Giuliani ups the ante over abortion

timesonline.co.uk ^ | may 12, 2007 | Tom Baldwin in Washington

[Jim Robinson]

The quarter-century hold that “values voters” from the Christian Right have had over the Republican Party is being directly challenged by Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid.

Having spent months failing to appease his antiabortion critics, the former New York Mayor and front-runner for the Republican nomination has decided to adopt a high-risk strategy by tackling them head on.

Yesterday Mr Giuliani underlined his “pro-choice” stance of supporting abortion rights while speaking at Houston Baptist University, while also addressing his key campaign themes of taxes and terrorism.

The change of tack became apparent this week in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was questioned over abortion and fresh disclosures about a past donation to the Planned Parenthood organisation.

“Ultimately, there has to be a right to choose,” he said. Asked whether the party’s conservative base would nominate a candidate with such views for president, he replied: “That’s up to Republicans – I guess we are going to find out.”

~~snip~~

But Mr Giuliani’s new approach suggested that he might nominate Supreme Court justices who viewed the 34-year-old ruling as too ingrained in precedent to reverse.

~~snip~~

This week opponents pounced on the chance to split Mr Giuliani from the Republican base. John McCain said: “I think it’s one of the fundamental principles of a conservative to have respect and commitment to the dignity of human life, both the born and unborn.”

Mr McCain’s strategists have long since argued that the more Republican voters find out about Mr Giuliani’s policies as mayor of the liberal city of New York, the less inclined they will be to support him.

That record includes support for gun control and gay rights.

[Jim Robinson]

Reminds me of a recent post to FR (paraphrasing):

Conservatives have had their boot on the neck of the GOP for too long. The new GOP will govern from the center [ie, left]. Issues like abortion and gun control will never again be major issues.

[Prokopton]

Conservatives have had their boot on the neck of the GOP for too long.

I'd be willing to take my boot off for long enough to give the boot to Rudy.

[Jim Robinson]

The quarter-century hold that “values voters” from the Christian Right have had over the Republican Party is being directly challenged by Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid.

Having spent months failing to appease his antiabortion critics, the former New York Mayor and front-runner for the Republican nomination has decided to adopt a high-risk strategy by tackling them head on.

Yesterday Mr Giuliani underlined his “pro-choice” stance of supporting abortion rights while speaking at Houston Baptist University, while also addressing his key campaign themes of taxes and terrorism.

“Ultimately, there has to be a right to choose,” he said. Asked whether the party’s conservative base would nominate a candidate with such views for president, he replied: “That’s up to Republicans – I guess we are going to find out.”

But Mr Giuliani’s new approach suggested that he might nominate Supreme Court justices who viewed the 34-year-old ruling as too ingrained in precedent to reverse.

And there we have it, folks. The stated goal is to eliminate the pro-life, pro-family, pro-liberty planks from the GOP party platform. Elect Rudy and the party goes liberal. Do we need two liberal parties? Can the nation survive with nothing but liberal vs liberal?

[Spiff]

Reminds me of a recent post to FR (paraphrasing): Conservatives have had their boot on the neck of the GOP for too long. The new GOP will govern from the center [ie, left]. Issues like abortion and gun control will never again be major issues.

I seem to recall that post and that former FReeper.... ;-)

Keep giving them hell, Jim.

[decal]

“Having spent months failing to appease his antiabortion critics, the former New York Mayor and front-runner for the Republican nomination has decided to adopt a high-risk strategy by tackling them head on.”

See Dick run.
See Dick trip.
See Dick fall.
See Dick switch parties.
See us wave good-bye.

Being on the proper side on the WOT is necessary but not sufficient; we may as well nominate Sen. Lieberman.

[Rick_Michael]

Yeah, Rudy doesn’t even get a GOP label in my book...much less a conservative label.

The closest thing I can think of is...a less principled big ‘L’ibertarian with a stronger defense posture. I can’t think of a president in our past—like him.

[Shelayne]

“Ultimately, there has to be a right to choose,” he said.

I despise that phrase of theirs. Right to choose? Choose what? We CHOOSE brands of peanut butter, we don't CHOOSE whether our baby gets to live or dies a brutal death. That is just evil, pure and simple. They are pro-abortion; to them, there is no other true choice. If it were, they would encourage adoption. They don't.

There are certain lines people are reluctant to cross when selecting a candidate, well, this is mine. I will NOT cross that line. I have an allegiance to God, not to any political entity. If that makes me a one-issue voter, then so be it.

[Ronin]

Given the choice between Rudy and Lieberman, I think most of us would hold our noses and vote for Lieberman — or stay home, of course.

[GregH]

This is a failed, doomed strategy from the Giuliani campaign.

If he does win the nomination he is going to dividem,fracture and hurt the Republican party.

[ansel12]

“The quarter-century hold that “values voters” from the Christian Right have had over the Republican Party is being directly challenged by Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid. “

---

I like where this is going, I think that now that the liberal wing of the Republican party truly has an effective champion, that the Social Conservatives can finally grab hold of their oily necks and finally bury any doubt of what the true base is.

We don’t have a champion, but I do think that we have the numbers, and the man that we choose will win the primary.

Thank God that there is plenty of time for us to put our demoralized selves back together to defeat Rudy, he will be the uniting cause that we needed.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

For somebody who only so recently was wooing the Real Right, Rudy has sure been smoked out as a lying fraud when it comes to his true intentions about SCOTUS!

Seize the day, we sees the light and it’s a smoking gun indeed--one of the few Rudy would prefer unseized.

[jedward]

“Conservatives have had their boot on the neck of the GOP for too long. The new GOP will govern from the center [ie, left]. Issues like abortion and gun control will never again be major issues.”

That right there, what you just paraphrased is just the fuel that drives the hydraulic pumps in order to get us all back to steady course 090!

[commonguymd]

ping.

[chesley]

Not much point in voting Republican if they hold the same despicable views as the Democrats. Better to let the Democrats win and take the consequences.

However, I do not believe a truly conservative Republican will be defeated, especially by the Hillarybeast. But if so, God help America.

[Clump]

I agree with you. Joe would move the Dems to the right on WOT issues, but Rudy would leave millions of Catholics and Evangelicals without a voice in our self government.

[Antoninus]

Hey, you never know. Maybe he and Ron Paul could just go on tour together. Paul will serve up some pasty-faced blather about how 9-11 was America's fault, and Rudy could body-slam him repeatedly. What a great act that would be! It could be the political equivalent of the "Hulk Hogan vs. Jose Luis Rivera" matches from the old WWF, guaranteed to make Rudy look like an invincible stud.

Too bad he's nothing but a bald, lisping, liberal dud.

[Little Ray]

Neah. We won’t have two liberal parties, we’ll Mensheviks and Bolsheviks - liberals and commies.

[RinaseaofDs]

We’d be Canada. One liberal party, the other less-so.

[colorado tanker]

But Mr Giuliani’s new approach suggested that he might nominate Supreme Court justices who viewed the 34-year-old ruling as too ingrained in precedent to reverse.

Sorry, Rudy. That's a deal-breaker for me.

[zerosix]

If the conservatives lose on this most of important First Amendment issue in the GOP, I daresay that there will be a very dim future for the GOP as many of us/them see nothing different between the Republican Party and that of the liberal dimocRAT Party.

We may no longer have the influence but the truth is on our side and the truth will never be silenced!

Even Stalin, Hitler, et al are in the trash bins of history while the truth lives on.