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.
Did I miss this election? When was it?
> Easy for a non-conservative such as yourself to say.
And easier still for a bleeding-heart-pointy-headed-intellectual-Liberal like you to say.
Sticks-and-stones, mate. If you comb your hair properly, nobody will notice.
> Why? The GOP leadership hasn’t exactly repaid my loyalty in the past.
Be assured that the Democrats certainly won’t repay your loyalty now or in the future.
Seems to me that Fred is doing pretty good. Solid support and given the polls right now he is coming on strong in NH, Florida, SC, etc. I don’t think I honestly have to worry about getting behind Rudy.
Yeah, that’s what I meant.
However, FReepers (taking their cues from the MSM) have been doing all the sniping of the GOP candidates themselves.
It’s pretty damn sad, I think.
No doubt Rudy is the man to clean up Hillary.
But there are those tough moral issues in general and his own morality problem in particular.
Rudy may have been in drag but I’m sure his zipper was up.
We don’t need eight more “Clinton years.”
I’m still uncommitted and considering Rudy and all the other alternatives out there.
It’s going to take a real conservative with some chutzpah to win it.
Dream on buddy, it'll never happen. Conservatives will vote 3rd partyMaybe 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.
“Does this shade of lipstick make my butt look too big?”
.......................................................
Hello Jim,
pink would actually be more subtle,
but one never knows .....
bright red could be applied occasionally,
actually preferred for ‘drag’ days.
Mike
I'm not the one pimping a pro-abort, pro-gay gun grabber.
????? Were you asleep in 2000, Mr. van Winkle? Rudy never outpolled Hillary prior to Rudy's withdrawal from the race.
No doubt Rudy is the man to clean up Hillary.Just ask yourself — who has a worse morality problem: Rudy, or the Clintons?
But there are those tough moral issues in general and his own morality problem in particular.
> I prefer what I hear from Thompson but think Guillani would be more likely to beat the dems.
That is the ugly bit: seldom in life does the Best Man Win. Were that so, even now Pope Albino Luciani John Paul I would be leading the Holy Church.
More often we are left with the second-best. Thompson cannot be elected. Can’t — even tho’ he is the best candidate, in my opinion.
I would be delighted to be proven wrong.
We need both. I think several GOP candidates have some of both elements, and I can support most of the others. I respect those who like other candidates, but I do not like those who say they will never vote for Rudy, even if he is running as the nominee against Hildebeast.
That would be like sitting out the NIXON v. McGOVERN election. Imagine McGovern as President. The commies many have won.
Creideamh agus Muinín
Shit happens. Nominate Rudy, you get Hillary.
> I’m not the one pimping a pro-abort, pro-gay gun grabber.
So you are a pimp, then? Who are you pimping?
Recent polling from last week shows Rudy losing in New York to both Hillary and Obama by 20+ points.
Also, polling from Massachusetts shows Romney losing to both Hillary and Obama by 20+ points.
So much for blue turning red - that’s a RINO pipe dream.
Don’t the polls now show Guiliani in SECOND place?
MSM protecting its own again?
The Rooty campaign loves to play with gullible nincompoops.
The dissing of Patraeus by MoveOn was first called out by Duncan Hunter.
What does the Rooty campaign do? As usual, our ultimate opportunist, Rooty, takes the limelight with help from his convenient shills at Fox News, who go into days of pro Rooty spin following.
The nincompoops buy it hook, line, and stinker.
Hillary has had no ill effects from anything Rooty has done. In fact, Rooty’s attention grabbing on the Patraeus issue took the attention off the one BIG PROBLEM the Hildabeast would like to end. The Hsu scandal.
Guiliani is a divider not a uniter.
Guiliani is only for the anti-christian, anti-religious crowd. Think RINO women.
Rudy only gets money from liberals not from conservatives and only from big donors.
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