Posted on 05/23/2007 4:24:09 PM PDT by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Rudy Giuliani knows his pro-abortion views don't go over well with a Republican Party whose membership is largely pro-life. He's tried to deflect criticism in recent weeks by saying he "hates" abortion -- reminiscent of the attempts other candidates have made to highlight their personal opposition to abortion.
"I hate abortion," the ex-New York City mayor has said repeatedly, then adding, "people ultimately have to make that choice. If a woman chooses that, that's her choice, not mine. That's her morality, not mine."
Yet, the "personally opposed but" position that emphasizes an opposition to abortion but a failure to do anything in public policy to stop it has never gone over well with the pro-life movement.
In fact, most pro-life advocates see it as a slap in the face that a candidate for public office seemingly would share their view that destroying the lives of babies before birth is mortifying but do nothing about it.
That's the observation of Washington Post opinion columnist Michael Gerson as well and he suggests the former mayor stop using the phrase "I hate abortion" in his stump speech and debate responses.
"But the question naturally arises: Why does Giuliani 'hate' abortion?" Gerson writes. "No one feels moral outrage about an appendectomy. Clearly he is implying his support for the ... belief that an innocent life is being taken. And here the problems begin."
"How can the violation of a fundamental human right be viewed as a private matter?" Gerson says.
"Giuliani has chosen an option that is not an option -- a belief that unborn life deserves our sympathy but does not deserve rights or justice. This view is likely to dog him in the primary process, not only because it is pro-choice but because it is incoherent," he concludes.
Other political observers agree, such as David Brody, the CBN News senior political reporter who frequently blogs on pro-life issues.
"Maybe Giuliani's "I hate abortion" line should go. Tear it up. Take it out of the stump speech," he said, agreeing with Gerson. "I'm not sure it does him any favors. He hates abortion. OK. Who likes it? To say you hate abortion BUT... doesn't play well with the pro-life crowd."
"The bottom line is that the abortion issue will continue to be a problem for him," Brody says.
He said the only way Giuliani can get past the abortion issue is if a major act of terrorism happens again in our nation and the respected 9-11 leader can get the country focused back on his record on national security issues.
“I admire you Rudybots; I really do.”
Wagglebee is on my “STOP RUDY 2008” ping list. Wagglebee is no Rudymite.
I really would love someone to keep pressing Rudy. Rudy, why do you HATE abortion? Why? I would hope that person wouldn’t settle until Rudy finally admitted that abortion kills another living being. If you don’t believe abortion kills another living being, than there is no reason to HATE it. Once he admits that, he’ll be toast. The pro-choice voters will want nothing to do with him. He exposed abortion for what it is. The pro-life voters will want nothing to do with him because how can one possibly know abortion kills another living being and still want it legal?
Read my entire post and you'll find my admiration is for their faithfulness; not for the candidate.
And, again, and finally, I don't know wagglebee from Adam, so I have no preconceived notion of his allegiances. Nor should I be expected to. It's touching that all of you stand up for him, but don't expect someone who has never run into him on FR (to my knowledge) to know his beliefs.
We're all on the same page regarding abortion. And, yes, I too believe the two major issues are WOT and abortion (lumping immigration under the WOT umbrella). What I took issue with was a statment in an article by someone I'd never heard before, that came across as implying Rudy should back-burner the abortion issue in favor of the WOT issue.
Oh, and as for you being Paris Hilton's roommate, are you confessing a predilection?
Agreed. BTW, that wasn't my comment. I was commenting on 'that' remark.
“..It’s because of all the embarrassing questions he gets asked about it.”
Good point.
I guess you consider it polite to talk openly about another FReeper without having the courtesy to ping them?
But, I'm interested. Why are 3500+ abortion deaths EVERY DAY unimportant to you? Also, what does Roody have to do with a strong defense? We still haven't been shown any correlation between national security and electing a liberal.
Rudy Giuliani represents the extreme side of the country-club wing of the Republican Party, the ones who roll their eyes whenever the word 'abortion' comes up. They hope that the rest of us will 'get over it' someday, and see that free and easy abortion means less welfare payments, and thus less taxes.
2008 is the year we finally dump those losers, who can go vote for Bloomberg's third party candidacy. Then, Fred Thompson will owe their fat asses nothing.
I seem to remember one of them explaining how we have had our "foot on the neck of the GOP" for too long and things were going to be different now.
Rudy would be HORRIBLE on fighting the WOT, because he is for ILLEGAL immigration.
