[Bean Counter]

Rudy Awakening??

I'm thinking Fred October, my friends...

[Man50D]

Giuliani is routinely described, in the pundit's shorthand, as a moderate

A Moderate-One who attempts to be appealing to everyone and so doing sacrifices whatever core principles he/she once had and in the end has no principles. The writer's contention "He's that rare politician who's most comfortable staking out positions at the further points of the ideological spectrum, swinging from one end to the other depending on the issue at hand" confirms the definition of a so called Moderate.

it is just as likely that Giuliani's social liberalism will offend conservatives and his fiscal conservatism will offend liberals.

This is a false premise. A Social liberal is in favor of programs that require much money and spending to fund those programs. Fiscal conservatives are anathema to spending large amounts of money. The two ideologies are mutually exclusive of each other.

[Cicero]

I'd be happier if, instead of constantly bashing Rudy, people who don't like him would throw their support behind other possible candidates, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter in particular.

It would be more useful to try to build these guys up, and then see how it plays out.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Interesting take on Rudy's candidacy.

[narses]

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. Source: CNN.com, “Inside Politics” Dec 2, 1999 http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Rudy_Giuliani_Abortion.htm

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES (November 14, 2006)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I'm pro- choice. I'm pro-gay rights.

KING: Giuliani supports a woman's right to an abortion, and back in 1999, he opposed a federal ban on late-term abortions.

GIULIANI: No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing.

KING: Immigration could be another presidential landmine. Back in 1996, Mayor Giuliani went to federal court to challenge new federal laws requiring the city to inform the federal government about illegal immigrants.

JEFFREY: He took the side of illegal immigrants in New York City against the Republican Congress.

KING: Giuliani opposes same-sex marriage but as mayor, he supported civil unions and extending health and other benefits to gay couples. He also supported the assault weapons ban and other gun control measures opposed by the National Rifle Association.

GIULIANI: I'm in favor of gun control. I'm pro-choice.

Republican Big-Wigs Support Pro-Abortion Event in NY

Pro-abortion Governor George Pataki and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also supports unrestricted abortion, are co-chairs of the 2000 Choice Award Presentation to be held on May 30 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. The event is sponsored by the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition, a group that is campaigning for the removal of the pro-life plank from the Republican National Platform.


http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503010743.asp

[billorites]

As a Republican presidential nominee, I'm not the biggest Giuliani fan.

I'm not particularly afraid of him either.

I don't think he's going to grab my guns, make me marry my plumber Biff, abort babies retroactively or anything like that.

I don't buy into everything he advocates, but I don't think he's crazy, irresponsible or unreasonable.

Plus, in a padded push-up bra, he's hot.

Seriously, this man in drag is better looking than Anna Nicole was in the past umpteen years. Like, who wouldn't hit it?

OK, so perhaps I'm confused a little about my sexuality.

and maybe my politics are "evolving"....

[Maelstorm]

What troubles me about Rudy is that he as well as Bloomberg have crossed the line not of just a hands off attitude towards abortion and gay rights but to out right promotion of those agendas.

[gpapa]

Interesting take by Ferguson saying in effect that Rudy is a left winger and a right winger simulaneously, and not a "moderate." Based on the issues RG is to the left of Senator Ben Nelson, a democrat from Nebraska.

[lentulusgracchus]

[Article] "Many Republicans will see these 'firsts' as a great liberation for their party, which by nominating a candidate at odds with religious conservatives will have at last freed itself from its disastrous bluenosery."

This kind of sentiment appears to be a fixed feature of the Weekly Standard -- they consistently bash social conservatives and Southerners. One of their editors, Christopher Caldwell, argued this line in a series of articles and debates all through 1998 to 2000. These guys really want conservatives to "go away" and just vote GOP on election day.

Might as well start calling them "the Weekly Democrat" -- they sure sound like it in the quote above, and in their sympathy for the "well-tanned" California GOP'er who referred with such evident distaste to the Republican Party's "base".

