The Hotline’s Kevin Rennie files a report from today’s Rudy Giuliani speech in Manchester and seemed to come away unimpressed:
MANCHESTER, NH — A week before Frank Santos, “The R-Rated Hyptonist” takes the stage in at the Palace Theater in Manchester, New Hampshire, former New York Mayor Rudoph Giuliani devlivered a subdued speech to the state Republican annual meeting.
Giuliani, whose heralded appearance helped draw more than 500 state Republicans to the conclave, touched on his copyrighted issues of reducing crime, reforming welfare and, of course, leading New York through the attacks of September 11th.
The former mayor, accompanied by his wife Judith, suggested again that he will make his decision on whether to run for the White House when he’s answered the questions, “Can you take the things you’ve done and do a better job?”
“Can you do a better job?” is the essential question, he says. If so, Giuliani ought to be jumping in soon.
In his 30 minute speech, Guliani recited a long list of things he did as mayor of New York and applied them successfully to the city in a speech with long stretched without applause or laughter. The New Hampshire crowd, eager for some lift after suffering historic losses at every level in November was stirred only when Giuliani made odes to freedom, low taxes, and New York’s firefighters. His obligatory nod to the state’s “Live Free or Die” motto early on was rarely matched again in the laugh-free adress. The Upper East Side Republican made no mention of social issues.
Rennie also noted that:
New Hamshire supporters for candidates Tom Tancredo, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Duncan Hunter mingled among the crowd of state party regulars with signs and stickers. Few activists sported “Team Rudy” stickers. Operatives for the campaigns were seeking commitments from crucial locals.
Liz Sidoti of the AP was at the same event and came away with a decidedly different impression:
The state’s Republican faithful greeted Giuliani warmly. They swarmed him to say hello and shake his hand. Some chanted “Rudy. Rudy.” They shoved copies of his best-selling book, “Leadership,” in front of him for an autograph.
“I was very impressed. He did very well,” said Will Infantine of Manchester, a GOP committee member who is not aligned with a candidate.
“His performance was absolutely outstanding,” added David Hess, the deputy Republican leader of the New Hampshire House who also is unaffiliated.
“He’s very charismatic,” agreed Natalie Healy of Exeter, another committee member. State Rep. Mary Griffin of Windham called him “exceptional.” Still, they _ like many others at the meeting _ were unwilling to commit just yet. They said it was too early in the process.
MSNBC also had coverage of parts of Giuliani’s speech and they had a “Is Rudy Running?” banner across the bottom of the screen the whole time.
January 27th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
“The Upper East Side Republican made no mention of social issues.”
According to other interviews with Rudy I’ve read, this is how he is planning on campaigning – focusing on terrorism, crime, etc. and ignoring social issues unless they are raised to him.
I wonder about the wisdom of that decision…
January 27th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
On one hand, he wouldn’t want voters to first hear of his social stances from the inevitable “Rudina” ads that will almost certainly be run.
On the other hand, the last thing Rudy wants to do is FOCUS his campaign on social issues. He should talk conservative judges early and often in my view.
January 27th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Are we sure that the two reporters, Kevin Rennie and Liz Sidoti, were at the same event? Their opposing reactions to Rudy sure make it sound like they covered two different speeches.
January 27th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Dave,
He should talk conservative judges early and often in my view.
Has he even mentioned anything about conservative judges in any of his recent public appearances? I follow most of his speeches pretty close and I haven’t heard it mentioned for the past couple of months. It seems that, as HeavyM points out, he’s just going to pretend his social stances don’t exist. Even when he’s asked by reporters about it, he tends to sidestep the issue entirely. Case in point is the 4 minute interview he gave last night to one of the local NH TV stations. He basically said that voters should take into account the entirety of his views and evaluate him based upon that, not to pigeon hole him into specific categories. That seems like a dodge that’ll only work for so long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTV6WInCgfE
January 27th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
jake,
The way I understood it was that Rennie was covering the speech itself and Sidoti compiled the post-speech reactions.
January 27th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I certainly don’t mean to hijack this post and do apologize, but for any Massachusetts residents (I know there are quite a few who frequent this site) please consider signing the petition for Curt Schilling to run against Kerry for his Senate seat in 2008 as he is reportedly considering doing.
http://www.wrko.com//Article.asp?id=339826
As for LJ’s excellent post, Rudy has to get in officially and get in soon. It’s going to be hard getting many people to go around with “Team Rudy” stickers when they are not even sure if he’s in for the long haul. I myself have considered giving him money, but held back for a formal announcement. Its one thing to predict to all your friends that Rudy will run, its another to go door-to-door for a guy that still seems a bit on the fence. If he can get in officially he might better innoculate himself to attacks on socially liberal stances earlier rather than later.
January 27th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
[...] post by LJ and software by Elliott [...]
January 27th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
On the topic of Rudy, who is the more fiscally conservative? Mitt or Rudy? I tend to think that Mitt was more fiscally conservative in his tenure than Rudy in his, but I could be wrong.
Anyone care to comment?
January 27th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Nusrat, this is coming from an avowed Romney supporter, so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe Romney to be more fiscally conservative.
Both inherited budget deficits upon entering office. Romney turned his into a budget surplus by making MA government smaller, eliminating positions and offices, and streamlining the government, making it more efficient.
Giuliani turned his deficit into a hidden deficit by borrowing money to make the budget appear to be balanced. Instead, he left NYC in literally billions of dollars of debt when he left office – something NYC’s will be paying for for quite some time to come.
January 27th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Ouch.
January 27th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Rudy’s a political hack who doesn’t stand for anything. The mere fact that he’s calling himself a conservative is absurd.
January 27th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
HeavyM,
I too am a Romney supporter, but you’re wrong to say that Rudy was not a fiscally conservative mayor. Have you lived in New York? That place was a fiscal sink hole (among other ugly things) before he was elected. He cut some taxes, faced down the unions and cut the welfare roles tremendously. He also governed as a sort of social conservative: cleaned up the streets, removed the criminals, sanitized much of Time Square, etc. Rudy was a GREAT, CONSERVATIVE mayor.
January 28th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Rudy cleaned up Times Square for reasons of making the area profitable for the city, not because of any moral convictions.
January 28th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I don’t think the average voter cares what his reasons were for cleaning Times Square – financial or moral – just as long as the nudie shops and porn theaters are gone. And he succeeded with flying colors. If it brings more money into the city’s coffers, all the better. That’s what voters remember.
January 28th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I have first amendment qualms about his Times Avenue cleaning, though.