Border security = National security
Just to back up my last post:
“Pro-Illegal Immigration
As Tom Bevan of RealClearPolitics has pointed out, Rudy is an adherent of the same approach to illegal immigration that John McCain, Ted Kennedy, George Bush, and Harry Reid have championed:
“While McCain has taken heat for his support of comprehensive immigration reform, Rudy is every bit as pro-immigration as McCain - if not more so. On the O’Reilly Factor last week Giuliani argued for a “practical approach” to immigration and cited his efforts as Mayor of New York City to “regularize” illegal immigrants by providing them with access to city services like public education to “make their lives reasonable.” Giuliani did say that “a tremendous amount of money should be put into the physical security” needed to stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the border, but his overall position on immigration is essentially indistinguishable from McCain’s.”
That’s bad enough. But, as Michelle Malkin has revealed, under Giuliani, New York was an illegal alien sanctuary and “America’s Mayor” actually sued the federal government in an effort to keep New York City employees from having to cooperate with the INS:
“When Congress enacted immigration reform laws that forbade local governments from barring employees from cooperating with the INS, Mayor Rudy Giuliani filed suit against the feds in 1997. He was rebuffed by two lower courts, which ruled that the sanctuary order amounted to special treatment for illegal aliens and were nothing more than an unlawful effort to flaunt federal enforcement efforts against illegal aliens. In January 2000, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal, but Giuliani vowed to ignore the law.”
If you agree with the way that Nancy Pelosi and Company deal with illegal immigration, then you’ll find the way that Rudy Giuliani tackles the issue to be right down your alley.”
excerpt: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16762
When the Islamists kill ~40 million Americans, then terrorism will be in the same league of importance as abortion.
Actually, it should have been two paragraphs, not simply two separate sentences.
I don't know where you got the idea I am pro-abortion. National defense/security is not mutually exclusive from being pro-life. I have my priorities in different order. I believe national defense should be priority 1. If this nation should have a radical change in "nature" (better word may be suggested), everything else would be irrelevant.
Mayor Giuliani's stand on continuing the War on Terror is well-known. I personally believe the movie "Silent Scream" should be as much a part of a school curriculum as Black History Month or Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
I believe any doctor who performs an abortion should live in fear that he/she too might come to an untimely, unrequested end.
Is it any wonder young women are tossing newborns into trash cans and going back to dance at the prom? What message has been sent when a human embryo is referred to as a choice?
You and I are on the same side of the issue. Don't misunderstand my position based upon my priorities.
And, with the exception of the idiotic Ron Paul, EVERY OTHER GOP CANDIDATE HAS THE SAME POSTION AND THEY ARE ACTUALLY CONSERVATIVES.
Very true!
More Americans have been killed in abortuaries THIS WEEK than died on 9/11 and in Iraq and Afghanistan. 3500 infants are slaughtered EVERY SINGLE DAY and this has been going on for a third of a century. This is not a "second tier" issue.
And if you don’t believe the islamo-fascists salivate at the thought of killing 3500 x 100 everyday, you need a reality check!
Absolutely. But when you have one group of terrorists slaughtering that many in the present, and one group that merely wants to do so but shows no ability to do so, it’d be foolish to worry about the latter more than the former.
“I hate abortion,” the ex-New York City mayor has said repeatedly, then adding, “people ultimately have to make that choice. If a woman chooses that, that’s her choice, not mine. That’s her morality, not mine.”
Clearly, Rudy Guliani is a moral relativist.
That can all change in a blink of an eye, as 9/11 showed us. Here's my point and obviously Mr. Robinson's, as well, IF I understand his position correctly; wagglebee claims all the R candidates are claiming they will fight the War On Terror.
Sen. McCain, obviously doesn't, based upon his comments regarding Guantanamo prisoners. He's supposed to be a serious candidate? How many reps/sens/pres candidates, find their views on abortion on the road to Washington.
I would have more respect for a Republican candidate who said "Abortion is a personal issue, etc." and didn't do the obligatory dance around. What is a Conservative going to say about a candidate that believes Roe should be overturned so it can go back the states and if state X wants to make abortion legal, that's the choice of the voters?
Given the choice between a candidate who says, "I will continue the War on Terror." and a candidate who says, "Abortion is my primary issue.". The choice will be simple. Mr. Robinson laid out a comprehensive platform for Conservatives. Quite a good one, I say.
We are debating on seriously points, while our opponents discuss fluff. How many of their voters are going to stay home on Election Day to show their reps?
NOBODY has said that abortion is their “primary” issue. And NOBODY except Ron Paul has said that they won’t fight terrorism.
YOU seem to be operating under the delusion that a president can only focus on one issue at a time. And anyone who can only do this IS NOT QUALIFIED to be president. Additionally, YOU seem willing to ignore Rudy’s liberalism based on the erroneous assumption that he is qualified to fight terrorism.
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