Well then, I guess we can agree to disagree. The primaries will decide who we will be voting for in the end. Right now, we're trying to debate out each potential candidate's strengths & weaknesses - naturally - we, as a party want to put forth the strongest candidate who represents our party in terms of basic core principles.
Abortion isn't the only issue I look at when I vote, but it is something I feel passionately about. I get the impression that moderates don't feel passionately about much of anything. The Cindy Sheehans of the left feel passionately anti-war - that's why they hate Hillary and won't be voting for her. It's the people that feel passionately about issues that will get out & vote, put signs in their yards, make phone calls & put bumper stickers on their vehicles.
One thing that comes to my mind is that a lot of Rudy supporters are counting on conservative or moderate democrat voters coming over to vote for Rudy instead of Hillary - but these dems won't be voting for our candidate in the primaries - they can't.
I think too many people are putting their money on the race being between Hillary & Rudy - I think they might be proven to be wrong on this.
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.