Posted on 10/03/2006 9:10:21 PM PDT by bnelson44
Will Americas mayor become Americas president? Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is one of the top Republican presidential contenders for 2008 and the only leading potential candidate, Democrat or Republican, that a majority of registered voters nationwide would like to see run for president. Many voters also see him as ideologically acceptable although this is fueled by 70% of Republicans who see him as politically about right. But voters divide over whether they think he will, in fact, run for president and many are not optimistic about his chances should he decide to do so.
When matched against the Democratic frontrunner, Senator Hillary Clinton, Giuliani leads by seven percentage points nationally. He receives 49% compared with 42% for Clinton. 9% of registered voters are undecided.
(Excerpt) Read more at maristpoll.marist.edu ...
He'll definitely get my vote.
Spare me. The poor guy was married to Donna "The Mouth" Hanover. He should get a medal for not killing her or himself.
For G-d's sake the man deserves a Silver Star.
The only promise I'll make is that if Rudy gets the nomination, I won't come to FR and try to down the effort. Not that Jim would allow it anyway.
NO and especially NO after what he said about Clinton's appearance with Chris Wallace.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
So you let hillary get in because rudy trys to sound presidential for media on a totally opinion issue which affects nothing of substance?????
Rudy threads are always, if nothing else, entertaining.
Whatever you say about Guli, he is the strongest candidate at the moment on the Republican side-- especially after Macaca Allen's implosion. OK, idealogically he may not be perfect on every conservative issue but he is right there on those that matter most. And what other cadidate is so powerful behind the microphone ?
I remember that too. Rural America is Republican, and the cities are NOT. Guliani , a gun control maven, has little appeal as a non family man to Republicans. He won't get past the first vote at the convention, if he runs. The red states would never let him grab them by the balls.Only a Dim populace lets politicians grab them by the balls.
I would sooner vote for former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, who has been true blue to our President in the face of criticism by men like Gulliani.
Hear, hear!
*ROTFLMAO*
Make no mistake, I like Ed Koch, he was 'The Mayor' when I lived there...but....
you would rather have a gay president than a divorced one?
OK....
I have to agree, the Republicans over the past 12 years and especially the last 2 have been utterly spineless in the face of attacks from Liberals. George Bush has not used his bully pulpit to any effect what so ever.
By cowering and not answering back the attacks by the rats, the rats have actually convinced the majority of Americans that a big win in Iraq is actually a defeat and even though the economy is booming we are actually in a depression.
Now unless Republicans grow a spine which is highly unlikely, Americans will not vote for what they see (however rightly or wrongly) as a George Bush clone and for the most part Americans will see someone like George Allen as one.
McCain's an idiot, the press loves him because of his Maverick image they gave him, but they will turn on him and when they do, his nuttiness will come out and sayonara.
That just leaves Rudy, if he moderates his gun stance and focuses on the neglected fiscal stuff and the war on terror and immigration instead of wasting time on such silliness as internet gambling and stem cells he wins the primary easily.
Plus seeing that both the Liberals AND the Religious Right hate Rudy, he must be doing something right.
I will vote for whichever Republican is running against whichever Democrat. The only exception is McCain. There's virtually no way he'll get the nod, but if he does... I'm packing my bags and leaving the country before the election (to beat the crowds). Given the choice between McCain and Hillary (or any other Democrat), America will be doomed. Rudy's not great, but he's definitely good enough to get my vote in the general election.
I'd vote for Rudy too
Pro-abortion - He opposes banning partial birth murder.
Anti-2nd Amendment - supports gun grabbing legislation including the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapon Ban
Pro-big government - amassed unprecedented debt as Mayor of NYC
Pro-radical gay agenda
- Attended and marched in every gay pride parade in NYC while mayor (even one in 1992 that included a NAMBLA contingent of pedophile activists)
- Attends and supports many functions and fund-raisers held by radical gay organizations (even did a cross dressing act at Pride Agenda fund-raiser)
- Openly opposes Constitutional Amendment to protect tradition marriage which is supported by President Bush and the Republican Party Platform.
- Supported "domestic partner" and "civil union" bills in City Council while mayor of NYC.
- Submitted Gay "Domestic-Partner" Rights Bill to City Council giving gay and lesbian couples the same benefits reserved for married couples.
