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."
then you better start allowing the Executive to send in the guard to clear out some of these agencies. The bureaucrats laugh in the face of elected officialdom. They know those guys come and go.
Rino opines, so what. NEXT!
Rudy will get his as kicked so far up around his ears he’ll look like a skinny dumbo. Only an idiot couldn’t see what that ticket would yield. We have no change in the NE anyway. Why bother.
change=chance
and “clean” also. Biden
McCain could be the one if events play out like I think they may. I know McCain but events are going to overcome the presidential race if this nuclear proliferation deal keeps getting hotter. The strike on Syria could get big and other strikes could come. It may be a perfect spot for an old curmungeon but undoubtable American like John McCain to rise again. Just saying.
Not only that Dan, is that conservatives aren't going to volunteer for Rudy's campaign in the general, like hand out flyers and man the phone lines like they did for Bush in 2000 and 2004. The conservative blogs won't lift a finger to help Rudy when the MSM/Hillary unleash their hit pieces on Rudy. If Rudy's nominated, there will be a 3rd party, the RNC will face drastically decreased donations and Pubbie candidates in Congressional, state, and local races will get their asses kicked.
Rudy's nominated = 3rd party
No, he isn’t.
Hogwash. He saw that he was losing in the NY Senate race so the spineless loser backed out. Hillary and Rudy are the two most divisive charachters in the race. If he wins the primary, we all lose.
Some things are just self evident.
Hope you all have as much fun with Hillary winning the white house as you did voting for Fred.
John
Nominate Giuliani and I stay home on election day.
The Republican party deserves to lose so that they will learn from defeat and next time nominate someone who will stand up for true conservative principles.
Oh, I think chemo-therapy might have had a little to do with it.
Didn’t feel much like racing around the state when I went through mine. :-)
“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.”
Ford lost to CARTER FGS! Why would anyone listen to this RINO?
Illogical... you are begging the question.
Anyone who thinks Mrs. Clinton is the be all, end all of the '08 election has already conceded defeat.
But it is a practical and political reality.
No it is not; it is an impractical stupidity. He couldn't (or wouldn't) beat her in a senate election.
I’m always amused, in a sad and ironic sort of way, by the spectacle of the compromisers blaming the results of their compromises on those who would not compromise.
Bush is pro-life and pro-2nd Amendment though, and during the 2000 campaign, he was talking about local control of education and reining in spending. Conservatives didn't know that he'd disappoint us on spending and the borders.
Whether it is fair or not, the 2006 loss of Congress is being blamed on the Conservatives in the party -- that they had 12 years to further conservative ideals and instead through pork, scandal of all stripes, and a huge expansion of government, seemingly morphed overnight into democrats.
So electing more moderates is the answer? ROFL
And the fact that republican moderates like Romney and Rudy are leading the pack, is not so much a refection on the GOP losing it's soul as it is a reflection of the punishment being meted out to the conservative movement within the party that dropped the ball
Nice twisted logic there. So conservatives are being "punished" because of the fault of elected Republicans who became RINOs and now the only solution is to elect more RINOs because of the perception that Republicans lost was because of conservatism. Ohhhhkay.
By liberals who stymied any chance of anything nominally "conservative" coming out of Congress... double talking RINOs...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.