public, and he called her a "partner" whom he leaned on for everything from getting through 9/11 and prostate cancer to understanding the science behind possible anthrax attacks.

Giuliani didn't mention that when Nathan helped him after his cancer diagnosis in spring 2000, he was, in fact, still married to Donna Hanover, and that the revelation of his illness came amid the messy public breakup of his second marriage.

In the end, Giuliani's two-day visit here encapsulated the promise and challenge of his possible candidacy.

On one hand, his name recognition and tough-guy image in New York, before and after 9/11, helped him draw large and enthusiastic crowds on this visit. But even some who were eager to see him were blunt in saying his personal history and liberal social stances could prove a serious, perhaps insurmountable obstacle to winning their votes.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 911; electionpresident; gorudy; hero; independent; leader; liberal; moderate; nyc; prolife; sureloser; thirdparty; winner
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He's got a lot more problems than his "personal" life.
1 posted on 01/28/2007 8:24:24 AM PST by Spiff
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To: Spiff

The Conservative Case Against Rudy Giuliani

by John Hawkins
Posted Aug 30, 2006 Rudy Giuliani, a contender for the presidency in 2008, is receiving an inordinate amount of positive attention. That's quite understandable since Rudy is charismatic, did a great job on the campaign trail for President Bush in 2004, and his phenomenal performance after 9/11 was much appreciated. However, likeable or not, having Rudy as the GOP's candidate in 2008 would be a big mistake. Here's a short, but sweet primer on some of Rudy's many flaws.

Rudy's Strong Pro-Abortion Stance

As these comments from a 1989 conversation with Phil Donahue show, Rudy Giuliani is staunchly in favor of abortion:

"I've said that I'll uphold a woman's right of choice, that I will fund abortion so that a poor woman is not deprived of a right that others can exercise, and that I would oppose going back to a day in which abortions were illegal.

I do that in spite of my own personal reservations. I have a daughter now; if a close relative or a daughter were pregnant, I would give my personal advice, my religious and moral views ...

Donahue: Which would be to continue the pregnancy.

Giuliani: Which would be that I would help her with taking care of the baby. But if the ultimate choice of the woman - my daughter or any other woman - would be that in this particular circumstance [if she had] to have an abortion, I'd support that. I'd give my daughter the money for it."
Worse yet, Giuliani even supports partial birth abortion:
"I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-gay rights,Giuliani said. He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions. "No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing," he responded." -- CNN.com, "Inside Politics" Dec 2, 1999
It's bad enough that Rudy is so adamantly pro-abortion, but consider what that could mean when it comes time to select Supreme Court Justices. Does the description of Giuliani that you've just read make you think he's going to select an originalist like Clarence Thomas, who would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade -- or does it make you think he would prefer justices like Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy who'd leave Roe v. Wade in place?

Rudy's abortion stance is bad news for conservatives who are pro-life or who are concerned about getting originalist judges on the Supreme Court.

An Anti-Second Amendment Candidate

In the last couple of election cycles, 2nd Amendment issues have moved to the back burner mainly because even Democratic candidates have learned that being tagged with the "gun grabber" label is political poison.

Unfortunately, Rudy Giuliani is a proponent of gun control who supported the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapon Ban.

Do Republicans really want to abandon their strong 2nd Amendment stance by selecting a pro-gun control nominee?

Soft on Gay Marriage

Other than tax cuts, the biggest domestic issue of the 2004 election was President Bush's support of a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, Rudy Giuliani has taken a "Kerryesque" position on gay marriage.

Although Rudy, like John Kerry, has said that marriage should remain between a man and a woman, he also supports civil unions, "marched in gay-pride parades ...dressed up in drag on national television for a skit on Saturday Night Live (and moved in with a) wealthy gay couple" after his divorce. He also very vocally opposed running on a gay marriage amendment:
His thoughts on the gay-marriage amendment? "I don't think you should run a campaign on this issue," he told the Daily News earlier this month. "I think it would be a mistake for anybody to run a campaign on it -- the Democrats, the president, or anybody else."
Here's more from the New York Daily News:
"Rudy Giuliani came out yesterday against President Bush's call for a ban on gay marriage.

