Posted on 02/20/2007 9:54:39 AM PST by Spiff
The Republicans, and even some socially conservative and evangelical leaders, are beginning to adjust to the possibility of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the GOP nominee for president. But not all.
The Southern Baptist's Richard Land, for instance, predicts massive defections from Rudy in the event of a Rudy Giuliani vs. Hillary Clinton race. Hugh Hewitt, evangelical talk-meister in the syndicated stream of radio shows doubts this; "... If Rudy is persuasive on the judges he will nominate, he wouldn't have a problem with the social conservatives in the general election." So tell us you'll nominate the likes of Scalia, Roberts, and Alito to the Supreme Court, and we will line up behind you no matter your substantial views that run counter to the Judeo-Christian ethic, he and his handlers are undoubtedly thinking.
Well, I won't.
And I bet I speak for hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions when I say that I cannot in good conscience vote for a man with significant moral problems in his personal life, a radically wrong view of abortion (against it personally, but for women making their own pro-abortion choice), and oh-so-very Times Square and Hollywood on the issues of homosexual rights and guns (for and against, respectively).
Can't vote for him, even if his opponent is Hillary Rodham Clinton? No, I cannot.
Aw, c'mon, Team Republican says, nobody who purports to be socially conservative, evangelical, or who voted twice for Ronald Reagan will be able to muster a vote for Hillary over Rudy.
Probably right. But voting for her isn't the only option. When the electorate isn't excited about the candidates, they are capable of staying home -- particularly those who don't much care to think political thoughts 24/7 and are not enthused about the choices. There are others of us who will either leave the presidential portion of the ballot unmarked or decide for the first time in our lives to vote, say, the Constitution Party.
Next argument -- Then you'll just be putting Hillary into office. Next rebuttal -- No, rather, my precious vote won't be responsible for putting into office a man who thinks we will vote for him because he is best suited and capably prepared to keep America safe but can't guard his own soul from moral perdition.
But, in all of this, there is something else to think about. The President of the United States guides his own political party and its platform. And the party of President Rudy Giuliani will soon become the party of the same kind of governing mushiness that has absorbed the Democrats. Give the party to Rudy and the moral code and political sensibilities of Reagan are lost, perhaps for good. Better to lose an election and reload ideologically than try to cheer on and take cues from a man with a worldview radically divergent from your own.
May the primaries be kind to the GOP; and kindness means Giuliani loses.
Matt Friedeman (mfriedeman@wbs.edu) is a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary. Respond to this column at his blog: evangelismtoday.blogspot.com. Opinions expressed in 'Perspectives' columns published by OneNewsNow.com are the sole responsibility of the article's author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of the staff or management of, or advertisers who support the American Family News Network, OneNewsNow.com, our parent organization or its other affiliates. The way to electoral suicide -- vote Giuliani
February 20, 2007
"All you social liberals out there had better listen up to this message, because if Rudy is the Republican nominee, we're likely looking at the election of a Democrat president in '08. If you thought '06 was bad, look out."
I agree totally!!
And not only losing the presidency, but also significant loses in both houses and state elections. Why? Because the base of the Republican party would be deflated and wouldn't even show up.
If that were to happen, you leftist Rudy supporters(not directed at you,trisham) don't bother getting mad at everyone else. You have been duly warned and would have only yourselves to blame.
His plastic, used-car-salesman smile convinces me of his authenticity. He's as real as a six dollar bill.
I'm in agreement with you, but I've seen and heard enough information to suggest we're in the minority.
Except...I will hold my nose and vote for him to keep Hillary out of power.
On a side note...I'm only HBI...(half-blooded Italian...)
The best, that will have a high enough approval rating to get a conservative judges nominated and confirmed before the senate...
************
Agreed.
No, you would be to blame for not getting a conservative enough candidate the nomination.
You are owed nothing. You have to earn it.
~~~
Would personally execute Bin Laden for attacking NYC
[In the days following Sept. 11], I thanked Pres. Bush and told him how proud I was of how he was handling the country in this crisis. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
I told him, "If you catch this guy, Bin Laden, I would like to be the one to execute him." I am sure he thought I was just speaking rhetorically, but I was serious. Bin Laden had attacked my city and as its mayor I had the strong feeling that I was the most appropriate person to do it.
Source: Leadership, autobiography by Rudolph Giuliani, p.354 Oct 1, 2002
~~~
Democrats don't support military the way Republicans do
The former New York City mayor has supported Bush's war on terror and has said Democrats "don't support the military the way Republicans do." He said any withdrawal from Iraq would only encourage future terror attacks.
