Update: Byron York has a great discussion of Giuliani in the newest NR. Basicly the same story.
Ankle Biting Pundits recently posted the results of a Frank Luntz focus group on possible 2008 GOP candidates. The finding on Giuliani was quite interesting:
His style is unique and appealing, and Republicans definitely see him as presidential, Luntz said. But social issues, such as abortion rights and gun control, that are so important to New Hampshire and Iowa Republicans could derail his candidacy.
“Rudy will always be America’s mayor. But after hearing the whole story, Republican voters just aren’t sure he’s the right choice for America’s next president,†Luntz said.
So in the last several days, conservatives have started to “tell the whole story”.
First, a reporter in South Carolina asks Giuliani if he is a conservative. He responds that the people in NYC think he is. That strikes me as tone deaf. I can’t imagine that a South Carolinian wants someone from NYC telling him that Rudy is a conservative. And I don’t think that the guy from NYC has any credibility on the issue.
Second, Human Events unloaded on Giuliani on Monday:
But Rudy Giuliani was never a conservative of any kind.
As Kate O’Beirne pointed out in a recent analysis in National Review, Giuliani was endorsed for mayor in 1989 by the Liberal Party, which said of him: “He agreed with the Liberal Party’s views on affirmative action, gay rights, gun control, school prayer, and tuition tax credits.â€
In 1992, O’Beirne reports, Giuliani said Nelson Rockefeller represented “a tradition in the Republican Party I’ve worked to rekindle—the Rockefeller, Javits, Lefkowitz tradition.â€
And then this morning, Red State follows up with a slam on Giuliani that ends with:
It’s too early to call anything for Rudy, or even to call him a frontrunner – but social conservatives need to wake up to the reality that everything will not be okay in a Rudy presidency, election-year platitudes aside. Let’s nip this momentum in the bud, while we still have a chance.
They certainly appear to be trying.
3 Comments
What would a Giuiliani Candidacy be based on? at eyeon08.com · August 22, 2006 at 1:59 PM
[…] Then, I woke up this morning to see an article on Redstate about an attack from the left on Giuliani. Apparently, the left wants to destroy him. Never mind that the previous week, Redstate and Human Events ran articles attacking him from the right. The point of all of this is that he is either a treasure to protect or a genuine threat because he resonates deeply with Americans. […]
The search for the anti-McCain goes on: Attacks on Newt and Mitt at eyeon08.com · August 22, 2006 at 7:17 PM
[…] Yowsers. And, of course, last week, conservatives were explaining why Giuliani wasn’t suitable. […]
eyeon08.com » Motivating conservatives, Security, and the 2008 Presidential · August 29, 2006 at 9:56 AM
[…] If caucusgoers and primary voters are informed about Giuliani, he is going to struggle a lot. Giuliani has been doing great in the polls recently. However, the recent Iowa poll noted that 2/3rds of Iowa caucus voters will not support someone who doesn’t share their position on abortion. Will that hold? And who will tell the story on Giuliani? Clearly that is what RightWingNews is trying to do. And why don’t people ask if they are familar with Giuliani’s position on abortion, gay marriage, etc.? That would really tell us about his level of support. […]
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