The former mayor, who Vice President Cheney joked the other night is after his job, vigorously defended the President on his post-9/11 leadership but made clear he disagrees with Bush's proposal to rewrite the Constitution to outlaw gays and lesbians from tying the knot.

"I don't think it's ripe for decision at this point," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I certainly wouldn't support [a ban] at this time," added Giuliani..."
Although Rudy may grudgingly say he doesn't support gay marriage (and it would be political suicide for him to do otherwise), where he really stands on the issue is an open question.

Pro-Illegal Immigration

As Tom Bevan of RealClearPolitics has pointed out, Rudy is an adherent of the same approach to illegal immigration that John McCain, Ted Kennedy, George Bush, and Harry Reid have championed:
"While McCain has taken heat for his support of comprehensive immigration reform, Rudy is every bit as pro-immigration as McCain - if not more so. On the O'Reilly Factor last week Giuliani argued for a "practical approach" to immigration and cited his efforts as Mayor of New York City to "regularize" illegal immigrants by providing them with access to city services like public education to "make their lives reasonable." Giuliani did say that "a tremendous amount of money should be put into the physical security" needed to stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the border, but his overall position on immigration is essentially indistinguishable from McCain's."
That's bad enough. But, as Michelle Malkin has revealed, under Giuliani, New York was an illegal alien sanctuary and "America's Mayor" actually sued the federal government in an effort to keep New York City employees from having to cooperate with the INS:
"When Congress enacted immigration reform laws that forbade local governments from barring employees from cooperating with the INS, Mayor Rudy Giuliani filed suit against the feds in 1997. He was rebuffed by two lower courts, which ruled that the sanctuary order amounted to special treatment for illegal aliens and were nothing more than an unlawful effort to flaunt federal enforcement efforts against illegal aliens. In January 2000, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal, but Giuliani vowed to ignore the law."
If you agree with the way that Nancy Pelosi and Company deal with illegal immigration, then you'll find the way that Rudy Giuliani tackles the issue to be right down your alley.

A More Charismatic Version of Arlen Specter

Rudy Giuliani may have many fine qualities, but he is not a conservative, nor has he always been a loyal Republican.

For example, back in the mid-nineties, when he was actually running New York City, Rudy could have fairly been said to have governed as a moderate at best and to the left-of-center at worst:
The New York Observer also had a very interesting selection of quotes from and about Rudy over the years that may give his conservative supporters more than a little pause. Here are a few of those quotations: Does this really sound like the sort of candidate we want as a standard bearer for the Republican Party?

He Can't Keep His Pants Up

There has only been one man who has ever made it to the White House after being divorced and that was Ronald Reagan, who had been married to Nancy for more than 25 years before his campaign in 1980. Rudy, on the other hand, is on his third wife.

Furthermore, his second divorce from Donna Hanover was extremely ugly. Hanover accused Rudy of "open and notorious adultery." She also claimed Rudy had an affair with a staffer, Christyne Lategano-Nicholas, which both Giuliani and Lategano-Nicholas denied. However, Rudy has acknowledged that he started seeing his current wife, Judith Nathan, before his divorce from Hanover was finalized in 2002.

Given how recent this divorce was, Rudy's adultery, and the fact that he married, "the other woman," the press can be expected to cover Rudy's marriage to Hanover exhaustively if he gets the nomination and needless to say, Rudy, quite deservedly, will not come off very well.

Does He Have The Judgment To Be President?

As you've just seen, Rudy hasn't necessarily made the best decisions in his personal life. Unfortunately, the Bernard Kerik incident shows that Giuliani's poor judgment can spill over into political matters as well.

Rudy recommended his friend and business partner, Bernard Kerik, for the position of Homeland Security Secretary and the Bush administration, perhaps because Rudy vouched for him, didn't do a very thorough job of vetting him.

Soon after Kerik's nomination became public, allegations surfaced that Kerik was having two simultaneous affairs, had ties to a construction company "linked to the mob," and had an illegal alien nanny whose taxes hadn't been paid. Under fire from the press, Kerik withdrew his name from consideration for the Homeland Security position and the Bush administration was left with egg on its face for putting up such a scandal ridden nominee.