Source: People's Daily (China), "Contenders views on the war" Nov 23, 2006
~~~
You are either with civilization or with terrorism
In an impassioned call for action, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told the United Nations today that it was time “to draw the line” against terrorism and to hold accountable any nation that supports or condones it, “or you will fail in your primary mission as peacekeepers.”
“You are either with civilization or with terrorism,” he said in a speech before the start of a weeklong General Assembly debate on terrorism. “This is not a time for further study or vague directives,” he insisted. “Look at that destruction, that massive, senseless, cruel loss of human life, and then I ask you to look in your hearts and recognize that there is no room for neutrality on the issue of terrorism.“
He said that the era of ”moral relativism“ between those who practice or condone terrorism and those stand up against it must end. ”There is no moral way to synthesize with grossly immoral actions, and by trying to do that, unfortunately a fertile ground has been created in which terrorism has grown.“
Source: Terence Neilan, NY Times Oct 1, 2001
~~~
No need to understand reasons for terrorism-just stop them
Rudy Giuliani told the United Nations, “Let those who say we must understand the reasons for terrorism come with me to the thousands of funerals we’re having in New York City-thousands-and explain those insane, maniacal reasons to the children who will grow up without fathers and mothers, and to the parents who have had their children ripped from them for no reason at all. Instead, I ask each of you to allow me to say at those funerals that your nation stands with America in making a solemn promise and pledge that we will achieve unconditional victory over terrorism and terrorists.“
Giuliani praised ”as a very good first step“ the Security Council’s recent unanimous passage of Resolution 1373, which adopted wide-ranging antiterrorism measures. The mayor said he was also pleased that the UN [agreed to] cut off terrorists from their funding. ”Now it’s up to the member states to enforce this to take away their financial basis and reduce their ability to carry out complex missions.“
Source: Terence Neilan, NY Times Oct 1, 2001
~~~
Iraq: More inspections; counter OPEC’s oil production cuts Giuliani criticized the Clinton administration as “unfocused on foreign policy,” referring to its “failure to have any inspections in Iraq in a year.” He also called for the spigot on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to be opened to counter OPEC’s yearlong cut in oil production. Giuliani said that his criticisms had prompted President Clinton to announce today a fresh federal allocation of $125 million in emergency cash subsidies to help poor people pay for heating oil.
Source: Thomas Lueck, New York Times Feb 17, 2000
Dear RockinRight,
I think that your family is unusual.
I know plenty of Italian-Americans. The local Sons of Italy keeps trying to recruit me, since like Antoninus, I'm FBI. I really should join, since the membership largely overlaps the Knights of Columbus, and I'm one of them, too.
These folks aren't any more inclined to vote for Mr. Giuliani than non-Italian-Americans.
By this point, our "Italianness" is often pretty attenuated. I don't spend a lot of my day thinking about being Italian, and I don't principally see another Italian when I see Mr. Giuliani.
I see a pro-abort liberal who will harm America.
sitetest
~~~~
- Rudy tossed Arafat out of a city sponsored celebrations saying, "I would rather not have someone who has been implicated in the murders of Americans there, if I have the discretion not to have him there”.
- Rudy did the same to Fidel Castro.
- When a Saudi prince donated millions to 9/11 relief efforts and later suggested that United States policy in the Middle East may have been partially responsible for the attacks, Rudy returned the money.
- Rudy refused to meet with racial arsonist Al Sharpton.
- Rudy as mayor was strong on law and order. Rudy said that "government exists above all to keep people safe in their homes and in the streets, not to redistribute income, run a welfare state, or perform social engineering". And Rudy backed this all up by going after both quality-of-life crimes and serious crimes. Total crime went down by some 64 percent during the Giuliani years, and murder went down 67 percent. Auto thefts went down on average about 80,000 per year.
- Rudy supported the police when the police had to enter and deal with Muslims at a mosque.
- Rudy closed down many porn shops across the city and specifically shutdown porn shops in residential neighborhoods.
- Rudy went after both low level and high level drug dealers for the first time in the cities history.
- Rudy had zero tolerance for quality of life crimes such as squeegee extortionists, graffiti vandals, panhandling and public urination.
- Rudy launched a welfare revolution, removing illegal recipients, cutting the rolls by 20% the first year alone and dropping the welfare rolls by 600,000 over the course of his plan.
- Rudy launched a work requirement program for the remaining welfare recipients. the NY Times called it slavery.
- Rudy constantly spoke out against illegitimacy and fatherless families. One of many things that Rudy said on the subject was the following: " If you wanted a social program that would really save these kids, . I guess the social program would be called fatherhood.
" - Rudy objected to affirmative action. Rudy ended the cities set-aside program for minority contractors.
- Rudy rejected the idea of lowering the job requirement standards for minorities and woman. - Rudy said. "it was unfair to expect middle-class kids to work their way through college by holding down jobs and going to classes while exempting students on welfare from working.
