It's hard to imagine Giuliani's "big tent" ploy going over big with the ReFascistlicans

[BurtWorm]

If you were to bet in favor of an early exit for him, before the primaries even start, you might make a killing.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/washington/11cnd-giuliani.html?ex=1336536000&en=5c3f80516c1cd167&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

During last week’s debate among Republicans vying for their party’s 2008 presidential nomination, the former New York City mayor was criticized for his halting and apparently contradictory responses to questions about his views on abortion rights. Critics have said that he is trying to run from a record that is much more liberal than the views of the Republican Party’s core voters on the issue.

Today’s speech was part of a concerted effort that his aides said he would be making to be more open about his support for abortion rights — a sharp departure from the usual route of Republican nominees, who during the last 30 years have highlighted their antiabortion views.

Mr. Giuliani told his audience today that he knew that some voters might disagree with him. But he urged the party to become a “big tent” that could include people with a range of views on the subject. At the same time, he said he owed it to them to be forthright about his own views.

“I should honestly tell you what I believe,” Mr. Giuliani said. “I should honestly tell you the things that I can evolve on, and the things that I can’t, and then you should decide.”

He said, as he has before, that he personally opposed abortion but believed in a woman’s right to make her own decisions; that he believes in the right to bear arms, but that as mayor of New York, he favored certain aspects of gun control; and that while he opposes gay marriage, he supports protecting gay rights, something he said he did as mayor.

[One_Life_To_Give]

1. Depends how they view the primary

If they primary for the Candidate most like their own views Rudy is out early. If they primary for a Candidate to win the General Election it's a different story.

[slackmaster]

2. He's trying too hard to finesse issues

Personally opposed to abortion but favors right to choose.

Favors "certain gun restrictions" but favors right to keep and bear arms.

Opposes gay marriage but some of his best friends are gay.

[BurtWorm]

4. If I were a constipervative, I would write him off.

So what if he's St. Rudy of 9/11? He's a baby killing, gun grabbing, homo lover.

PS: Not to mention a multi-divorced Italian Catholic from NYC. In a mixed marriage! :scared:

PPS: With a lisp!

[slackmaster]

5. Real conservos wrote him off a looooooong time ago

And some of MY best friends are baby killing, gun grabbing, homo lovers even though we don't always agree.

[BurtWorm]

7. Hard to see what section of the shrinking Republitent he appeals to.

National security groupies? Only the ones who don't believe God picked George W. Bush to lead a crusade against abortionists, Islam, gun grabbers and gays who want to get married, and how many is that? And who else wants him? Moderates? Log cabin Republicans? We're talking very tiny constituencies.

[slackmaster]

8. I think I know what he's trying to do

Appeal to California Republicans, who are as a group much more moderate than the national party.

The state GOP primary will be held in February. If he manages to win it, he'll be in the lead in potential electoral votes.

It's a gamble, and perhaps not a bad one. He has to overcome Californians' resistance to voting for a "suit" from NYC.

[LibDemAlways]

12. I don't see him winning the repuke primary in CA.

Repuke primary voters here tend to be the knuckledraggers who will likely support McCain in a 3-way contest between McCain, Ghouliani, and Romney. McCain is from the west, has the military "war hero" cred, and has been talking "pro life" of late. He'll be the guy to beat in the CA primary.

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Will Remaining GOP Moderates Run Away From the Circus?

I wonder if those remaining moderate Republicans are naive enough to think that they'd be respected or even allowed to express their opinions in today's Hard Right-controlled Republican Party? Have GOP moderates finally realized that they've sold out their principles for old loyalties a time or two too many, been force-fed humble pie too often, or have gotten tired of being the targets for RINO hunts by the right-wing ideologues?

If so, they may not listen to Giuliani's pitch that the GOP still has a place for moderates other than to serve as "useful idiots" for the Radical Right, and finally do something positive for their self-respect and run away from the GOP's circus.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. He's fucked. The GOP "base" is going to have a hard enough time just voting for any candidate

that admits to believing in evolution.

The Base of the GOP considers banning abortion to be the "moderate" position. Most of them would like to see all contraception criminalized, and "biblical law" punishments like stoning to death instituted for "crimes" like being gay, or committing "blasphemy".

