Poll: Giuliani leads the GOP pack (& more on conservative endorsements Olson and Vitter)

CNN ^ | March 12, 2007 | CNN

[FairOpinion]

Giuliani is the preferred candidate for 34 percent of likely Republican voters, according to the poll. Giuliani has a double-digit lead over his nearest rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is the choice candidate for 18 percent of potential Republican voters.

Conservative endorsements

In a move to attract conservatives skeptical of his position on social issues such as gun control, abortion rights and same-sex civil unions, Giuliani's campaign Monday announced endorsements from Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, and former Solicitor General Ted Olson.

"Obviously, I disagree with Rudy on some significant social issues, and these are very important to me and to many people I represent," said Vitter, a vocal opponent of abortion, gay marriage and gun control.

"But after numerous personal meetings with the mayor, it's very clear to me that he's not running for president to advance any liberal social agenda," he said.

Olson, who served with Giuliani in the Reagan Justice Department, said he believes the former mayor "will appoint the kind of judges that we expect in this country -- people that respect the rule of law and the role of judges and who interpret the laws and interpret the Constitution, instead of judges who want to make policy."

[narses]

"Simple logic -- it's amazing the way some people around here keep ignoring reality."

Reality - Hillary was AHEAD of Rudy when he dropped out.

Reality - Rudy has peaked at 34% in the polls.

Reality - he is a liberal lawyer, with a bad rep on guns, God, Gays and corruption.

Reality - his own words damn him.

He is toast. Get real.

[cripplecreek]

They were due to take place next week in NH but the only top tier candidate with the stones to show up was going to be Romney so the debate was cancelled.

[narses]

Rudy Guiliani has marched in lockstep with liberals on affirmative action, gay rights, gay marriage, gun control, school prayer, tuition tax credits, liberal immigration policies, and he's reinforced it, time and time again. Just about everytime Rudy opens his mouth, offensive liberal words come pouring out. As Mayor, Rudy put liberals in high-paid city jobs, an indication what a Rudy WH would look like. Here then is Rudy in his own words:

--The New York State Liberal Party on its endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for Mayor: "When the Liberal Party Policy Committee reviewed a list of key social issues of deep concern to progressive New Yorkers, we found that Rudy Giuliani agreed with the Liberal Party's stance on a majority of such issues. He agreed with the Liberal Party's views on affirmative action, gay rights, gun control, school prayer and tuition tax credits. As Mayor, Rudy Giuliani would uphold the Constitutional and legal rights to abortion." N.Y.S. Liberal Party Endorsement Statement of Candidate Giuliani for Mayor of New York City April 8, 1989

--On the Republican Party: "Mr. Rockefeller represented 'a tradition in the Republican Party' I've worked hard to re-kindle - the Rockefeller, Javits, Lefkowitz tradition." Rudy Giuliani told the New York Times July 9, 1992

--Village Voice Interview with Guiliani: He was asked: "What kind of Republican Is [Giuliani]? A Reagan Republican?" Giuliani pauses before answering: "I'm a Republican." Village Voice January 24, 1989

--On Attending 1996 Republican Convention: Rudy expressed his pleasure when he wasn't invited to the Republican National Convention in San Diego. "If I take three or four days off from city business, I want to do it for a substantive purpose. It didn't seem to me any substantive purpose could be served by going to the Republican convention." said Rudy. Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Page 459, by Wayne Barrett

--On Barry Goldwater: Giuliani described John Kennedy as "great and brilliant. Barry Goldwater as an "incompetent, confused and sometimes idiotic man." New York Daily News, May 13, 1997

--On President Bill Clinton: Shortly before his last-minute endorsement of Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential election, Giuliani told the Post's Jack Newfield that "most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine." Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Wayne Barrett.

--The Daily News quoted Giuliani as saying March 1996: "Whether you talk about President Clinon, Senator Dole.... The country would be in very good hands in the hands of any of that group." An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Wayne Barrett.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

But he's a big, shiny choo-choo!

[narses]

He has peaked. It's over for the RINO.

[airborne]

Yes, I get it.

You're afraid.

Don't worry.

Just sit there on the Rudy Express, content to let it take you away.

You don't have to think or do anything.

Enjoy the ride. Woo Woo!

[areafiftyone]

Any links to that list? I guess not.

[narses]

The Real Rudy Giuliani:

From Human Events:

Rudy's Strong Pro-Abortion Stance

As these comments from a 1989 conversation with Phil Donahue show, Rudy Giuliani is staunchly in favor of abortion:

"I've said that I'll uphold a woman's right of choice, that I will fund abortion so that a poor woman is not deprived of a right that others can exercise, and that I would oppose going back to a day in which abortions were illegal.

