Posted on 10/20/2007 10:21:39 AM PDT by Ol' Sparky
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, walking into a political lion’s den, told the year’s largest gathering of social conservatives that he is “not always the best example of faith” but that their similarities are much greater than their differences.
“Isn’t it better that I tell you what I really believe instead of changing all my positions?” Giuliani told an audience of 2,000 at the Family Research Council's Values Voters Summit at a Washington hotel. “I believe trust is more important than 100 percent agreement.”
The audience, generally hostile to Giuliani, recognized the shot at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and laughter and a few cheers spread across the room.
The former mayor, who left the stage grinning amid applause after his 40-minute speech, went for an authenticity contrast with Romney, substituting his law and order credentials for the family values emphasis of Romney, a long-married father of five.
Giuliani paid obeisance to the group’s concerns by speaking at length about his support for school choice, home schooling, conservative judges and Israel.
All drew earnest – even enthusiastic – applause. He also gave a detailed plan for reducing abortions and increasing adoptions, the meatiest policy element of his speech.
It was the “everything but” approach – he could agree with the audience on almost everything except whether a woman should be able to choose an abortion, which he supports.
"You and I know I’m not a perfect person,” he said. “I pray for forgiveness, I pray for strength.... I feel my faith deeply, although perhaps more privately than others, because of the way I was brought up.” He said he had prayed to God at the toughest parts of his life.
“During our lives, at some time, all of us need forgiveness,” he added. “If we expect perfection from our political leaders, we’re just asking for disappointment .... We lose trust when they’re not honest with us.... I don’t always agree with myself. [Laughter] … You’ll always know where I stand.... I will continue to extend my hand to you. I hope you’ll take it.”
Giuliani showed humor, noting that he almost entered seminary: “I know that’s hard to believe.” Noting that he attended Catholic school, he said the first school he attended where a prayer wasn’t said at the beginning of the day was the New York University School of Law.
He said that on the first day, out of confusion, he made the sign of the cross. “I looked around and realized people were staring at me,” he joked.
Giuliani pointed out that as New York mayor, he reduced murder, drugs, prostitution and other vices. "I don't believe in inevitable decline," he said, adding he shares President Ronald Reagan's belief in optimism.
"You put Republican ideas into action.... We got results. Humbly, I would say, the best results anyone in that time got in government."
"We drove pornography out of Times Square and other public spaces," he said, drawing hearty applause. "The pornographers lost and they were driven out of Times Square."
Instead of pandering to the group, Giuliani held his ground.
“We’ve got to find a way to be more inclusive,” Giuliani said. “Christianity is all about inclusiveness. It’s built around the most profound act of love in human history, isn’t it? … I’m running for president of the United States because I believe I can bring us together. Strong leadership can help us find common solutions to our problems.”
Giuliani drew laughter by saying he spends as little time in Washington as possible: “I’m afraid there’s something in the air here.”
“I’m not going to pretend that I can be all things to all people,” he declared. “I’m just not like that.”
But he added, in another dig at Romney, “I’ll always be honest with you.... You will always know where I stand.”
“You have absolutely nothing to fear from me,” Giuliani went on, adding that he was puzzled by those who make him out to be some kind of liberal activist: “Just read any New York Times editorial when I was mayor of New York City.” That got a big laugh.
Giuliani was speaking to one of the most conservative audiences in American politics. During a Christian worship service from the podium an hour before Giuliani spoke, leader Ron Freeman interspersed the praise hymn “Blessed be the Name” with the hopeful wish:
“We’ve got the right Senate and the Congress!” The prayer included: “We’ve tried hard to make your agenda, our agenda.”
Politico’s Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.
You're right! Giuliani makes Dole look like Ronald Reagan!
Exactly!!!!
The best way for Hillary to get elected (with her high negatives) is to DIVIDE and SPLIT the Republican Party WIDE OPEN while demoralizing the base (by throwing the 'conservative base under the bus')--by nominating a LIBERAL.
No one does that better than Rudy!!
I base it on what happened after Carter was elected, and to a certain extent, what happened after Clinton was elected. Clinton triangulated hard, and we nominated a stab-you-in-the-back moderate in 96...but we won a lot of house, senate and state seats in the clintoon years.
An ‘in-your-face liberal’ drives the country right. If they were nominating Bill again, I’d be more worried. I don’t think Hillary has a charming bone in her body.
I also think a Rudy loss in 2008 would remind the GOP what happens when you spit on the base...and they won’t let it happen again in 2012.
Just IMHO, of course. But it explains why I might well sit out a Hillary-Rudy election cycle.
The United States isn't California.
If Hillary is elected, we’ll pick up a lot of seats in the House & Senate
No we won't. First termers always have coattails, we will have a Democrat Washington from the Hill to the White House.
have a strong candidate in 2012.
And we thought we'd win in '96 against the corrupt record of Bill Clinton, didn't happen. We won't have a strong candidate in '12 because no one worth a damn will want to lose against Hillary.
If Rudy is elected, the GOP will continue drifting - while Rudy pulls us as far left as he dares.
