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Thinking Hard About Voting For Rudy Guiliani
The Bulletin ^ | Feb. 22, 2007 | Maggie Gallagher

Posted on 02/23/2007 7:05:51 PM PST by FairOpinion

I've never voted for Rudy Giuliani in my life. But I'm thinking hard about it now.

In both cases, I surprise myself.

The rest of America may know Rudy as "America's Mayor" for his ceremonial performance post-9/11, but for New Yorkers who lived through the Dinkins years, Rudy Giuliani is more than a guy who stands tall when the skyscrapers fall. By the late '90s, people were beginning to say that New York City was ungovernable: Remember the court-driven interest group spending, the disorder, the bums taking over the parks and the playgrounds and the street corners, spiraling welfare costs, the crime, the small business disaster, the high taxes, rent control, the South Bronx? New York was a disaster area, a poster child for what liberalism hath wrought.

The glittering cosmopolitan New York City we now live in, the one seemingly every college student in America dreams about moving to, is largely Rudy's gift, forged in the face of intense, daily, nasty invective from those who at the time insisted that to demand order and civility in a large city was to be a fascist.

Even Rudy's 9/11 performance tends to be misdescribed. It was not that he "stood tall" or didn't emotionally collapse. George Bush came to New York City and made graceful speeches about how we will rebuild the hole in the ground that still remains. What stood out for us in that dark time was not that the mayor of New York insisted we would triumph over this adversity, but that he didn't try to spin us about how unimaginably bad this sort of adversity was. He didn't try to soft-pedal the uncertainty, the chaos, the suffering the city was going through, and that gave us the confidence to believe that reality, terrible as it was, could in fact be faced.

I never voted for Rudy when I lived in New York City for one simple reason: abortion. I don't look for purity in politicians, just for some small pro-life reason to vote for a guy: Medicaid funding, parental notification, partial birth abortion. Throw me the slightest lifeline, otherwise I assume he just doesn't want the vote of people like me. Rudy never did. So I never gave him my vote. And of course it doesn't help now to recall the way Rudy treated his second wife, nor do I particularly want to imagine the third Mrs. Giuliani as Laura Bush's successor.

So I could have sworn, even a few months ago, that I'd never vote for Rudy Giuliani, in spite of my deep respect for his considerable achievements as mayor. So why would I even think of changing my mind? Two things: national security, and Hillary Clinton's Supreme Court appointments.

When I ask myself, who of all the candidates in both parties do I most trust to keep me and my children safe? The answer is instantaneous, deeper than the level any particular policy debate can go: Rudy Giuliani. And when I look ahead on social issues like gay marriage, the greatest threat I see is that the Supreme Court with two or more appointments from Hillary Clinton, will decide that our Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, created a national constitutional right to whatever social liberals have decided is the latest civil rights battle. It's hard to see a state that George Bush won in which Rudy Giuliani will not beat Hillary Clinton. And he will put a whole slew of new blue states into play: Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, to name just three. (The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Giuliani in a dead heat with Clinton in Connecticut.) Which puts people like me, who care very deeply about marriage and life issues, in the position of thinking hard about Rudy.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortteamrudy; clinton; democratrudy; electionpresident; elections; fraudiani; giuliani; gungrabber; hillary; homosexualagenda; judges; judiciary; partysplitter; perverts; rudy; willtapdance4votes
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To: EternalVigilance
Current FreeRepublic results:

Duncan Hunter: 67.9%
Rudy Giuliani: 23.7%

61 posted on 02/23/2007 7:43:56 PM PST by NapkinUser (Free Ramos and Compean! Disbarment for the Nifong-wannabe Johnny Sutton.)
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To: FairOpinion; Fiddlstix; cowtowney; xsmommy; TitansAFC; coton_lover; SoCalPol; talkshowamerica; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic Ping List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to all note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.

