The Real Rudy

Newsweek ^ | 3/4/07 | Susannah Meadows, Mark Hosenball, Michael Isikoff, Eve Conant, Sarah Childress, Andrew Romano and Jo

[Blackirish]

Rudy Giuliani had been speaking for six minutes before anyone in the audience thought to clap, which was exactly the way he wanted it. Talking to a political crowd in North Spartanburg, S.C., last month, the former New York City mayor and 2008 presidential candidate was not there to excite but to warn; he was less interested in making political promises than he was in sketching out the perils we face. He spoke in the hushed tones of the day that marked him for history, September 11, 2001, his voice barely filling the somber setting—not a hotel ballroom or a church basement, but a firehouse, festooned with American flags.

[narses]

What was that, two wives ago? Say, defend his judgment, will you. Tell us about his partner Mister Kerik?

[Carry_Okie]

Well this Rudy supporter NEVER goes on Hunter threads.

Can't take the heat?

I don't think I should go on Duncan threads since he's not my candidate.

That's your choice.

I guess for me its a matter of respect. I stay only on the Rudy threads.

I don't believe a word of that. I think you don't want those, whose support you might solicit with empty cheerleading and feel-good distortions, to be confronted with Rudy's record of playing fast and loose with the Constitution. It's one thing to let a mayor get away with that kind of activity, it's quite another to allow a person with Rudy's predispositions to appoint Constitutional officers.

[My GOP]

Thank you for the compliment. Thank you for being dignified and respectful in disagreement also. If we could all do that instead of resorting to name calling and being nasty this would be a much better site and it would be easier for us to unite when the primaries are over.

[narses]

There is no political solution to abortion.
There is no political solution to abortion.
There is no political solution to abortion.

So much for the GOP Platform. Your GOP is certainly not my GOP.

[wireman]

It's more than his position on social issues.

Unfortunately, a lot of people around here dislike Giuliani because he's from New York and his last name ends in a vowel (much the same way that people said in 1960 that if JFK won, the Pope would be calling the shots).

The sheer hatred exhibited here for a guy who has served his country admirably in a couple of capacities goes beyond politics.

[Blackirish]

As fas as partial birth abortion is concerned Rudy and Hunter hold the same position.

Yet, on the Fox News show, Giuliani said that he supports a ban on partial-birth abortion as long as there is a provision to protect the life of the mother.


"If it has provision for the life of the mother, then I would support it," he told the Fox News program.


Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives yesterday passed H.R. 760, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, by a margin of 282-139. Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA-52), who is a cosponsor of the legislation, proudly voted in favor of this measure which prohibits medical doctors, except in situations where the LIFE OF THE MOTHER is threatened, from utilizing certain procedures that involve the partial delivery of a living unborn baby, killing the child, then completing the delivery

[My GOP]

You can believe what you want to believe but what I said is what I truly believe.

[narses]

" The sheer hatred exhibited here for a guy who has served his country.."

Tell us about his military service. Go ahead.

[My GOP]

"There is no political solution to abortion."

Glad to see you finally admitted the truth.

[My GOP]

Good point.

[Peach]

He is a fiscal liberal/social conservative. Much like W ..George Allen...Rick Santuram. That combination is last years model and you can't give it away.

ROFL. Which part of November did people not get?

[narses]

Typical. That is your view, not mine and not that of the GOP.

Rudy Guiliani has marched in lockstep with liberals on affirmative action, gay rights, gay marriage, gun control, school prayer, tuition tax credits, liberal immigration policies, and he's reinforced it, time and time again. Just about everytime Rudy opens his mouth, offensive liberal words come pouring out. As Mayor, Rudy put liberals in high-paid city jobs, an indication what a Rudy WH would look like. Here then is Rudy in his own words:

--The New York State Liberal Party on its endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for Mayor: "When the Liberal Party Policy Committee reviewed a list of key social issues of deep concern to progressive New Yorkers, we found that Rudy Giuliani agreed with the Liberal Party's stance on a majority of such issues. He agreed with the Liberal Party's views on affirmative action, gay rights, gun control, school prayer and tuition tax credits. As Mayor, Rudy Giuliani would uphold the Constitutional and legal rights to abortion." N.Y.S. Liberal Party Endorsement Statement of Candidate Giuliani for Mayor of New York City April 8, 1989