While the whole debacle was embarrassing for the Bush Administration, it raised even more serious questions about Rudy. After all, if Bernard Kerik is the sort of person Rudy sees as an appropriate friend, business partner, and nominee to run the Homeland Security Department, it makes you wonder what kind of people he is surrounding himself with on a day to day basis.

How Electable Is Rudy Giuliani Really?

One of the biggest selling points for Rudy Giuliani is supposed to be that he's "electable" because a lot of independents and Democrats will vote for him. The problem with that sort of thinking is that if he becomes the Republican nominee, the very liberal mainstream media will spend nine months relentlessly savaging him in an effort to help the Democrats. Because of that, Giuliani's sky high polling numbers with non-Republicans are 100% guaranteed to drop significantly before election time rolls around in 2008.

That is not necessarily a problem; after all the mainstream media is always against the Republican nominee, if -- and this is a big "if" -- the GOP nominee has strong support from the Republican base.

The big problem Rudy has is that he isn't going to be able to generate that kind of support. For one thing, as a candidate, he offers almost nothing to social conservatives, without whom a victory for George Bush in 2004 wouldn't have been possible. If the choice in 2008 comes down to a Democrat and a pro-abortion, soft on gay marriage, left-of-center candidate on social issues -- like Rudy -- you can be sure that millions of "moral values voters" will simply stay home and cost the GOP the election.

The other issue is in the South. George Bush swept every Southern state in 2000 and 2004, which is quite an impressive feat when you consider that the Democrats had Southerner Al Gore at the top of the ticket in 2000 and John Edwards as the veep in 2004. Unfortunately, a pro-abortion, soft on gay marriage, pro-gun control RINO from New York City just isn't going to be able to repeat that performance. Even against a carpetbagger like Hillary Clinton, it's entirely likely that you'll see at least 2 or 3 states in the South turn from red to blue if Rudy Giuliani is the nominee.

Also, the reason why George Bush's approval numbers have been mired in the high thirties/low forties of late is because he has lost a significant amount of Republican support, primarily because his domestic policies aren't considered conservative enough. Since that's the case, running a candidate who is several steps to Bush's left on domestic policy certainly doesn't seem like a great way to unite the base again.

Conclusion

Despite all of his charisma and the wonderful leadership he showed after 9/11, Rudy Giuliani is not a Reagan Republican. To the contrary, Giuliani is another Christie Todd Whitman, another Arlen Specter, another Olympia Snowe. He's a throwback to the "bad old days" before Reagan, when the GOP was run by moderate Country Club Republicans who considered conservatives to be extremists. Trying to revive that failed strategy again is likely to lead to a Democratic President in 2008 and numerous setbacks for the Republican Party.

2 posted on 01/28/2007 8:24:40 AM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Liz; TommyDale; jla; EternalVigilance; Hydroshock; flashbunny; Reagan Man; narses; Nevernow; ...

(((((CONSERVATIVE PING)))))


3 posted on 01/28/2007 8:25:31 AM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Spiff

"Despite all of his charisma and the wonderful leadership he showed after 9/11, Rudy Giuliani is not a Reagan Republican. To the contrary, Giuliani is another Christie Todd Whitman, another Arlen Specter, another Olympia Snowe.

What you say is ridiculous. Rudy is an aggressive fighter against crime and terrorism. Unlike the people you list, he will arrest them, lock them up, and not let them out.


4 posted on 01/28/2007 8:27:11 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: Spiff
Wow, an article dated 2008 on Rudy?

Can I take your DeLorean for a spin?

5 posted on 01/28/2007 8:27:35 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Forgot your tagline? Click here to have it resent!)
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To: proxy_user
I’m pro-choice. I’m pro-gay rights, Giuliani said. He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions. “No, I have not supported that, and I don’t see my position on that changing,” he responded. Source: CNN.com, “Inside Politics” Dec 2, 1999 http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Rudy_Giuliani_Abortion.htm

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES (November 14, 2006)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I'm pro- choice. I'm pro-gay rights.

