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Rudy Looking Dangerously Presidential ... (he makes Bill Clinton look stable)
Human Events ^ | 09/19/2007 | Doug Patton

Posted on 09/19/2007 4:26:24 AM PDT by IrishMike

Early in my career as a political speechwriter, a young but wise campaign manager explained why candidates from the same party too often tear each other to pieces in the primaries. He told me that when all the candidates of your party are shooting at the probable opponent from the other party, your frontrunner is going to get shot in the back. I thought of that analogy the other day as I read about Rudy Giuliani’s potent political attacks on Hillary Clinton.

Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democrats’ presidential nomination, stuck George Soros’ giant left foot in her mouth attempting to do the bidding of MoveOn.org. For the entire world to see, Hillary decided that a Senate committee hearing would be a good place to call a decorated war hero, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of American forces in Iraq, a liar. Parroting the same extremist nonsense that is rapidly making the folks at MoveOn the leading leftist nutters of the blogosphere, Hillary’s comments landed with a clank in most parts of America, most notably at the Giuliani for President Campaign headquarters.

The previous week, the folks running the nation’s premiere agenda-driven newspaper, The New York Times, embarrassed themselves by substantially discounting the now-infamous, full-page, MoveOn ad calling Gen. Petraeus “Gen. Betray Us.” Apparently, The Times management doesn’t realize that George Soros can afford the full rate.

Adding to their heartburn was former New York City Mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, who demanded and got the same $65,000 rate for what normally would be $165,000 worth of ad space. (Can you imagine anyone ever again paying the full rate for a full-page ad after this fiasco?) Rudy used the opportunity to excoriate Hillary for her cowardly submission to the anti-war Left and asked America who they trusted more, the senator or the general.

Rather than firing back at his opponents, Rudy is focusing on his likely Democrat challenger. Instead of answering the attacks of Mitt Romney and others in his party who are running behind him in the polls, Giuliani is acting as if he is already the Republican nominee.

Let me say again that even though Giuliani is tough on crime and terrorism, I don’t like his domestic agenda at all. As a pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-Second Amendment Republican, I find him far too liberal on most social issues. As my son said to me recently, “Rudy Giuliani is a just Democrat who’s willing to blow stuff up.”

I also find Giuliani’s personal life to be downright offensive. In some ways, he makes Bill Clinton look stable. At least Clinton never had Monica Lewinsky move into the White House and openly live with him like then-Mayor Giuliani did when he had his girlfriend (now his wife) move into Gracie Mansion while he was still married to the mother of his children.

Having said all that, going after Hillary Clinton is a brilliant strategy. It makes Rudy look presidential. It makes his GOP opponents look small when they attack him. And it creates its own momentum. The more Giuliani acts like the heir apparent to the Republican nomination, the more voters will become comfortable with him.

Those of us who were looking to Fred Thompson as the fiscal and social conservative who could wrestle the GOP mantle away from hizzonor are becoming increasingly alarmed by the efficiency of the Giuliani campaign. As I wrote a few months ago, just as Democrats must find a way to turn red states blue, the converse is also true, and Rudy could change the color of the map radically. Consider the electoral vote-rich states that could fall into the GOP column with Giuliani as the nominee: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and, of course, New York. That’s a strong temptation to many Republicans who simply want to win.

Giuliani is leading in most polls largely due to his record as a tough mayor who cleaned up America’s biggest, dirtiest city and because of his leadership in the aftermath of 9/11. The war against Islamist fanaticism demands an alternative to Hillary Clinton. Rudy Giuliani firmly believes he is that alternative. An alarming number of Republicans seem to agree with him.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; democrats; electionpresident; elections; giuliani; gop; humanevents; rudy
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To: moonman
Thanks for correcting your mistake.

I made no mistake. You are trying to pretend otherwise, unless you can't grasp the meaning of "outpolled".

221 posted on 09/19/2007 8:55:07 AM PDT by dirtboy (Chertoff needs to move out of DC, not move to Justice.)
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To: Liz

BUMP


222 posted on 09/19/2007 8:56:08 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker ( Hunter/Thompson/Thompson/Hunter in 08! "Read my lips....No new RINO's" !!)
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To: Brilliant
Rudy was never in the race. It was only speculated that he might enter the race.

Like I said - he never outpolled a carpetbagger.

223 posted on 09/19/2007 8:56:13 AM PDT by dirtboy (Chertoff needs to move out of DC, not move to Justice.)
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To: dirtboy

I was born and raised in the Schwenksville/Collegeville area. You?


224 posted on 09/19/2007 9:04:47 AM PDT by moonman
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To: moonman

I was born in Ohio and moved all over the place when I was younger, but my mom’s side of the family is from the Valley Forge/Phoenixville area.


225 posted on 09/19/2007 9:07:01 AM PDT by dirtboy (Chertoff needs to move out of DC, not move to Justice.)
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To: dirtboy
My wife is from Phoenixville. Her dad, grandad and brother worked at Phonix Steel before they went under.

When I left PA in 1986, they had a Republican governor and state house and Penn State wasn't putting on Lesbian Fisting seminars. What the hell happened? LOL

226 posted on 09/19/2007 9:13:08 AM PDT by moonman
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To: Oberon
If the Republican nominee is Giuliani, we've already lost. I stay home and clean my rifles.

Hope your rifle has a scope...that's a very short-sighted view.

227 posted on 09/19/2007 9:18:31 AM PDT by O6ret
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To: moonman
I moved up to PA in 1986. There has been a steady liberalization of the suburban counties around Philly - it used to be that Montgomery and Chester and Delaware Counties were always under automatic GOP control. No longer with all the suburban growth. And that is how the Dems have been coming to power at the state level.

