Posted on 03/01/2007 7:14:47 PM PST by FairOpinion
I served in Korea and in Vietnam twice, honorable discharge, 23 ribbons, currently an E-7 in the South Carolina State Guard. Elected state Chaplain for the past three years of VFW honor degree for state of S. Carolina.
Had a father and nine uncles in WW II, one killed when Nazis sank the destroyer Jacob Jones in the Atlantic
Former campaign manager for Reagan in Galveston County, TX in 1980.
GOP nominee for state legislature in 92, 94, and 96. Won contested GOP primaries and lost general elections to Democrats.
Have held a dozen of more offices (usually elected) in the GOP.
Why do I see Guilliani's election on par with Hillary Clinton?
The number one national security issue to me is the 2nd Amendment. Anybody dumb enough to misunderstand "shall not be infringed" does NOT need to be appointing federal judges.
I was born many years ago in a Catholic hospital (we are not Catholic). My mother had a hard pregnancy. The doctors at one point told my daddy they could save her or me. He told them to go back and do their jobs and he would pray. It was a decision for the good lord not for doctors or husbands.
My daddy had an 8th grade education but he must have been real good at praying. He passed away eight years ago but my momma and I are both still alive and kicking. Both of us will vote GOP as we have for many decades. Neither one of us will consider voting for Guiliani under any scenario!
So, no, I do NOT buy the only argument for Guiliani, that he could perhaps beat Hillary. I also think if the GOP nominates him lots of conservatives will stay home (I am serious about writing in Ann Coulter) and Giuilliani will NOT beat Hillary.
He has a right to run but should have ran in the party established to support killing babies, taking guns and raising taxes.
As I said, I shook his hand and give him some credit for past good service as "America's Mayor" but do NOT believe that makes him qualified, strictly on philosophy, not reaching his morals, to be President.
Others are free to support Giuilliani but don't question my service, patriotism, conservatism or decades of dedication to building a Reagan conservative GOP.
That's all we heard from the supposed *experts* here that Rudy would bomb in SC. He won. That's pretty big news, imo. Hunter camped out there and came in second. see post # 460.
One notes that it is usually losers who lower expectations after the fact. Nobody expected Hunter to be even visible.
Repeating for Howlin's benefit: There's 19% of the vote to count with a 2% gap for Hunter to close. Rudy is alone on the left with Hunter the only one likely to knock him off. That means those further to the right than Rudy desiring either to jump a sinking ship or knock off the liberal are more likely to vote Hunter. This could get very interesting.
Why for my benefit?
Perhaps, though I still think they've got an awfully lot of them, but the other thing to keep in mind is that Greenville County is religion central. I know we disagree on how liberal/conservative Giuliani is, but Hunter does appeal to the very religious more so than Giuliani does. (And remember, we're talking Bob Jones types here.) If we're trying to determine, for example, how well Giuliani would do in Greenville County, I think he'd do much worse than in Spartanburg County, purely because of his social views. Again, a call based on knowledge of the area, but I certainly could be wrong.
Ah, I guess that's where he was going when he had this little problem:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793770/posts
BTW, don't miss comment #9.
What the freak is taking them so long?
In Republican circles, that's a big group!
I think it is more about economics, but I could be wrong as well. I tend to doubt Spartanburg is any less fundamentalist than Greenville, and is probably more. Granted, even in a blue collar sea, the GOP activists who show up, will tend to be more white collar. And again, I am not sure any of this is representative of either the metro region, or South Carolina. SC is McCain's strongest state, where he beats Rudy in the primary polls 2-1. He does not do that well anywhere else in the nation, except Arizona perhaps, where I have not seen a poll.
TheGrayGhost: Thanks for your service to our country and for one of the most interesting posts I've read! Also, have to agree with your statement of belief. I could not in good conscience ever vote for Rudy, hope we are not faced with that dilemma.
And i told you, I don't believe anyone that states a serious candidate hasn't "camped" out in an important primary state. The idea is ludicrous at face value. For goodness sakes, Bush sent Cheney to Hawaii in the final hours of his last campaign in '04. They fought hard for N.J. two lost states from the get go, not abandoned. Rudy is a smart man. I credit him with being too politically adept to write off Southern states and only visit N.H. and Iowa. Anything suggesting otherwise I'll dismiss.
Now mcCain is another matter. He's not a smart man, evidenced by his trashing of Southern conservative Christians in 2000.
Nor do i take seriously people, not speaking of you, but these alleged 'experts? that talk out of both sides of their mouths. One cannot write op-eds and conduct polls saying Rudy draws conservative support, then say he's a long shot in a vote like this.
Rudy is the front runner. he's been the front runner for at least the past month. According to their own columns this is so. I've never denied his current status, nor will I start now.
The way I see it the race is between two people. Rudy and the conservative designate. At the moment, Hunter is emerging as that conservative. If Newt stepped in, that might alter the equasion. But 2008 will be fought between Rudy and a conservative. And, i make no prediction as to the outcome.
I would DEFINITELY have to disagree with you about Spartanburg County being more fundamentalist than Greenville County. Big, BIG time on that one. I know the area and its politics rather well.
Of course Duncan Hunter did well. That's because only political junkies like FReepers are involved in this poll.
Maybe you should just really relax and wait for debates, I don't think you understand Rudy very well or where he's coming from, and it's NOT coming from as far left as you believe.
It's just coming from a slightly different angle, which actually might be a good thing, Reagan did the same thing, look what happened.
Okay, Spartanburg in blue collar secularist, and Greenville is white collar fundamentalist. That confuses me, and doesn't fit into my mental boxes, but you live there, and I don't. Isn't Lindsay Graham from Greenville btw?
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