Posted on 03/02/2007 6:30:19 PM PST by PhiKapMom
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent Fri Mar 2, 4:36 PM ET
Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani acknowledged his differences with the party's conservative base on Friday but said bigger principles should be at stake in the race for the White House.
The former New York mayor led a parade of six Republican White House contenders who wooed frustrated conservatives at an annual convention. He asked the activists to look past his support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.
Giuliani, dubbed "America's Mayor" for his leadership after the September 11 attacks, touted his New York record of reducing crime, cutting city taxes and moving people from welfare to jobs.
"We all don't see eye to eye on everything. You and I have a lot of common beliefs that are the same, and we have some that are different," Giuliani told attendees at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
"The point of a presidential election is to figure out who do you believe the most, and what do you think are the most important things for this country at a particular time," he said.
Giuliani leads the Republican presidential field in national polls, but he and the other top-tier candidates -- Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- have been criticized for straying from conservative principles.
McCain championed campaign finance reform, opposed some of President George W. Bush's tax cuts and attacked conservative religious leaders during his 2000 presidential campaign. His decision not to appear at the three-day conservative gathering further angered some activists.
Romney has shifted his positions on social issues like abortion and gay rights to become more conservative.
Even many lesser-known candidates have sparked grumbling from conservatives, who have made their displeasure with the 2008 Republican field evident.
"DUDE, WHERE'S MY CANDIDATE?"
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, criticized for raising taxes as governor, promised to sign a pledge he would not raise taxes as president and joked about the state of distress at the conference.
"It might be renamed the conservative presidential anxiety conference," he said. "The theme might be, 'Dude, where's my candidate?"'
Huckabee and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo also took veiled swipes at the top contenders, particularly Romney and his changing positions on hot-button social issues.
"We have to have leaders who understand that being a leader is about being a thermostat, not a thermometer," Huckabee said. "We can't afford to elect people who simply reflect a culture and reflect a common view, but don't necessarily believe it."
Tancredo, using a biblical reference, said such conversions "are supposed to be made on the road to Damascus, not the road to Des Moines."
California Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) stressed their opposition to abortion rights and their determination to appoint judges who would overturn the Supreme Court decision making it legal.
"If any judicial candidate comes before me who can look at a sonogram of an unborn child and not see a valuable human life, then I will not appoint that candidate to the federal bench," Hunter said.
Romney said he had seen the ineffectiveness of liberal policies while presiding over Massachusetts, one of the most liberal states in the country. He also promised to sign the pledge against tax increases and said he would repeal McCain's signature bill overhauling campaign finance laws.
Tancredo, who entered the race to stress his opposition to illegal immigration, said he had no problem with being called a single-issue candidate as long as people know "my single issue is the survival and success of the conservative movement in America."
He's droning on and on and saying nothing of substance. Nothing presidential about this guy at all.
I don't agree with your characterization. Romney is running on a conservative platform, compatible with the Republican Party's, and there is no turning back for him.
Well, it ain't Rudy.
I am watching it right now.
He would make a good mayor. Maybe he should go back and get some real experience.
If you want on or off this ping list, please send me a Freep mail.
The "Stop Giuliani 2008 Primary" ping list is currently 78 members strong.
"Just finishing watching the Giuliani speech. One of the worst political speeches I've ever witnessed. Unfocused, scattered, boring, almost impossible to follow his thoughts. Awful. Truly awful."
Giuliani should know that if you tell the truth, you won't have to remember what you said.
in fact, of all our candidates - its ONLY Rudy, because he has some "star power", and young people tend to be very media driven.
Rudy on CSPAN today:
The good thing that Bush did was put us on a new course after 9/11. Bush put us on the offense against terrorism. Before that we prosecuted terrorists as a criminal act. Bush, despite being unpopular, put us on the offense and enabled the U.S. to use our intelligence to be able to stop terrorists and persuade them. It requires us being on offense - Democrats are uncomfortable with this. Dems want to be on defense and go back to the way they did it in the 90's (boohs from the audience).
Finally we all need to understand that America has the right ideas and we shouldn't be embarrrassed with our heads down. (Huge applause and cheers). We have great strength, we are the luckies people in the world. We have freedom and democracy and respect for human rights unlike any other country in the world. Though we have our faults, we acknowledge our gifts out of a spirit of gratitude. It's our job to share it with everyone else and go forward with the ideas Ronald Reagan had.
If we do it right the enemies we think we now have, in the future they will be our friends. We need to do it the way Ronald Reagan did it - "peace through strength".
I'll give you nthe fence but led...?
Like Tancredo ?
Or on spending like Pence....?
nah he just took a couple of contrary opinions.
LOL!
A REAL CONSERVATIVE wouldn't need to "woo" us, he would have our support, and that is why Duncan Hunter has it.
We gotta keep a sense of humor! LOL! Good pic, incidentally.
Sheesh. He droned on for 45 minutes and said practically nothing. His views on foreign affairs are muddled and naive, at best. Horrid speech.
Tancredo coming up on C-Span.
Tancredo, Hunter and Wayne LaPierre killed.
You're all wet... we need a candidate that can win a Friday night Freeper straw poll!
And some will say anything to support the Rudy candidacy, and hurt his challengers.
I saw Tom live. Not a great speech. I love him, he's a great conservative across the board, but he was tentative, apologetic and unsure of himself when it comes to running for President.
I did really appreciate his points about this awful hyphenated-conservatism so many of these candidates seem to be pushing.
"And some will say anything to support the Rudy candidacy, and hurt his challengers."
Those in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks either.
he outlined his accomplishments and feelings on a range of issues he has actually been involved with - crime and law enforcement, economic turnaround of a city through tax cuts, welfare reform, education reform and charter schools, and finally the issue of terrorism and 9-11.
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