Posted on 04/27/2007 12:50:05 PM PDT by areafiftyone
(Raleigh, NC - AP, April 27, 2007) - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani continued his offensive against Democrats on Friday, saying his party is best qualified to deal with wars against poverty at home and terrorism abroad.
"I'll be darned if I'm going to concede that Democrats care more about poor people than we do," Giuliani said during his brief base-building trip to the home state of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
Giuliani said Democratic calls for mandatory universal health care would only exacerbate the cost of care by putting the system in the hands of bureaucrats.
Democratic candidates renewed their calls for universal health care during a debate in South Carolina on Thursday, saying that a new system would help streamline costs and cover the nation's 45 million uninsured.
"They're moving toward socialized medicine so fast, it'll make your head spin," Giuliani said of the debate, adding that private competition and limits on malpractice lawsuits could help bring down the cost of care. "When we want to cover poor people, as we should, we give them vouchers."
He also echoed that call in discussing education, saying that Democrats are unwilling to reform the nation's education system with charter schools. The former New York City mayor said he struggled to reform the schools in that city.
"We weren't really able to fundamentally reform them," Giuliani said, saying he was young and naive to think he could. "They have to be (reformed) if they are going to be a ladder out of poverty."
The combative criticisms added a new chapter to Giuliani's offensive against Democrats. He drew the ire of several Democratic leaders earlier this week when he said the country needs a Republican leader to maintain safety from terrorism.
He stood by those remarks Friday, telling a conference of North Carolina conservatives that Democratic presidential candidates, most of whom want to begin timed troop withdrawals from Iraq, are "retreating in the face of this terrorist threat."
"When, in the history of war, has a nation that decides to retreat, printed up a schedule of that retreat and handed it to its enemies?" Giuliani said.
Giuliani, who served as New York City mayor during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, praised President Bush for his response to the event. Giuliani said the United States needs to continue to fight terrorism abroad and at home with "aggressive" use of military strength, the Patriot Act and electronic surveillance and interrogation.
"(Terrorists) do not respect weakness, they take advantage of weakness," Giuliani said. "They certainly respect strength."
I am not a Rudy supporter.
But statements like that are just silly. Are you one of the ones who taught the Republicans a lesson in '06?
Great lesson.......
He is too nice of a guy to beat the media and the socialists.
John
Even if everything else about him sucks, Rudy is only one showing fighting spirit. I’ll give credit where it is due.
Howard Dean thanks you
“Serving on the front-lines against IslamoFASCISM”? Do you think Kentucky Fried is on that front line with you?
John
Well a belated welcome to FR!
“I’ll be darned if I’m going to concede that Democrats care more about poor people than we do,” Giuliani said
damn, I thought he had a 3-digit IQ....now I’m not so sure. Too funny and yet very telling :)
Look for rudees encore on SNL soon........
Amen to that, brother! I will not allow a Democrat to become Commander in Chief. Now is not the time for the "experiment" in "teaching" the Republicans a "lesson!"
Who were your non US candidates?
Not necessarily and I am a Rudy person - Fred Thompson could very well beat Rudy in the polls - IF he runs. Nothing is ground in stone until results of the primaries are all in!
For me it is not a partisan issue per se. I’m a hardliner in the sense that I am taking a very hard line on the national security / WOT. I don’t trust any of the ‘rat candidates on this issue and I trust all of the Repuublican candidates except for Ron Paul on this issue.
If it was Ron Paul against Joe Lieberman I would vote for Joe even though, to quote Ed Koch, I would disagree with Joe on every issue but one. Joe will fight; Ron Paul would not. So in that instance,. I vote “D” (God Forbid it should come to that).
I would say this to anyone wanting Rudy to lose the nomination — the candidate that beats Rudy better fight the ‘rats and their weak position on the WOT eight days a week. If Rudy is perceived as stronger on this issue than other Republicans IMHO he will win. Time is short, so Fred Thompson, for instance, has to get his butt moving and get out there making strong statements like Giuliani, McCain & Hunter have already done.
:-)
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