Posted on 02/06/2007 12:08:48 PM PST by 300magnum
NEWTOWN, Conn.—In response to New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's filing of a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission yesterday, indicating that he would enter the 2008 presidential race as a Republican, the firearms industry's trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), reminded America's sportsmen and gun-enthusiasts of the former mayor's record of hostility toward firearms and gun-owners.
"Recent remarks indicate the mayor is attempting to camouflage his record on guns – a political maneuver now common for politicians seeking national office," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.
In June of 2000, then New York City Mayor Giuliani became the lone Republican mayor to sue members of the firearms industry as part of a wave of lawsuits that began in the late 1990's by major metropolitan cities like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and San Francisco that sought to hold firearms manufactures responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms. The Giuliani lawsuit is still pending and being aggressively pursued by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Giuliani strongly opposed legislation blocking suits like the one he filed against members of the firearms industry. In 2005, President Bush signed legislation into law that barred such lawsuits after Congress, by a broad bipartisan margin, passed the bill. During the debate in Congress the Giuliani lawsuit was specifically referred to as an example of the kind of "junk" lawsuit the law is intended to stop.
"Giuliani's lawsuit may have gained him praise in Gotham, but will surely handicap him in the rest of the country, particularly during the southern primaries," predicted Keane.
More recently Giuliani's campaign has flipped-flopped on whether he continues his longstanding support for restoring the Clinton-era federal ban on some semi-automatic rifles based on cosmetic appearance. The so-called "assault weapons" ban sunset in 2004. Several studies including those by the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control showed the ban had no impact on crime largely because the banned firearms were very rarely if ever used in crime. The ban had nothing to do with machine guns, which have remained heavily regulated since the early part of the last century.
According to the New York Post, Giuliani's political operative in New Hampshire, Wayne Semprini, "has been telling voters that the mayor will be an 'easy sell' - and that the ex-mayor 'satisfied' him that he won't support federal assault-weapons bans, as he has in the past." All the while Anthony Carbonetti, Giuliani's top advisor, has been telling New Yorkers "the mayor's position on this [the assault weapons ban] has not changed."
Commenting on this equivocation, Keane added, "You can't pretend to be a supporter of sportsmen and gun-owners in New Hampshire when you tried to sue the firearms industry out of existence in New York. Other politicians learned the hard way that sportsmen and gun-owners are a well-informed and highly motivated voting bloc. Former President Clinton in his memoirs admitted the gun issue cost Al Gore the White House, and Senator Kerry's ill-fated goose hunt cooked his presidential aspirations in 2004."
Formed in 1961, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is the trade association for the firearms industry. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.
I believe the present Republican party and its leaders have pissed away their best chance of the last 50 years already. They've lost both houses of congress and, by posturing McCain and Guilliani, are setting themselves up to lose the white house. Why, you might ask... but that's another thread.
I wonder if Hillary will bring the silverware and W keys back.
I don't know any NRA-types who are going to be conned by this kind of nonsense. A politician who promises to do things that fly in the face of everything his track record indicates should never be trusted by principled, rational people.
The people that call it 'spamming' are the liberals on the board who can't stand having their favorite candidates exposed.
I posted one picture, brand new which has never been posted before, another person posted another. Both extremely relevant to this discussion.
However, the RINO lovers absolutely HATE it because it exposes rudy for what he is - a gun grabber who would be derided as a liberal if he held the same positions with a (D) next to his name instead of an (R).
Well put.
Bump. Well said!
If the GOP finds themselves in this position, then it is a problem of their own making. If statist, Constitution shredding megalomaniacs get their parties' nod then we will have to deal with the aftermath.
I personally do not see much difference between Giuliani/McCain/Romney and Clinton/Obama/Biden. They will all ignore the Constitution in pursuit of their agendas, which are not very different.
What Giuliani supporters need to grasp, especially those who are legitimately conservative and willing to sacrifice their beliefs, is just as the effort to destroy traditional Catholicism left the Church adrift and failing for decades, the "secularization" of conservatism will destroy both the movement and in the process, the Republican party.
OK, so if the public were demanding infringement of free speech, or other rights, and Rudy did that, then you'd be OK with it?
I don't think so.
Rudy is no conservative, not even a "compassionate conservative."
Welcome to FR.
What a great post. And you nailed it. Consider me the latter as well.
Rudy was a Mayor, not a Governor.
Rudy Giuliani doesn't realize that abortion, gay rights, etc. are doing the same damage to American culture that petty theft and public urination did to New York City.
I do not think it is fair nor accurate to call someone a "liberal" just because they believe Giuliani might make a good president. I have yet to vote for a president who fullfilled my entire wishlist. We need to have these debates in order to listen and learn about all of the possible Republican candidates, but I do feel it would be more productive if people could do so without the personal insults and name-calling.
The term RINO is used and abused far too often, in my honest opinion.
In short, you hope that other people will do your work for you.
Giuliani is a moderate, loves gays, and will do whatever it takes to buy somebody's vote.
"Liberals can only set the conservative agenda back. RINOs are attempting to define it out of existence."
This quote is all about 2008.
"He will project the plank that endorses him."
That is politics, swaying in the breeze, testing the wind. We need STATESMEN that stand for the original Constitution. There's your plank.
Planks that are worth supporting in a party start as backbone, not as focus group studies.
Oh God.. It is fast eddie Rendell....the stopper of Vet Votes in 2000..the man who has hired goon beat people up when they have the nerve to ask the wrong question...
I dont like Rudy...But he isnt in the same league as this Highbinder.
Abortion
Borders
Guns
Gay Unions
There is more than a "wish list at stake here, It is the whole Pizza
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.