Giuliani And The Social Conservatives…
..are the subject in the WaPo today:
His national poll numbers are a dream, he’s a major box office draw on the Republican Party circuit, and he goes by the shorthand title “America’s Mayor.” All of which has former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani convinced he just might become America’s president in 2008.
He is showing the early signs of a serious candidacy: Giuliani’s presidential exploratory committee throws its first major fundraiser in a hotel near Times Square on Tuesday evening, and he recently hired the political director of the Republican National Committee during 2006. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week found that Republicans give Giuliani an early lead over Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is far ahead of the former mayor in organizing a national campaign.
Despite that lead, conservative party strategists and activists in key primary states are skeptical and warn that the socially liberal Republican faces a difficult campaign. They question whether a Republican who has had one marriage end in annulment and another in divorce, and favors abortion rights, gun control and immigrant rights, has much retail appeal in the evangelical and deeply conservative reaches of the GOP.
“If the Republican Party wants to send the social conservatives home for good, all they have to do is nominate Rudy Giuliani,” said Rick Scarborough, a Southern Baptist minister and president of Vision America. “It’s an insult to the pro-Christian agenda. . . . He’s going to spend a lot of money finding he can’t get out of the Republican primaries.”
Frankly, if that’s the way Rick Scarborough feels, he can stay at home…we don’t need that sort of narrow-mindedness in the party anyway.
Hard-core social conservatives are going to have to get something through their heads this election cycle: it’s not about them. Just as the Democrats had to move to the center in 2006, the Republicans will have to do the same in 2008. That doesn’t mean selling out our principles; it means making a conscious effort to appeal to Middle America…
Guliani is a leader and a uniter. Both of which we desperately need in a president. We havent had either of those since Reagan and were seeing what happens after twenty years without. Id rather vote for a politician that doesnt try to be everything to everyone and has a mix of values that satisfies and unites most americans than someone without values (Obama) or someone whose values change with the season (McCain).
There’s no doubt that Rudy has baggage, and should he run against Hillary in ’08, it will get ugly fast. Getting past marriages and social issues, the single most important issue is our safety.
This has two principal dimensions: national security, and safety from crime. On both scores, Rudy has proven experience and the promise of being an outstanding leader.
As a plus, to endorse what crawlinkingsnake wrote, Rudy would be a uniter.
Would I prefer that he was not so soft on gays, guns, and abortion? Of course. But America will be much safer with him at the helm than with Hillary or Obama. Or any other Democrat, with the possible exception of Joe Lieberman — who has less chance of getting the Donk nomination than does Rudy.
I would strongly disagree that McCain’s values “change with the season”. Could you tell me what you’re referring to?