The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Rudy to Rumble

2.16.07 @ 12:01AM

RIGHT OR NOT?
Re: Jennifer Rubin's Rudy's New Social Conservatism:

I consider myself to be one of those red-necked, evangelical, right-wing, Southern hicks the mainstream media loves to make fun of. And the type of Republican that would never vote for Rudy. But after reading this article, I am inclined to believe that Rudy is probably more of a "social conservative" than either Senator McCain or Mitt Romney. Rudy is true to his word, he is honest, and best of all he doesn't have a politically correct bone in his body. Yes, many of us Southern redneck, evangelicals will vote for Rudy, because right now he is the only GOP candidate we can trust. We know McCain has no integrity, he has stabbed Bush and the GOP in the back so many times that if the knives were sticking out, we would all look like porcupines, and Mitt, who knows what he will flip flop on next?
-- Lee Schafer
New Caney, Texas

No matter how apologists for Rudy try to spin it, the man is a social liberal who should be denied the GOP presidential nomination. And before conservatives consider voting for Giuliani, they should consider this.

Giuliani is indeed a strong willed New Yorker who has done wonders in bringing order to that dysfunctional city. In doing so, as Jenny Rubin writes, "he disdains interest group politics with a vengeance." She quotes "America's mayor" as saying that he didn't "subscribe to the bells and whistles that some politicians will subscribe to just to pander to a community." She also cites how Giuliani took on bullies like the Mob, Al Sharpton, etc.

All well and good. But realize, my right-wing amigos, that to a strong willed liberal like Rudy, the NRA and pro-life groups are the bullies and he will not pander to them. Another "bully" Rudy took on as mayor was the Immigration Service as he turned NYC into essentially a haven for illegal aliens.

And it is more than disingenuous for Rubin to try and paint Giuliani's as a social conservative because of his so-called Catholic upbringing. This doesn't square with Rudy's his three marriages, including his scandalous second divorce which was precipitated by his multiple adulterous affaires -- all while having kids at home yet. Ah yes, that's our Rudy -- a hard-charging, fun-loving kind of a guy.

The bottom line is this. The strengths that give Giuliani his leadership bite are the same strengths that could be turned against the conservative movement once this man has power. You've been warned.
-- Peter Skurkiss
Stow, Ohio

Jennifer Rubin's column that desperately tries to make Rudy "conservative" fails.

Rubin never addresses a major issue with the Mayor, his apparent misunderstanding of the Second Amendment. He said he had to use "gun control" when he took over as mayor. He supported the so-called "assault weapon ban," yet he understands that hunter's rights should not be violated. Uh, Rudy as a lifetime member of the NRA, I can assure you "it ain't about duck huntin.'" I will never vote for a man that has called for each gun owner to take a test and get a license before he can buy a nice light 20 gauge side by side at the gun show. You see I fought a war to keep that sort of crap from happening in this great country.

Rest assured that five million members of the NRA will remind folks of where Rudy stands on the issue.
-- Jim Karr
Blue Springs, Missouri

As a libertarian conservative, I believe the state should refrain from any functions other than protecting citizens against the initiation of force or fraud. However, I am willing to compromise to some extent. I don't expect a candidate for president to advocate selling the streets and the schools (at least not this election cycle), however beneficial such policies would be. Still, how can conservatives compromise something as basic as protection of innocent life?

Abortion is the initiation of force against a human being. We murder over one million babies each and every year. This issue is right up there with response to the terrorist goons that threaten to take large numbers of American lives, while they disturb the world peace necessary for all of us to flourish. We should not settle for a candidate that does not concern himself about BOTH violations of the most basic human right, the right to peaceful enjoyment of one's own life. If Rudy is the Republican candidate, he will not receive my vote, regardless of how bad the Democrat demagogue might be. My ability to compromise simply does not stretch that far.

Those so-called practical conservatives who seek Republican return to power at any cost should ask themselves: "Power to accomplish what?" If you believe Rudy would actually appoint "strict constructionist" judges in opposition to every social instinct he has ever had, you must be smoking that substance that impairs judgment but should still not be illegal.
-- Stephen Zierak

Did it ever occur to all the writers who bend themselves into pretzels trying to "explain" Rudy that maybe he has been a Conservative (with a capital C) all along and in order to be a Republican mayor in New York City, he had to gloss over the "social" conservative part?

I want a President who will win the war on Radical Islam; one who will appoint judges who strictly interpret the Constitution; and one who understands the importance of secure borders. I want a President who will stop the influx of illegals and one who will tell the Mexican government to sit down and shut up: This is NOT their country, it is ours.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Transportation, Mainstream Media, Islam, Abortion, Environment, Global Warming, Constitution, Supreme Court, Iraq, NATO, Conservatism, Immigration, Energy, Oil