Giuliani/Clinton/Dem vs. GOP Platform Comparison
Issue
Giuliani Clinton Dem Platform GOP Platform
Abortion on Demand Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Partial Birth Abortion Supports
Opposed
NY ban
Supports Supports Opposes
Roe v. Wade Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Taxpayer Funded Abortions Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Federal Marriage Amendment Opposes Opposes Opposes
Defined at
state level
Supports
Gay Domestic Partnership/
Civil Unions
Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Openly Gay Military Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Defense of Marriage Act Opposes Opposes Opposes Supports
Amnesty for Illegal Aliens Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Special Path to Citizenship
for Illegal Aliens
Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Tough Penalties for
Employers of Illegal Aliens
Opposes Opposes Opposes Supports
Sanctuary Cities/
Ignoring Immigration Law
Supports Supports Supports Opposes
Protecting 2nd Amendment Opposes
Opposes Opposes
Supports bans
Supports
Confiscating Guns Supports
Confiscated
as mayor.
Even bragged.
Supports Supports
Supports bans
Opposes
'Assault' Weapons Ban Supports Supports Supports  
Frivolous Lawsuits
Against Gun Makers
Supports
Filed One
Himself
Supports   Opposes
Gun Registration/Licenses Supports Supports   Opposes
War in Afghanistan Supports Supports
Voted for it
Supports Supports
War in Iraq Supports Supports
Voted for it
Supports
Weak support
Supports
Patriot Act Supports Supports
Voted for it
2001 & 2006
Opposes Supports
"Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine." - Rudy Giuliani

Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do and how you do it.
Rudy Giuliani

We don't have to accept liberal Rudy. There are other options. This fellow may be the best one:







"How can I help?"

Get informed: Duncan Hunter on the Issues

Sign up: Freepmail me to join the Duncan Hunter Pinglist

Or Freepmail seanmerc to join the Veterans for Hunter Pinglist

Put your money where your values are: Contribute to Duncan Hunter's Presidential Campaign

Help spread the word: Purchase "Hunter for President" items. Proceeds go to the Hunter campaign.

62 posted on 02/23/2007 7:44:37 PM PST by narses ("Freedom is about authority." - Rudolph Giuliani)
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To: FairOpinion

We will vote for RFudy...three votes here.


63 posted on 02/23/2007 7:44:38 PM PST by The Wizard (DemonRATS: enemies of America)
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To: NapkinUser

Yeah. And they've almost completely gone through their ping list for votes.


64 posted on 02/23/2007 7:45:18 PM PST by EternalVigilance (“Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.”)
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To: EternalVigilance

You keep trying to divert from the REAL issues: NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEM APPOINTED JUDGES.

THAT is what is at stake.

What do you think will happen to the country and conservatism if the next President is a Dem? He/she will stack the court with judges more liberal than Ruth Bater Ginsburg. Are you going to be proud of yourself that you HELPED that happen?


65 posted on 02/23/2007 7:45:20 PM PST by FairOpinion (Tell Congress: Work for Victory in Iraq. Stop Hillary. Go to: http://www.TheVanguard.org)
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To: EternalVigilance

Rudy will note be more liberal than Pataki. Pataki was a disaster, and not only because he was a liberal. He did nothing to build the party. Also, I see no evidence for the claim that Rudy is more fiscally liberal than Pataki.


66 posted on 02/23/2007 7:45:58 PM PST by LtdGovt ("Where government moves in, community retreats and civil society disintegrates" -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: spikeytx86
Ms. Hanover is that you?

LOL!
67 posted on 02/23/2007 7:46:53 PM PST by LtdGovt ("Where government moves in, community retreats and civil society disintegrates" -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: spikeytx86

thanks, spikeytx86, for the definition.
republican in name only. It fits. some people.


68 posted on 02/23/2007 7:47:34 PM PST by onyx eyes (Nothing can hurt you that is not real.)
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To: LtdGovt; All
Well, good for him. Pataki stabbed the state GOP in the back, destroyed the state GOP, spent more than a Democrat could have dreamed about. He was a disaster.

You missed the point.

When Pataki was nominated as the GOP gubernatorial candidate, neither Rudy or anyone else could look 12 years into the future and see whether or not Pataki would be good or bad for the State or the Party. As the nominee, Rudy (as the alleged Republican Mayor of NYC) was obligated to support him, but he chose instead to support Mario Cuomo.

That speaks volumes.
69 posted on 02/23/2007 7:47:49 PM PST by mkjessup (If Reagan were still with us, he'd ask us to "win one more for the Gipper, vote for Duncan Hunter!")
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To: toddlintown

Sounds like you're jealous of Rudy.


70 posted on 02/23/2007 7:49:44 PM PST by Gracey (Rudy/Rice..... 2008 vs Hitlary/Osama Obama)
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To: FairOpinion
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1788295/posts

Posted 3 days ago. You guys need coordinate you efforts to at least resist the appearance of spam.
71 posted on 02/23/2007 7:49:45 PM PST by Beagle8U (Jimmy Carter changed me into a Republican.......R. W. Reagan made me DAMN proud of it!)
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To: narses

ping to #65 Do you have the Rudy quote about Ruth Bader Ginsburg handy?


