The American Spectator

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Rudy Reconsidered?

2.15.07 @ 12:01AM

GIULIANI JITTERS
Re: Lisa Fabrizio's The Rudy Dilemma:

I must admit that I am horrified by the possibility of Rudy Giuliani winning the Republican nomination for president. Why would anyone sensible even dream of nominating a pro-abortion Catholic to any office, much less the presidency of the United States of America? Such self-serving hypocrisy is so blatantly obvious, so John Kerryesque! It is both sad and scary that some Republicans want the party to self-destruct over name recognition. Principle should win out. The true Republican platform is pro-life, against tax and spend profligacy, pro-security, and in favor of legal immigration. Such an agenda would win if only we could find politicians who were not afraid of the New York Times.
-- Gregory Tatum

Lisa Fabrizio has hit it dead center concerning Giuliani. Is this what we really want? A Republican liberal who is just as bad for our beliefs as a Democrat liberal? Teddy Roosevelt made a comment in his inauguration speech as Governor of New York about how this republic could not survive long without moral people in office. By moral, he meant Christian morality over all. That transcended any other "virtues" any politician had. Rudy Giuliani fails miserably in that respect. Even our Founding Fathers warned against putting people in office that didn't adhere to Christian beliefs. Each state constitution usually addressed the issue of good morals in office holders and cautioned against those who were intemperate in their lives.
-- Pete Chagnon

A year ago I was telling friends that Rudy Giuliani had no chance in winning the Republican nomination for all the reasons Ms. Fabrizio lists. Today, this pro-life, Second Amendment Republican is considering supporting him. I admit his main competition is the main reason for this support. John McCain can only be trusted to betray his principles for glowing accolades from the media. Mitt Romney has a history of flip flopping gay rights and abortion.

While Rudy has views that I strongly disagree with, his consistency of sticking to these views is a plus when he promises to appoint originalist justices to the Supreme Court. The last six Republican presidents have failed on this measure (Harriet Miers disqualifies G.W. Bush.) Law enforcement and anti-terrorism seem to be two of his main goals. The judiciary he needs to support these goals will not come from the "constitution is a living document" supporters where the pro-choice crowd lives but from the originalist camp. Second Amendment issues are the new third rail, Democrats are nowhere to be seen regarding guns anymore and Giuliani appears too shrewd a politician to make this mistake.

Regarding who would sign any anti-abortion bills, there will be no anti-abortion bills unless the Republicans return to the majority in Congress. The only Republican presidential candidate who has potential coattails is Giuliani. To take Ms. Fabrizio's argument about Giuliani's compartmentalization of his religious anti-abortion stance to his public political pro-choice stance to the extreme would lead me to believe Mitt Romney should be in favor of a prohibition against alcohol and coffee! Normally I would sit out a vote between a suspected RINO (because he cuts taxes and supports the death penalty, I don't think Rudy qualifies) and a Democrat, but this particular election is too important.
-- Donald Parnell
London, United Kingdom

If R. Emmett Tyrrell did a first class job a few days ago articulating the pragmatic reasons for being encouraged by a Rudy Giuliani presidential candidacy, Lisa Fabrizio does an equally first class job articulating the risks of supporting that same candidate whom many conservatives, including myself, have problems of conscience with.

In particular, Fabrizio's recounting of Giuliani's "position" on abortion, i.e., "I oppose it...I don't like it...I hate it...I think abortion is something that, as a personal matter, I would advise somebody against...However, I believe in a woman's right to choose", recalls the warning playwright Robert Bolt had Sir Thomas More articulate in A Man For All Seasons, "I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties...they lead their country by a short route to chaos."

Can a man whose conscience tells him that he must protect the most innocent and most defenseless disregard those warnings but still avoid leading his country by a short route to chaos? There is a sense of desperation for conservatives, guilty as I, to disregard such a likelihood.
-- Frank Natoli
Newton, New Jersey

Excellent article about the dilemma facing Republicans a year from now, as the primaries get under way.

Rudy has considerable social issue baggage, as well as a definite opposition to the Second Amendment. Mitt has a history of baggage as well, re taxes and socialized medicine in Massachusetts. To most religious conservatives, being a Mormon is not a showstopper. McCain has no understanding of the Free Speech right delineated in the Constitution, and has often re-invented himself before the TV cameras. The man simply can't be trusted.

These three have already committed themselves to running for President. A conservative voter, as I hope I am, can only hope someone else comes along to carry the party standard into the 2008 elections. I remain unconvinced that Newt is totally unelectable. He certainly doesn't have any more personal baggage than Rudy, and he's more conservative than the three mentioned above.

If Hillary, Barack, or John E. becomes president, I may have to acknowledge that my country has changed too much to survive, and simply keep my head down and encourage my sons and grandchildren to immigrate, or stay and watch the train wreck a Democratic government would cause. I might have to concede P.T. Barnum was correct that it's impossible to underestimate the intelligence of the American public. (I know, that's not what he said, but he meant the same thing.)

However, if Rudy or Mitt has an epiphany regarding their stands on Constitutional and Socialistic issues, they might win southern primaries. There's nothing wrong with a politician realizing that they've been wrong about an issue in the past, and pledging never to go there again. However, they have to be sincere enough that people believe them. McCain has lost credibility, so I don't think he has than option.
-- R. Goodson
Vero Beach, Florida

After reading Lisa Fabrizio's excellent article, "The Rudy Dilemma," the full scope of this dilemma and a corresponding revelation hit me. All three Republican front runners (McCain, Giuliani, Romney) have the same problem regarding various conservative issues. And all three candidates default to the war against terrorism as cover for their various conservative shortcomings. Any of the three Republicans would be better than any of the Democrat candidates on the war against terrorism. Yet none of the three Republicans would be among my top ten choices for president. My dilemma is whether any of these three are worth my vote, thereby setting myself up for continued disappointment just as my two votes for the current budget bloating, illegal immigrant loving, reckless Supreme Court nominating (Miers, not Roberts or Alito) White House occupant has done so frequently.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Religion, Catholicism, Abortion, Global Warming, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court, Founding Fathers, NATO, Immigration