Posted on 09/02/2007 4:18:47 PM PDT by wagglebee
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson officially joins the presidential race on Thursday, and Rudy Giuliani and his team are watching closely to determine how much of an impact his candidacy will have on Giuliani.
"He's a Southerner, and he's a senator, and that gives him credibility," Barry Wynn, a top Giuliani adviser in South Carolina, tells Newsday. "He's certainly weaker today in terms of the level of enthusiasm of his supporters than he was a month ago ... but I certainly see him as serious competition."
Giuliani currently sits atop every major national poll, and is leading decisively in states like California and Florida. But he still faces deep skepticism from conservatives who drive the nominating process. Those are the same people who are likely to be Thompson supporters, analysts say, and that could mean Thompson won't fade any time soon.
"I was totally dismissive of his chance to get the nomination, and I'm not dismissive anymore," Stu Rothenberg, a Washington political analyst, told Newsday. "He's hung in there."
The worry for Giuliani is that Thompson could prove just as appealing to conservatives on tax cuts and terrorism -- with the added bonus of agreeing with them on social issues like abortion and gun control. It's a theme Thompson's advisers already have suggested they will play up, the importance of nominating a candidate who embodies every part of the party's beliefs.
of course he is worried, he should be.
I wish analysts and journalists would stop pushing this meme that small-government/fiscal conservatism is all about tax cuts. It’s about reducing the size, scope and reach of the federal government — tax cuts are only part of that. Spending cuts are another part — but the overall goal is reduction of government power and intrusion. In that area, Thompson does well and Giuliani fails miserably.
He should be afraid. Thompson’s just entering the campaign and their already neck and neck.
And this is the point when people actually start paying attention, Julie-Annie may have thought that ignoring everyone and walking tall on the rubble of 9/11 would get him to the primaries without much competition, but he is wrong.
Watch Fred’s numbers go up ALOT in most states in the coming months, Rudy’s will go down, and Romney and McCain will stay around the 10% mark nationally.
That’s because they have a “super secret” room where they go to bash FR in private.
Where are you getting your information?
OntheIssues is riddled with falsehoods.
Numbers USA says that Fred has one of the better records on illegal immigration of the GOP front runners.
Gotta hand it to Mitt. He's been successfully steady in his personnel life.
From NumbersUSA. He might be better than Rudy or Mitt - but that’s not saying much. He’s voted for chain migration and for increasing the number of guestworkers and legals allowed here without first addressing all the illegals here. There haven’t been many votes to go on, but they’ve been mixed and doesn’t send a clear signal. Not to me anyway.
So he voted for LEGAL immigration, and that’s a problem.
Unreal.
Exactly!!!
It was absolutely sickening to watch some 'so-called' conservatives so willing to abandon the traditional base--along with the base's conservative values and principle--to support a liberal like JulieAnnie, who is 180 degress out from most of those very long-held, core, bedrock values and principles.
It's also certainly is nice to not have those Rudy-apologists use their skewed form of tortured logic/moral relativism to attack other conservatives (like Reagan) in an attempt to justify their support for a liberal who's personal life is an absolute train wreck.
I, too, am glad to see them gone.
But I wasnt just talking about this particular thread. I see this stuff on Free Republic all the time.
As I said, I have NEVER seen FReepers criticize another CONSERVATIVE website.
Exactly. Before many of them left,,,,the Rudy-apologists came up with some really criginal names to diminish, obfuscate, demean and dilute the meaning of 'conservative'.
Some of their more popular conservative 'qualifiers' were,,,,
'COMMON SENSE' conservative,,,,
'REALISTIC' conservative, and,,,
'PRAGMATIC' conservative.
I wonder how many more creative ways they have come up with over there to blur and insult the meaning of conservative??
The FRiberals were trying to diminish conservatism while they were still here.:
Rudy and the Republican Nomination |
||||||
Posted by Howlin to EternalVigilance On Smoky Backroom 02/03/2007 12:48:29 AM EST · 822 of 1,544 The transformation of the GOP into Democrat Party Lite? It's not going to be DNC Lite; it's going to be a more moderate conservative party though; you all have had your foot on our necks for too long. This country has to be governed in the middle; the world has moved on from the 50's. The Contract with America will unite this party again. But we're not going to let you make abortion and guns the big issues this time around. Post Reply | Private Reply | To 792 | View Replies |
My real concern for the candidate is I want someone who is prejudice against liberal leftist incrementalist agenda as much as he is prejudice for conservatism.
The executive has huge powers of obstruction, and they can be well used against the previously mentioned leftist agenda. W has not used these methods and the Rats have made gains because of that. Admittedly, W is not a conservative.
I want a conservative that will stick it to the left, and make their fictitious whining complaints a reality. I see this more in Fred than Mitt, God Bless 'em both.
I will send money to Fred and I will vote for Mitt if he gets the nod over Fred.
Rudy is toast, I gotta admit that he's tough on crime and terrorists, but then he considers me a criminal terrorist because I own a gun.
I wonder why not -no dissenting newbies to gang-tackle & mau-mau off the board?
That's one of the more disgusting comments I've seen from a 'so-called' conservative. No hyperbole there at all!!!..../s Good riddence to anyone that makes a comment like that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.