- Said, "I'm proud of it" when referring to the gay "domestic partner" bill he submitted. Said, "National Republicans can lump it if they don't like this new domestic-partners bill...I think it puts New York City ahead of other places in the country."
- Has received awards from several radical gay agenda organizations who support gay marriage for his support of their cause. Is considered a "champion" of gay "rights."
- Lived with a gay "married" couple in Manhattan when he moved out of Gracie Mansion during his second divorce.
- Said that homosexuality is "good and normal"
Pro-illegal immigration - said no one in New York City is going to assist the federal government with the enforcement of immigration law, sued Feds in 1997 to be able to ignore immigration law, lost in court, vowed to ignore law anyway
Endorses liberal Democrat candidates over Republicans - endorsed liberal Dem Mario Cuomo over Republican George Pataki in NY Governor's race
Ran for NYC Mayor in 1994 on Liberal Party ticket. Appointed Liberal Party State Chair to a Deputy Mayor position. Endorsed 3 times by the Liberal Party for his liberal views.
Holds many other liberal views...
Republican In Name Only - opposes many major planks of the GOP Platform
Some people want Republicans to ignore his liberalism on almost every issue and, as a distraction, they try to pretend that Rudy is fiscally conservative. Again, his record shows that he isn't fiscally conservative either:
According to an article in The Nation from 2002:
It's now apparent that Giuliani purchased the city's good times partially with borrowed money and left his successor, Mike Bloomberg, holding a bag of debt. New York City went from a $3 billion budget surplus in 1998 to a $4.5 billion deficit after Giuliani left office. This mismanagement of prosperity is a big part of his legacy. Giuliani left the city's finances in a mess...
Here are some things Giuliani did as Mayor that were NOT anywhere near being fiscally conservative:
New York City went from a $3 billion budget surplus in 1998 to a $4.5 billion deficit after Giuliani left office.
Added 25,000 government employees patronage hires to the city's payroll after promising to cut the work force.
Giuliani's borrowing practices increased the city's debt burden by 50 percent.
Partly because of Giuliani, New York City is now the biggest debtor in the nation outside of the federal government with $42 billion in loans outstanding.
According to the article from The Nation:
During the 1960s Giuliani was a self-described "Robert Kennedy Democrat." He identified with RFK as a liberal Catholic prosecutor. He volunteered for RFK's 1968 presidential campaign while he was a student at NYU Law School.
Giuliani also voted for George McGovern in 1972.
During the liberal 1960s, he was a liberal. But in 1975 Giuliani switched his party registration from Democrat to Independent when he got a job in Gerald Ford's Justice Department, according to his mentor Harold "Ace" Tyler.
On December 8, 1980, Giuliani changed his registration from Independent to Republican. This was one month after Ronald Reagan's election, and just as he was applying for a top job in the Justice Department.
So, to sum that up:
Liberal Democrat until 1975
Worked as volunteer for Democrat Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign.
Voted for liberal George McGovern.
Liberal Independent from 1975-1980.
Did not register as a Republican until 1980 and only AFTER Ronald Reagan was elected and because he was applying for a top job in the administration.
He's a liberal. He's not even in the same building as conservative. He's only a Republican because...and this comes from his own mother, Helen Giuliani:
"He only became a Republican after he began to get all these jobs from them. He's definitely not a conservative Republican. He thinks he is, but he isn't..."
And as John Hawkins put it in an excellent article in Human Events:
Despite all of his charisma and the wonderful leadership he showed after 9/11, Rudy Giuliani is not a Reagan Republican. To the contrary, Giuliani is another Christie Todd Whitman, another Arlen Specter, another Olympia Snowe.
He's a throwback to the "bad old days" before Reagan, when the GOP was run by moderate Country Club Republicans who considered conservatives to be extremists.
Trying to revive that failed strategy again is likely to lead to a Democratic President in 2008 and numerous setbacks for the Republican Party.
Info from Spiff
Rudy showed America on 9/11 that he could take charge and not run away from a problem, or let anyone run all over him, so even though I may disagree with him on a few things, I think he'd get the job done in a manner and with the results that I'd be happy with. Yes, Rudy would definitely get my vote.
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.