Tommy, we both know that your contempt for Rudy is enormous, but can we at least keep the facts straight?
The poll found that when those who support Rudy over McCain were informed of his positions on abortion and civil unions, 10% of those supporters were no longer willing to vote for him. Another 25% did not say that they were unwilling to vote for him, but that these views made them less likely to do so.
There were numbers for all persons polled. The "would not vote for him" and "less likely to do so" combined totaled 43%. I don't see these as being nearly as relevant, due to the inclusion of McCain supporters. If people are already committed to McCain, how they react to additional info about Rudy seems academic.
You are misreading the numbers. That was 18% would no longer vote for him + 25% would be less inclined to vote for him. Total was 43% not the 48% that was quoted here yesterday or Saturday. These are Gallup numbers, not mine. Go argue with Gallup. In any event, fully 4 out of 10 social conservatives are not inclined to support him when they learn of his positions.
Dear freespirited,
"The poll found that when those who support Rudy over McCain were informed of his positions on abortion and civil unions, 10% of those supporters were no longer willing to vote for him."
Actually, if you're referring to the recent Gallup poll, it was 18% who would definitely not vote for him after hearing about his views on social issues.
18% of the folks that usually vote Republican (excluding folks in the middle who sometimes vote R for president and sometimes vote D) will be about 9 million votes in 2008.
Even if the other 25% of folks who said they are less likely to vote for Mr. Giuliani all vote for him anyway, that's a devastating loss of the base.
sitetest