Thinking Hard About Voting For Rudy Guiliani

The Bulletin ^ | Feb. 22, 2007 | Maggie Gallagher

[FairOpinion]

I've never voted for Rudy Giuliani in my life. But I'm thinking hard about it now.

In both cases, I surprise myself.

The rest of America may know Rudy as "America's Mayor" for his ceremonial performance post-9/11, but for New Yorkers who lived through the Dinkins years, Rudy Giuliani is more than a guy who stands tall when the skyscrapers fall. By the late '90s, people were beginning to say that New York City was ungovernable: Remember the court-driven interest group spending, the disorder, the bums taking over the parks and the playgrounds and the street corners, spiraling welfare costs, the crime, the small business disaster, the high taxes, rent control, the South Bronx? New York was a disaster area, a poster child for what liberalism hath wrought.

The glittering cosmopolitan New York City we now live in, the one seemingly every college student in America dreams about moving to, is largely Rudy's gift, forged in the face of intense, daily, nasty invective from those who at the time insisted that to demand order and civility in a large city was to be a fascist.

Even Rudy's 9/11 performance tends to be misdescribed. It was not that he "stood tall" or didn't emotionally collapse. George Bush came to New York City and made graceful speeches about how we will rebuild the hole in the ground that still remains. What stood out for us in that dark time was not that the mayor of New York insisted we would triumph over this adversity, but that he didn't try to spin us about how unimaginably bad this sort of adversity was. He didn't try to soft-pedal the uncertainty, the chaos, the suffering the city was going through, and that gave us the confidence to believe that reality, terrible as it was, could in fact be faced.

I never voted for Rudy when I lived in New York City for one simple reason: abortion. I don't look for purity in politicians, just for some small pro-life reason to vote for a guy: Medicaid funding, parental notification, partial birth abortion. Throw me the slightest lifeline, otherwise I assume he just doesn't want the vote of people like me. Rudy never did. So I never gave him my vote. And of course it doesn't help now to recall the way Rudy treated his second wife, nor do I particularly want to imagine the third Mrs. Giuliani as Laura Bush's successor.

So I could have sworn, even a few months ago, that I'd never vote for Rudy Giuliani, in spite of my deep respect for his considerable achievements as mayor. So why would I even think of changing my mind? Two things: national security, and Hillary Clinton's Supreme Court appointments.

When I ask myself, who of all the candidates in both parties do I most trust to keep me and my children safe? The answer is instantaneous, deeper than the level any particular policy debate can go: Rudy Giuliani. And when I look ahead on social issues like gay marriage, the greatest threat I see is that the Supreme Court with two or more appointments from Hillary Clinton, will decide that our Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, created a national constitutional right to whatever social liberals have decided is the latest civil rights battle. It's hard to see a state that George Bush won in which Rudy Giuliani will not beat Hillary Clinton. And he will put a whole slew of new blue states into play: Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, to name just three. (The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Giuliani in a dead heat with Clinton in Connecticut.) Which puts people like me, who care very deeply about marriage and life issues, in the position of thinking hard about Rudy.

[narses]

While he was the “Republican Mayor” of New York City he appointed more than 60 men and women to the Civil, Criminal, and Family Court benchs. In all of those judicial appointment only two were Republican.

All of his other judical appointments were either registered Liberals or registered Democrats. As the “Republican Mayor” he had appointment power over more than 70 full commissioners in more than 50 City agencies, yet at no time during his administration did REPUBLICANS account for more than 10% of those appointments.

He even appointed Chuck Schumers wife as the City’s Department of Transportation Commissioner.


________________________________________________________________
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9054.html

“And even as we grieve for those who lost their lives, and our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones, we may be able to find some sort of meaning in this tragedy by using it as a catalyst to revive national gun control efforts.”
Rudolph Giuliani

[dynachrome]

"He/she will stack the court with judges more liberal than Ruth Bater Ginsburg."





Host Alan Colmes:
"Now, Roe versus -- now, you are pro-choice. How important is it to you as a pro-choice Republican to have a pro-choice on the court as someone...





hannity/colmes
http://politikditto.blogspot.com/2007/02/rudy-giuliani-supported-ruth-ginsberg.html


"Giuliani:"That is not the critical factor. And what's important to me is to have a very intelligent, very honest, very good lawyer on the court. And [John Roberts] fits that category, in the same way Justice Ginsburg fit that category. I mean, she was -- she maybe came at it from a very different political background, very qualified lawyer, very smart person. Lots of Republicans supported her. I expect, and listening to Senator Nelson, I expect that John Roberts will get support from a lot of Democrats."

[narses]

The race will be Cheney v Gore.

[spikeytx86]

You do know all but 2 Republicans voted for Ginsberg in confirmation right?

[dynachrome]

Thanks.

[EternalVigilance]

You keep trying to divert from the REAL issues: NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEM APPOINTED JUDGES.

Giuliani is a DISASTER on national security. He defied the law and Congress to keep his city as a sanctuary city for hundreds of thousands of ILLEGAL foreign nationals.