72 posted on 02/23/2007 7:50:58 PM PST by dynachrome ("Where am I? Where am I going? Why am I in a handbasket?")
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To: mkjessup

One of the key attributes of a political leader is foresight. He might not have been able to say what he felt, but he felt that something was wrong with Pataki. Since he endorsed Bob Dole over Clinton (and that was much closer to his 1997 re-election), I don't think we can talk of a political motive.


73 posted on 02/23/2007 7:51:55 PM PST by LtdGovt ("Where government moves in, community retreats and civil society disintegrates" -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: Jorge; FairOpinion

"You're talking to some of the "sit it out" morons who helped give the the Dem Congress we now are blessed with."

Since we know there will be "sit it out" morons that will keep Rudy from winning in the general election, are we not handing the presidency to Hillary by nominating Rudy?

Why not get behind a candidate that more people can support?


74 posted on 02/23/2007 7:52:06 PM PST by babygene (Never look into the laser with your last good eye...)
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To: LtdGovt
So the war on terror is not important enough for you? Taxes are not important for you? Limited government, government regulation, tough-on crime judges?

Oh, you've made me feel soooo guilty for not supporting the socially liberal New Yorker, I've decided I would vote for him, not.

A Giuliani candidacy is not going to fly with Southern Republicans. I don't care what any pollsters say. I don't care what pundits say. I don't care what other Freepers say. If the GOP puts Giuliani up as the Republican candidate, there will be many Southern Republicans/Social Conservatives who will not vote for him.

75 posted on 02/23/2007 7:54:02 PM PST by sockmonkey
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To: dynachrome

Let tme help you out and post the entire quote, rather than some potentially misleading excerpt:


Host Alan Colmes:
"Now, Roe versus -- now, you are pro-choice. How important is it to you as a pro-choice Republican to have a pro-choice on the court as someone...

Giuliani:"That is not the critical factor. And what's important to me is to have a very intelligent, very honest, very good lawyer on the court. And [John Roberts] fits that category, in the same way Justice Ginsburg fit that category. I mean, she was -- she maybe came at it from a very different political background, very qualified lawyer, very smart person. Lots of Republicans supported her. I expect, and listening to Senator Nelson, I expect that John Roberts will get support from a lot of Democrats."


http://politikditto.blogspot.com/2007/02/rudy-giuliani-supported-ruth-ginsberg.html


And NOW Rudy promised to appoint judges like Alito and I believe he will.


76 posted on 02/23/2007 7:55:00 PM PST by FairOpinion (Tell Congress: Work for Victory in Iraq. Stop Hillary. Go to: http://www.TheVanguard.org)
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To: babygene
Why not get behind a candidate that more people can support?

I don't believe many candidates have the broad based appeal Rudy has.

77 posted on 02/23/2007 7:55:02 PM PST by Jorge
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To: dynachrome
This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," July 20, 2005...

COLMES: Now, on abortion — now, you are pro-choice, right?

GIULIANI: Yes.

COLMES: You're a pro-choice Republican.

GIULIANI: I am.

~snip~

COLMES: Now, Roe vs. Wade -- You are pro-choice. How important is it to you as a pro-choice Republican to have a pro-choice on the court as someone...

GIULIANI: That is not the critical factor. And what's important to me is to have a very intelligent, very honest, very good lawyer on the court. And he fits that category, in the same way Justice Ginsburg fit that category.

I mean, she was — she maybe came at it from a very different political background, very qualified lawyer, very smart person.

78 posted on 02/23/2007 7:55:08 PM PST by narses ("Freedom is about authority." - Rudolph Giuliani)
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To: toddlintown

That is about the level of discourse I have come to expect from the Rudy haters and "Real conservatives" who are increasingly delusional.


79 posted on 02/23/2007 7:55:26 PM PST by WestVirginiaRebel (A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel-Robert Frost)
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To: mkjessup
This was how long ago? 93? Hell a good portion of our Republicans here in Texas were still Democrats or just became Republicans. My outlook has changed considerably since 14 years ago (granted I was 6) and I am sure everyone else's here has as well.

The Reagan of 1980 was more conservative then the Reagan of 1966. Was Reagan not to be trusted?
80 posted on 02/23/2007 7:55:33 PM PST by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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