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."
As an aside: The Giuliani and Romney folks better wake up. All their supporters are over on the other thread chasing the Fred Thompson trial balloon. ;-)
I'll give you nthe fence but led...?
***I'll take the fence.
Like Tancredo ?
***Well, now that you bring it up. I never thought of it like that, but basically this issue has been such a 3rd rail in politics that it's easy to see that Duncan is approaching it BETTER than Tancredo.
Or on spending like Pence....?
***I'm not familiar with the spending side and with Spence, so I'll defer discussion in favor of some other freeper who might want to join in. Once I put on the perspective that Duncan has been a loyal GOP team player, the spending thing goes out the window for me because the PARTY didn't hold the line.
nah he just took a couple of contrary opinions.
***Where it counts. In the General. And Rudy has some contrary opinions that will count heavily against him in both the general and the primaries. No one has ever won a republican presidency with a split base. He's doomed.
I think Rudy is a joke!
The Rudy Rooters earlier said what a fine speaker IT is and now they do not mention his speaking ability. LOL
Rudy has me convinced: If he gets the GOP nomination, I will register to vote as a Democrat
How about a real conservative: Hunter and now Thompson.
The game has now changed. The true party is now coming out.
RINO's beware, your strips will never leave you. Flash in a pan.
We agree. My point to PKM, exactly.
Rudy probably believes the same thing.
Could I interest either of you in a bridge I have for sale cheap?
Not all actually. I like Thompson, but well I am not persuaded he is really up to it. In fact, I don't think he will run. Nuance, nuance, EV. Try it sometime!
Part of my point was that there are also some on the anti-Rudy side that live in glass houses but insist on throwing rocks.
If you support a social liberal for president, why are you bullying people on Free Republic? This is not a GOP website, it's a socon website.
As a conservative site, Free Republic is pro-God, pro-life, pro-family, pro-Constitution, pro-Bill of Rights, pro-gun, pro-limited government, pro-private property rights, pro-limited taxes, pro-capitalism, pro-national defense, pro-freedom, and-pro America. We oppose all forms of liberalism, socialism, fascism, pacifism, totalitarianism, anarchism, government enforced atheism, abortionism, feminism, homosexualism, racism, wacko environmentalism, judicial activism, etc.
Can I interest you in a reading of all the recent polls?
As the Onion said just recently:
"Rudy is running for President of 9/11"
And they thought they were being funny.
"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."
You're right. Tancredo really nailed it on the Ramos and Compean part, and his speech in words is great, but he delivers it only slightly better than I would. He's not a good public speaker, and sadly that counts now.
The standing ovation when he came in was nice to see though.
Gosh. Just like an attorney to get all literal. ;-)
The bullying has been 90% by the RudyHaters.
Rudy is plenty conservative enough. He accomplished more in NYCity in a few years then Hunter in 20.
I'm tired of the RudyHater smears and won't back off.
"He's droning on and on and saying nothing of substance. Nothing presidential about this guy at all."
Talk about "droning on and on", you two guys (assumption) take the cake.
"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."
Not only is immigration, both legal and illegal, the single issue that will determine the survival of the Republican party, it is also the critical issue that will determine whether America and its culture and heritage will survive or be driven into extinction.
For Democrats.
Since this is a conservative forum, I would say that the liberal RINO Rudy supporters are the drones.
Agreed. It was a hackneyed speech. I really thought Giuliani looked uncomfortable and came across as insincere. He overplayed his Reagan card big time. Rudy is a liberal and that places him on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Reagan. Highly doubtful Rudy fooled anyone watching. His impersonation of a conservative at CPAC was a failure.
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