Posted on 03/04/2007 7:26:41 AM PST by veronica
Fred Wehba is not supposed to be a Rudy Giuliani supporter.
A born-again Christian who helped found an evangelical church in celebrity-soaked Beverly Hills in 2002, Wehba is deeply opposed to Giuliani's pro-choice, pro-gay-rights views.
But Wehba, a successful businessman, is willing to look beyond those traits to something else he sees in the Republican former mayor: a leadership X-factor that he believes could squash Democrat Hillary Clinton and carry Giuliani all the way to the White House in 2008.
"He's someone who can get things done, and he can win," said Wehba. "And I'm not the only Christian who thinks like that."
As 2008 hopefuls start to woo different slices of the electorate, one of the more unexpected shifts appears to be a slow migration of white evangelical conservatives toward the thrice-married Giuliani.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll last week found that such voters are now a major reason why Giuliani is outpacing Arizona Sen. John McCain by 23 percentage points - up from just seven percentage points in January.
Giuliani is pulling ahead with a novel approach: by simply agreeing to disagree with conservatives on social issues, then moving quickly to the common ground he shares on taxes, education and the war on terror.
"You've got to run based on who you are," Giuliani told a group of South Carolina firefighters recently. "If you do it that way, even people who disagree with you sometimes respect you."
Giuliani is aided by the fact that conservatives have no real standard bearer in the top tier. They distrust McCain for once bashing televangelist Jerry Falwell, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is now greeted with beach flip-flops for all his shifts on abortion and other social issues.
"Giuliani has an authenticity that does register with a lot of conservatives," said John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. "They say, 'Well, at least we know where he stands.'"
Which is why Wehba, 59 - a former Texan who last voted for George W. Bush - will be standing with Giuliani tomorrow night when he hits Los Angeles for a fund-raiser.
"Maybe we don't all agree with his social positions," said Wehba. "But that's okay, he's a deal maker."
drip drip drip drip
That's the sound of water leaking into the hull of the SS Rudyhater.
Bullsh*t. We distrust McCain overwhelmingly because of his outlawing political speech, but there are plenty of other reasons, too.
His opinion of Jerry Falwell, however, is so far beyond meaningless that I lack the vocabulary to describe it.
Now, that's a well-thought out riposte. :)
But he is able to compartmentalize his life quite nicely--not applying what he professes to believe to his daily life--and I'm sure he is not alone...
Oh boy - this should be another fun thread!! I'm just going to settle in and enjoy.
The evangelist in a "celebrity-soaked" environment going with they guy he thinks can win doesn't surprise me and doesn't impress me. Haven't there been more than enough of these "mega-church" preachers shown to be more worldly than spiritually-oriented to leave some lessons with folks?
There have been many very good presidents who were not particularly Christian men in their private life, just as the worst president of the 20th century, Jimmy Carter, a self-identified (and obnoxious) born-again, is so crippled by an adherence to a form of sentimental Christianity that he is dangerous to the survival of the Nation. If Rudy gets national security, crime, social security and Medicare reform, and general fiscal discipline correct, then I can live with stalemate on the other issues right now. I think Rudy can beat the Dems.
Well, I guess it's a done deal.
We should just cancel the primaries and get on with the coronation.
That's a mighty big IF.
Agreed, Conservatives distrust McCain for backstabbing the President at every crucial opportunity so that he could grandstand himself on Sunday morning. He fed the media hatred of W. in exchange for self-promotion.
LALALALALA! He can't win, he can't win, he can't win!
I'm certain that a Beverly Hills "evangelist" speaks for the entire Religious Right. /sarcasm
The author's apparent cluelessness on the question of McStain makes me doubt everything else he writes. Honestly, I couldn't have told you what John McCain thinks of Jerry Falwell if you held a gun to my head!
They know he can win. They just don't want him to win.
(((((PING))))))
BINGO! And they will try anything they can to try to stop him. But the problem with that is they don't have any influence whatsoever on the average voter.
Rudy is already talking to the hands of many republicans..
And list is growing.. and will continue to grow..
Ugh!.. BUSH barely won in 2004.. Did I say barely?..
Rudy will get Hitlery elected FOR SURE..
Bwa-hahaha!
Brilliant!
Is this the same Fred Webba?
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_34_26/ai_n6359112
If so, it sounds like the guy is a deal maker of his own, with maybe a touch of fraud thrown in for good measure.
Or is this Fred Webba a different person?
According to you, only those opposed to Rudy speak for the right.
Lets forget about his Pro-Gay, Pro-Abortion stand for a moment and focus on his anti-constitution beliefs shall we.
Rudy, the Liberal that these so-called conservatives support agrees with Mccain-Fiengold(CFR) 100 percent. He also thinks all handguns should be registered and that Man-made Global warming is a fact not some BS stunt pulled by the Liberals.
So now you have to ask yourselves this, what Conservative would support an anti-constitution zealot like Rudy? The answer is none. Which pretty much sums how the Rudy supporters think.
That's how arrogant they are.
This guy isn't any better than the "Christians" that aligned with Hitler.
And that, my friend, is the argument in a nutshell. You are correct...and I hope Rudy can make it through the next year of attacks.
AWESOME! Someone is posting on here that OK Evangelicals don't support Rudy, but a good friend from NW OK is telling me in his Church that at least 50% support Rudy.
Perhaps he's taking the words of our saviour literally. You know, render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar's and unto God that which is God's.
Perhaps he's got that whole "church and state" thing our forefathers talked about all figured out as well.
Would that be your opinion if he supported Duncan Hunter instead of Rudy?
What do you say?
Of course not. That is ridiculous to even suggest. However, the VAST majority of Christian "Religious Right" do not support abortion or homosexual rights as Giuliani does.
You are a liar.
PINGster!
Another thing is how bitterly divided the USA has been for a while, even after a brutal attack on our shores. We need to bridge some of these issues - if we don't the dems will. this bitter 50-50 split needs to be worked on, and that means compromise.
Typical response.
If Newt jumped in, the conservs would flow to him. Still, could he win a national campaign? Yet, Rudy G could and with a VP , say like Newt, it would be a rout.
I do think that many (perhaps a majority) of Evangelicals make their political decisions on a series of candidate beliefs and positions. Perhaps Giuliani is the ultimate test of this hypothesis.
I consider myself a conservative and I wouldn't vote for Newt if he were running for dog catcher.
I'm not a Christian, but didn't I hear something about some important guy "going where the sinners are"?
Keep eating your own, and say hello to President Clinton in 2008
Newt made a formal announcement that he won't run. Read it on Town Hall.com.
Newt knows what kind of media blitz he would unleash if he runs.
I went to Townhall and saw no such "formal announcement." Got a link?
I could never vote for Gingrich.
I agree. However, here is my stock response to the conservatives who seem eager to see Hillary as POTUS so that they can say they voted (or not) on principle.
I will vote for the Republican nominee for POTUS because that person is more likely to fight the war on terror, cut taxes and regulations, and appoint more constructionsit judges. (On the last, a lot of Rep POTUS' have made mistakes).
That means I will hold my nose and vote for McCain or Romney. Although concerned about RINO tendencies, I like Rudy as a person, and will also vote for him if he gets the nomination.
And away goes Rudy down the drain!
(Be careful TxVet, then it's plain
The one name left is John McCain)
I am beginning to believe that President Hillary would be preferable to President Giuliani.
At least with Hillary running things, conservatives would dig in and fight. With Rudy pushing the same agenda, our opposition would wilt.
If the Clinton's 1996 Health Care plan was pushed by Rudy Giuliani, instead of Hillary, it would have passed.
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