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Sorry, overall, Giuliani is too far left [not a fiscal conservative either]
Newsday ^ | April 23, 2007 | Raymond J. Keating

Posted on 04/23/2007 2:17:05 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182

Judging by the cranky feedback, supporters of Rudy Giuliani's bid for the Republican presidential nomination did not like my column last week. To sum up, I argued that Giuliani was pro-abortion and therefore did not deserve support from conservatives.

Rudy backers offered three comebacks. Some simply chose to ignore his shameful pro-abortion record. Others proclaimed that abortion was just one issue and Rudy is a conservative on most others, especially fiscal issues. Finally, another group decided that his policy positions really don't matter because Rudy is the only guy who can beat Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Since we dealt with Giuliani's sordid abortion background last week, let's move on to the other two responses. Is Rudy a conservative on most other issues? Based on his record, he is, at best, a mixed bag.

He does deserve a conservative thumbs-up in a few areas. Obviously, crime in New York City declined by big numbers while he was mayor from 1994 to 2001, due, in part, to policing changes during his administration. Mayor Giuliani also frequently spoke about school choice. While not investing any real political capital, his stance took courage as mayor of the big-union Big Apple.

For good measure, Giuliani put together a deal to privatize the city's bloated, patronage-ridden Off-Track Betting Corp., but his successor dropped the ball....."

(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: fiscalliberal; giuliani; guiliani2008; keating; rudy; rudy2008; sickofrudy; stoprudy2008; verysickofrudy; veryverysickofrudy; voterudy
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To: Anti-Bubba182

The bottom line is Rudy would take the fight to the democrats, something the wussies in the rest of the POTUS field couldn’t and wouldn’t


21 posted on 04/23/2007 4:18:14 AM PDT by tkathy
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To: NapkinUser
Giuliani is another Christie Todd Whitman, another Olympia Snowe.

Rudy is another empty-dress Republican.

22 posted on 04/23/2007 4:24:10 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside (Rudy is Hillary Clinton in a dress)
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To: Jim Robinson
With a liberal Giuliani leading the GOP ticket, conservative turnout could be quite low, making it easier for Clinton to win the White House.

Hear, hear!

23 posted on 04/23/2007 4:26:34 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside (Rudy is Hillary Clinton in a dress)
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To: tkathy

Huh? You can’t be serious with such an idiotic remark.


24 posted on 04/23/2007 4:26:45 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: tkathy
The bottom line is Rudy would take the fight to the democrats

On what issues?

Name ONE national issue that Rudy has fought the Democrats on.

25 posted on 04/23/2007 4:29:44 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside (Rudy is Hillary Clinton in a dress)
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To: tkathy
The bottom line is Rudy would take the fight to the democrats

Thanks for chiming in with that completely unsubstaniated assertion.

Here's Rudy in his own words, 'taking on' Clinton:

"Most of [President] Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine" --Rudolph Giuliani, New York Post, Jun 8, 1999

Yea, that'll show 'em.

L

26 posted on 04/23/2007 4:31:13 AM PDT by Lurker (Comparing 'moderate' islam to 'extremist' islam is like comparing small pox to plague.)
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To: Jim Robinson

To be honest, I’d rather put my efforts behind Senator McCain, if it came down to it (I hope it doesn’t, but I’m preparing for the worse). Rudy’s continuously patting himself on the back for his Sept 11th “steadfastness” has creeped me out. If he was a little more humble about that tragic day, we all would be much better off. My hope is for Duncan Hunter to surge in the American consciousness, but I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. for now, until the republican nomination or something changes, D. Hunter is my choice.


27 posted on 04/23/2007 4:33:22 AM PDT by corlorde (New Hampshire)
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To: Jim Robinson
In 1994, Giuliani endorsed Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, for re-election against then-challenger George Pataki, the Republican.

I had forgotten about this. It was an incredible piece of political disloyalty, even though in practice, Pataki was not much less liberal than Cuomo. I was living in NYC at the time and having Rudy do this was pretty stunning.

He was good on some things - crime, obviously - but I never considered him a conservative in any way. He's kind of a political opportunist, and he does whatever he thinks will benefit him most; he's used to dealing with the ravingly liberal New York, so he assumes that being liberal is of most benefit to him. Fundamentally, I don't think he has any principles, and he's not trustworthy.

28 posted on 04/23/2007 4:34:53 AM PDT by livius
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To: tkathy
The bottom line is Rudy would take the fight to the democrats, something the wussies in the rest of the POTUS field couldn’t and wouldn’t

I have heard this comment before. What basis can you make a remark like that? How do you know that others would not take the fight to the Democrats?

