Rudy Can’t Fail
By Mitch Berg
Deroy Murdock on Giuliani’s shot at winning the GOP base in time for the ’98 race:
Surveys consistently demonstrate that Giuliani, not Arizona Senator John McCain, is this race’s frontrunner. It’s not even close…Among likely Republican voters polled in Michigan, McCain beat Giuliani 33 percent to 25. Rudy romped elsewhere in Strategic Vision’s November 6 survey. Giuliani outran McCain by nine points in Georgia (33 percent to 24); 19 in Florida (46 percent to 27) and Washington State (42 percent to 23); 22 in New Jersey (47 percent to 25); and 23 points in Pennsylvania (47 percent to 24). Governor Mitt Romney (R., Mass.) scored, at best, a distant third in these states…Some argue that Giuliani’s prominence in this and other polls merely reflects his high name ID. But this notion shatters beside McCain and both Clintons — three household names.
Most conservatives have their troubles with Giuliani. I do.
But they’re solveable problems – to me, anyway.
Question for conservatives; given that Rudy seems to have immense legs and that he’s right on so many conservative issues (while being dead-wrong on a few), what would it take for Rudy to make nice enough for you to vote for him in a primary?
And if he was the one that got out of the convention with the nomination, would you vote for him?
November 24th, 2006 at 6:08 am
The issue will be getting out of the convention with the nomination. Four big strikes:
His marriage difficulties, which seem bigger than Clinton’s.
Support for abortion. Even if he changes his message, who will believe him?
Gun control.
Gay rights.
Suppose he gets the nomination. The conservative message will be splintered. It will be a repeat of 2006: too many Republicans will stay home. After all, if he is the candidate, what’s the difference between the Republicans and Democrats?
November 24th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Disavow AT LEAST partial-birth abortion. I like Romney.
November 24th, 2006 at 9:22 am
what would it take for Rudy to make nice enough for you to vote for him in a primary?
Well, it would seem Rudy would have to come to the right on a good number of those social issues. However, things like gay rights and abortion seem to be issues which are being resolved at the state level. Therefore, Rudy might be able to skate by without having to disavow his liberal positions on said issues.
November 24th, 2006 at 10:23 am
I’m already in the Rudy camp, but I think he needs to do three things:
* State that he supports the Second Amendment and will not pass more gun control laws. The ones we have are enough. Getting guns out of the hands of criminals requires us to control criminality, not firearms.
* State that he will nominate judges that will follow the Constitution and not use the judiciary as a shadow legislature. Abortion and gay marriage are issues that can either be settled via Constitutional amendments or by the states.
* Treat people of faith with respect. If Rudy doesn’t pull what McCain did in 2000, he can win over the evangelical vote.
What Rudy has is leadership. McCain is arguably more conservative, but I think Rudy is the better leader. Evangelicals may not agree with Giuliani on all the issues, but I think they trust him to do what’s right, and that’s critical in politics.
November 24th, 2006 at 11:23 am
“what would it take for Rudy to make nice enough for you to vote for him in a primary?”
John McCaine
November 24th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Rudy would have a much better chance at becoming president if he switched to the Democratic party.
As a Republican his 2nd Amendment, gay rights, and Roe v. Wade positions aren’t going to disappear just because he says they do – too much of the base will simply stay home. He is in a word unelectable.
As a Democrat he has a much better chance of carrying his home state and since he is fiscally Clinton-lite he’ll pull in a lot of independents who have issues with the Bush spending and government expansion.
November 24th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Giuliani, McCain, or Romney.The good news is that compassionate conservatism is dead, dead, dead. Hooray! The 2008 primary will drive a stake through its bleeding heart. “When people are hurting the governments gotta move” may be a winning message for a conservative governor but it fails at the federal level because:
-The money is usually distributed indirectly, to the the states. To the states federal money is “free money”. Their incentive is to spend in ways that promote the goals of the state’s governor and legislator, not necessarily the federal governments.
-The federal government can print money, the states can’t. Their is no mechanism at the federal level that forces fiscal accountability other than hyperinflation or bankruptcy.
If Bush had shaped his spending policies on these truths we’d have both a tax cut AND a balanced budget. Probably an R controlled seante and house through 2008 as well.
November 24th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
“Treat people of faith with respect. If Rudy doesn’t pull what McCain did in 2000, he can win over the evangelical vote.”
Okay, I’ll bite – other than rightfully calling Falwell and Robertson on the carpet in 2000 for some of their nuttier actions (which were almost eclipsed by their post-9/11 comments), what exactly did Senator McCain ever do to evangelicals?
November 25th, 2006 at 12:48 am
I’d prefer Rudy over McCain & it isn’t even close. I’ve heard Giuliani promise that he’d appoint justices like Alito & Roberts. I can’t say that I’ve heard McCain make that type of promise & I doubt I ever will.
Rudy’s being pro gay rights & pro choice don’t bother me MUCH as long as he’s appointing justices like Alito & Roberts.
That said, I’d love it if a high profile pro life candidate was available. If Mr. Newt didn’t have the baggage that he’s got, I’d choose him over Giuliani but I’m comfortable with Giuliani considering the other choices.
November 25th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
“I’d prefer Rudy over McCain & it isn’t even close. I’ve heard Giuliani promise that he’d appoint justices like Alito & Roberts. I can’t say that I’ve heard McCain make that type of promise & I doubt I ever will.”
McCain on Supreme Court nominees:
“ROBERT NOVAK: In all probability the next president of the United States will very early in his term have the extremely important responsibility of picking a new justice of the Supreme Court. Who would be your role model for your first justice named to the Supreme Court of past or present justices? We’ll start with Senator McCain.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN: Thank you Bob. First of all there will be no litmus test of any select–or nominee that I may select from. Second of all, I believe the criteria I would use is the closest adherence to the Constitution of the United States that this prospective nominee displayed throughout his or her judicial career. And third of all I guess, my particular role model would be Judge Scalia.”
November 21, 1999 Republican Presidential Debate
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/primdeb/primdeb1121t.html
November 25th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
That would be the same Scalia who said McCain-Feingold was unconstitutional. McCain’s a joke. If he runs he’ll be the Perot of 2008.
November 26th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Rudy’s stand relative to
Gun Rights
Abortion
Gay marriage
will make it very, very hard for me to support him — esp. in light of Supreme Court nominations. Theologically I shudder at Romney.
But if the WoT is front and center I would vote for Rudy…..
November 27th, 2006 at 10:09 am
Question for Conservatives:
How can Giuliani make it through the primary with his, as Croaker noted, marriage difficulties? Before 9/11 that guy was going down in flames…
November 28th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
How can Giuliani make it through the primary…Before 9/11 that guy was going down in flames…
It’s after 9/11.
(Sad that we have to keep reminding our Democrat friends of that…)