How Appealing Is Giuliani? (To GOP Primary Voters in NH)

Boston Globe ^ | 1/30.07 | Scot Lehigh

[meg88]

RUDY GIULIANI got two different reactions when he came here to the Queen City on Saturday -- reactions that speak to the promise and peril confronting the man known as America's mayor as he mulls a presidential run.

"I'm leaning in his direction," said Richard Heitmiller of Nashua, a retired chief executive. "What impressed me was what he did with the city of New York."

"Rudy is a very capable man," added Vivian Desmarais, a former state representative from Manchester. "He's a doer."

But other Republicans gathered at the Palace Theatre for the state party's annual meeting sounded a different tone.

"I won't vote for him," declared Madelene Moffett of Rochester, a retired secretary. "I want to keep life" -- a pro life position, that is -- "in the Republican Party."

For Republicans, Giuliani is a figure out of comfortable ideological register. Admired both for his leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and for his longer record as Gotham's combative, effective chief executive, the thrice-married former mayor is viewed skeptically by conservatives because of his support for abortion rights, civil unions, and gun control.

But he has considerable appeal to independents and Democrats.

"He has the ability to be one of our strongest general election candidates," says David Carney, a former adviser to George H.W. Bush and now a GOP consultant in New Hampshire.

As a Republican with appeal beyond his party, and as the first serious Italian-American presidential candidate ever, Giuliani could make usually dependable Democratic states competitive. (A Quinnipiac University poll shows him beating Hillary Clinton in New Jersey.)

[clamper1797]

Not Very ... at least to this voter

[andrew2527]

About as appealing as a cold sore.

[Redcloak]

He's not bad, for a flaming liberal.

[irishtenor]

Can't vote for a pro abortion candidate of any sort.

[Armedanddangerous]

He needs to dump his fondness for gun control.

[meg88]

And abortion, open borders, gay rights, etc.

He's got a lot of work to do...

[ASA Vet]

[Sword_Svalbardt]

He ain't appealing, he's a moderate at best, anti gun, pro gay, and sucks up to the media.

[meg88]

Forgot about guns too.

[RobRoy]

Well, he's no Hillary, but...

[freedomfiter2]

I'd give Guiliani a 95% chance of becoming the next President, but only if he switches party.

[tiger-one]

To all who are not familiar with NH...Nashua is the Boston of NH. The DMZ ends just north of Manchester at the tolls. The coast now Represented in Congress by Carole Shea-Porter, is a flaming commie, her platform, I'll work hard which means You and I lose.

So when you read the Exec in Nashua will vote for Rudy, consider his Nashua is 40 mins from Boston.

[Spiff]

Giuliani/Clinton/GOP vs. Dem Platform Comparison
Issue	Giuliani	Clinton	Dem Platform	GOP Platform
Abortion on Demand	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Partial Birth Abortion	Supports Opposed NY ban	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Roe v. Wade	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Taxpayer Funded Abortions	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Embryonic Stem Cell Research	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Federal Marriage Amendment	Opposes	Opposes	Opposes Defined at state level	Supports
Gay Domestic Partnership/ Civil Unions	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Openly Gay Military	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Defense of Marriage Act	Opposes	Opposes	Opposes	Supports
Amnesty for Illegal Aliens	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Special Path to Citizenship for Illegal Aliens	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Tough Penalties for Employers of Illegal Aliens	Opposes	Opposes	Opposes	Supports
Sanctuary Cities/ Ignoring Immigration Law	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Protecting 2nd Amendment	Opposes Record opposite	Opposes	Supports	Supports but supports bans
Confiscating Guns	Supports Confiscated as mayor. Even bragged.	Supports	Supports Supports bans	Opposes
'Assault' Weapons Ban	Supports	Supports	Supports
Frivolous Lawsuits Against Gun Makers	Supports Filed One Himself	Supports		Opposes
Gun Registration/Licenses	Supports	Supports		Opposes
War in Afghanistan	Supports	Supports Voted for it	Supports	Supports
War in Iraq	Supports	Supports Voted for it	Supports Weak support	Supports
Patriot Act	Supports	Supports Voted for it 2001 & 2006	Opposes	Supports

"Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine." - Rudy Giuliani

[TommyDale]

Based on the poll here, it doesn't appear Rudy has that much support:

Duncan Hunter
32.9%

Newt Gingrich
24.5%

Rudy Giuliani
12.2%

Tom Tancredo
11.3%

Undecided/pass
7.0%

Mitt Romney
5.7%

Ron Paul
5.5%

John McCain
0.9%

[beltfed308]

Rudy has started to lose his shine with the introduction of other potential candidates. Duncan Hunter is gaining strength and it will show in the primaries. Just say no to Rudy!

[Old_Mil]

What makes you think he's no Hillary?

"Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine."
-Rudy Giuliani

Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani
Wayne Barrett

[Spiff]

Well, he's no Hillary, but...

See Post #14

[Spiff]

Oops. There's an error on the 2nd Amendment line. Fixing.

Fixed:

Giuliani/Clinton/GOP vs. Dem Platform Comparison
Issue	Giuliani	Clinton	Dem Platform	GOP Platform
Abortion on Demand	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Partial Birth Abortion	Supports Opposed NY ban	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Roe v. Wade	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Taxpayer Funded Abortions	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Embryonic Stem Cell Research	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Federal Marriage Amendment	Opposes	Opposes	Opposes Defined at state level	Supports
Gay Domestic Partnership/ Civil Unions	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Openly Gay Military	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Defense of Marriage Act	Opposes	Opposes	Opposes	Supports
Amnesty for Illegal Aliens	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Special Path to Citizenship for Illegal Aliens	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Tough Penalties for Employers of Illegal Aliens	Opposes	Opposes	Opposes	Supports
Sanctuary Cities/ Ignoring Immigration Law	Supports	Supports	Supports	Opposes
Protecting 2nd Amendment	Opposes	Opposes	Supports but supports bans	Supports
Confiscating Guns	Supports Confiscated as mayor. Even bragged.	Supports	Supports Supports bans	Opposes
'Assault' Weapons Ban	Supports	Supports	Supports
Frivolous Lawsuits Against Gun Makers	Supports Filed One Himself	Supports		Opposes
Gun Registration/Licenses	Supports	Supports		Opposes
War in Afghanistan	Supports	Supports Voted for it	Supports	Supports
War in Iraq	Supports	Supports Voted for it	Supports Weak support	Supports
Patriot Act	Supports	Supports Voted for it 2001 & 2006	Opposes	Supports

"Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine." - Rudy Giuliani

[Sword_Svalbardt]

But what? You want to vote for aguy who is pro gay, and anti weapon, who undermined New York's citizens from their own personal security? Doesn't Hillary want that for this country?