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

[oceanview]

some of them did stay home.

and the ones posting that they will not for for Rudy should he win the nomination - I believe them, they won't. look at the tone of some of their posts, there is no turning back from that.

[School of Rational Thought]

He won't get my support.

[alicewonders]

I respect your support for Rudy. No, he wouldn't be as bad as Hillery for our country - but I believe he would be devastating for our party. If the Republicans have come to a point where they can no longer have a pro-lifer as their candidate, then it might be time for me to part ways with them. It is a major basis for me.

I understand that overturning Roe v Wade returns it to the states & I believe that is a step in the right direction. But if my party cannot throw it's support behind a conservative candidate that I can at least agree with 3/4 of the time, then I might be in the wrong party.

Don't get me wrong - I could never vote for a Democrat - they are infinitely worse, but if conservatives don't band together & support conservative candidates - then we are doomed as a political force. I do not believe that so-called moderate democrat voters will find any reason to switch over to Rudy - if they were that unhappy, they would have made the switch already. I do believe that he will turn off a lot of the very conservative voters though & how can that be a good thing?

Rudy - better for the country than Hillery - but he is a death knell for the Republican party.

[Redbob]

"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."

No, I think that's amusement:
Alan is laughing at those among us who would embrace ANYone they think might be able to beat Hillary.

Mr. Colmes and others on the far left are laughing at people who'd sell if not their souls, at least their principles to the devil just to win.

I'm not one of those, nor will I ever be.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Well put, and I respect what you have to say.

[Redbob]

"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."

Nicely put.
I'm with you.

[Sans-Culotte]

I don't believe Rudy. I don't trust him. Why would someone nominate judges that don't think like he does? What sense does that make? It is not consistent with integrity. That sets off alarm bells in my head.

You could well be right. However, Harry Truman was apparently a closet racist who liberally used the 'N' word. However, he signed the order to desegregate the armed forces regardless of his personal beliefs. Hopefully, Rudy would do likewise with judges.

He's not my favorite, but I will vote for ANY pubbie over the Beast. At least he gets the WOT. We can't do anything about Roe v. Wade if we're all dead.

[MittFan08]

I respect your right to your opinions, and I am fully aware a lot of conservatives will have to be holding their nose to vote for Rudy in the general elections. But they will know that someone is going to be celebrating on election night, and they will not want it to be Hillary.

Their choices will be between Rudy who promises to appoint conservative judges versus Hillary who promises to appoint liberal judges. Not a hard choice.

[youngjim]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1794302/posts

Live thread talking about this right now

[Redbob]

"...the man is no traitor."

Of course McLame's not a traitor, and it's ludicrous that anyone could question his past service to this country.

What he is, however, is a liar, a raving nutter who shouldn't be trusted within a mile of the reins of power, and the anti-conservative who'd deprive us all via McCain-Feingold (Feingold!) of our right to free speech.

If I had to choose between him and Rudy, I'd stay home.

[nopardons]

Yet how many times do the anti-Rudyites tell us, daily, on FR, that the MSM is "PUSHING RIDY DOWN OUR THROATS"? These lies can't change the fact that the MSM is NOT for Rudy and never have been!

[nopardons]

That's the most convoluted tinfoil post ever posted to FR! LOL

[CindyDawg]

Isn't it though? I wasn't like this until I started hanging out on these threads with you guys though. :')

[DKNY]

I don't know where they got that impression. I live in NY and know the MSM is no friend of Giuliani, nor he of them. If there is a noticeable change in how they are treating him it is not evident in the media here in NY. I think a more logical explanation is that they are now fearful Hillary may actually have an opponent who can beat her.

[MaDeuce]

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

Remember, it is not YOU who will drift away, it is the Rep. party who has drifted away. Not only on abortion, but on the 2nd Amendment among others.

The party no longer believes in the values that were its foundation.

[MaDeuce]

"But if it's Rudy vs. Hillary?"

There will be others to vote for on election day.

The two you mention are two sides of the same coin.

[FairOpinion]

Did I miss your ping post or did you not see this?

Rudy ping

[FairOpinion]

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.