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."
Excellent! This is what I saw as well.
Thanks for the report.
When Rudy states in no uncertain terms that he will veto HR 1022 and any other AWB as well as all other forms of gun control I'll listen to what he has to say. But tell me you're going to ban my guns and I'll fight you all the way.
Amen bruddah.
Rudy's cleanup and turn-around of NYC is nothing short of amazing. He has accomplished more as DA and then mayor of NYC than all the other presidential candidates {repub and dem} combined.
The freepers demanding conservative purity are disregarding an incredibly accomplished man. He doesn't just talk like Tancredo, McCain, Hunter, Thompson, et al; he has acted and delivered.
Well, that least your support of Rudy lets us know you have no respect for the unborn. I guess your solution to abortion is to allow the queers to marry.
Rudy can woooooooo all he wants. This conservative is not going to vote for him.
Duncan Hunter is now in the game.
TOTAL and UNEQUIVOCAL...
BULLSH*T.
We've listed, over and over again, ALL of his UNARGUABLY LIBERAL positions that point to the FACT that RINO-rudy is 95% LIBERAL... PERIOD.
Well, that least your support of Rudy lets us know you have no respect for the unborn. I guess your solution to abortion is to allow the queers to marry.
I didn't realize I had a guy.
Strange you refer to my comment as "Scummy". The fact still remains you are supporting an individual that supports abortion and gay marriage.
Truth kinda stings doesn't it?
The fact still remains you are supporting an individual that supports abortion and gay marriage.
Great posting, Flashbunny. I think you should add what I call the "no crickets" trailer because what I'm finding is that whenever I ask a rudy supporter a substantial question, I get no response.
From the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBtPIrEleM
Maybe your candidate is the one who's a liar. He certainly loses my vote.
Gay Rights:
CNN Clip:
Announcer: "As mayor he supported civil unions, and extending health and other benefits to gay couples."
ABC Clip: "I supported domestic partnership legislation and signed it"
Meet The Press:
Tim Russert: "So should gay people be openly allowed to serve?"
"I think people should be judged on the merits. And there should not be a specific focus on someone's sexual orientation."
Aint none of them wooing crap from conservatives.
http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Comment/DickMorris/020707.html
Here's your proof for the frontrunner normally always winning. As far as your argument that the more people know about Rudy, the more is poll numbers will fall is a fallacy. Election coverage as greatly increased in the last month and this additional coverage coincides with Rudy's surge in the polls.
Yet more...."I just don't see Rudy Giuliani being able to sway conservatives within the Republican Party," says Michael Long, chairman of the New York state Conservative Party. "The gay marriage issue draws a line down the middle of the street, and Rudy Giuliani is something of a champion of gay rights."
And yet more..."Leading contenders on both sides, such as Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), support civil unions and expanding other rights for gay Americans."...Southern Voice
Wait, there's more..."Rudy Guiliani said that he is "seriously considering" a presidential run. Those who think that the 9/11 hero would be a formidable candidate are forgetting about the 9/10 Rudy. Meaning, this is a guy who is pro-choice on abortion, pro-gay rights and moved in with a gay couple after a messy breakup with his wife that came as he was dating another woman. Source: 2008 Speculation by Howard Kurtz in Washington Post Jul 14, 2006"
If you would care for about another 900K pages of subject matter I suggest you simply go to Google.
My statement still stands with the required documentation. Appears your the apparent liar and/or just plain ignorant.
Thanks! You just made me burst out laughing! Way to tell it like it is!
Rudy kisses homosexual men:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1794318/posts?page=1,50
You don't have a clue -- he said it was not a federal issue and he was right. It belonged in the States not a federal marriage amendment to the Constitution. Our States have taken care of it as its voters have seen fit.
Your boy could care less about the republican party platform. BTW...you're the one that is clueless.
You said:
"The early frontrunner for the GOP nomination hasn't lost since 1952."
The article says:
"Among Republicans, Nixon in ’60 and ’68, Ford in ’76, Reagan in ’80, Bush in ’88, Dole in ’96, and Bush in ’00 were all front-runners going in and the nominee coming out. Only Goldwater can be said to have pulled off an upset in 1964 by toppling Rockefeller."
So you said since 1952, and "hasn't lost", as in never. Goldwater passed Rockefeller. And the article references a time since 1960, not 1952 as you stated.
And you seem to miss this important fact from the toe sucker: "The key for the candidates is to become the early front-runner and hold the position for the first three quarters of 2007."
We're not even out of the first quarter of 2007. There's still time to go. Time will tell. But if the reaction of the rudy fans here is any indication, the biggest threat rudy faces is the truth about his own positions, statements, and policies.
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