I do that in spite of my own personal reservations. I have a daughter now; if a close relative or a daughter were pregnant, I would give my personal advice, my religious and moral views ...

Donahue: Which would be to continue the pregnancy.

Giuliani: Which would be that I would help her with taking care of the baby. But if the ultimate choice of the woman - my daughter or any other woman - would be that in this particular circumstance [if she had] to have an abortion, I'd support that. I'd give my daughter the money for it."

Worse yet, Giuliani even supports partial birth abortion:

"I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-gay rights,Giuliani said. He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions. "No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing," he responded." -- CNN.com, "Inside Politics" Dec 2, 1999

It's bad enough that Rudy is so adamantly pro-abortion, but consider what that could mean when it comes time to select Supreme Court Justices. Does the description of Giuliani that you've just read make you think he's going to select an originalist like Clarence Thomas, who would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade -- or does it make you think he would prefer justices like Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy who'd leave Roe v. Wade in place?

Rudy's abortion stance is bad news for conservatives who are pro-life or who are concerned about getting originalist judges on the Supreme Court.

An Anti-Second Amendment Candidate

In the last couple of election cycles, 2nd Amendment issues have moved to the back burner mainly because even Democratic candidates have learned that being tagged with the "gun grabber" label is political poison.

Unfortunately, Rudy Giuliani is a proponent of gun control who supported the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapon Ban.

Do Republicans really want to abandon their strong 2nd Amendment stance by selecting a pro-gun control nominee?

[Jane Austen]

Hillary will make mincemeat out of Rudy. She will turn the women against him but reminding everyone about the restraining order against Rudy's mistress while he was still married. That was quite a scandal. There are many more things she might have his FBI files. That woman is ruthless.

[HitmanLV]

I have my ticket! :-)

[narses]

[org.whodat]

"The Rudy Express"?

No thanks, I'll walk. Not drinking your cool aide.

Better answer. :) But that was good!

[narses]

Soft on Gay Marriage

Other than tax cuts, the biggest domestic issue of the 2004 election was President Bush's support of a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, Rudy Giuliani has taken a "Kerryesque" position on gay marriage.

Although Rudy, like John Kerry, has said that marriage should remain between a man and a woman, he also supports civil unions, "marched in gay-pride parades" ...dressed up in drag on national television for a skit on Saturday Night Live (and moved in with a) wealthy gay couple" after his divorce. He also very vocally opposed running on a gay marriage amendment:

His thoughts on the gay-marriage amendment? "I don't think you should run a campaign on this issue," he told the Daily News earlier this month. "I think it would be a mistake for anybody to run a campaign on it -- the Democrats, the president, or anybody else."

Here's more from the New York Daily News:

"Rudy Giuliani came out yesterday against President Bush's call for a ban on gay marriage.

The former mayor, who Vice President Cheney joked the other night is after his job, vigorously defended the President on his post-9/11 leadership but made clear he disagrees with Bush's proposal to rewrite the Constitution to outlaw gays and lesbians from tying the knot.

"I don't think it's ripe for decision at this point," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I certainly wouldn't support [a ban] at this time," added Giuliani..."

Although Rudy may grudgingly say he doesn't support gay marriage (and it would be political suicide for him to do otherwise), where he really stands on the issue is an open question.

[FairOpinion]

If YOU aren't terrified by a Dem President with a Dem Congress, appointing liberal activist judges -- thereby having full control of all three branches of the government, you are not living in the real world.

[narses]

[narses]

While he was the “Republican Mayor” of New York City he appointed more than 60 men and women to the Civil, Criminal, and Family Court benchs. In all of those judicial appointment only two were Republican.

All of his other judical appointments were either registered Liberals or registered Democrats. As the “Republican Mayor” he had appointment power over more than 70 full commissioners in more than 50 City agencies, yet at no time during his administration did REPUBLICANS account for more than 10% of those appointments.

He even appointed Chuck Schumers wife as the City’s Department of Transportation Commissioner.


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http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9054.html

“And even as we grieve for those who lost their lives, and our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones, we may be able to find some sort of meaning in this tragedy by using it as a catalyst to revive national gun control efforts.”
Rudolph Giuliani

[Victoria Delsoul]

You've been saying that for 3 months, LOL.

[FairOpinion]

"The RUdy Express" -- I love it!!!

Will save it and use it. Did you create it? It's really great.

[airborne]

If YOU aren't terrified by a Dem President with a Dem Congress, appointing liberal activist judges -- thereby having full control of all three branches of the government, you are not living in the real world.

Enjoy the scenery, because you're on the wrong train. And when you get to where Rudy is going you'll see that you end up in Libland.