Rudy already is having to pull right, and he will have to continue after the election to keep the support of the base and prevent a third party candidate.
A solid conservative candidate will pull left, to broaden his base, while a centrist candidate like Giuliani will have to pander to the right.
Every candidate needs a broad base to get elected and stay there. Rudy will be forced to pull right, because he'll never get the support of the hard left, the center will be his for the taking, and the right is all that remains to be won.
I'm talking about the posters on this thread.
“”If you take out the equation of supporting evil to supposeable fight evil, you can frame the question like that.”
My statement is a question of fact. First of all I am speaking about a hypothetical match-up in the general election and am not talking about the primary. You do not have to vote for an “evil vs. evil” confrontation. however, if the nominee is not to your liking then you are faced with a choice.
What of the following facts do you disagree.
1. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee she will be facing the Republican nominee.
2. What choices do you have? They are as follows:
a. Vote for Hillary - I assume this is always a 0% chance. If it is your choice then I have nothing to say to you.
b. Vote for the Republican (or more importantly for some vote against Hillary) - My contention is that any other choice helps Hillary out.
c. Sit out the election - this in itself is a choice. conservatives who opt for this choice has the effect of diminishing the Republican vote. This by definition is a decision that helps Hillary out.
d. Vote 3rd party - Unless a groundswell of support and very unusual circumstances, this will not happen. Perot was initially a realistic possibility until he showed he was a nutcase. For 2008, a conservative alternative for 3rd party has a 0% chance and is effectively the same as electing Hillary.
I stand by my statement.
Never underestimate Hillary Clinton.
Rudy has the least chance of beating her, because he has the greatest chance of a third party candidate - which is Hillary’s strongest hope.
Yes. And many on this thread will support it, thus supporting a Hillary presidency. All the while they hold their head up high on "principle". Yeah. The principle of getting Hillary Clinton elected.
I think Rudy will assume his WOT stance (+ the anti-Hillary vote) will keep the right in line (after all, he’ll have won the primaries, right?)
He’ll reach left to take as much of the ‘center’ as he can from Hillary, and trust the right has no where else to go.
Think that way. When Hillary is elected with your help, don’t come crying to me when she shuts down talk radio and I am sure she will manage to shut down Free Republic as well.
I've seen numerous Christian institutions that chose inclusiveness over standing on principle. They're the ones who now have gay priests, Halloween parties, think "fundies" should stay out of government and generally preach a watered-down gospel of a watered-down God because identifying sin for what it is might hurt somebody's feelings.
If you close your eyes, you can hear Bill Clinton making that same speech. With about all the credibility I'd give to Rudy on the subject.
That's even true:
Who really cleaned up New York? In the early 1990s, former Mayor Dinkins put 6,000 more police officers on the street.
* The city's murder rate -- from 1990 to 1993 -- fell by 13.7 percent, robbery fell by 14.6 percent, burglary fell by 17.6 percent, and auto theft fell by 23.8 percent.
* The city's crime rate dropped in all seven FBI major-felony categories for the first time in nearly four decades at the end of the Dinkins adminstration.
* The notorious porn shops and movie houses along 42nd Street had already been shut down before Rudy took office.
* The last graffiti-covered subway car had been taken off the line in 1989, under Mayor Ed Koch who preceded Dinkins.
Apparently the Grand Ayatollah himself was going to support Newt Gingrich had he run for the White House. How would that square with his moralistic test?
Unlike you, I believe conservatism works and superior to liberalism. Thus when given the choice between Hillary Clinton's radical socialism and conservatism, voters will once again choose conservatism, just as they did in 1994 and 1980.
You point out no contradiction. I did not specify timing of the NYTimes opposition to Giuliani, and to assume any such timing was your mistake. The Times has always trashed Giuliani, and if you weren't aware of it, you must not have been paying attention.
Once again you confuse facts with trashing.
And it was a fact that Rush talked about "phony soldiers" that didn't support the war too. But taking it out of context was what made criticism of him a smear.
Giuliani had to do a lot of things and say a lot of things to be elected Mayor of New York. Cherry picking quotes from years as Mayor is a worthless exercise on it's face. I have a firm trust that anyone who is the enemy of the NYTimes is a good man to trust in the Presidency.
That's the normal approach, the Republican gets the nomination by pandering to the right, then runs to the left. But Giuliani is already in the center on many issues and won't have to run there, so he will have to do the reverse and run to the right to keep it's loyalty.
No church has to run for election every four years. A non inclusive attitude in a politician means the other guy wins.
If Hiltery is elected in 2008, there will not be any republican resurgence in 2012.
I believe you thinking is so naive it’s scary. They have learned a lot from 1994. Once they get power, they we never let it go. They will actively destroy any opposition. They will use every branch and every front group of govt to do so.
They will impose the fairness doctrine, and they will probably pass law to outlaw blogs and groups such as Free republic. You can kiss the Supreme Court goodbye and then abortion will be served up on every street corner like McDonald’s. It will be funded with your money. So much for pro life. The electoral structure will be change making it impossible for a republican ever to win again. You think the illegal problem is bad now. Just wait.
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