Posted on 10/20/2007 10:17:13 AM PDT by mdittmar
Giuliani Tries to Reassure Religious Conservatives Worried About His Front-Runner Status
Rudy Giuliani told religious conservatives Saturday they should neither fear him for his stand on issues such as abortion nor expect he would change purely for political advantage.
The Republican presidential candidate cast himself as an imperfect man who has sought guidance through prayer.
In a 40-minute speech received with polite applause, the former New York mayor tried to reach out to social conservatives. He said they share common ground and he invoked, as he often does, Ronald Reagan's admonition that "my 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy."
"My belief in God and reliance on his guidance is at the core of who I am, I can assure you of that," Giuliani said. "But isn't it better for me to tell you what I believe rather than change my positions to fit the prevailing wind?"
It was among his better received lines.
Giuliani supports abortion rights and has moderate views on immigration and gay rights.
If elected president, Giuliani said he would work toward increasing adoptions and reducing abortions. "People of good conscience reach different conclusions about whether abortions should be legal in certain circumstances," he said in his remarks.
"We may not always agree," he said. "I don't always agree with myself. But I will give you reason to trust me."
His front-runner status in the crowded GOP 2008 field has dismayed some social conservative leaders.
Some even have contemplated mounting a third-party candidacy if Giuliani is the Republican nominee, though others have said such a step could guarantee a Democratic victory.
Giuliani has courted evangelicals and other religious conservatives by portraying himself as a strong leader who will confront terrorism with the same vigor he showed in tackling crime and decay in New York.
He pledged to appoint federal judges in the mold of conservatives such as the current Supreme Court chief justice, John Roberts, and justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Giuliani rejected the idea of a U.S. pullout from Iraq, said Iran should be denied the chance to become a nuclear power and proclaimed Israel a "faithful ally" of the United States.While acknowledging differences with his audience, he repeatedly invoked his faith. He expressed support for social conservative touchstones such as school choice and made clear his opposition to the removal of religious icons and phrases from public places or public discourse.
He pointed to his mayoral administration's success in driving pornography out of New York's Times Square and his attempt to cut off money to the Brooklyn Museum of Art for displaying a painting of the Virgin Mary on a canvas spattered with elephant dung.
Giuliani was among the last of the White House hopefuls making their pitches this weekend to a few thousand "values voters" at a summit sponsored by the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy group.
My best assurance would come when he drops out of the race.
I fear him because he will raise taxes, increase governmental programs, surely break his wedding vows a few more times, and generally, not be trustworthy.
Other than that, and the stated items in the story that people are concerned with, he’s an okay dude.
But I would vote for him over Hillary.
I am assured I won’t vote for him.
>> Giuliani said. “But isn’t it better for me to tell you what I believe rather than change my positions to fit the prevailing wind?”
Mr. Giuliani, you have already SHOWN us what you believe. It’s a little late to TELL us what you think we want to hear.
WTH??? "I don't always agree with myself"???? How could I ever trust a man that lies so much - that he doesn't even agree with himself anymore?
Is he a schizophrenic - or split personality - or what?
Not to worry. Rudy and his apologists have promised us that if he is elected,,,,
once in office, he WILL abandon his long-held, core, bedrock, liberal beliefs! /s
That's an easy one to explain. A liberal like Rudy 'feels strongly BOTH WAYS' on most issues--depending upon, of course, who he is talking to at the time...lol
A person without morals will hurt this great country!
“I am assured I won’t vote for him.”
You took the words right out of my mouth.
He is not dropping out. Unless the conservatives unite around a single candidate instead of bickering and squabbling while insisting on perfection then Giuliani will become the nominee by default. The conservatives are splintered.
Sounds like Gary Condit, back in the pre-9/11 days.
If Guiliani was conservative on every issue, but he supported slavery, would people support him? “It’s just one issue.” Even if he said “Well I don’t own any myself, but I support the right of others to.” Would it make it better?
So why is slavery (rightly) bad, but killing children okay?
Oh yeah. I just had a scary mental image of Rudy carrying on a conversation with himself by talking out of both sides of his mouth.
I'm sure that Rooty is conservative enough. After W and Arnold, what ever would we have to fear?
< /sarc>
AMEN!!! We had better start getting very realistic and lining up behind ONE candidate that can win. It's looking like that is going to have to be Romney or Thompson. I love Duncan Hunter, but we conservatives had better start picking who we can live with, rather than who we think is the best. A vote for a lower tier candidate in the primary is a vote that will help Rudy! to be the frontrunner when it is all said & done.
We need to start compromising so that we don't have that nightmare scenario of having to vote for Rudy! or Hillary!
Probably the dumbest thing to say on the campaign trail since "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."
I'm shocked he said this.
This is the kind of revisionist crap that I would expect to hear from a Giuliani sycophant who had no idea what the facts were about this specific point.
The simple fact is that Rudy Giuliani can't point to anything that his administration did to "drive pornography out of Times Square."
So, God's guidance led Rudy to support the practice of abortion, to champion "gay marriage" and to believe that the people should possess no effective means of self-defense?
Tsk, tsk... Rudy, you've been listening to the fellow who runs the *other* establishment.
Go away Rooty. You, alone will have to bear the responsibility for Hillary. Get out of our party now. You are part of what is wrong with the USA.
Rooty is out for power and Rooty. Get Lost, you Phoney.
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