Posted on 08/19/2007 9:52:10 AM PDT by wagglebee
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Rudy Giuliani is testing many traditional political rules in his presidential run, perhaps in no way more than in his effort keep his personal faith and family life out of the race.
On the stump in Iowa recently and in New Hampshire last week, the former New York mayor was asked about Catholicism and his frayed relationship with his children. Both times he said, in effect, that he’d keep his private life private.
“I’ll talk about it appropriately and in a way to preserve as much as I can the privacy of my family and my children, which I think any decent person would,” he told reporters at a stop at a diner here on Friday.
Giuliani urged voters “to concentrate on the public things that I’ve accomplished” before turning fire on the media: “See how much do newspapers really have to probe into these things, or how much of it is being done really for reasons that have nothing to do with measuring public performance.”
The GOP front-runner has been the subject of detailed articles examining his wife, Judith, and his difficult relationship with his two college-age children, Andrew and Caroline.
But it’s not just family matters that Giuliani is wary of delving into. Asked about his religion, Giuliani noted that he has discussed it — but then added that “even parts of that are personal.”
His calculus is obvious. He has been married three times and cheated on his second wife. His children have publicly distanced themselves from him. If and when he attends Mass, he can’t take communion because his second marriage was not annulled. And he contradicts church teaching by backing abortion rights.
Naturally he’d rather talk about the taxes he cut as mayor.
But experts say it will be difficult for a candidate, particularly one running in a party whose base is dominated by cultural traditionalists, to ask voters to separate church and family from state. For many if not most conservatives, matters of faith and family are central to a candidate’s character.
“It is untenable,” GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said of Giuliani’s current posture. “With a third of the party, you can get away with it. The problem is the other two-thirds are the ones that control the nomination.”
“People want to get a sense what’s in that person’s heart,” said Fabrizio, who is uncommitted in the race. “Doing a good job on crime is all well and good, but if [voters] don’t have a sense as to what your moral compass is, that’s a problem.”
Pointing to a survey he recently did that showed two-thirds of Republicans believe religion “essential to living a good and moral life,” Fabrizio said, “It’s very difficult to see how you communicate what your values are without explaining what they’re based upon.”
Part of Giuliani’s problem is the precedent set by the two most recent presidents.
A Southern Baptist who could summon appropriate Scripture for any occasion, Bill Clinton was at ease in the pew or pulpit of any church and during his presidency regularly walked into his own church with Bible in hand. And though he despised having to do it, Clinton also took to national television during his 1992 campaign to admit, with his wife right next to him, that he had “caused pain" in their marriage.
President Bush has been equally open about his Christianity. Asked during the 2000 primary to name his favorite political philosopher, Bush responded without hesitation: “Christ, because he changed my heart.” He also candidly talked about the role of religion in helping him quit drinking — a decision that sustained his marriage.
Though he’s never been much for discussing his Catholicism — he chafed when asked about his Mass-going practices in a 1998 interview before confessing that he attends only “occasionally” — Giuliani hasn’t always been so hesitant about his family.
In his first run for mayor in 1989, his then-wife, Donna Hanover, narrated a syrupy campaign commercial that sought to soften the tough-guy prosecutor by showing him playing ball with his young son and giving a bottle to his newborn daughter. “And Rudy is such a great dad,” Hanover gushed.
Now, though, such matters are off-limits. “I believe that things about my personal life should be discussed personally and privately,” Giuliani told reporters in Iowa.
“Family off limits?” scoffed Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at South Carolina’s Winthrop University. “Wait till his opponents in South Carolina — where the ghost of Lee Atwater hangs over primary politics and people still remember fliers being placed on their windshields about John McCain’s ‘black child’ — start getting serious!”
But Giuliani rivals, too, have reasons to downplay personal matters this campaign cycle.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has proudly displayed his wife and five sons on the trail but has shied away from discussing his Mormonism in detail, concerned about potential backlash from evangelical voters who don’t consider the church legitimate.
Similarly, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.), who has not officially entered the race, have both had previous marriages and neither is outwardly religious.
“Mayor Giuliani is not much different than the other leading Republican contenders in their discussion of their faith,” said Bill Paxon, a former New York congressman who is advising Giuliani’s campaign. “They are all folks who have faith and have individual positions that they subscribe to, but on the other hand they’re not much interested in making that the bedrock of their presidential campaigns.”
What’s more, Paxon argued, Giuliani’s messy family life and differences with church teachings are nothing that attentive voters don’t already know about.
“None of this is a surprise to most Republican primary voters, and those are the same voters who are consistently rating Rudy Giuliani as the leading Republican contender [in polls]. And he’s getting a lot of that support from many folks who are evangelical Christians.”
But Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a Christian scholar who studies the intersection of religion and public life, said Giuliani would have to address the issue directly, ideally weaving candor and humor.