--On the Republican Party: "Mr. Rockefeller represented 'a tradition in the Republican Party' I've worked hard to re-kindle - the Rockefeller, Javits, Lefkowitz tradition." Rudy Giuliani told the New York Times July 9, 1992

--Village Voice Interview with Guiliani: He was asked: "What kind of Republican Is [Giuliani]? A Reagan Republican?" Giuliani pauses before answering: "I'm a Republican." Village Voice January 24, 1989

--On Attending 1996 Republican Convention: Rudy expressed his pleasure when he wasn't invited to the Republican National Convention in San Diego. "If I take three or four days off from city business, I want to do it for a substantive purpose. It didn't seem to me any substantive purpose could be served by going to the Republican convention." said Rudy. Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Page 459, by Wayne Barrett

--On Barry Goldwater: Giuliani described John Kennedy as "great and brilliant. Barry Goldwater as an "incompetent, confused and sometimes idiotic man." New York Daily News, May 13, 1997

--On President Bill Clinton: Shortly before his last-minute endorsement of Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential election, Giuliani told the Post's Jack Newfield that "most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine." Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Wayne Barrett.

--The Daily News quoted Giuliani as saying March 1996: "Whether you talk about President Clinon, Senator Dole.... The country would be in very good hands in the hands of any of that group." An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Wayne Barrett.

[AuntB]

http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2006/10/duncan_hunters_voting_record.php

Club for growth!! LOL!! They never met an open border they didn't love. Founded by Steven Moore, the guy that destroyed Calif. Prop. 187 and practically destroyed any enforcement measures in the '96 'reform' bill.

I'm proud the 'club' doesn't like Hunter. They never met a NAFTA/Cafta sham they didn't love!

So, do you agree with Steven Moore?

http://www.manews.org/08promimm.html

[snip] Moore has written articles in favor of increased immigration to the U.S., and has debated against immigration restrictionists. In one article, Moore favorably cited a speech at Cato by Rep. Dick Armey, R-TX, who said he believes the U.S. "should be thinking about increasing legal immigration." Moore worked on studies for the wing immigration advocacy group, the National Immigration Forum, which favors amnesty for illegal aliens.

[narses]

That part where conservatives matter and when we stay home, the East Coast Rockefeller Republicans lose.

[Peach]

I've been on a bunch of Hunter threads to read about him and have not left negative posts there but have read plenty of negative posts about Rudy.

Then I come to Rudy posts and find Hunter fans not only complaining about Rudy, but talking about Hunter which is something else I haven't seen Rudy supporters do on Hunter threads.

We can't win for losing with some freepers, I'm afraid :-)

[My GOP]

I can fight fire with fire:

Conservatives comment on Rudy Giuliani:

“It is the greatness of the United States that daunting challenges inevitably summon to the fore leaders with the steel to rise to the occasion and the grasp to raise us up with them. Leaders whose confidence and command cut through the noise and the naysayers. Leaders who stir us not only to the urgency of action but to the achievability of victory through America’s exceptional gifts.

”Rudy Giuliani is such a leader. In our perilous times, his is the unique combination of vision, guts, and perseverance that we need in the Oval Office. That’s why I hope we have the good sense to make him the next president of the United States. -- Andrew McCarthy (National Review http://article. nationalreview. com/?q=YjA5MzhhY Tk5N2E2NzI3MTgwY WU4OTNkMWEyYWNhZ WQ= )


“Further, [the] argument that Rudy couldn’t survive without the support of the GOP base is very true. As such, it’s a good thing that Rudy has been able to attain the support of that very base. Rudy generally garners between 85% and 90% of Republicans in a hypothetical matchup against a standard blue-state Democrat like Hillary Clinton. These numbers are just ever-so-slightly shy of Bush’s 90-plus percent GOP support against Kerry in 2004. And while it’s true that Rudy’s support among independents and Democrats will fluctuate, it’s probably also true that Rudy will at least win independents in the general election, which the president couldn’t do two years ago. Given those considerations, it’s hard to see how Rudy can be viewed as anything other than supremely electable. -- http://race42008. com/2006/ 08/31/the- conservative- case-for- rudy-giuliani- in-2008/