You wouldn't recognize Schuykill Township (the one around Phoenixville) - it's pretty much almost completely developed now, and all the roads in the area are near-complete gridlock during rush hour.

228 posted on 09/19/2007 9:18:35 AM PDT by dirtboy (Chertoff needs to move out of DC, not move to Justice.)
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To: O6ret
Hope your rifle has a scope...that's a very short-sighted view.

Oh? So political domination by either liberal Dems or RINOS is the inevitable future, is it?

I disagree. Strenuously.

229 posted on 09/19/2007 9:22:12 AM PDT by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
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To: dirtboy

Thanks for the update. Wife’s parents used to live along Ridge (Rte.#23) Road, off of Rte.#724. Mostly farm land. Please don’t tell me ‘Seven Stars’ restaurant isn’t a great place to dine anymore.


230 posted on 09/19/2007 9:24:20 AM PDT by moonman
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To: moonman

Seven Stars is still doing fine. Still serving up those Flinstone-sized servings of prime rib.

But the development along 23 goes way past there now, well past Rt 100.


231 posted on 09/19/2007 9:30:30 AM PDT by dirtboy (Chertoff needs to move out of DC, not move to Justice.)
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bookmark


232 posted on 09/19/2007 9:59:17 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: counterpunch
Maybe you will, but the rest of us are smart enough to know that a vote for a 3rd party candidate is a vote for Hillary Clinton.

Oooooh I'm so scared of the Hildabeest. Sometimes I question the masculinity of you FReepers whenever Hillary's name is mentioned.

233 posted on 09/19/2007 10:05:27 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: counterpunch
Just ask yourself — who has a worse morality problem: Rudy, or the Clintons?

Hillary Clinton was at least in a long-term marriage. ROFL

234 posted on 09/19/2007 10:07:03 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: sandbox
I bet you would vote for a Guiliani/Hunter ticket.

Hunter would not only turn down such an offer, he'd tell Rudy where he can shove it.

235 posted on 09/19/2007 10:09:14 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: mdmathis6
Yeah but Rudy will turn a lot of Dem’s who don’t like Hillary (but would hold their noses to vote for her) his way...especially Democrat Males!

Liberals would not vote for Rudy. They hate Rudy because of his authoritarian and pro-war views. Ditto for libertarians. Conservatives would not support Rudy because of his social liberalism.

In 1970 James Buckley of the Conservative Party won the NY Senate race against the RINO and the Rat candidate. It's quite possible that in a similar 3-way race, both Rudy & Hillary would lose to a 3rd party conservative candidate.

236 posted on 09/19/2007 10:12:10 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: Eagles Talon IV
As I've said before. If the children want to take their football and go home because they don’t get their dream candidate then we will deserve what we get when fatso wins and the terrorists begin the attacks in earnest. Not to mention the attacks on the economy that will also begin.

Get real. All of the GOP candidates INCLUDING Ron Paul would be better on terrorism than Rudy, without none of the baggage. Even public pressure would force Hillary to deal with terrorism. You guys are like little kids crying for their mommas to leave the lights on because they see Hillary under the bed. I have no intention of supporting Rudy and I don't care if Hillary gets elected.

237 posted on 09/19/2007 10:15:11 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: DieHard the Hunter
Unless this happens, get used to a HillBilly White House, for eight years.

The idea Hillary would be guaranteed a second term is ridiculous. But, a Hillary Presidency would almost guarantee Republicans gain seats and probably take over Congress again. In fact, her Presidency, would pave the way for a conservative revolution.

If Giuliani reaches office, we're GUARANTEED not to have a conservative in the White House for eight years. A Giuliani Presiency would also guarantee a shrinking Republican minority in Congress and no effort by Republicans to block the many liberal pieces of legislation he would propose.

238 posted on 09/19/2007 10:41:57 AM PDT by Ol' Sparky
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
In 1970 James Buckley of the Conservative Party won the NY Senate race against the RINO and the Rat candidate. It's quite possible that in a similar 3-way race, both Rudy & Hillary would lose to a 3rd party conservative candidate.

More recently, Jesse Ventura won a third-party race for Governor of Minnesota. But both Buckley and Ventura were running for statewide offices, not national. The degree of difficulty, the amount of money and organization necessary to wage an effective campaign, are very different.

Running a national campaign is no walk in the park. You need time, lots of money, a formidable organization from the national level down to the grassroots, candidates with national name recognition, a solid platform upon which you can stand and articulate a consistent position and vision that will appeal to the broad spectrum of voters it takes to win a national race.

Now, it is 14 months until election day. Do you really see a viable third-party candidate emerging and running a credible campaign in that time? Because if not, I am wondering how realistic it is to endorse such a strategy.

239 posted on 09/19/2007 11:05:55 AM PDT by chimera
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To: Brilliant; dirtboy

Rudy was never in the race. It was only speculated that he might enter the race.

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!  That's funny.

 
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/alsorun.asp?CID=N00009908&cycle=2000
 
Rudolph W. Giuliani (R)
Candidate for 2000  New York  Senate Race

1995-2000 Total Receipts: $23,511,768
1995-2000 Total Spent: $20,746,125
Cash on Hand: $3,014,241
Debts: $0
Date of last report: December 31, 2000

Source of Funds:
(How to read this chart / methodology)

  legend Small Individual contributions (<$200) $11,893,681 (50.6%)
legend Large Individual contributions ($200+) $10,673,410 (45.4%)
legend PAC contributions $389,988 (1.7%)
legend Candidate self-financing $0
legend Other $554,689 (2.4%)
 

240 posted on 09/19/2007 11:06:32 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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