“He’s got to find a speechwriter that can put together the words and say something like, ‘I’m a Catholic. I’m not a very good one, but I’m trying to be,’” Cromartie said. “I just don’t think he can forever avoid it.”
Family matters are a bit different, Cromartie argued, especially when it comes to children. For all their frankness about themselves, both Clinton and Bush guarded their kids from public attention, he observed, and few GOP voters seemed to care that Vice President Cheney’s daughter was a lesbian —despite the best effort of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to highlight that fact during a presidential debate in 2004.
Fabrizio thinks that Giuliani’s best bet is to keep doing what he’s doing now — but with a wrinkle.
“He ought to take a lesson out of Clinton playbook in ’96,” offered Fabrizio, who, as pollster for Clinton's opponent, former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), recalls that campaign well. “He needs to find issues that are values-tinted.”
By that, he means topics that will appeal to conservative voters without veering onto subjects that Giuliani is seeking to avoid.
So, for example, whereas Clinton had the v-chip that could block children’s access to some television content, Giuliani could hammer home the need to crack down on cyberporn.
Whatever he does, Giuliani’s untraditional bid has already made the Republican contest unique. As Paxon put it after amiably defending his candidate, “This is going to be an unusual cycle.”
So, those Giuliani ducks are at it again.
“He FILED A LAWSUIT against gun makers!”
So what?
I once sued my insurance company (and won) over damages, it doesn’t mean I don’t think insurance is bad thing or should be outlawed.
The problem you gun nuts have, and can never wrap your heads around because it would require the ability to think, is that the government of NYC does not interfere with your consitutional right to bear arms. You can OWN and register guns in NYC. It just makes it difficult for you to do so.
It does this in response to the needs and wishes of the public; in other words, elected legislatures are responding to the wishes of the people who elected them!
Isn’t that how government is supposed to work, after all?
Really, I thought Jim set this up a a forum for CONSERVATIVES:
Statement by the founder of Free Republic
And Jim has also made it very clear that he DOES NOT think Rooty is a conservative:
Will FR embrace socialism to make way for Rudy Giuliani as a Republican presidential candidate?
“More ad hominem attacks I see.”
Nope, statement of fact. And the proof was in having my post removed by the Mods.
You simply can’t stand an opposing opinion and do all you can to silence it.
I wonder, do some people just wake up one morning and say to themselves, “I’ve been faking being a conservative for seven years, so I guess it’s time to commit FReepercide”?
I’m curious, do you know what ad hominem means?
BUMP
I was born and raised in NYC of the 1950`s, 60`s and 70`s, and still have family and friends I visit. Attended grade school, JHS, HS and college in the Big Apple. I grew up with people just like Rudy Giuliani. He's a contemporary liberal to his core values and beliefs. A McGovern liberal.
Rooty was a liberal mayor of a liberal city. The perfect fit. Rooty`s an opportunist and an authoritarian who has zero respect for the Constitution --- he loves big government and spending the taxpayers money --- he's an abortion advocate and a gun control activist --- he supports sanctuary for illegals and amnesty for law breakers --- he also supports special rights for homos. Rooty also believes in liberal global warming bunkum, confiscating personal property and exploiting the events of 9-11 for his political advantage. And he's a liar to boot!
Giuliani is the antithesis of Reagan conservatism.
A truly rotten individual.
I’d say pick a post...it would sure appear that way. Running through the mine field without a map...never gets too many points for bravery (lol)
Got it, you opposed the Second Amendment. It does this in response to the needs and wishes of the public; in other words, elected legislatures are responding to the wishes of the people who elected them!
Yep, Rooty ran as a liberal, liberals elected him and he promoted liberalism. Which is EXACLY what he would do as POTUS.
He’s exposed himself now, the clock is ticking.
With the FRiberals, it’s more like taking a hairdryer into the shower.
We can just call them lightning rods. lol
Some bugzappers take longer to warm up than others.
Different means...same end (lolol)
So what?
I once sued my insurance company (and won) over damages, it doesn’t mean I don’t think insurance is bad thing or should be outlawed.
The problem you gun nuts have, and can never wrap your heads around because it would require the ability to think, is that the government of NYC does not interfere with your consitutional right to bear arms. You can OWN and register guns in NYC. It just makes it difficult for you to do so.
Hey Wombat,
You are so totally out of touch with the Conservative philosophy that it's beyond my how you could have survived on Free Republic for as long as you have.
Anyone smell a hint of ozone?
Let me complete your visualization. You forgot the rusty pickup truck that has the racist bumper stickers on it too.
I think the old bugzapper got burned up from over use, hopefully someone is out getting an new industrial-strength one.
So if you're supporting that kind of life style, vote for Rootie.
I'm not and won't.
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