Some in MSM Cling to Hope GOP Won't Support Rudy

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I seem to be detecting a trend. There's a current in the MSM that fears a Rudy Giuliani candidacy, perhaps sensing he might be best positioned to defeat the Dem candidate. They console themselves by clinging to the belief that the GOP won't nominate Rudy, or at least won't avidly support him if he is the candidate, given his liberal positions on some issues.

This evening's Hardball offered a perfect example of the phenomenon in the person of Craig Crawford. Time and again, the MSNBC analyst returned to the theme:

View video here.

• "Getting onto the social conservative stuff: abortion, gay rights, etc., [Rudy at CPAC] did make the case that I'm 80% with you, better than most marriages, a pretty good line, but at the end of the day, they're important issues to these people, and I just really wonder, the more they learn about him, and just how liberal he really is on those issues, I think it's going to matter to them."
• "Maybe I've just covered these social conservatives and these Republican races for too long to believe they're suddenly going to forget about that stuff, no matter how much they like Giuliani otherwise."
• "I think if Giuliani wins this nomination, and he well could, social conservative voters are not going to play in the general election, and that's going to help Democrats."
• "I really do believe a lot of these [socially conservative] voters and a lot of these groups are losing interest in politics."
• "I don't think they've heard all the details of his personal life, and the judges [the liberal ones in NYC Rudy appointed] we're talking about."

Jim Vandehei, ex of WaPo, now with Politico.com, was dubious of Crawford's notion: "I think that the conventional wisdom must be wrong, this idea that once conservatives get to know Giuliani's record. I mean, how can they not know his record? Everybody's talking about it."

Chris Matthews, flatly rejecting Crawford's theory, adopted a real-politik analysis:

• "Are [abortion, gay rights] relevant issues?"
• "Hasn't [Rudy] kow-towed a bit by saying I'll pick strict-constructionist judges?"
• "You really think they're going to put Huckabee up there against Hillary Clinton or Obama and risk getting beat?"
• "I couldn't disagree with you [Crawford] more. When [conservatives] get a look at the Democratic nominee, they're going to vote like they've never voted in their lives."
• "American voters don't vote 'for,' they vote 'against.' And when they see Hillary or Obama coming, a lot of these Republicans are going to say, 'God, that Rudy is pretty cool, I like him."
• "Sometimes I wish I was in the gambling business. I could stop talking to guys like you [Craig] and put some money on the table, and I'd get rich. Wait a year from now."

Be that as it may, whether the MSM is finding reasons to hope Republicans won't nominate Rudy, or betting they will, it does seem clear that the liberal media view him as the most formidable candidate.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Whistling past the graveyard ping to Today show list.

[Cricket24]

Personally, I can't stand Rudy but then again that's just my opinion.

[Der_Hirnfänger]

Yup, Colmes points out with joy about all the things that conservatives would not like about Rudy. It's hilarious to watch actually and smacks of desperation.

Especially as his poll numbers keep climbing. I'd rather have Rudy than a media-pandering grub like McCain. (who I used to admire, but not lately)

[JRochelle]

They will get their wish in my case.

If the Republican party nominates a pro abortion guy, I will drift away.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

WHERE will you drift to?

[CindyDawg]

They want us to think they don't want him, so we will want him, because he is really who they want:')

[alicewonders]

He's not a candidate I can support either.

[MovementConservative]

If Dem water boy Micheal Savage/Weiner has anything to say about it, Hillary will be President in '08

[ShawTaylor]

"There's a current in the MSM that fears a Rudy Giuliani candidacy, perhaps sensing he might be best positioned to defeat the Dem candidate. "

The liberal media get their marching orders, and are doing their darndest to carry water for Hitlery, by running shotgun for her against the Rudy juggernaut.
Hitlery knows where her greatest danger comes from, and is moving rapidly to try and head that danger off, before she gets destroyed by it.
It's not gonna work.

[Ikemeister]

I want a conservative candidate, but come election day, if it's Rudi vs Hillary or Obama, I'll have to hold my nose and vote for Rudi. In the meantime, I'll work like hell to find a conservative Republican for the GOP nomination.

We can't let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

I like Rudy. I like him alot.

But I think I'd prefer Duncan Hunter. From what I'm seeing, he is the Reaganite in this election cycle.

Rudy doesn't pander to the liberal media which I like alot. But neither does Hunter. And Hunter is alot more conservative than Rudy.

[JRochelle]

Third party or not vote in that race.

[cripplecreek]

Rudy is so yesterday. Fred Thompson is at the root of the rumors today. LOL

[nickcarraway]

It's a win-win situation for the media.

[Trteamer]

Duncan Hunter.

[ZULU]

You JulieAnnistas keep behaviong as though he's the crowned king of the party. It still early and their are other candidates out there who are genuine Republicans.

Are you REALLY from Georgia?? You must be a transplanted New Yorker living in Atlanta, maybe in banking or stock trading.

Giuliani has;

A long history of supporintg Democrats

Is anti-gun

Is pro-homosexual

Is pro-illegal alien

Is pro-abortion

Know NADA about foreign policy.

Unless HUnter, Tancredo or Gingirch or someone who thinks like them gets nominated, THIS boy and lot who think like me will do just they did in 2006 - stay home or vote third partty.

Hell will freeze over before I vote for a guy who is a Democrat, calls himself a Republican, and has nothing to recommend him but a bad temper, jutting chin and two failed marriages while he is working on a third.

[BunnySlippers]

Well, the MSM is doing their darndest to get us to stop supporting Rudy.

Unforunately there are some useful idiots on the side of the MSM.

[merry10]

What I don't like is some people (not you, please dont misunderstand) making reference to McCain as "Hanoi John" and other insulting things, indicatingher provided aid to the Vietnamese. If people don't like him for his policies, fine, but the man is no traitor. I just had to vent.

[Carolinamom]

While Rudy is strong on leadership and has a proven track record of getting things done as well as having other conservative aspects, some of his stances are liberal.

Thus liberals have every reason to fear that some of their own, not mesmerized by Hillary, will cross over and vote for Rudy....The big question is whether those added liberal votes will offset the loss of those conservatives who will not vote for him