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There has been a noticeable increase in Rudy-related news over the past 24-48 hours, likely in anticipation of Hizzoner’s rumored announcement on Saturday.
Let’s start off with an interview with Hizzoner given in conjunction with his SC appearance (interview courtesy of SC Hotline). In the interview, Rudy addresses the ludicrous notion of an independent candidacy, his opposition to Gay Marriage, as well as the tendency for others to exaggerate the difference between himself and other candidates on social issues:
Speaking of Rudy’s visit to SC, Politico’s Johnathan Martin makes a note of the impression Hizzoner made on SC conservatives:
A Republican source unaffiliated with any of the 2008 contenders attended both and says that the moderate former mayor seemed to have won a lot of conservative SC Republicans over.
Seeking to appeal to the fiscally conservative audiences, Hizzoner devoted considerable time to his record of cutting taxes in NYC, the source said. But Giuliani also talked about judges, and how he admired the judicial temperament of the two justices President Bush has appointed to the Supreme Court, Alito and Roberts. Such talk was assumedly his way of calming social conservatives who may be wary of Giuliani’s liberal social views. But Giuliani, I’m told, did not avoid topics like abortion, gay rights or guns. At both venues, he ended his remarks by imploring the crowd to bring on the questions about such matters. He was asked about abortion and guns at the FRW event. On the former, he said he was personally opposed to the procedure but didn’t want to go down the road of imprisoning women who have an abortion.
Befitting his celebrity, Giuliani drew a considerable amount of press to his appearance. There were about 1/2 dozen television cameras at the Executive Committee speech and a handful of out-of-state reporters.
And finally, in what may be the kiss of death to my preferred candidate, Dick Morris proclaims Rudy to be the Republican frontrunner:
Until now, the status of front-runner in the Republican primaries for president was jointly held by Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. McCain is clearly no longer the front-runner. In the last week or so, Giuliani has moved out to a clear lead.
- McCain’s latest fund-raising report, for the fourth quarter of 2006, was pathetic: He raised only $1.7 million and has only pocket change – $472,454 – on hand.
- A Fox News poll of Jan. 30-31 shows the former mayor jumping out to a significant lead among Republicans – 34 to 22 percent.
- A Gallup poll taken Jan. 25-28 shows Giuliani is better liked by Republicans than McCain -74 to 21 percent and more trusted to handle a crisis (68-20). Some 60 percent say Giuliani “better understands the problems of the average person,” against 33 percent who pick McCain. By 58-34, America’s Mayor is seen as the stronger leader.
Conversations with conservative activists also show a remarkable openness to supporting Giuliani – a belief that he can overcome (perhaps finesse) his pro-choice, pro-gun-control, pro-gay-rights and pro-immigration positions. Feelings seem bitterer over McCain’s role in Washington battles – his opposition to the Bush tax cuts and his support for “amnesty” for illegal immigrants and for campaign-finance reform.
Giuliani has developed an effective parry to charges that his pro-choice stance would undo eight years of pro-life heavy lifting by the Bush administration. He’s saying he’d oppose partial-birth abortion and work to continue to curtail Medicaid funding for abortion. More, he’d appoint judges like Justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court.
One thing that I would disagree with Mr. Morris over is the significance of McCain’s money on hand, as I believe those figures were 2006 year-end remaining totals which don’t reflect the amount of money that Sen. McCain spent supporting Republican candidates in the 2006 midterms.
I do agree that we may be approaching the point where Rudy Giuliani should be considered the sole Republican frontrunner due to the erosion of Sen. McCain’s numbers over his support of the President’s Iraq strategy. It’s perhaps difficult to envision Sen. McCain winning the Republican nomination if the perception of his electoral invincibility has been lost.
February 5th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
So I guess its time to start questioning what revelation has Giuliani had, while delivering speeches for the last 6 years, that causes him to oppose partial birth abortion and abortion funding. At least Mitt has a plausible story for his conversion: he was actually DEALING with abortion related issues for the first time in his life. I’m willing to accept Rudy’s change of position, but I want to know what precisely has caused him to repudiate a previously strongly held conviction.
February 5th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
if McCain looks like he will lose to Hillary he is finish in the primany.