The only chance he might have had would be to lie, lie, lie on this. Now, there's no way.

[BurtWorm]

9. Lying worked wonders among Republicans for Bush.

:think:

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Yeah, but the one thing Bush has done is keep the knuckle-dragging fundies happy.

I'm not saying Rudy can't appease them, but he's never going to do it if he doesn't start saying all the right things- and fast.

[BurtWorm]

11. After reading about his treatment of an Iowa woman because she wasn't a millionaire

I really think it's just a matter of time before he's out. Then this will be the second time in his last two tries for office beyond the mayoralty of NYC in which he gets creamed before anyone even gets a chance to vote for or against him:

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/may/11/exclusive_mccain_called_iowa_woman_snubbed_by_rudy_campaign

EXCLUSIVE: McCain Personally Called Iowa Woman Snubbed By Rudy Campaign
By Greg Sargent | bio

Senator John McCain put in a personal call today to an Iowa woman that was snubbed by Rudy Giuliani's campaign, asking to meet with her and apologizing to her on "behalf of all politicians," the woman told me this evening.

"John McCain personally called me -- today, this afternoon," the woman, Deb VonSprecken, told me. "Wow. He said, `I want to come and meet you.'"

As we reported yesterday, Deb and her husband, Jerry vonSprecken, had gone to great pains to organize a political event for Rudy on the Giuliani campaign's request. But according to the local Anamosa Journal-Eureka, the Rudy campaign canceled the event once it learned that the VonSprecken family were not millionaires -- meaning that they were not suitable for the Rudy camp's anti-"death tax" campaign purposes.

In his call to Deb, McCain apologized to her on the Rudy campaign's behalf and asked if he could come see her, the woman says. "He apologized on behalf of all politicians," she told me. "He just apologized in general. He was really sweet. I recognized his voice from TV. He was very, very polite, funny."

In asking to come visit with her, "He started teasing me and saying, `We're doing a security check. I'm homing in on satellite,'" Deb tells me. "I said, `No, no, don't do it.' We were laughing. It was incredibly nice."

Apparently, Deb's experience with the Rudy campaign -- her giddy anticipation of his visit, followed by the harsh letdown that followed -- was so jarring that she turned down McCain's request for a visit. For now, anyway.

[BurtWorm]

13. And his relationship with the Yankees won't win him fans

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12/nyregion/12about.html

About New York
The Rings of Giuliani

By JIM DWYER
Published: May 12, 2007

Rudolph W. Giuliani, who after deep reflection has concluded that he is the best qualified person in America to be president, now owns four gold World Series rings, which, if hit hard enough with a hammer, would yield about 100 diamonds, some of them a half-carat in size.
Skip to next paragraph
Steve Nesius for The New York Times

New York Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez wearing his World Series championship rings.

The rings were created by the New York Yankees baseball team to commemorate their championships from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Giuliani says he bought them fair and square for a total of $16,000 — “I paid precisely what anyone else would pay” — and that he scored the baubles only after he left office.

Well.

Actually, he could not have paid what anyone else would pay because the team does not sell the rings to anyone. The whole point of World Series rings is that they cannot be bought. Moreover, on the rare occasions when they have gone on the private market, they have drawn prices many times what Mr. Giuliani paid the Yankees.

Still, as endlessly fascinating as money and jewelry can be, they are but accessories to the ego.

During his eight years in office, Mr. Giuliani played the role of First Fan of the Yankees, a kind of team mascot perched in the best box seats in the ballpark, his image glimpsed just over the shoulder of some Yankee star whenever TV cameras pointed to the on-deck circle.

How much and when Mr. Giuliani paid for those choice seats is apparently a complicated state secret: The Yankees say they did sporadically receive checks from him for his tickets, but they won’t say for how much or how often. Mr. Giuliani’s spokeswoman said he paid “thousands of dollars” when he was not at games on “official business,” a term of liberal elasticity.

[UTUSN]

14. Besides losing the Fundies, the Catholic fundie slice refuses him sacraments (& votes) n/t