And, His first impulse for dealing with terror is to take guns away from law-abiding citizens. And THAT, maam or sir, whichever of you happens to be using that account today, is the ultimate attack on the security of American citizens and their families.

THAT is what is at stake.

You don't even know what's at stake. After all, you're a flack for uber-RINO Arnold Schwarzeneggar.

What do you think will happen to the country and conservatism if the next President is a Dem?

No worse than would happen with a Dem that happens to have an "R" fraudulently behind their name.

He/she will stack the court with judges more liberal than Ruth Bater Ginsburg.

Giuliani has already expressed his great admiration for Ruth Buzzie. You must have missed that.

Since you can't name me five out of a hundred Republicans, even Giuliani "Republicans", that Rudy picked as mayor, name me one conservative that has ever been picked by any liberal for any court.

Are you going to be proud of yourself that you HELPED that happen?

I'll do what my tagline says, and rest secure that I did what was right. If the country is destroyed, it will be by wolves-in-sheep's-clothing like you, not by me.

[LtdGovt]

Oh, you've made me feel soooo guilty for not supporting the socially liberal New Yorker, I've decided I would vote for him, not.

So you don't care about those issues? You won't care if Hillary surrenders to the terrorists? Disappointing. With respect to social issues, do you think that Duncan Hunter would just pass an executive order banning abortion? I don't think so. So even if social issues are so important for you, they're the most irrelevant issues in the presidential race.

A Giuliani candidacy is not going to fly with Southern Republicans.

On the other hand, Hillary will get a fantastic reception. They will stay home so that Hillary can get into the White House with minor inconvenience. Do you really believe that?

I don't care what any pollsters say.

That's obvious. You seem to have little regard for political reality.

[spikeytx86]

10% Republican aptly represents the 10% of Republicans that make up NYC. Rudy was not the dictator of NYC, he had a heavily Democratic city council to deal with remember.

[narses]

How many are abortion advocates like Rudy? How many are gun-grabbers like Rudy? How many endorsed Cuomo like Rudy? How many took money from NARAL like Rudy?

[LtdGovt]

So what? He's basically saying the same thing that Bush said - no litmus test.

[narses]

El gusto es mio.

[dynachrome]

"all but 2 Republicans voted for Ginsberg in confirmation right?"
Pre gang of 14 and when the President's choice was rarely rejected. Do you think any of President Bush's choices would get thru now?

[narses]

I’m pro-choice. I’m pro-gay rights, Giuliani said. He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions. “No, I have not supported that, and I don’t see my position on that changing,” he responded. Source: CNN.com, “Inside Politics” Dec 2, 1999 http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Rudy_Giuliani_Abortion.htm

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES (November 14, 2006)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I'm pro- choice. I'm pro-gay rights.

KING: Giuliani supports a woman's right to an abortion, and back in 1999, he opposed a federal ban on late-term abortions.

GIULIANI: No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing.

KING: Immigration could be another presidential landmine. Back in 1996, Mayor Giuliani went to federal court to challenge new federal laws requiring the city to inform the federal government about illegal immigrants.

JEFFREY: He took the side of illegal immigrants in New York City against the Republican Congress.

KING: Giuliani opposes same-sex marriage but as mayor, he supported civil unions and extending health and other benefits to gay couples. He also supported the assault weapons ban and other gun control measures opposed by the National Rifle Association.

GIULIANI: I'm in favor of gun control. I'm pro-choice.

Republican Big-Wigs Support Pro-Abortion Event in NY

Pro-abortion Governor George Pataki and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also supports unrestricted abortion, are co-chairs of the 2000 Choice Award Presentation to be held on May 30 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. The event is sponsored by the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition, a group that is campaigning for the removal of the pro-life plank from the Republican National Platform.


http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503010743.asp

[narses]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777111/posts?page=290#290

The words of Jim Robinson on pushing a liberal like Rino Rudy.

[LtdGovt]

You don't even know what's at stake. After all, you're a flack for uber-RINO Arnold Schwarzeneggar.

You're not being fair. You're making unwarranted personal attacks.

Since you can't name me five out of a hundred Republicans,

If you name five Democrats and Independents, I'll name you the five Republicans.

[mkjessup]

The race will be Cheney v Gore

Be still my trembling heart.

I would never sell my soul to get Dick Cheney to run for President, but I might rent it out for a while. ;)

[sockmonkey]

In all of those judicial appointment only two were Republican.

Wow, thanks for posting that information on his judicial appointments.

[spikeytx86]

In NYC? Probably 50-60% of Registered Republicans.

[SIDENET]

I don't believe many candidates have the broad based appeal Rudy has.

Looks to me like Rudy has a problem with the conservative base.

He'd better have some really broad based appeal to overcome that.

I know that I won't be voting for him.

[DocH]

Was RINO-rudy a "hero" of 9/11 like many of his adoring, drooling, panting fans (read that, dolts) contend?

A RESOUNDING NO...

and Maggie Gallagher's got it down PERFECT regarding a description of his deeds back then...

"...his ceremonial performance post-9/11..."