February 5th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
I’ll second that, Matt. Also, for all the grief that Romney has been given on this website (and others) regarding his shift to becomming pro-life on RvW, I wonder how people can claim objectivity when they eagerly anticipate Rudy changing his stances on PBA, RvW, guns, pro-civil unions, and pro-immigration positions. I’m not criticizing Rudy on those positions (before or after his flips) at this moment. I’m focussing on the double standard being applied when we project our best hopes and dreams onto a former mayor whose record does not warrent it, while simultaneously making Romney an offender for every word that comes out of his mouth.
February 5th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I think Rudy’s opposition to funding abortions with taxpayers’ dollars, PBA, and his likely promise to uphold the Mexico City policy will be explained in a very straightforward manner that will involve neither roads nor Damascus. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rudy said something like this:
“Look, I’ve always been in favor of strict constructionist judges, and I’ve always been opposed to making abortion illegal. But I’m running to be the leader of the nation’s pro-life party, and I understand that the voters I wish to lead have significant moral problems with the idea of their tax dollars facilitating abortions. Therefore, as president, and as the titular leader of the Republican Party, I will take no action to encourage or facilitate abortions in this country. I will sign no law preventing states from making their own abortion policy. I will appropriate not one federal dollar towards the performance of an abortion. This is an issue that the American people and their elected representatives need to work out at the state and municipal level. It shouldn’t be a federal issue.”
Rudy should then go on Hannity and Colmes (or equivalent) and walk into the obvious question from the liberal on the show, which would be something to the effect of:
“But Mr. Mayor, you support abortion rights. You’ve said so numerous times. Don’t you realize these judges you support will take away a woman’s right to choose?!”
At that point, Rudy should respond with something like this:
“It’s true that I don’t support making abortion a criminal act. But these liberal judges, these activist judges, what they’ve been doing is insane, striking down even common sense abortion regulations, like requiring a teenager to tell her parents she’s thinking about getting an abortion, and doing so in the name of some amorphous constitutional right. I’m sorry, I’ve read the Constitution, and that’s not in there. So I will support judges that will let the voters work out their own abortion policies. We saw democracy at work in South Dakota recently, where the legislature passed an abortion bill, the governor signed it, and the people decided they didn’t want it and rejected it by referendum. That’s democracy. That’s the way this country is supposed to work. If every state was able to do that, instead of some unelected judge telling the people what laws they can and cannot have, we wouldn’t still be screaming at each other about this issue 35 years later.”
February 5th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I don’t think Rudy will change his pro civil unions stance. I think he’ll just say it’s not a federal issue, and that each state should be able to decide whether it wants civil unions or not.
February 5th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
You gotta love Rudy.
Hey guys,
I heard that Rudy was going to be on Hannity and Colmes tonight.
I wonder if he will be making some kind of announcement.
February 5th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Does anyone have a link or actual quote from Giuliani about his opposition to partial birth abortion? This article is the first I’ve heard about it.
There’s no way I vote for Giuliani in the primary. But if he comes out against PBA, taxpayer funding of abortions, and says the court was wrong to take abortion policy away from the states in Roe v. Wade on top of his pledge to appoint constrictionist judges then I could start to think about voting for him in the general election.
On the other hand, if he campaigns as a candidate who will defend a woman’s right to choose, fails to reverse his past support for PBA and Roe v. Wade, and tries to change the Republican party platform on abortion he will drive me and lots of other social conservatives away.
February 5th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
[...] on all things Rudy here, here, here and [...]
February 5th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Great point Kavon
McCain’s invincibility was his greatest asset. He looks old and tired. The fire in the belly is gone. And why?
Because he finds himself a pariah in his own party.
February 5th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Dave,
He’s saying he’d oppose partial-birth abortion
Oh, of course. I eagerly anticipate his rationale for this. If he did indeed flip on this, he’s really no better than Romney. In fact, this might be even worse because at least Romney had his “conversion” in 2004, whereas Rudy waits until the day of his filing to come out against his most controversial and damaging political belief. If that’s not opportunism, I really don’t know what is.
like requiring a teenager to tell her parents she’s thinking about getting an abortion
Maybe I’m misinformed, but doesn’t Rudy oppose parental notification also?
February 5th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
“Maybe I’m misinformed, but doesn’t Rudy oppose parental notification also?”
That would be news to me.
February 6th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Kavon,
Interesting. I thought I read somewhere a few months ago that Rudy opposed parental notification. Maybe I’m just going crazy. I’ll try to look it up.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
[...] Morris (Hat tip: another race42008 post): Until now, the status of front-runner in the Republican primaries for president was jointly [...]