Posted on 02/06/2007 4:03:31 PM PST by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-life advocate says he thinks Rudy Giuliani is too pro-abortion to deserve support form the overwhelming majority of Republican voters who are pro-life. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, says he doesn't think the former New York mayor will be able to capture the party's nod.
Giuliani moved another step closer to a full-fledged candidacy on Monday by filing a statement of candidacy and removing the words "testing the waters" from his exploratory committee papers.
He has a high standing the polls both nationally and in early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire but Perkins says that's simply because of his high name identification.
"At this point most people have no idea where candidates stand on the issues, the polls simply reflect name ID," Perkins told CBN.
"Giuliani is known for his impressive leadership in the wake of 9/11, but most pro-family Americans do not yet realize how far outside of the mainstream of conservative thought that Mayor Giuliani social views really are," Perkins added. "Once people focus on this election and the candidates Giuliani's lead will diminish."
Should Giuliani get the party's nod for president, Perkins said it would likely hand the White House over to the Democratic candidate because pro-life voters would have no one to support.
The last several elections have been between pro-life Republican and pro-life Democratic candidates and a Giuliani nomination would change that dynamic.
"If by some chance Giuliani were to gain the Republican nomination it would set up a very similar scenario that we had last November," Perkins told CBN. "A unenthusiastic Republican base which will suppress turnout and set up a Democratic victory."
Republican voters have previously turned away pro-abortion candidates from capturing the primary nod, including former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter. Republicans haven't had a pro-abortion nominee since Gerald Ford in 1976.
When asked to respond to social issues on CNN's Inside Politics in a 1999 interview, Giuliani replied, "I'm pro-choice."
In the same CNN interview he also indicated he does not support even a modest ban on the gruesome partial-birth abortion procedure saying, "No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing."
Giuliani also indicated he would have upheld President Clinton's veto of the partial-birth abortion ban.
"Yes. I said I then that I support him, so I have no reason to change my mind about it," he told the New York Times in November 1999.
The former mayor also backs embryonic stem cell research, which pro-life groups oppose because it requires the destruction of human life to obtain the stem cells.
Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are the top two candidates in the polls apart from Giuliani.
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are also running and drawing significant support from the pro-life community.
Other potential Republican candidates include pro-life former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, pro-life Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, pro-life Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson.
The great FReeper called Giuliani's rhetoric on H&C last night, "double talk". I agree. LOL
Ah, the self-righteous are out in force tonight!
Their .001% candidate doesn't have a prayer of winning, so they have to tear down the front runners.
Let me guess. Because with JulieAnnie as the Republican nod, the GOP rushes to hell in a handbasket.
Rudy has a strong 84% conservative approval rating. (Battle ground poll as of Jan.11, '07)
Geez -- it's a freaking expression. And it's a famous quote because it has been applied to all walks of life -- to an athlete who signs with a different team for more money, to an executive who leaves his company and goes to work for a competitor, etc.
Ditto.
The rebirth of New York City, the most visible urban achievement in the 20th century is the work of the person now dubbed America’s mayor. For the millions of Americans who live in New York and the millions more who work or whose livelihood has been affected by its revival the contrast between the pre and post Giuliani years could not be more striking.
His defense of Israel and intolerance for Arab and U.N. sponsored anti-Semitism is legendary.
He figuratively walked into the lion's den of a crime ridden, high tax, and decaying city and carried out a conservative agenda of tax cuts, crime reduction and, in the case of the Brooklyn Museum, defense of religion in the public square. On this count Giuliani seems to be the winner in the public character category for his extraordinary vision and leadership.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1780064/posts
Robertson becomes global warming believer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1677254/posts
Indeed, in one recent poll, majorities of Republicans who were informed of Giuliani’s views on social issues said that they were either minor issues or no issues at all; only 16% said that they wouldn't vote for him after being informed of these views.
In the online GOP Bloggers poll, Giuliani is consistently one of the few candidates to end up with a net positive acceptability rating. These internet denizens are well-informed, and overwhelmingly self-describe as conservative (78% self-describe as 7 or higher on a 10-scale of conservatism). If these people can support Rudy, anyone can.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/
He said he believes in a woman's right to kill her baby, he did say that more "choices" should be given to women like adoption though. He also said that he believed that state and local governments should have the authority to regulate our Constitutional Second Amendment rights.
So, I am skeptical of someone who says they would apoint originalist judges while at the same time espousing clearly unoriginalist principles.
Oh please. The majority of Republican voters are not going to "base" their vote on this issue alone.
Rudy was there for both hits on the Twin Towers.
He understands the problem.
I support him.
You know this how? Giuliani supports taxpayer funded abortions. He supported fellow apostate and leftist extroadinaire Mario Cuomo for Governor. He says he is pro choice and supports taxpayer funded abortion. I'm taking him at his word.
Special Report with Brit played some of that tonight.
LOL.
States are also passing gay marriage bans left and right. But that doesn't matter to the folks who want the President to rule by decree.
"Their .001% candidate doesn't have a prayer of winning..."
That's still higher than Giuliani's 0% chance of winning the general elections with all those scandals and flip-flops for Shillary to sink her teeth into.
"hell in a handbasket"
Hey, now! (see my tagline) :)
Because he can win?
I guess Rudy's determination to place more strict constructionists on the courts isn't good enough for the Family Life Council. Whatever. I'd like to hear what they've done in the past 30-plus years to overturn Roe. I suspect that should Rudy win the presidency, what with the opportunity to appoint two or three more justices to the Supreme Court, he will have done more to position the judiciary to overturn or restrict Roe than anything the Family Life Council has been able to accomplish.
That was your post, was it not? I looked again just to be sure. That was your post in response to my comment that ultra social conservative Pat Robertson thinks Rudy would make a good president.
So you've posted that the explanation for that support is that the whore (that would be Pat Robertson) was paid off.
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