Newsflash For Conservatives: Rudy IS One Of Us and IS Electable

The case for Giuliani in 2008

Editor's note: Thomas's commentary is in red and Marcie's is in blue.

Rudy Giuliani is "America's Mayor;" dubbed so by the MSM after the attacks on 11 September. Since then the question on many minds was whether or not he'd make a presidential run. That question has been answered succinctly -- He's in the game, folks, and he is playing for keeps. What's intriguing, at least to us, is how both sides of the aisle -- liberal and conservative --are pulling out the long knives on him. The left is busy trying to paint him as a liberal (and they're hypocritically lambasting him in the process), and the right is questioning whether he's conservative enough for the party. And yes, we're fully aware of the criticism we're about to face for speaking in favor of a man that the majority of pundits and prognosticators can't seem to find attractive, or conservative enough for the base.

The controversies surrounding his conservatism are focused on three subjects: abortion, gay rights, and gun control. He explained his position and beliefs on these issues in separate interviews with Sean Hannity and Larry King.On abortion he has stated that he "hates" it; that he would advise any woman against having one; that he supports parental notification provided it has a judicial bypass within the measure for extraordinary circumstances. He is adamantly opposed to late term, or "partial birth" abortions. (Only God knows why the left calls them "late term" procedures; you cannot get much more "late term" than the actual delivery of the baby.) Rudy also acknowledged that as president he can do nothing about abortion. Roe is, in all essence, settled law, and it remains within the purview of the courts. He has said that they created this mess, and it is up to them to fix it. Furthermore, Rudy takes the same stance we do regarding abortion -- it should be in the hands of the States and the people, as the Tenth Amendment articulates, not in the hands of nine unelected jurists.

Gay rights is an issue that we fail to see the relevance of in this election cycle. Yes, conservatives have been raising Hell over the court decisions creating a so-called right for gays to marry, but Rudy isn't for gay marriage. He's not for any extra-special rights for gays whatsoever. He is in favor of civil unions, which would bestow much of the same privileges to gays that married couples enjoy. And while he remains adamantly opposed to gay marriage, conservative pundits point out that he's opposed to the Federal Marriage Amendment proposal. NEWSFLASH, folks -- he's opposed to it for the same reasons we are. First, he doesn't believe in the government solving every little problem or issue that comes along. Second, the Framers established the amendment process for things that were serious to the nation in terms of equal and fair rights that hadn't been recognized. Gay marriage, despite carpings from social conservatives, doesn't fall into either category. This is an issue that should be dealt with by the states, as abortion should be.

The Second Amendment, by far, is the most important right enumerated within the Constitution. Without it we have no way to defend and protect the other rights. Rudy knows this, and he has stated he understands it, supports it, and defends it. Again, pundits point to three things and question his veracity. He supported both the Brady ban and the Assault Weapons ban. He also actively and vigorously pursued gun related crimes, and confiscated those weapons. The former two were federal laws that assisted him in curtailing the crime in New York City, and as to the latter, who would not want the criminals being stripped of their firearms? When he was first elected, he inherited New York's gun laws, passed by the state legislature, and the out-of-control crime problem with it. Instead of the police being "observers" of crime, he ordered them to enforce the law. Some social conservatives may not like the answers he has given to these three issues, but they should take heart. As president he would hold the trump cards in the ability to appoint jurists to the federal bench, including the Supreme Court. And as he has said he would appoint people like Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts, we fail to see the anxiety of a few on the right over his conservatism.

Speaking of social conservatives, the pundits are obviously not catching a lot of news. A Washington Post story from 11 February shows that he is definitely wooing those types conservatives in California. A 13 February editorial by Brendan Miniter in the Wall Street Journal shows that Rudy did well at a South Carolina appearance, appealing to voters on school choice, and highlighting his position on judges. To quote Noemie Emery of the Weekly Standard, social conservatives are "going ga-ga" over Rudy right now. And they should be. He isn't running away from his past, and he's doing the best he can to explain his views. That's more than can be said of John McCain, who seems to be jumping into whatever bed is available right now. Mitt Romney isn't exactly having an easy go of the primary run, either. (Of course, he can thank the MSM for the dishonest brow-beating he's taking. That and the fact they seem it's necessary to remind everyone that he's (GASP) still a Mormon. The other thing these polls display to us is that he can be a unifying element on the conservative side (he is appealing to ALL spectrums of ideology, from staunch conservatives like ourselves to the more liberally-minded ones). The pundits believe that Rudy's going to go down in flames and the base won't support him. Early prognostications tend to be wrong, and the evidence is there right now to show that they could be underestimating him.

To emphasize the social conservatives supporting him, we need only look at the MSM/alternative media straw polls. Real Clear Politics is a constant barometer of daily politics, and they have been running straw polls for the last couple of months. Every time Rudy is entered as a contender in the match-ups he is beating them. In head-to-head match-ups against possible Democrat contenders (Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, etc.) he is beating them soundly. And if the polls are any indication of what may come down, Rudy may end up doing something that hasn't been accomplished since President Bush did in 2004, and not since his father had done in 1988 -- He may take over 50% of the popular vote. We do not see a replay of Reagan where the Gipper took anything that was not nailed down, but his entry into the race puts states like California, New York, and New Jersey into play. That is something that has not happened in almost twenty years. In essence, he could literally redraw the election map, and open the doors for conservatives in the states that were once blue-to-deep blue.

The other problem the talking heads seem to have is that they paint him to be a "liberal Republican." True that he has some liberal views, but let's contrast him with President Reagan. In his younger days, Ronald Reagan supported, and actively helped with FDR's "New Deal" programs. However, he had an about face when he saw that those programs weren't there to help people, but rather make them more dependent on government. Reagan didn't stand for that, and neither did Rudy when he was elected mayor; he turned the welfare offices into job assistance offices. Reagan, as governor of California, signed an immensely controversial abortion bill; Rudy has been deemed "pro-choice" by the so-called thinkers. Reagan, like Rudy, was married and divorced, yet they both seem to appeal to the conservative base. And like Reagan was, Rudy is also a hawk when it comes to national security and defense, and he has stated that if elected president, there will be changes to the strategy in the war. He supports the president's current change, but acknowledges that more needs to be done. And not just in Iraq, but globally, as well.

So, is Rudy a conservative? Yes he most certainly is. Does he have problems with his campaign, i.e., his social views? Of course. But in this race he cannot allow his critics or the media define his views. He must do this himself. He has to focus on where he stands on judges. He has to be forthright with the people. In no way are we saying he is a "Reagan conservative," however he does have a lot of similarities with him. Barring a serious gaffe, the nomination can be his; It is his to lose. As of right now, he is in the cat-bird seat. He leads John McCain in the latest Quinnipiac poll by twenty-two points. That is his next closest challenger. Are we saying that he is the man for the nomination? We are right now based on the field (which we will be going into more depth as the election season unfolds), and the fact that he is appealing to so many across the conservative spectrum. He has the likability factor. He is electable. Time will tell if he can take the nomination.

Archives of "Throwing Down the Gauntlet"

Send an e mail to Thomas Clark and Marcie Packard

Check out Thomas and Marcie's blog: Running the Gauntlet