If you really believe that the Democrats and the MSM are just going to give Rudy a pass, you have to be terribly naive or else clouded from reality from too much Rudy spin.

Now if we want to talk wussies, I cannot remember any other candidate in a dress and pantyhose. Even Hillary wears trousers.

29 posted on 04/23/2007 4:40:14 AM PDT by dforest (Fighting the new liberal Conservatism. The Left foot in the GOP door.)
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To: tkathy

When Rudy was in office, he endlessly attacked the MSM, endless took the battle to the democrats, was able to “frame the issues” and get out in front of the issues, much like Clinton and Reagan did so successfully. they made their opponents look bad while still staying likeable. The entire current Republican leadership is totally unable to capitalize on the fact that they are in the right but the democrats are demonizing them successfully and endlessly.


30 posted on 04/23/2007 4:45:38 AM PDT by tkathy
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To: tkathy
In 1994, Giuliani endorsed Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, for re-election against then-challenger George Pataki, the Republican.

Boy, that's really taking the fight to the Democrats! Wow!

31 posted on 04/23/2007 4:47:53 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside (Rudy is Hillary Clinton in a dress)
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To: tkathy; pissant; Antoninus; dirtboy; dmw; Spiff; narses; wagglebee

That’s pretty much the only thing left now that he can lay claim to.

But alas, considering his constant flip-flopping in recent weeks, his support for Mario Cuomo over Pataki, and his buddy-buddiness with Bill Clinton, I wouldn’t trust him to be a fighter all of the time.


32 posted on 04/23/2007 4:49:14 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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To: tkathy
Besides. I think my guy - Duncan Hunter - would have plenty of fight for the Democrats. Calling a 75th Army Ranger and 173rd Airborne soldier a wussie? Psshaw.

"The Democrats’ bumper-sticker plan is simply to deploy to the rear and retreat. To attack what is happening in Iraq is easy, to defend it takes more time."

33 posted on 04/23/2007 4:52:02 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (Why vote for Duncan Hunter in 2008? Look at my profile.)
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To: tkathy

Please name the issues where Rudy “endlessly took the battle to the democrats.”

(Since the list must be endless, please limit your response to only ten.)


34 posted on 04/23/2007 4:53:06 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside (Rudy is Hillary Clinton in a dress)
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To: tkathy
The bottom line is Rudy would take the fight to the democrats, something the wussies in the rest of the POTUS field couldn’t and wouldn’t

So Hunter's military service and his subsequent pro-military & border security record is chopped liver, right?

Give me a break. All of the GOP candidates support the WOT and would be just as effective or even more so than Rudy.

35 posted on 04/23/2007 4:57:12 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Ben Franklin, we tried but we couldn't keep it.)
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To: tkathy
The bottom line is Rudy would take the fight to the democrats

What fight? He's to the LEFT of many of them.

36 posted on 04/23/2007 4:58:00 AM PDT by kevkrom (A vote for Guiliani is a vote to kill conservatism.)
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To: Mr. Brightside
Name ONE national issue that Rudy has fought the Democrats on

He did cross the Hudson River with a platoon of NYC cops to battle the squeegee men on Christmas Day. ROFL

37 posted on 04/23/2007 4:58:30 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Ben Franklin, we tried but we couldn't keep it.)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

But did he stay in a Holiday Inn Express?


38 posted on 04/23/2007 5:00:36 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside (Rudy is Hillary Clinton in a dress)
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To: Anti-Bubba182
One other thing to consider... despite all of the concern over the idea that Clinton would try to use some kind of "emergency" to stay in office after January 20, 2001, those fears wound up being unfounded.

But Guiliani did try to illegally extend his term after 9/11.

39 posted on 04/23/2007 5:00:51 AM PDT by kevkrom (A vote for Guiliani is a vote to kill conservatism.)
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To: tkathy

LOL! You’re fighting an uphill battle.

I’m a Rudy fan, too. But to admit such on FR these days is equivalent to calling Cindy Shehan a hero. The anti-Rudy campaign is in full swing and ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WILL BE FLAMED INTO SUBMISSION!

They think they represent the majority because they hijack every Rudy thread and abuse anyone who has the temerity to speak up.

Here in the deep South, most conservatives I know love Rudy and will vote for him. I think most of us are calculating, too, that Rudy will appeal to enough independents to offset the loss of votes from people like those on these boards who think ONLY THEY represent true conservatives. They have a rude awakening coming in ‘08 when they realize the GOP doesn’t need them as much as they think.


40 posted on 04/23/2007 5:01:54 AM PDT by Timeout (I hate MediaCrats! ......and trial lawyers.)
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