Posted on 01/22/2008 4:51:53 AM PST by StatenIsland
Rudy Giuliani may have made a great mistake by not campaigning in New Hampshire, Nevada, Iowa and South Carolina. But between Rudy Giuliani (and, for that matter, Mitt Romney) on the one hand and John McCain on the other, there is little question as to who more embodies mainstream conservative and Republican principles.
But Giuliani is not merely more of a conservative than John McCain. In fact, if it is Ronald Reagan that Republicans want, Giuliani is extraordinarily close to that venerated man. Ronald Reagan stood for two great beliefs: that big government is a big problem for a free society and that America must be militarily strong and lead the war against global communism.
Substitute "global jihadism" for "global communism" and you have Rudy Giuliani's twin pillars. His one major weakness in appealing to all conservatives is that he is for abortion rights. Let me, then, briefly address all those who, like me, consider nearly all abortions immoral.
Ronald Reagan was pro-life, and it mattered little to the pro-life cause. Concerning abortion, what matters most in a president is the type of judges he appoints to the Supreme Court. As George Will wrote on behalf of Giuliani, "The way to change abortion law is to change courts by means of judicial nominations of the sort Giuliani promises to make." It is extremely unlikely that John McCain would appoint similarly conservative judges. After all, why would he appoint judges like Scalia and Alito who apparently differ with him on the constitutionality of McCain's own "campaign finance reform" laws?
Pro-life Republicans need to ask themselves: Will a Democrat or Giuliani as president render abortion less common in America? The best is the enemy of the better. And Giuliani is far better on abortion than any Democratic nominee.
Giuliani is for school vouchers, against bilingual education, for reducing taxes further, for reducing government spending. And he has well-thought-out positions on how to achieve these things. He also has the experience of cleaning up the most liberal major city in America.
I write this column aware that Giuliani may have lost his chance at getting the Republican nomination. But I could not live with my conscience if I did not articulate one week before the potentially decisive Florida primary why I believe Rudy Giuliani would make an excellent president of the United States.
You need to review the possible outcome of a brokered convention.
You can’t get more liberal than McCain or Huckabee.
Throw Giuliani and Romney in there, too and that is exactly my point: as conservatives, we have nothing to lose in a brokered convention. It is hard to imagine how a brokered convention could settle on someone worse than any of these four.
‘as conservatives, we have nothing to lose in a brokered convention.’
Couldn’t disagree more. The MSM would have a great deal of fun for the next ten months or so pronouncing Conservatism dead, along with ‘Republican Party is so fractured they cannot lead’.
Think it through to its inevitable conclusion in November.
“Please do not shoot the messenger.”
If rudy is in office, we might have to stone you instead as he would take all our guns.
“If rudy is in office, we might have to stone you instead as he would take all our guns.”
LOL, pretty tall order - even for a sitting President. The right to bear arms is the constitutional law of the land - and even a limited restriction, on a local level, is difficult.
I agree, though, shouldn’t be any. Just not a deal-breaker for me.
The MSM doesn't have to, you already have in one of your earlier posts. How could they pronounce it dead, if the brokered convention were to produce some one more conservative than the candidates in the primaries?
Republican Party is so fractured they cannot lead.
It's not? I have never seen the Republican Party so divided, nor its base so demoralized. The only thing that excites the base is the opportunity to keep Hillary or Obama out of the White House. When the general election campaign begins and the Democrat candidate makes his or her inevitable move towards the center of the political spectrum, this strong opposition will wane.
Think it through to its inevitable conclusion in November.
The deck is stacked against the Republican Party this November in any event. If we are counting on hatred of Hillary to carry our candidate through, the Republicans are doomed to lose.
‘The MSM doesn’t have to, you already have in one of your earlier posts.’
100% FALSE. Where on earth did you come up with this notion? I’ve never once said anything remotely close to ‘Conservatism is Dead’.
I’ve noted the reality that Conservatives are a Minority viewpoint politically, among the general population and the GOP.
But that was also true in 1980, 1984. If it wasn’t, ‘Reagan Democrats’ wouldn’t have been vital back then.
I look at the Republican nominees left (my guy Hunter is out) and of those left I see my senator from AZ (whom I did NOT vote for reelection his last time out), a liberal from MASS who couldn’t get the BIG DIG costs out from under the taxpayers backs, another guy from Arkansas, a loon from Texas, and a socially liberal former mayor of the biggest city in America. One who took a bad city and turned it around, one who poked his finger into the eye of an Arab Sheik for dissing America, and also kicked out one of the bigger terrorists allowed to walk on American soil. Rudy doesn’t have a pretty slate, but I’ll back him because he’s got the stuff to stand up for America like none of the other candidates have. Our military needs someone who won’t backed down to the Saudis, the Hamas, the Iranians who ARE THE MOST important threat to AMERICA today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Dennis Prager is just another degenerate poof who has fallen in love with a pervert.
I agree, but don’t be surprised if many on FreeRepublic refuse to admit their mistake, after the jihad they waged against Rudy supporters.
None are "conservatives", nor can a logical case be made to sway conservative support to their side.
Capitulate and move Leftward if you want to. Don't expect the rest of us to blindly follow along in your bovine shuffle towards socialism.
You sound like you have already moved leftward, you sound like a Huckster supporter.
Which was the basis of my statement.
But that was also true in 1980, 1984. If it wasn’t, ‘Reagan Democrats’ wouldn’t have been vital back then.
Maybe 1980 but by 1984 and definitely by the late 1980s, liberal was a bad word and only people like Ted Kennedy and Tip O'Neil claimed it. "Reagan Democrats" were important not because conservatism was a minority in the GOP but because the Republicans were a minority. Without cross-over Democrat or independent votes, the Republicans couldn't win a national election.
There are no "conservatives" left in the race. Paul has a snowballs chance. Huck at least is nominally pro-RKBA, this puts him above the rest of the remaining pack in my estimation. He is about as far as I'm willing to "capitulate".
Rooting for Rudy makes as much sense as trying to make a "conservative" case for supporting Hillary.
I’ve noted the reality that Conservatives are a Minority viewpoint politically
Which was the basis of my statement.
Its still 100% false. I never said ‘Conservativism is Dead’.
I noted the obvious we tend to forget in a Conservative forum like FR.
We’re a minority. A very influential - perhaps the most influential - minority in the political spectrum.
Always have been. Always will be. If Reagan couldln’t make Conservatives ‘THE’ political posture of choice...well, there isn’t anybody alive today that could do it.
Damn sure aren’t any in this particular race.
The best thing that I can say for Rudy is that, what you see and hear is what you get. He doesn’t try to obfuscate his record or his current positions, and I like his suggestions on immigration.
I grew up in a Hell fire and brimstone church and I even went to a church related college, where Religion 101 was a required course. Guess what I learned? I learned that the ministers don’t believe what they preach, that they preach the message that the congregation want to hear. That was the explanation from my home minister, who was also the head of the church seminary. That’s what I am hearing when I listen to the Huckster, too.
With Fred out, I now go to my second choice - Rudy.
Then you haven't been paying attention.
As for Huck, he's about as far as I can go in "holding my nose" and voting for a candidate. His religionism scares the bejeebus out of me. His leftist stance on economic issues and his prevarication on his tax stances makes me shudder...
But who else is there? McInsane? Willard? Your liberal NY mayor?
None of the above are acceptable.
The Huckster is as bad as McCain, and it is not just his religiosity, it is his lying.
Did you know that the Huckster signed a bill that made it illegal to smoke in your own car if you had a child in the car?
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