Today there was an interesting article in the Hill about Rudy Giuliani being a possible “dark horse” in 2012. Apparently, “It’s not because Giuliani has shifted; it’s because the Republican Party has. The 2010 election was less about social conservatism than it was fiscal conservatism, and that aligns with Giuliani’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative ideology.”
As someone who worked on that campaign in 2007-2008, my answer is an overwhelming NO. I was on the ground with the campaign in New Hampshire and throughout NY/NJ, it was virtually run by a group of “yes men” who never told Rudy that it was a bad idea to run down to Florida for several weeks at a time “campaigning.” The election wasn’t a total loss for Rudy, after all, he got higher speaking fees and I’m sure his wink towards a possible 2012 bid is exactly what will keep those engagements in demand. If he really wanted the presidency, and didn’t bother vesting in the time in it during 2008 – when the “America’s Mayor” image was ripe in the minds of millions, I doubt he would bother putting in the will in 2012. I see Heinze’s point in the article, though, a less socially conservative candidate may be an easier sell and Rudy famously brought crime down and cut thousands off of welfare. However, John Thune, Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, etc. etc. are also perfectly capable of looking fiscally responsible, relatively moderate on social issues, and have the drive to go through a presidential campaign. I love the Rudy, but he just didn’t want it enough.
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The fewer alumni we see from the 2008 RINO stampede, the less confused the 2012 election will be. We need to knock out Giuliani, Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich, Thompson and the others who would destroy the Republican party and make room for the new post-Bush candidates. We need clarity and commitment in 2012, not another year of establishment elitist poseurs cluttering up the field.
The whole selling point with Rudy is (and mostly has been) that he's a republican certain sects of northeastern urbanites -hereafter called yankees- can be comfortable with. He's tough on crime and, it would seem, national defense, but he isn't one of those icky people from somewhere like Alabama or Wyoming who enjoys hunting, or gets all Christian-y. He's culturally on of theirs, and doesn't have the country boy accent so many of them find so off-putting.
Problem is, he can peel off a good-sized chuck of said yankees in said yankee states without carrying a single one of them. Especially when whoever the democrat candidate is will be promising (lying, but promising nonetheless)to be tough on crime and national defense as well.
Now, balance that against all the social conservatives that would stay home just to make sure that the GOP understood, in no uncertain terms, that no pro-choice, pro-gun control candidate will ever be acceptable to them. Heck, the dems might even carry Mississippi or Texas in such a scenario.
I guess I've just never understood what Rudy or any of the other socially moderate/liberal candidates are supposed to bring to the presidential table for the GOP other than false hopes for carrying a northern state or two and an almost guaranteed electoral route.
None of the "same old, same old" crew should be even remotely considered. Hell, I'm 68 years old and I wouldn't vote for Mitt, Newt, Rudy, or Huckabee – or any of that old, used up sludge from prior campaigns. We need a fresh, vibrant and exciting (controversial?) candidate who is going to make people pay attention. If that's Sarah, then so be it. If that's Chris Christie, so be it. Just spare us the same tired old faces, or a boring white male like Mike Pence who is only McCain Lite and thus, doomed to failure! Let's display our creative intelligence here folks. And rememember that old adage – he may be an s.o.b. but he's OUR s.o.b. and we support him!
As always, people always assume that Giuliani is a conservative. He is most certainly not. He was a member of the Liberal Party when he was mayor of New York City and his personal life has been almost as atrocious as Gingrich's. He has zero chance of becoming the GOP nominee and should just disappear. Were he by some strange chance become the nominee, I would vote 3rd party.
I love Rudy and would have voted for him in a heartbeat if he had made it to the California primary, but, as you write, it's clear his heart wasn't in the race. (Neither was Fred Thompson's, for that matter.)
Rudy Who? just another freakin yankee RINO who needs to be run out of town on a rail.
Frankly if Thompson had gotten up off his arse and actually TRIED to run I think he would have kicked tail, but he couldn't be bothered to do much more than mail it in.
Working as a police officer in NYC when Rudy was king, I can safely inform all that Rudy is nothing but a narcissist. Good riddance and may he never be politcally viable again.
You don't think it's possible that he simply made mistakes and has now learned from them?
Lets not forget that America's mayor is an adulterous hypocrite first class. I have no need of someone telling me how to live and yet thumbing his nose at decency when it suits him.
I lived in NYC at the time that Rudy was mayor. That is when the public school that my autistic son attended put him in a coat-room closet instead of letting him into class. Lied to me that they were not required to provide him support and that kindergarten was not mandated so they didn't even have to let him remain in school.I could not get anyone from District 2 to help me so I tried to get help from the Mayor's office. No one even bothered to teach me the law and that my son had legal rights at the time. District 2 gave me the run around and never even told me there was a procedure and a special office for special education.It's been 15 years.We have never heard from anyone especially America's Mayor. You bet we did withdraw my son and luckily were able to afford to move to a place that followed the law and cared about its students.(moving not suing was a decidedly better use of my money)Ironically 6 months after we moved the school decided to call and see where he had been all that time. Can you say, cover your abusive ignorant asses-sorry it took them 6 months to notice that we had withdrawn him.Someone must have sent them a copy of the letter I wrote the America's mayor. That is what it was like to live in Rudy's NYC. To hell with him.
BTW my autistic son who they refused to treat kindly in NYC, with proper support is a junior at a well respected university and looking forward to a legal career in civil rights.
Even though I absolutely opposed his nomination in 2008 I have a lot of respect for Rudy. Not only did he clean up my hometown, but he's also one of the few non-conservative Republicans who doesn't spend a great deal of time bashing conservatives. He understands that many of his views are outside the mainstream of conservative opinion, but instead of acting as though everyone else needs to change their views to suit him, Rudy moves on and focuses in on areas of common concern.
I would love to see a Senator or Governor Giuliani, but any notion that he could capture the presidential nomination is folly.