KING: Giuliani supports a woman's right to an abortion, and back in 1999, he opposed a federal ban on late-term abortions.

GIULIANI: No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing.

KING: Immigration could be another presidential landmine. Back in 1996, Mayor Giuliani went to federal court to challenge new federal laws requiring the city to inform the federal government about illegal immigrants.

JEFFREY: He took the side of illegal immigrants in New York City against the Republican Congress.

KING: Giuliani opposes same-sex marriage but as mayor, he supported civil unions and extending health and other benefits to gay couples. He also supported the assault weapons ban and other gun control measures opposed by the National Rifle Association.

GIULIANI: I'm in favor of gun control. I'm pro-choice.

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


6 posted on 01/28/2007 8:28:26 AM PST by narses (St Thomas says "lex injusta non obligat.")
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To: FreeInWV; Reagan Man; Fierce Allegiance; EternalVigilance; B Knotts
(((STOP GIULIANI 2008 PRIMARY PING}}}

Send me a FReepmail to be added or removed from this ping list.


7 posted on 01/28/2007 8:30:20 AM PST by NapkinUser (http://www.teamtancredo.com/)
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To: Spiff
Given how recent this divorce was, Rudy's adultery, and the fact that he married, "the other woman," the press can be expected to cover Rudy's marriage to Hanover exhaustively if he gets the nomination and needless to say, Rudy, quite deservedly, will not come off very well.

but the press gave the "rapist" a pass when he said oral sex is not sex.....what bias?

8 posted on 01/28/2007 8:30:43 AM PST by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated)
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To: Spiff
Can't blame him about splitting with Donna Hanover. I met her in the mid-90s and she is h*ll on wheels. Yeccchhh.

And yes, Rudy is a natural leader, tough and smart. But abortion, guns and gay agenda issues make him totally liberal.

9 posted on 01/28/2007 8:30:46 AM PST by Pharmboy ([She turned me into a] Newt! in '08)
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To: Spiff
Thanks for ping and post #2.
10 posted on 01/28/2007 8:31:21 AM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ("Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto")
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To: narses

So what does this have to do with fighting terrorists?

Do you expect the gays to obtain a nuclear weapon any time soon?


11 posted on 01/28/2007 8:32:35 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: proxy_user
...Rudy is an aggressive fighter against crime and terrorism. Unlike the people you list, he will arrest them, lock them up, and not let them out.

Then he should run for Sheriff.

12 posted on 01/28/2007 8:32:38 AM PST by harrowup (Rodham is just pimping for Billy)
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To: proxy_user
So what does this have to do with fighting terrorists?

Giuliani is NOT the only Republican candidate committed to and capable of fighting terrorists if elected to President.

13 posted on 01/28/2007 8:38:12 AM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Spiff

IBTGAK


14 posted on 01/28/2007 8:40:00 AM PST by beltfed308 (Democrats :Tough on Taxpayers, Soft on Terrorism)
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To: proxy_user

Ask Kim Philby that question. In the mean time understand that Rudy isn't going to get the nomination, so the one to fight islamofascistis will be the President. Then the questions are bigger than just the war.


15 posted on 01/28/2007 8:41:03 AM PST by narses (St Thomas says "lex injusta non obligat.")
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To: harrowup

Yep.


16 posted on 01/28/2007 8:41:55 AM PST by narses (St Thomas says "lex injusta non obligat.")
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To: Spiff
Giuliani didn't mention that when Nathan helped him after his cancer diagnosis in spring 2000, he was, in fact, still married to Donna Hanover, and that the revelation of his illness came amid the messy public breakup of his second marriage.

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE PRESIDENT This will document Giuliani's public infidelities, as well as his deliberate efforts to humiliate his wife and throw her, and their children, out of Gracie mansion in order to move his mistress in----gleaned from eyewitness news reports.

Nothing was too petty or savage for Giuliani especially when it involved women. Giuliani was always a serial philanderer (the first marriage to his third cousin ended with some really nasty rumors of abuse.) Rudy threw himself into the anti-family pro-abortion Planned Parenthood lifestyle early on.

