Posted on 03/02/2007 6:30:19 PM PST by PhiKapMom
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent Fri Mar 2, 4:36 PM ET
Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani acknowledged his differences with the party's conservative base on Friday but said bigger principles should be at stake in the race for the White House.
The former New York mayor led a parade of six Republican White House contenders who wooed frustrated conservatives at an annual convention. He asked the activists to look past his support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.
Giuliani, dubbed "America's Mayor" for his leadership after the September 11 attacks, touted his New York record of reducing crime, cutting city taxes and moving people from welfare to jobs.
"We all don't see eye to eye on everything. You and I have a lot of common beliefs that are the same, and we have some that are different," Giuliani told attendees at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
"The point of a presidential election is to figure out who do you believe the most, and what do you think are the most important things for this country at a particular time," he said.
Giuliani leads the Republican presidential field in national polls, but he and the other top-tier candidates -- Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- have been criticized for straying from conservative principles.
McCain championed campaign finance reform, opposed some of President George W. Bush's tax cuts and attacked conservative religious leaders during his 2000 presidential campaign. His decision not to appear at the three-day conservative gathering further angered some activists.
Romney has shifted his positions on social issues like abortion and gay rights to become more conservative.
Even many lesser-known candidates have sparked grumbling from conservatives, who have made their displeasure with the 2008 Republican field evident.
"DUDE, WHERE'S MY CANDIDATE?"
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, criticized for raising taxes as governor, promised to sign a pledge he would not raise taxes as president and joked about the state of distress at the conference.
"It might be renamed the conservative presidential anxiety conference," he said. "The theme might be, 'Dude, where's my candidate?"'
Huckabee and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo also took veiled swipes at the top contenders, particularly Romney and his changing positions on hot-button social issues.
"We have to have leaders who understand that being a leader is about being a thermostat, not a thermometer," Huckabee said. "We can't afford to elect people who simply reflect a culture and reflect a common view, but don't necessarily believe it."
Tancredo, using a biblical reference, said such conversions "are supposed to be made on the road to Damascus, not the road to Des Moines."
California Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) stressed their opposition to abortion rights and their determination to appoint judges who would overturn the Supreme Court decision making it legal.
"If any judicial candidate comes before me who can look at a sonogram of an unborn child and not see a valuable human life, then I will not appoint that candidate to the federal bench," Hunter said.
Romney said he had seen the ineffectiveness of liberal policies while presiding over Massachusetts, one of the most liberal states in the country. He also promised to sign the pledge against tax increases and said he would repeal McCain's signature bill overhauling campaign finance laws.
Tancredo, who entered the race to stress his opposition to illegal immigration, said he had no problem with being called a single-issue candidate as long as people know "my single issue is the survival and success of the conservative movement in America."
The bullying has been 90% by the RudyHaters.
***The bullying on this thread has been by YOU, against another FREEPER, madProf. You have got some gall to come into a socon website and tell that socon to quit FR.
Rudy is plenty conservative enough. He accomplished more in NYCity in a few years then Hunter in 20.
***Rudy isn't socon enough for me nor millions of others and it's gonna show. The more people who watch the video in his own words, the more his political cup runs dry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBtPIrEleM
I agree with Hunter and I disagree with Rudy so I'm going to support Hunter.
I'm tired of the RudyHater smears and won't back off.
***On this thread, I saw only one freeper stepping out of line, and that was YOU. People who answer a false dilemma question have their own way of showing that it is illegitimate. Have you stopped beating your wife? The false dilemma is that it's going to come down to Rudy vs. Hildabeest, and from what I can see, Rudy is not going to win anything. Rudy is not electable, doesn't even hold the base, and the MSM would turn on him in a heartbeat. The socon strategy does not depend upon the MSM playing nice. If you want to browbeat republicans, go onto the GOP website.
Why don't you use your time and energy and go support somebody. There are plenty of candidates to choose from. Your negative comments are getting stale.
The false dilemma is that it's going to come down to Rudy vs. Hildabeest, and from what I can see, Rudy is not going to win anything. Rudy is not electable, doesn't even hold the base'
It's a good point, there's a feeling among the Rudy people that he can actually get something done as opposed to the typical politician.
He's proven it. That's why I'm giving him a shot.
You might want to read this...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1794037/posts?page=1067#1067
Bigger principles? like "Throw your's out for mine"? No thanks, Rudy. I'll remain as I was.
Free republic polls represent the socon base of the GOP. They show rudy splitting the socon base.
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=172;results=1
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=171;results=1
If you're so convinced that the folks here are rudy-haters and are not the base, what are you doing here browbeating buys like MadProf into quitting FR? Why don't you go and chase this base you're so convinced exists? It's obvious that Rudy isn't making any traction here, so why all the effort? The reason is: socons ARE the base; no republican has ever won a presidency with a split base; we have lotsa numbers so you can't just ignore us; Rudy supporters are frustrated at their lack of traction so they are testing the waters for seeing how much a split would cost them. The republican party can afford a socon, it cannot afford a split base. Hunter is a socon, and your candidate gives us a split base... so which is better for the republican party? Duncan Hunter.
"Can I interest you in a reading of all the recent polls?"
Sure. Can you send a copy to me and a copy to president Howard Dean?
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!
I see rudy is as adept at playing the scare card as his acolytes here at FR.
The early frontrunner for the GOP nomination hasn't lost since 1952.
You're right about Rudy's speech. It was boring and it didn't go over well with the people I talked to in the room, and that was mostly the college students. I didn't hear one person say that Rudy had won them over or that they would vote for him. Compare that to Huckabee, Brownback, and Romney who all gave conservative speeches and left the people in the room impressed because at least they were TRYING to appeal to conservatives. Hunter and Tancredo got great receptions as well which was expected since they had the respect of the people in the room before they started talking. Rudy was the only candidate whose speech fell flat.
"I am supporting someone."
Who can that be? And if so, why aren't you posting in support of your candidate?
Great first-person report. I really appreciate it.
Hope you don't mind if I quote you! ;-)
"The early frontrunner for the GOP nomination hasn't lost since 1952."
Based on what criteria and time before the first primary? Got actual data to back that up, including poll numbers from a year before each primary since 1952?
Right now, almost nobody knows the real rudy. They know the image of rudy. Once his record is exposed (mainly by his rivals in the primaries) his sheen will quickly wear off.
I've personally refused buying into Rudy's sell-out.
He said we are a country of ideas, ideas is what bind us. It's not religion, race, or anything else - but the American ideas.
Rudy comes across as a positive and optimistic person. It renews the feeling of belonging, and evokes images of the shining city upon a hill that Ronald Reagan noted in his farewell address... “a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.”
Rudy has the confidence of a decisive and strong leader.
"Rudy was the only candidate whose speech fell flat."
Moral to the story is, "an offering of solid horse exhaust at a steak dinner turns stomachs."
Wow, now the anti-Rudy's claim powers of clairvoyance. So you know what the people in attendance were thinking, huh?
People cheered Rudy and listened to him very attentively, in other words people gave him a great reception. I watched his entire speech. But since you now believe you can read people's minds, why not read Duncan's mind and tell us when your 1% candidate is going to drop out of the race?
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