Agree.
NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN LIFE
Don't Cut and Run, vote pro-life every time. It's the way you always win.
Posted on 10/20/2007 10:21:39 AM PDT by Ol' Sparky
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, walking into a political lion’s den, told the year’s largest gathering of social conservatives that he is “not always the best example of faith” but that their similarities are much greater than their differences.
“Isn’t it better that I tell you what I really believe instead of changing all my positions?” Giuliani told an audience of 2,000 at the Family Research Council's Values Voters Summit at a Washington hotel. “I believe trust is more important than 100 percent agreement.”
The audience, generally hostile to Giuliani, recognized the shot at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and laughter and a few cheers spread across the room.
The former mayor, who left the stage grinning amid applause after his 40-minute speech, went for an authenticity contrast with Romney, substituting his law and order credentials for the family values emphasis of Romney, a long-married father of five.
Giuliani paid obeisance to the group’s concerns by speaking at length about his support for school choice, home schooling, conservative judges and Israel.
All drew earnest – even enthusiastic – applause. He also gave a detailed plan for reducing abortions and increasing adoptions, the meatiest policy element of his speech.
It was the “everything but” approach – he could agree with the audience on almost everything except whether a woman should be able to choose an abortion, which he supports.
"You and I know I’m not a perfect person,” he said. “I pray for forgiveness, I pray for strength.... I feel my faith deeply, although perhaps more privately than others, because of the way I was brought up.” He said he had prayed to God at the toughest parts of his life.
“During our lives, at some time, all of us need forgiveness,” he added. “If we expect perfection from our political leaders, we’re just asking for disappointment .... We lose trust when they’re not honest with us.... I don’t always agree with myself. [Laughter] … You’ll always know where I stand.... I will continue to extend my hand to you. I hope you’ll take it.”
Giuliani showed humor, noting that he almost entered seminary: “I know that’s hard to believe.” Noting that he attended Catholic school, he said the first school he attended where a prayer wasn’t said at the beginning of the day was the New York University School of Law.
He said that on the first day, out of confusion, he made the sign of the cross. “I looked around and realized people were staring at me,” he joked.
Giuliani pointed out that as New York mayor, he reduced murder, drugs, prostitution and other vices. "I don't believe in inevitable decline," he said, adding he shares President Ronald Reagan's belief in optimism.
"You put Republican ideas into action.... We got results. Humbly, I would say, the best results anyone in that time got in government."
"We drove pornography out of Times Square and other public spaces," he said, drawing hearty applause. "The pornographers lost and they were driven out of Times Square."
Instead of pandering to the group, Giuliani held his ground.
“We’ve got to find a way to be more inclusive,” Giuliani said. “Christianity is all about inclusiveness. It’s built around the most profound act of love in human history, isn’t it? … I’m running for president of the United States because I believe I can bring us together. Strong leadership can help us find common solutions to our problems.”
Giuliani drew laughter by saying he spends as little time in Washington as possible: “I’m afraid there’s something in the air here.”
“I’m not going to pretend that I can be all things to all people,” he declared. “I’m just not like that.”
But he added, in another dig at Romney, “I’ll always be honest with you.... You will always know where I stand.”
“You have absolutely nothing to fear from me,” Giuliani went on, adding that he was puzzled by those who make him out to be some kind of liberal activist: “Just read any New York Times editorial when I was mayor of New York City.” That got a big laugh.
Giuliani was speaking to one of the most conservative audiences in American politics. During a Christian worship service from the podium an hour before Giuliani spoke, leader Ron Freeman interspersed the praise hymn “Blessed be the Name” with the hopeful wish:
“We’ve got the right Senate and the Congress!” The prayer included: “We’ve tried hard to make your agenda, our agenda.”
Politico’s Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.
The same "logic" was applied to Arnold Schwarzenegger out in California, too.
There could be nothing that promotes socialism more than letting a Republican socialist take over the party and move it to the left.
Secondly, Pres Reagan didn't have to check his principles at the door, neither do I and neither do you. Hence his support for Specter.
Many of us in the 'base' will not. Enjoy your 'new Party'!
Heck I can't even get 40% agreement on the issues that matter most to me.
Homosexual issues, Abortion issues, 2nd Amendment issues, Illegal issues, religious issues. marriage issues.. appointing CONSERVATIVE judges... Rudy barely hits the ball out of the batters box.. and he has had plenty of times to bat...
I'm not buying the story that Rudy is much of a liberal. Yeah, he's crossed up on abortion and gun control, but he won't be able to do anything to damage the country on those issues. Abortion can't get any worse, and even liberals are speaking up in favor of the 2nd amendment now.
The most important issue is what supreme court judges will be nominated in the next 8 years. For a fact Hillary will nominate Ruth Ginsberghs and Rudy would not.
