The Washington Post reports today on the difficulties and Rudy Giuliani may face in the 2008 nomination fight:
Giuliani, 62, presents an unusual figure in recent political history. His coolness after the Sept. 11 attacks, and his eloquence about that loss, rendered him that rare mayor who could step onto the national political stage. He has a core of socially liberal positions — he also supports domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, although not marriage — but wraps it in a hide as tough as any conservative Republican.
He’s a crime fighter and a tax and welfare cutter. He campaigned for George W. Bush in 2000 and staked out unyielding positions on Iraq — he said recently that withdrawing soon from Iraq “would be a terrible mistake.” He also disputed the recent findings of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission of elder statesmen, that concluded that untangling the Israeli-Palestinian knot is central to achieving a broader Middle East peace.
Giuliani, who was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, is an intensely disciplined candidate. In his mayoral campaigns, he appealed to white Democrats, Catholics and Jews, while drawing substantial votes from Latinos. (He was far less attractive to African Americans, whose young men bore the brunt of his controversial anti-crime tactics and whose leaders rarely stepped inside the mayor’s inner circle.)
Whether he can extend that appeal in a national campaign will be the biggest test that Giuliani faces.
And one of the biggest factors will be what the conservative wing of the party will do if faced with a choice between John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:49 am
Rudy has some serious libertarian appeal. Everywhere you turn now, National Review, Washington Post, LA Times, they’re tagging him with the “libertarian” Republican label.
That’s fine. After all he does seem to be the closest one to us libertarian Republicans.
But Rudy needs to answer a couple questions for us libertarians first.
Like, what’s your position on legalized prostitution? The Drug War?
While in many ares, like welfare, taxes and fighting Islamo-Fascism, Rudy leans libertarian, on the issue of prostitution and the drug war, he’s definitely socially conservative.
Eric at http://www.mainstreamlibertarian.com