"WANTED -- stokers and greasers to serve in the steam yacht SS Republican. Hands will not be allowed on deck, however, as part of their conditions of employment."

[therut]

The man is an idiot. He talks about the Democrats pushing a collective responsibility. What is heck does he think suing gun manufactures for the collective responsibility of crime committed with a firearm does. He makes me MAD!!!

[hosepipe]

I ..H.A.T.E.. politicians that try to TRICK ME into voting for them or someone they support..

Bush was the LAST ONE...

[Steel Wolf]

Very interesting article, neverdem. I doubt most people will read more than the title, but if they do, they're in for a good read.

[Condor51]

Rudy Julie-Annie; "What works in New York doesn't necessarily work in Mississippi or Montana."

Translation into English - The Constitution and the Bill of Rights end at the borders of New York City. Or as POTUS, any dam place I say.

Every activist Rudybot .. at CPAC who supported Giuliani .. did so because of their certainty that when it comes to America's .. enemies, the former mayor will .. "kick butt and take names." And kill them, too, presumably. (ha-ha-ha, a great zinger)

There seems to be some mass psychosis (but thankfully still small in numbers) where the inflicted have this perverse idea that Rambo Rudy will put on his CIC Uniform (sarc), get in his own B-1 Bomber (Rudy 1) and personally bomb the sh*t out of Mecca and kill every Muslim in hand to hand combat.

However, this disease is particularly disturbing since the subject of this psychosis (a Cult of Personality Worship) - Rudy Julie-Annie - was a freaking DRAFT DODGER (Hey Judge, I don't want to go f**kng Vietnam, I scared sh*tless, get me outta this!).

Yep, that's some mental illness that can delude one to think a Draft Dodging Coward is really the second coming of Attila The Hun.

[floozy22]

Thanks for posting. A good, honest article, gives a realistic view of his politics.

[Zack Nguyen]

Great post. Thank you.

[neverdem]

Ex-Partner Of Giuliani May Face Charges (Felony Charges Against Bernard Kerik?)

Of Attorneys and Ayatollahs

The Left Exposed (Thanks Oneolcop - You found a GEM - MUST Listen!!!) Set aside 47 minutes. Nailed it!

From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

[eleni121]

I Like Fred!

[Ciexyz]

btt

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ND.

[neverdem]

Giuliani spends a good deal of every stump speech stressing the need for America "to stay on offense" in the war on terror. His precise conception of that war, and his approach to foreign affairs in general, is harder to pin down. To the extent that he's amplified his view of the terror war, it seems much closer to the economic determinism of the moderate realist school than to the notorious butt-kicking strategy of the neoconservative warrior class. Indeed, he says the "war on terror" is itself a misnomer; he prefers the term "the terrorists' war on us," which does sound rather more defensive.

"Americans hate war," he recently told the Churchill Club, a gathering of Silicon Valley executives. "We're at war because they want to come here and kill us, not because we want to go there and kill them. We want to do business with them. We would love to have them all wired and part of the Internet buying American products, and then we'll buy their products. And then we'll have the kind of issues we have with China and India, like we used to have with Japan. But those are good issues to have. That's America, that's what America is about."

In the end, he says, victory in the terror war may come down to commerce. "Technology has transformed the world," he told the executives. "Part of the way we're ultimately going to win the war on terror is through that technology. We're going to win the war on terror because, yes, we have to be militarily strong, we have to consider defending ourselves, but ultimately we overcome terrorism when those parts of the world that haven't connected yet connect to the global economy."

Consider China, he said. "China has plugged in. It's still a dictatorship, and they have to overcome that. But they've plugged into the global economy. If you think of where the terrorists are coming from, those are places that haven't plugged in. Ultimately economic freedom pushes you to political freedom. . . . We need to be strong, we need to be determined, but we also need to connect as many of these [Middle Eastern] countries as possible to doing business with us, to being connected to the Internet with us."

Kick butt, take names, and then make sure they have hotmail accounts.