" - Rudy reformed the public school system and forced out liberal chancellors who wouldn't install his reforms.
- Rudy tried to privatize 5 of the cities worst public schools.
- Rudy was for school vouchers Rudy said, "The whole notion of choice is really about more freedom for people, rather than being subjugated by a government system that says you have no choice about the education of your child,".
- Rudy fought against public money for an art display that defiled Christ and he fought against other obscene so-called works of art.
- Rudy played hardball with city unions winning concessions from city workers that other mayors had failed to do.
- Rudy strong armed state leaders to merge the cities Housing Police and Transit Police into the NYPD saving the city hundreds of millions. Rudy did this by threatening to fire every housing and transit officer and rehire each as a city cop if legislative leaders did not go along.
- Rudy did the same with the city’s garbageman, many of whom worked only half days because the department was so overstaffed with union jobs. Rudy won $300 million in savings from them by threatening to contract out trash collection to private companies.
- Rudy cut or killed 23 levies and taxes, saving taxpayers $9.8 billion during his terms.
- Rudy cut NYC's top income-tax rate by 20.6%.
- Local NYC taxes on a family of four dropped 23.7% during Rudy's term.
- Rudy cut the commercial-rent tax.
- Rudy cut sales taxes, including taxes on clothing.
- Rudy cut the marriage penalty on taxpaying couples.
- Rudy cut taxes on commercial rents everywhere outside of Manhattan’s major business districts, and various taxes on small businesses and self-employed New Yorkers.
- Rudy's expenditure growth averaged 2.9% annually, while local inflation between January 1994 and December 2001 averaged 3.6%.
- Rudy privatized municipal assets.
- Rudy sold WNYC radio for $20 million, WNYC-TV for $207 million, and NYC's share of the U.N. Plaza Hotel for $85 million.
- Rudy divested the City from the New York Coliseum adding $345 million to city coffers.
- Rudy let the private Central Park Conservancy manage Central Park.
- Rudy cut NYC's hotel tax from 6% to 5%. Consequently, hotel tax revenues increased from $135 million in Fiscal Year 1995 to $239 million in FY 2001.
- When asked if Rudy would raise taxes after 9/11 Rudy said that would be "a dumb, stupid, idiotic, and moronic thing to do.
" - A quote from Rudy on his economic philosophy: “City government should not and cannot create jobs through government planning. The best it can do, and what it has a responsibility to do, is to deal with its own finances first, to create a solid budgetary foundation that allows businesses to move the economy forward on the strength of their energy and ideas. After all, businesses are and have always been the backbone of New York City.
” - Construction permits increased by more than 50% in the city per year during Rudy's terms.
- Tourism increased 50% in the city per year during Rudy's terms.
- City jobs increased by 430,000 to an all time high of 3.72 million during Rudy's terms.
- City personal income increased 50% during Rudy's terms.
- The percentage income that city residence paid in taxes declined from 8.8 to 7.3 percent during Rudy's terms.
- Unemployment in the city went form 10.3% to 5.1% during Rudy's terms.
- Rudy was an outstanding leader during the 9/11 crisis.
- Rudy has been a strong supporting in our WOT including supporting the mission in Iraq.
- Rudy was chosen by Ronald Reagan in 1981 as an Associate Attorney General placing him in the third highest position in the Reagan's DOJ.
- In 1983, Rudy was appointed by Reagan to be U.S. Attorney for the SD of NY. In that position, Rudy amassed 4,152 convictions including the heads of NY's so-called "Five Families". Rudy also prosecuted terrorists and illegal immigrants.
Nope sorry. Rudy would beat Hillary handily.
Not that I prefer him, I don't, at all, but from a strictly electoral standpoint he would win.
“If you don’t vote for me you will ensure the other sides victory” is not a platform.
We shall see.
Thats why Rudy, Is our best option.
Other Freepers have said the same. I could be wrong, I'm fully able to admit that.
I don't have to....you guys do a pretty good self-portrait yourselves...
picture folks like you sitting at their keyboard with pictures of Ayn Rand and Harvey Firestein on the wall behind you, madly revising your posts to keep from outing yourself as frothing anti-Christian lunatics.
Actually just to my right on the wall are three articles. The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. And they remind me how fragile our Republic is, and how vigilant Americans must constantly be to protect it from those extremists who would usurp it for their own narrow purposes, whether they be from the left....or the right.
Nor can you accuse me of being anti-Christian, since as a classical conservative, I believe in the power of religious institutions in calming and satisfying the masses. But I also recognize that the institution of religion and that of government must be separate, because government's first duty is to protect the rights of its citizens, which is not a responsibility assumed by religious institutions.
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