So now you have added the Vulcan 'mind-meld' to your repertoire.
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."
I had said I wasn't going to say anything about other candidates but with Romney I draw the line. His flip flops and now saying he will do things he cannot do, is too much for keep quiet.
I'm not buying it. Anyone can see for themselves, what Rudy says in his own words in this video.
Rudy Giuliani video on YouTube: "I would like to run on the Democratic line "
YouTube ^
Posted on 03/01/2007 2:53:19 PM PST by Kevmo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBtPIrEleM
Yeah Giuliani really "wooed" the CPAC people. They were very polite to him, even applauding lightly while he patted himself on the back. But he was really bland, following Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. Then Ann Coulter ripped Rudy apart. But the CPAC people were polite to Rudy.
I think they were more than polite, for the most part I think they loved him.
bookmark
I could see how you would see it just like that.
I think they may have even loved him personally, but they hate his positions on abortion, amnesty for illegals, gun control, embryonic stem cell research, partial birth abortion, global warming and homosexual marriage/civil unions. Yes, they were polite to him, but inside we know what they are thinking.
Dream on, he is a democrat with an R by ITS name!
From one of the bloggers:
The CPAC bloggers are covering the Mayor’s speech admirably, so I won’t belabor each point of the speech. But here are some initial impressions from the room.
Rudy packed ‘em in. The doors closed 20 minutes before he began speaking and I’m told the poor CPAC interns were locked arm to arm keeping more people from the capacity room. (Erick Erickson and Rob Bluey got the short stick in all this — let’s say that their 12:30 new media panel definitely didn’t get the attendance it richly deserved.)
Note: Standing ovation to start and end his speech. Even the Romney folks that had been hired to pass out his literature were gathered around the TV sets watching Rudy. That part comes to me courtesy of a CR I know that was there.
Hunten Dunken is a 20 year big spending hack who has not led on a single issue. He's even for earmarks.
A fiscal liberal/social conservative wired into K street is a mini-W.
That's worth about 33% of the general .
No Chance..bye bye.
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/20Ted Olsen is a backstabbing sellout.06/10/duncan_hunters_voting_record.php
But Leader?????????? Too big a risk there. Too many flip-flops.
I don't believe Romney for a second, but the Supreme Court only ruled that Congress may restrict campaign financing, not that it must.
So McCain-Feingold could be repealed at any time, given the political will to do so (which is unlikely anytime soon).
Yes, because I watched it and listened to it. I could see the faces in the crowd. They didn't get nearly as excited with Rudy as the did with Duncan Hunter when he suggested "Let's finish that fence!" and "As president, I will pardon" the i mprisoned Border Patrol agents. That, along with Wayne LaPierre, stirred the crowd much more than the bland Rudy speech.
Romney going negative is tanking him more along with his flip flops almost on a daily basis now. Must be in the MA water!
Cannot believe that candidates that talk about litmus tests for judges when if a potential nominee met their litmus test for a specific item, that nominee if confirmed could not hear such cases.
Lack of Government 101 from some of the candidates which amounts to pandering.
So now you have added the Vulcan 'mind-meld' to your repertoire.
What they are really thinking is, my God, this man is great on all non-social issues, the President has little affect on social issues except mostly through judicial appointments and Rudy supports strict constructionist, he has a very accomplished record as Mayor, he is a very strong leader in a time when we desperately need a strong leader, and Rudy is our most electable candidate in the general.
Club for Growth is tied into one of Romney's consultants or at least they used to be less than six months ago. :)
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