"Christian conservatives make up the core of the school-choice movement in the state. If they come to the conclusion that Mr. Giuliani is on their side and has the leadership qualities to achieve lasting and meaningful change, he may prove a surprisingly strong contender." -- Brendan Miniter ("Culture Warrior: Don't write-off Giuliani's appeal to social conservatives; " OPINION JOURNAL, Feb. 13, 2007 http://www.opinionj ournal.com/ columnists/ bminiter/ ?id=110009659


"On every major issue, [Giuliani] is a solidly conservative and extraordinarily adept executive... " -- Michael Reagan ("The GOP Should Dump It's Litmus Test," FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE, Feb. 16, 2007 http://www.frontpag emag.com/ Articles/ ReadArticle. asp?ID=26986 )

“I've known (Rudy Giuliani) for 26 years and we've talked about this many times," Olson said. "He feels very strongly that people like Justice Scalia, Chief Justice Roberts, Sam Alito, Clarence Thomas, are the type of people that he would put on the court…I'm quite convinced that this is a genuine viewpoint that he has." – Ted Olson, Solicitor General of the United States


"Giuliani is perfectly suited to lead today’s sunbelt center-right GOP due to his belief in low taxes, fiscal responsibility, market-based government reform, traditional marriage, conservative judges, securing the borders, and, last but certainly not least, the destruction of the terrorist threat against America. Only Rudy can package all of this conservatism in a manner that appeals to large numbers of swing voters while still maintaining solid levels of support among the Republican base." -- "The Conservative Case for Rudy Giuliani in 2008" http://race42008. com/2006/ 08/31/the- conservative- case-for- rudy-giuliani- in-2008/


"I've voted against Rudy Giuliani, and I've voted for him. Voting for him is better; it's what I hope conservatives, Republicans and Americans will do in 2008." -- Richard Brookheiser ("Why Rudy's Right: What Makes Giuliani the Best Choice for America in '08," NEW YORK POST, Dec. 10, 2006 http://www.nypost. com/seven/ 12102006/ postopinion/ opedcolumnists/ why_rudys_ right_opedcolumn ists_richard_ brookhiser. htm?page= 0 )


"...When you talk about issues related to fiscal conservatism, which are important to Rudy, I don't know anybody in the public arena who has cut taxes 23 times as Rudy did when he was mayor of New York; who has shrunk the size of government, which he did when he was mayor of New York; reduced the welfare rolls by over 50 percent, which he did when he was mayor of New York. And that's not going into reducing crime by 65% and many other things that he did while mayor in a situation that, before he became mayor, was widely regarded as the second toughest job in American politics, and was widely regarded as an ungovernable situation." -- Bill Simon, GOP candidate for California governor in 2002. (http://www.ocblog. net/ocblog/ 2007/02/i_ watched_rudys. html )


"By the time Giuliani challenged Dinkins for a second time, in 1993 (his first try had failed), the former prosecutor had fashioned a philosophy of local government based on two core conservative principles vastly at odds with New York’s political culture: that government should be accountable for delivering basic services well, and that ordinary citizens should be personally responsible for their actions and their destiny and not expect government to take care of them." -- Steven Malanga ("Yes, Rudy Giuliani is a Conservative, " CITY JOURNAL http://city- journal.org/ html/17_1_ rudy_giuliani. html )

[nctexan]

"So to boil it down..."

So to boil it down, looking at your post... facts don't matter to you.

Your weasel words and lame slam show your talking points to be the lowest common denominator of postings.

[Carry_Okie]

You can believe what you want to believe but what I said is what I truly believe.

People who believe without objective supporting bases are operating from feeling rather than rationality, just like liberals do. No wonder you're a Rudy fan: His BS makes you "feel" safe, even if he's cutting the legs out from under the long-term foundations of real security.

[Peach]

Sure. According to the disgruntled bleacher seat occupants on this forum, a lot of social conservatives stayed home in November. So there's no way that anybody in the GOP is going to depend on your vote or court your vote. Those days are over, imo.

[Calpernia]

bttt