Within six months of being elected Mayor, Rudy was pictured on the front page of the New York Daily News buying clothing for his young mayoral aide Christine Lategano on Madison Avenue. One day, Hanover rolled into City Hall unannounced, where she caught Rudy deep into Lategano, according to acknowledged rumors.

Giuliani was not subtle. He would take girlfriend Lategano to Yankees games WITH his kids, until Hanover had had it----pictures still exist of Lategano and the married Mayor in restaurants across the city. Lategano was widely disliked for her rank incompetence and arrogance. Eventually, Giuliani dumped her. But she got paid off---with an apartment and a cushy job when Rudy dumped his loyalist Fran Reiter so Lategano could run the city's Tourist and Visitor's Bureau, a job she was totally unqualified for (which paid $250K a year). People were horrified at the time. But Rudy was the mayor.

By 1998, Rudy had a new mistress (now his wife)---and would take her to a restaurant a few blocks from Gracie Mansion--so that his children and their friends would know about it. By 2000 things were getting insane. Rudy was squiring his mistress to city parades and other Mayoral public events.

Rudy then publicly announced to the press his separation from his wife WITHOUT EVEN TELLING HANOVER. Rudy would soon wage a savage war against his wife and children.

Soon after the humiliating Giuliani split-up, his mother became ill. When Hanover showed up in the emergency room of Mount Sinai hospital, concerned about her children's grandmother, Mayor Rudy got into a nasty, public fight with her, enraged that she showed up. Rudy demanded Hanover leave.

At the time, Rudy was taking his mistress---not his wife--- to cancer treatment sessions. He never bothered to tell his wife about his illness.

Rudy then decided he'd bring his mistress into the family's home (on the spurious claim that Hanover wasn't helping him through cancer treatments, an illness he had not even bothered to tell her about). Rudy announced he wanted to "divide the home" to bring in his mistress --- a transparent ploy to force his wife and children out into the streets. Hanover was forced to go to court to declare Gracie Mansion the marital home so as to exclude Nathan from it.

Thankfully, the judge said no to Rudy's cruel, insane request. Thwarted at this plan, Rudy moved in with a gay couple while his wife fended off his relentless efforts to replace her with his mistress.

But like an uncaged animal, Giuliani would strike at his own family like they were mortal enemies. On Mother's day 2000, he publicly paraded his mistress up and down Second Avenue for newspaper pictures. The evilness of this act astonished even blase New Yorkers.

The savage nature of Giuliani and his vendetta against his wife and children knew no bounds. He cut his wife's security detail (but provided government security to his mistress).

It's hard to imagine the brutality of this man---placing his children, and the mother of his children, in danger. Yet, nothing was too petty or savage for Giuliani, especially when it interferred with his love life.

17 posted on 01/28/2007 8:46:04 AM PST by Liz (Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test a man's character, give him power. Abe Lincoln)
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To: proxy_user
What you say is ridiculous. Rudy is an aggressive fighter against crime and terrorism.

He oves hate crimes legislation. You could be a charter member of a new criminal class in a Rudy administration if your views aren't in line with the social liberal model he espouses. Rudy would be the guard dog that turned on its handler.

18 posted on 01/28/2007 8:47:22 AM PST by JCEccles
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To: proxy_user
What you say is ridiculous. Rudy is an aggressive fighter against crime and terrorism.

He loves hate crimes legislation. You could be a charter member of a new criminal class in a Rudy administration if your views aren't in line with the social liberal model he espouses. Rudy would be the guard dog that turned on its handler.

19 posted on 01/28/2007 8:47:33 AM PST by JCEccles
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To: Spiff
But even some who were eager to see him were blunt in saying his personal history and liberal social stances could prove a serious, perhaps insurmountable obstacle to winning their votes.

In a nutshell!

Rudy can run but he will not win the nomination. Too much history is out there and readily available.

20 posted on 01/28/2007 8:47:59 AM PST by beltfed308 (Democrats :Tough on Taxpayers, Soft on Terrorism)
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