Rudy derangement syndrome from Republicans is just as ugly as that from the Dems against Bush. Get a grip.
But just before you leave, I have never once questioned your principles. I question your myopia and selfishness in demanding that the country heed your demands or you will refuse to vote and allow the nation to be damaged by the likes of a despicable human being like Hillary.
True to form, zealotry demands all or nothing and consequences be damned.
I speak for at least half the people here, including the Founder Jim Robinson, who has stated he will not vote for Giuliani under any circumstance.
A recent Rasmussen poll shows a conservative third-party candidate would garner 27% of the vote:
A new poll from Rasmussen Associates shows just how much a third party candidate might influence the general election. Of the Republicans polled, 27% said that if Rudy Giuliani was the Republican candidate and there was a third party candidate who was backed by Christian conservative leaders, they would vote for the third party candidate.
He quotes scripture and you go wacko with that post? Way out of line sofaman, way out of line. His point was more than valid... you have heard of the narrow path, not the wide one haven't ya?
Your are kidding, right?
If you want a more authoritarian, bullying, more intrusive, more controlling, all-powerful, ‘big government knows what is best’, 'Big Brother' type of government,,,,,
headed by a pro-abortion, pro-amnesty, pro-litigation, gun-grabbing, gay-rights crusading, condescending, arrogant, and narcissistic, LIBERAL ‘pit bull’, New York lawyer who strongly believes in sanctuary cities, encouraging illegal aliens by telling them they are NOT really illegal, global warming and using our tax money for Federally-funded abortions,,,,
who worked in the Bobby Kennedy campaign, voted for George McGovern, who as mayor publicly distanced himself from Ronald Reagan, and who vocally supported and proudly endorsed a liberal, big-government, socialist democrat like Mario Cuomo over the Republican candidate for governor (largely because the Republican wanted ‘to cut taxes too much’), and has been a defender of Bill Clinton on more than one occasion,,,,
who ran for mayor the first time on the LIBERAL PARTY ticket, ,,
and who was SO LIBERAL that he wasn’t even invited to the Republican Convention in ’96--after refusing to endorse (until the last minute) the Republican candidate opposing Clinton,,,,
and a cousin-marrying, Clinton-apologist--whose personal life is an absolute TRAIN WRECK (almost making Bill Clinton look like a decent family man and loving husband--if that is even possible) is JUST THE MAN FOR THE JOB.
If you want to totally abandon and sacrifice traditional conservative principles and values--a LIBERAL RINO like Rudy JulieAnnie is JUST THE MAN FOR THE JOB!!!!
Yep, no reason to think that he is that much of a liberal at all....lol
The only thing that a POTUS can do is appoint judges likely to overturn Roe V Wade and if you think hillary is going to do that, you're smoking Wacky Tobacky!
In short, putting a liberal Republican in the White House is short-sighted, stupid and political suicide for the conservative movement.
That guarantees both parties are left-of-center parties, no conservative President until 2016 and no chance of gaining back Congress for, likely, a decade.
Some people are smart enough to realize the Clinton years were better for conservatives than the Nixon years.
Putting Giuliani in the White House sets the conservative movement back pre-Reagan.
See post #49. And please feel free to refute anything and everything I said.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=N2ZhNmQ4YjE4ODk2MmY0MzJkYWJhNDNkZGIzYTA0NTc=
Rudy’s Speech [Byron York]
Well, Rudy has made his much-awaited appearance before the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit. My guess is that the Giuliani campaign is going away happy. And the FRC members here – well, they may have a bit more positive view of Giuliani than they had before.
The first thing to remember is that Giuliani did not have the option of hitting a home run. It just wasn’t going to happen. Indeed, there were people in the FRC who wished he had never been invited at all. So the best result for him was to a) not do himself any damage, and b) do himself some marginal good. And it appears that he did.
“He didn’t win any converts,” one FRC insider told me. “Not in the primaries. But he might have won some of them over for a general election.” Another insider conceded that Giuliani had probably helped himself a bit, saying, “We worried about that. We knew there was an upside for him.”
The speech started out slowly – badly, actually. Giuliani made a mistake by undertaking to tell these religious voters a bit about Christianity. “We’ve got to find a way to be more inclusive,” he said. “Christianity is all about inclusiveness – it’s built around the most profound act of love in human history, isn’t it?” No one applauded. Some FRC types whispered to each other that it was a pretty odd thing for Rudy Giuliani to lecture them about religion.
Giuliani then began to tiptoe around the fact that most of the audience didn’t support him. “I’m not going to pretend to you that I can be all things to all people,” he said. “I’m just not like that.” From there, he hit the low point of his speech. “You have absolutely nothing to fear from me,” he told the audience. Like Larry Craig’s “I am not gay,” that kind of statement tends to make people think precisely the opposite. At that moment, it looked like Giuliani’s appearance might be a complete disaster.
