Posted on 10/28/2007 8:37:21 AM PDT by Sadecki
Jerry Ford wasn't sure Hillary Clinton could be elected President, but he was absolutely certain which Republican had the strongest shot at stopping her: Rudy Giuliani.
"That would be a great contest between Hillary and Rudy," the 92-year-old former President told a reporter in May 2006.
"I think Giuliani is an electrifying guy," he added. "He's a great speaker. He's had a good record of winning in New York City, and he can be tough."
Ford had gotten to know the former mayor at various political and corporate events over the years - both were members of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, for example - and often spoke admiringly of Giuliani's performance in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
He thought so highly of Giuliani, in fact, that when speculating in 2004 about potential replacements for Vice President Cheney in the unlikely event President Bush decided to make a change, Ford put Giuliani at the top of his list.
Officially, he remained scrupulously neutral in the 2008 GOP primary contest. A few months before his death in December 2006, however, Ford was asked by an old friend to predict who the Republican nominee would be.
He smiled and replied: "Well, if they want to win, Giuliani. He's really good, he's articulate - he's just a leader."
There is far too much focus on Hillary. I refuse to cast a vote out of fear! I will not vote a pro abort candidate, ever. If staying home is cutting my nose off, then make the blade a sharp one!
Wouldn't surprise me if he said the same thing about Dole.
Bullshit!!!!!
The only thing that nominating Rudy ,or John Mc Cain for that matter,will do is gurantee a Hillary win come November ‘08.
The anti-Rudy crowd (me included) needs to get behind just one alternative or he will win.
Romney or Thompson. A split decision will hand the nomination to Rudy.
Giuliani is the greater of two evils and would do FAR more damage to conservatism and the Republican party than Hillary Clinton.
Moving the GOP to the left, leaving the nation with no hope for conservative President until 2016 and leaving the GOP no chance of taking back Congress for a decade is far worse than four years of Hillary, which is guaranteed to spur another conservative revolution.
I am personally sick and tired of this 'lesser of two evils' crap (pardon my French).
A Rudy vs. Hillary match is this simple.
Candidate A -- Unacceptable.
Candidate B -- More unacceptable.
The operative word above is UNACCEPTABLE. No thanks on either of the above.
Why on earth would you think a man with as little character as Giuliani would do that anymore than Bill Clinton would follow through and push for a middle-class tax cut?
Giuliani has a liberal Republican who appointed liberal judges by an 8-1 ratio in New York, has praised Ruth Bader Ginsburg and who has stated a strict constructionalist could vote to uphold Roe. He is a man of no character who was alienating his kids by parading his mistress around New York. And, he has flip-flopped on at least half-a-dozen issues already.
Believing a liberal is something other than a liberal isn't going to make it true.
I am not talking about Conservatism as Rudy is not Conservative. I am talking about if he wins the primary and is the Republican Candidate. We will not be voting for Rudy in the Primary. I am talking about the damage that will be done to the country if Hitlery gets into office, she is a Marxist.
Candidate B -- More unacceptable
The operative word above is UNACCEPTABLE. No thanks on either of the above.
That is how we felt when dubya's father ran for his second term so we did not vote. Lots of us did not vote or voted for the third party candidate and that is how we got Bill Clinton.
I have often wondered if Perot ran in order to guarantee that Bill Clinton would win.
So, it would be to either elect Rudy or sit home and allow Hillary to win. It is your choice.
I will vote for neither. Hillary is a Marxist, and Giuliani is an authoritarian, big government, big brother liberal bully.
No way I would EVER vote for either.
As I said, it is your choice.
No way I would EVER vote for Giuliani. It's a lose-lose scenario.
Well since this forum is of conservatives, by conservatives and for conservatives, and is NOT a Republican forum, why are you here?
Well that is the plan, should Rudy be the nominee. Thanks for your support.
True enough -- he and Bob Michel, Bob Dole, and Howard Baker of Tennessee embodied the Republicanism of that day: Happy to place second.
That all said, Gerry Ford on the worst day of his life displayed decency and character that Bill Clinton could never scratch with a rasp-cut file.
As if his opinion matters anymore.
No, the damage they do is to deprive conservative ideas of their (only) natural forum and give the media Democrats (but I repeat myself) the opportunity to say that conservative ideas have failed and been rejected by their own sponsors, and that the country has "outgrown" its founding principles.
I heard Rocky went out with a smile on his face.
Happy was not too happy, though.
Yep, that's just what we need, more stinking liberal republicans.
Say goodbye to family values.
I'd just as soon have Slick Willy back.
Try looking at the FR Poll results.
After all, he easily defeated Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Errr...ummm...
If Giuliani is the nominee, there will be a significant third party candidacy, and Hillary will win easily.
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