Posted on 08/21/2006 6:16:02 AM PDT by areafiftyone
The S.C. Republican Party’s sponsorship of “An Evening Honoring Rudy Giuliani” last week spoke volumes.
It reflected what some said is a shift in attitude toward GOP candidates with more liberal views on social issues.
There’s a greater degree of tolerance and acceptance, party officials said.
Giuliani, who rose to national prominence for his take-charge performance after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, supports gay rights, gun control and legalized abortion, which puts him at odds with most Republicans.
Nevertheless, he has traveled the country extensively on behalf of GOP candidates this year while acknowledging his own interest in a possible 2008 presidential bid.
Although his liberal stance on social issues is likely to disqualify him with religious conservatives, the former New York City mayor remains in great demand as a speaker before Republican groups.
In this visit — his first major political trip to South Carolina — Giuliani attended a fundraiser for conservative GOP congressional candidate Ralph Norman, the one-term state representative who is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. John Spratt, a 24-year House veteran in a hotly contested race in the 5th District.
Giuliani ended the day in Charleston at a star-studded $2,500-a-couple fundraiser for the state Republican Party.
He packed the place.
“Rudy is a very popular figure,” GOP chairman Katon Dawson said. “We didn’t have any problem with him coming.”
Giuliani, affectionately known as “America’s mayor,” is seen as middle-of-the-road by most voters nationally, according to Rasmussen Reports, an electronic survey company.
It found 36 percent of Americans see him as a political moderate, 29 percent said conservative, and 15 percent said liberal. Twenty percent are not sure.
Former state GOP chairman Barry Wynn said the party needs to take a fresh look at the way it regards new voters, especially those new residents who’ve settled along the coast and are starting to have an impact on state party politics.
Those voters tend to be more progressive in outlook and are more inclined to support someone like Giuliani.
“I think Rudy could be more popular in South Carolina than most people would think,” Wynn said.
The debate in 2008 isn’t going to be about tax cuts, abortion or Social Security reform — Republican favorites.
“The overarching issues this time will be national security and leadership,” Wynn said. “Everything else will fit under that.”
Such a scenario favors Giuliani, Greenville consultant Chip Felkel said.
Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a GOP activist, said Giuliani is in a “special category.”
He’s a “glittering personality” with star quality who can get away with supporting legalized abortion and gay rights.
His position on those social issues “would not hurt him as bad over the long haul as one may think. If John McCain had the same position, it would hurt him a lot worse.”
Needless to say, the hard-core religious right won’t surrender territory on social issues. They’d rather go down in flames than win.
But unless terrorists no longer are a threat to the United States, national security and leadership will be at the top of the issues heap in 2008.
Voters won’t be concerned about gay rights or abortion. What matters most will be their own security in a volatile world.
And the candidate who stands to benefit is Giuliani.
“If your house is on fire,” Wynn said, “you want a guy with the hose.”
Then let's start with the ones in our own party.
George W. Bush was the "favorite" in all the polls in 1998. He went on to get the nomination.
Allen was my favorite until he 1) gave credibility to Sheehan then demonstrated he had not learned a thing about the methods of the Treason Media. He may not even win his seat back after the Apology debacle which had to disgust many of his supporters.
That is NOT leadership I am sorry to say.
Social conservatives are not being tossed out but are threatening to take their vote and stay home. That is not the attitude of a responsible ally.
Did he not accept campaign contributions from someone involved with them? That associates him right there. You can't claim dirty contributors against Hillary Clinton unless you say the same about Rudy Giuliani.
"You probably didn't like Some Like It Hot either."
I can't say I'd be giddy in anticipation of a remake in the oval office, no.
"Claiming Rudi is affliated with the Russian Mafia is a LIE."
Oh, yeah?
http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=323
Koch is also preferable to Hillary.
Dear justshutupandtakeit,
"Social conservatives are not being tossed out but are threatening to take their vote and stay home."
Nope. If you nominate someone who is the complete enemy of the social conservative agenda, you've tossed out social conservatives.
Just ask Jake The Goose. He's more than happy to make us "walk the plank."
sitetest
Who won New Hampshire? John McCain. But, in the South Carolina primary, Bush defeated McCain by painting McCain as too liberal, something McCain himself made painfully easy to do. Do you honestly think the country has changed that much in eight years, as far as the nature of Republican primary voters? You're in la la land if you do. What Bush did to McCain in South Carolina will be done again, to Guiliani. And to McCain.
Hey! we can't let a little thing like the FACTS get in the way of a good anti Rudy story.
These Giuliani threads generate as much hysteria as anything going these days. The rhetoric from the Rudy haters is a riot!
Bill Richardson or Bayh would be formidable candidates.
Hillary cannot be allowed to obtain the White House. Any military secrets left over from Bill's Fire Sale would be sold within days.
That cannot be allowed to happen even if it means voting for Guiliani or McCain.
There is no "principle" which could possibly justify such a disaster.
Hilarious stuff. How many convictions has been obtained, how many indictments? Anything other than Hot Air available?
Actually it was clear that Bush would be the nominee in 2000. His path was so smooth that many of the Ultra-Conservatives claimed he was "annointed". Perhaps you are having a convenient memory lapse wrt that time.
I am saying that Guilt by Association does not work for those who look past the surface.
By whom? Guliani and McCain will be the only two with the money to go all out in the way Bush did in South Carolina.
Please tell me you don't believe Gary Bauer could have taken down John McCain.
The two front runners in 1998-1999 were the front runners in 2000 and throughout the primaries. Bush was always ahead of McCain, and McCain was never going to beat him in southern primaries.
Allen is fighting too hard for his Senatorial life in Virginia to do much in the presidential area. Besides, he needs a personal coach to keep him from making a fool of himself.
The only other realistic choice is Newt Gingrich. His only real accomplishment was helping Republicans get elected in 1994. He was not an effective Speaker of the House, and fawned all over Clinton every chance he got.
But, maybe he can unite conservatives.
This is about what we expect from the "truth machine" ready to "destroy" Guiliani.
Now, if Giuliani moves right on social issues, pledges to support originalist judges and picks an up and coming hard-core conservative as a running mate I'd be willing to listen.
"By whom? Guliani and McCain will be the only two with the money to go all out in the way Bush did in South Carolina."
That's the big question, isn't it? One thing that is not questionable is that foisting these two liberals upon religious conservatives isn't going to go over well at all.
Association with those CLAIMED to be associated with the Russian Mafia is far from proof. Hillary's funds can be DIRECTLY traced to criminal givers some of whom have been CONVICTED or who have fled the country or who have CONFESSED to such activity.
NO politician has all Pure as the driven snow contributions. But claiming an "association" requires more proof than dubious contributions.
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