Carol Platt Liebau: Rudy for Real?

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Rudy for Real?

This piece offers a solid analysis of how and why Rudy Giuliani could win the Republican nomination. In particular, the advice about abortion echoes what I have said here.

However, there's one elephant in the room that the author isn't acknowledging. That's Giuliani's somewhat unsavory past marital life, and it, too, may be a real stumbling block for a lot of conservatives. Mr. Giuliani needs to find a way to signal that he regrets what is past, and has committed himself to living a new life in a new way -- not an easy task, but an important one. Without explicitly addressing the situation, there's the danger that he comes off as someone who was dating one woman (openly, and when he was in the public eye) while married to another. And that's going to be unacceptable to many, many conservatives if it goes unaddressed.

6 Comments:

Blogger Ruth Anne Adams said...

Here's where Republicans can take a lesson from the Democrats. They forgave the Bill/Hillary flagrant violations, no?

Speaking as a Catholic, however, I might have more difficulty about the three marriages, but that might be a beef with the Church more than Rudy.

It would take the wind out of the "Republicans-are-sexual-prudes" sail, too.

10:29 AM  
Blogger Marshal Art said...

The most compelling aspect is who will deal with terrorism most effectively. If Guilli wins the primary, that's what gets him my vote. His personal life is unfortunate and disgraceful, but social issues have to take a back seat when murderers are trying to kill Americans.

ditto needs to remember that red staters are a tad more thoughtful than he would like to believe. Guilli against any of the touted Dem prospects is the better choice almost automatically. Guilli's being a New Yorker might be more of a factor in the primaries for those who are more superficial, but in the general election, it's too dangerous for the country to allow a few negatives to keep Dems out of office.

As a side note, I've never heard an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the Gingrich episode, so I'll just assume the reference is another liberal spinjob.

11:44 AM  
Blogger Marshal Art said...

Brain cramp alert!!

It should have read:

"...it's too dangerous for the country to allow a few negatives to help Dems regain power."

There. That's better...sort of.

11:48 AM  
Blogger Ruth Anne Adams said...

Dittohead: I believe Rudy withdrew from that race because of prostate cancer. I do not recall him being "taken to the cleaner." Rick Lazio? Yes. Rudy? No. I personally am glad he was at the helm of NYC as mayor on 9/11.

He has a lot of foreign experience just dealing with the diplomats at the United Nations in his hometown.

9/11 changed many things; among them, Rudy's cache with us Red-Staters.

Carol: Rudy's cancer got me thinking along these lines: I wonder if the typical medical record issue will be handled differently if there's a woman party nominee. Perhaps Hillary [should she be the nominee] will claim a greater right to privacy about "female problems" or some such. It's kinda' fun just thinkin' about it.

2:08 PM  
Blogger Greg said...

It's funny when Ayatollah writes: "And then there's terrorism. Rudy (Duh-bya) is perceived as a terrorism expert, but why? It's because he stood in the rubble of the Twin Towers and gave orders on that fateful day. The fact is, Rudy (Duh-bya) has ZERO military experience. his experience in foreign affaires is limited to his (father's) recent (no, lifelong) business dealings. Big deal."

6:29 PM  
Blogger Greg said...

There are a lot of Americans who are currently one-issue voters. That one issue being the War on Terror.

I'm one of those voters.

I deplore the spending practices allowed by the Bush Administration. But I still support him because he is steadfast and unmoveable on the most important issue of the day. He will not be deterred from going after those who are trying to kill us all.

We can sort out the economic and social issues after we survive the Islamic Holy War.

I feel the same way about the coming election. Whichever candidate convinces me they are the most serious about winning the war will get my vote.

I think Gulliani is serious about winning the war. That's good enough for me. I also think he's smart enough to let the military professionals do their job.

But what I think makes Gulliani a great candidate (Remember, I'm currently a one-issue voter) is that he is a very good speaker. He may be just the candidate to remind Americans why this war is necessary and why we need to fight it and win it.

10:58 AM  

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