Gather 'round...this should be interesting!
Posted on 02/16/2007 4:34:15 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
Long dismissed by Washington insiders as incapable of receiving the Republican Party's presidential nomination because of his pro-abortion rights, pro-gay rights and pro-gun control views, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was lavished with praise Friday by an icon of American conservatism.
"He is much stronger than anyone could have predicted six months ago," said former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich from Georgia. "New York is four times safer than it used to be. It's one of the greatest achievements of government capability in the 20th century. And Rudy just has to go out and say, 'This is who I am. If you think the world's dangerous, and you need a tough guy … that's me.' "
Gingrich, who co-wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed with Giuliani last month, said he is not endorsing the man who led New York City through the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and he noted that he may still jump into the presidential race against him.
But the words of praise from the architect of the GOP's 1994 takeover of Congress capped a big week for Giuliani, which included more encouraging poll numbers, a raucous reception from California Republicans, and the latest round of softball interviews in which he has been able to downplay his liberal social views by espousing his commitment to appointing "strict constructionist" judges.
Nearly a year before the first presidential primaries are held, a Gallup Poll released Wednesday found that Giuliani has a 16-point lead among Republicans over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
In general election matchups, Gallup found that Giuliani leads Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., by nine points and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., by two points, within the survey's three-point margin of error. McCain, by contrast, ties Obama and trails Clinton by three percentage points.
Saying that former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., is going through a "little bit of a rough patch," Gingrich was noticeably cooler toward Romney today than he has been in the past.
Back in November, while appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Gingrich singled out Romney as someone who is working "very hard" to fill a vacuum in the GOP for a "clearer voice of conservatism," adding that Romney "may well succeed."
Gingrich adopted a different tone toward Romney today after cost estimates for his health care plan, which have soared above the former governor's expectations, which revealed.
"I think that he's very smart, he's very articulate, and he's had a little bit of a rough patch with the cost of the health plan is Massachusetts," said Gingrich, "But he's a very smart guy, and I think he'll be a very significant candidate."
In assessing Giuliani's potential appeal to conservatives, Gingrich pointed to Giuliani saying in recent interviews that he would appoint "strict constructionist" judges.
Gingrich predicted that one of Giuliani's GOP rivals would air television ads attacking him for having made positive statements in the past about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice appointed by former President Clinton, who has upheld abortion rights.
Gingrich, however, seemed unconvinced that the line of attack would work
"And as he said the other day," said Gingrich, "he would have appointed the same two Supreme Court justices as Bush did. So conservatives have got to decide, you know, is that acceptable or not acceptable?"
Gather 'round...this should be interesting!
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"Introducing first, to my right, fighting out of the red corner, wearing their Sunday best with a gold crucifix...weighing in at 800 pounds...the social conservatives, the religious right, the champions of family values...from the Southern States...The Evangelicals!" (wild applause)
"And in the blue corner, wearing an off the rack suit, Goldwater ’64 lapel pin and a belt 2 sizes too small...weighing in at 140 pounds soaking wet...the fiscal conservatives, the last champions of limited government...from the Western States...The Libertarians!" (wild applause)
I don’t know how Rudy always manages to be in the wrong (right) place at the right (wrong) time. First in the middle of 9/11 and then this battle between the social and fiscal conservatives.
Chapter 1: Live From the Reagan Building
oceanview, what ocean do you view? Pacific or Atlantic? This is a fascinating debate that should have happened 10 years ago. I'm really enjoying what everybody is writing, just for pure entertainement value at this point.
the atlantic.
Personally, I've always considered his rhetoric to be rather shallow and pedestrian.
I'm always surprised when folks mistake Professor Gingrich's pedantic style for brilliance.
My bad! I thought you were talking bout Newt!
I have family in Pauls district (Aransas Pass) and get updates from them.
Give me a break. He realizes that we gotta have a winner with an R, and work on his policies that way. Bush has socially done all the things we didn't want him to do basically. AWB support and so on.
The thing is, it's politics. I think Rudy's got it, right now. Unless there's a major change coming up, he'll be the R rep, and will probably win. The alternatives are hillary/obama.
This is a very quiet thread.
Yep. Last summer I watched as he defended global warming at the Iowa State Fair. After all, he was sharing a mic with Tom Vilsack. Couldn't be viewed as a Luddite, now could he...
LOL! Good enough.
At the cost of the destruction of the Grand Old Party, if true.
The alternatives are hillary/obama.
"Most of Clinton's policies are similar to most of mine." - Rudy Giuliani
I'm sure that's what a lot of posters were hoping for.
Okay....in my best Brando-Godfather.
Melas, I'm always intellectally honest. Even with you. So, please don't insult me.
Rudy is riding HIGH! Yeehaa!
I call upon FReeper Clemenza. He offered a recent analysis of what I see as a fair and honest political assessment of reality around this forum lately. Allow me to post his conclusions. They're brief.
The only people on this site supporting Mayor Linguine D---are 9/11 fetishists, Hate Hillary Fetishists, celebrity worshippers, and coastal pseudocons.
WOOHOO!
Happy now?
Rudy is a dud, Rudy is a flake! Rudy will not get the GOP nomination! Take that to the bank, pilgrim.
Yeah. But is easy to look back and see the strategic errors, too. The problem is, we've got a pack of people in the party who not only want to make the same ones, they want to compound them by ten thousand.
Lol, not even a bad John Wayne imitation is going to make that statement sound credible. Sorry but not only am I not convinced at all that Rudy isn't a shoe-in, but I'm not even convinced that you believe he won't get the nod. Now I get that you're desperately praying that he won't get the nomination, but I think you're smart enough to know that things are looking really good.
The kids must be researching for Newt's checkered past.
LOL --- you've gotten fancy!
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