...thou shalt not bear falsies against their neighbor...
Posted on 03/08/2007 3:36:50 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
In the ensuing weeks and months, Amusing Musings will be writing about the candidates who will be running for the highest office in the land. In today's column AM will take a look at one of the very early poll leaders, Rudy Giuliani. America' s Mayor, is the most complex and intriguing candidate that the republicans have to offer. It will be very interesting to see how the party's conservative base views him, especially on social issues. So far, he has surprised most pundits with front-runner status that seems to be gaining ground. The big question is, do the Republicans want a candidate, who in my opinion can win the presidential election, or someone who will fit into an ideological mold? This is their chance to prove that they are the "Big Tent Party". I have a few thoughts on the matter, which I will share with you.
First, let us look at his perceived negatives. Rudy Giuliani has a reputation as a social liberal. While this is not in dispute, there is always a way to find middle ground. It is true that he was an advocate of gun control in New York City during his mayoral tenure. I should tell you that I am a big supporter of the Second Amendment as well a member of the NRA. With that said, I believe that this should be a state issue, in that gun laws should be tailored to the communities in which they affect. Law-abiding citizens have the right to bear arms and I pray that never changes. Less legal guns does not mean less crime. What Mayor Giuliani did was to get illegal handguns off the street. The New York City that I have the privilege in which to live has become by far the safest city in North America. When I first moved here, we endured 2000 homicides per year. Mayor Giuliani went after the quality of life crimes and found the people that were jumping turnstiles in the subway, were the same ones who had outstanding bench warrants. We now have a little over 500 homicides per year in a city of over eight million people. To put that statistic into perspective, if Washington D.C. had eight million residents they would have 2800 murders per year. For those who have recently walked through Times Square, it is easy to see Rudy's handy work all around them.
Mr. Giuliani is pro-choice when it comes to abortion. However, you will see him make some subtle moves toward the center. I believe that he will come out against partial-birth abortion, which is not only a conservative position, but will bode well in the general election. He will also be in favor of parental notification. As the laws stands now, it is just insane. Parents should not only have the legal right to know what medical procedures their children are having, but it is their moral obligation as a parent. Along that same vein, spousal notification is a way for him to move to the right. Understand that spousal notification is not spousal permission, however if women insist on child support that I believe they deserve, there should be a greater set of rights for the father in regards to the fetus. Lastly, if elected president, Mr. Giuliani has stated that he will nominate judges that share the views of Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito. In other words, he will nominate judges who up hold the law, rather than activist judges, who think they have the right to make law.
Another social issue, which will make its way to the forefront, will be gay marriage. Rudy Giuliani has been an advocate of gay rights and if done right, it can certainly be a positive issue for him. While it may not be prudent to use the word marriage, civil unions between gays is something that is inevitable and something I feel that should be the law of the land. For that reason alone, it is best to get in front of the issue rather than fight it. Civil unions will give gay men and women a way to pass along their inheritance without the government taking half of the worth in taxes. That is something that conservatives can certainly understand. As civil unions become prevalent among gays, so will civil divorce, which will keep the attorneys happy. Of course, the media will find only the most outlandish of those taking vows to make the nightly news, much like they only show the most outlandish behavior when they show a crowd shot at a football game. I believe it will be a media spectacle for a short time, after which those who crave their fifteen minutes of fame become nothing more than a historical footnote. Most people have much more pressing problems than to care who's zoomin whom. Unlike rights for a particular minority, the color of your skin or national heritage plays no role in gay rights. Gays are the one group that cut across the total spectrum of humanity. There are many of us who have a gay relative and most of us have friends or work with people who are gay. As president, RG will have the opportunity to unite people who do not have the same sexual orientation but believe in the conservative platform of low taxes through small government.
As we get closer to the 2008 election, terrorism and national security will trump all else. The electorate wants and needs a president who will be tough on terror while putting national security in the forefront. He understands that we have to be on offense when it comes to the war on terror. Liberals just don't get it. They want to treat the war on terror as a law enforcement issue. We are at war, catching people after the fact does not bring back the people we could lose. As I have stated before, his three marriages as well as his stance on social issues will become moot, if we lose a city to terrorism. As proven on 9/11, Mister Giuliani is an up-front, hands-on politician. He slashed the welfare rolls in NYC by 75%, cut crime by the same number and put a whole lot of mafia bad boys in jail as the Attorney General of New York State. His triumphs in NYC are evident on every street corner. In this election, I believe safety will be the most important issue. While I would love to see Newt Gingrich make a run, right now on this day, I like Rudy. Who knows, maybe there will be a new wing of the Republican Party, the Giuliani Republicans.
When the main-stream-media gets to select both candidates, it is very hard to imagine any sort of conservative gain. We are in a war and if we do not know we are in a war, there is little chance we will win.
There is no "case" for Rudy.
That's all I needed to read. "Upholding" the law is the function of the executive branch, not the judicial branch. The writer is confused.
His point is, they will not make law.
No. No. and No.
There is no article or opinion that you can post that will convince me to throw away my principles and beliefs to vote for a liberal in this election or any other election.
Except for his position on the war, Rudy is "for" everything I am against.
...thou shalt not bear falsies against their neighbor...
I believe he may be saying that only conservatives have principles (as opposed to utopian ideals). Is this in dispute? The far-right label is a media construct. Once again, conservatives should define conservatism.
If he believe that there is a "right to choose" to procure abortion, then that right must have a source. The source of that so-called right is emanations from a penumbra found in the Constitution, according to the Roe v Wade majority opinion.
If Rudy believes that rights can be created or discovered in such murky circumstances, it follows that they can also be destroyed or lost.
So his promise relative to appointing judges is incoherent, based on his own stated belief.
That's certainly the question we all have been asking.
I would be interested in your comment on my #14
OK, that convinces me. Rudy will never, ever have the benefit of a vote from me.
Don't be fooled by Rudy.
He is only saying what he thinks you want to hear and what will get him elected.
I have no problem with a giuliani candidacy, except it should NOT be on a republican ticket.
I am not fooled at all. Many are. Or do not care.
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