But then…he got better. Giuliani took a few indirect shots at his fellow Republican candidates, accusing them of flip-flopping to be popular while Giuliani remained steadfast. “Isn’t it better that I tell you what I really believe,” he said, “rather than changing my positions to fit the prevailing winds?” “If I come out here and I take a poll and I try to figure out what you all believe, and then I try to repeat to you what you believe, then I’m a follower. I may be a good actor, but I’m a follower.” (Might there be any alleged flip-floppers, or perhaps an actor, in the race?)
The crowd began to warm a bit as Giuliani talked about his record in New York. “Have you been to New York City?” he asked. “I bet you’re not afraid to come there anymore.” He told the story of turning the city around, emphasizing his efforts against crime and in cleaning up Times Square. “Times Square had become a haven for drug dealers, for prostitutes, and for purveyors of pornography,” he said. “We drove pornography out.” The audience applauded.
Giuliani got more applause when he went through his stand against the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The government should never be required to give out taxpayer money to desecrate religion,” he said. “It’s just plain wrong.” Then he covered welfare reform and got more applause when he came to education. “Every parent in America should have the right to send their child to the school of their choice, including the right for responsible parents to choose home schooling. The government should not force parents to send their children to failing or inadequate schools.”
The fact that members of the audience applauded was a measure of their courtesy but also of a certain receptiveness to Giuliani. Some people dislike him so much that they won’t applaud when he says something they agree with. Most of the people in the crowd today weren’t like that.
And then Giuliani misspoke when he came to the issue that matters most to many FRC voters. Reaching the part of his speech where he says that he worked to decrease abortions and increase adoptions in New York, he said that he had worked “to decrease adoptions and – “ There was a slight pause while his staff winced. “To decrease abortions and increase adoptions…” Giuliani got back on track.
“You and I share the same goal,” he said. “A country without abortions, achieved by changing the minds and hearts of people.” He went through several steps he would take, beginning with, “I will veto any reduction in the impact of the Hyde Amendment.” and continuing with continued support of parental notification and the ban on partial birth abortion, and the appointment of strict constructionist judges.
Giuliani left the national defense part of his speech for last. He got applause for vowing to win in Iraq, and he got more applause for an extended discussion of the importance of standing by Israel. (There was an Israeli flag or two in the audience yesterday.) And then, he returned to the big topic: himself. “You and I know I’m not a perfect person,” he said in what was probably the understatement of the entire conference. But, he went on, “We lose trust with our political leaders not because they are imperfect – after all, they are human – we lose trust with them when they’re not honest with us.”
It was in many ways a different kind of Giuliani speech – I can’t remember a single reference to Hillary Clinton, although it’s possible I could have missed one or two. But it wasn’t the sort of “our real opponents are the Democrats” speech that he often gives these days. And with few exceptions, it made no mention of his Republican opponents. Instead, it was Giuliani making the best case he knew how to make for himself. It was uneven, and it had its low points, but he just kept at it and kept at it. And by the end, he had helped himself – not a huge amount, but a bit – with his biggest problem in the Republican race.
In other words...
rootie:
“Who are you going to believe??? Me... or your lying a$$ eyes”?
LLS
I know Jim Rob's position and he's entitled to it as I am to mine.
27% of the vote? excellent! Hello, Ross Perot and Hello Pres Hillary Clinton. happy days. You can sit back and smile and deny all responsibility. You took your vote and cast it for someone that has no hope of becoming Pres and so ensuring Hillary's ascendancy to POTUS.
Oh, the joy. Oh, the Pride. Happy days are here again..
Agree.
Don't Cut and Run, vote pro-life every time. It's the way you always win.
“If Giuliani wins the Republican nomination, I will support him and urge all others to back whoever our Republican nominee is.”
Think of it like this... Some of us can’t support him because he is a Ceylon.
LLS
That's sad to hear. We could be that much closer to a Hillary presidency, depending on whether JR gets his candidate nominated.
I'm not fired up about any of the candidates. But I am fired up to defeat Hillary, no matter what it takes. Keeping our heads about us will be necessary, and I'm afraid that may be impossible.
P.S. What has happened here on FR is good, very good--because is a perfect example of what will happen to the Republican Party if a liberal (who is out-of-sync with traditional, long-held, core, bedrock principles and values) is nominated.
No, unlike you, I was hoping the conservative, Tom McClintok would be governor. And, he could have been if not for Republican-first dim wits voting for a liberal like Schwarzenegger.
Tell us, Bay Area, how brilliant it was for conservatives to have voted that liberal into office.
If you haven't learned putting liberal Republicans in office doesn't work after the havoc Schwartzenegger has inflicted on California, you're either not a conservative or just dumb.
The lesser-of-two liberal strategy fails every time it is tried. It's not possible to stop liberalism when conservatives vote for liberals. Duh!
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