Mayor Giuliani makes major campaign address in Tampa, Florida.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSWu6kyYSKw[/youtube]
From ABC News’s Jan Simmonds:
In a wide ranging speech, billed as the beginning of his closing argument for the republican nomination, Giuliani laid out that no matter what the challenge America is facing, be it terrorism, illegal immigration or fixing the nations school, he was prepared to meet those challenges head on and get results.
“I have met adversity before, I have led in situations that seemed hopeless and dire,” said Giuliani. “In need of a miracle, I just don’t pray for miracles, I just don’t hope for miracles, I expect miracles.”
As I travel across our land, I have begun to hear a murmur that America has somehow lost the ability to achieve great goals,” said Giuliani. “Some good people have come to believe that our country is on the wrong track. Middle class Americans fear the American dream is slipping away. They are worried about the future, they are worried that the future might not be as bright… It doesn’t have to be that way. We, you and I, can decide America’s direction. We can determine America’s future.”
While he made references to his past experiences be it 9/11 or as a Reagan Justice official, Giuliani focus was clearly forward looking. He did not unveil any new proposals or new details to past ones.
“With bold leadership, America will rise to new heights in this still very new century,” Giuliani said to close his speech. “This is a time for leadership. This is a time for strength. This is a time to roll up our sleeves and not wring our hands. I’ve been tested in crisis, I am ready to lead, and the time is right now.”
Here are some choice excerpts from the speech:
America needs a leader. I am running for President of the United States because I believe that I can lead America into a new era …with bold leadership, optimism, determination, and distinctly American solutions.
If you are looking for perfection, you are not going to find it. Not in me and not in any candidate. But if you are looking for a leader who has been tested in times of crisis. … A leader who is ready to lead right now. … A leader who has achieved results – results that some people thought were impossible – a leader who believes that there is no problem too serious for American solutions and a free, American spirit … I believe I am that leader.
Some people look at the challenges we face as a nation and they fear the future.
I welcome it.
I welcome the opportunity to defeat the Islamic terrorists who are at war with us because of our freedoms.
I welcome the opportunity to restore fiscal discipline to Washington D.C. while we empower millions of people to move out of poverty and achieve the American dream.
And I welcome the opportunity to win this election…leading a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House.
As I travel across our country, I’ve begun to hear a murmur that somehow America has lost its ability to achieve great goals.
Some good people have come to believe that our country is on the wrong track. Middle Class families feel that the American Dream may be slipping away – they’re worried the future might not be as bright as the past.
It does not have to be that way. We can decide America’s direction. We determine America’s future. That’s what an election is all about.
We’re at war. The American people want to see victory in Iraq and Afghanistan – not humiliation and defeat. They want their children to live free from the fear of Islamic Terrorism. They’re telling us: Get it done. And we will.
Washington’s culture of wasteful spending is out of control. The American people want to see real fiscal discipline. They’re telling us: Get it done. And we will.
Americans have heard presidents talk about energy independence for three decades. Now they are paying more at the pump and seeing their money flow into the hands of our enemies. They’re telling us: Get it done. And we will.
The American people are angry that the federal government has failed to secure our border. They want to see legal immigration reconnected with Americanization. They’re telling us: Get it done. And we will.
What America needs in 2008 is a proven leader who will get things done.
“I believe in the strength and wisdom of the American people.
Look at our history and you’ll see why.
Because no matter when or how your ancestors came to our country, we are all the proud descendants of pioneers and patriots.
Their optimistic American spirit…the defiant determination to do what some consider impossible – that is our greatest inheritance.“
Read the complete address below the fold.
MAYOR GIULIANI: Thank you. Tested. Ready. Now. America needs a leader. I am running for President of the United States because I believe that I can lead America into a new era with bold leadership, optimism, determination, and distinctly American solutions. If you’re looking for perfection, you’re not going to find it. Not in me, not in any candidate. But if you’re looking for a leader who has been tested in times of crisis; a leader who’s ready to lead right now; a leader who’s achieved results – results that some people thought were impossible –a leader who believes that there is no problem too difficult for American solutions and a free, American spirit. I believe I am that leader.
I’ve met adversity before. I’ve led in situations that seemed hopeless and dire, in need of a miracle. I don’t just pray for miracles. I don’t just hope for miracles. I expect miracles.
Some people look at the challenges we face as a nation and they fear the future. I welcome it. I welcome the opportunity to keep America safe and secure. We will win the Terrorists’ War on Us.
I welcome the opportunity to restore fiscal discipline to Washington D.C.
While we empower millions of people to move out of poverty and achieve the American dream. And I welcome the opportunity to win this election.
Leading a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House.
But as I travel across our land, I’ve begun to hear a murmur that America somehow has lost the ability to achieve great goals. Some good people have come to believe that our country is on the wrong track. Middle Class families feel that the American Dream may be slipping away. They’re worried about the future. They’re worried that the future may not be as bright as the past. They’re worried that this may be the time where the next generation of Americans doesn’t do as well as the last generation. It doesn’t have to be that way. We — we, you and I — can decide America’s direction. We can determine America’s future. After all, that’s what an election is all about. So let’s decide for optimism, not pessimism; for hope, not despair; for strength, not weakness; for victory, not defeat.
We can’t afford a crisis of confidence at the time we need our confidence the most because our country does face real crisis right now. We’re at war. The American people want to see victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, not humiliation and defeat.
They want their children to live free from the fear of terrorism. They’re telling us, get it done. And we will.
Washington’s culture of wasteful spending is out of control. Everyone knows that. The American people want to see real fiscal discipline. They’re telling us, get it done. And we will.
Americans have heard presidents talk about energy independence for three decades. Now they’re paying more at the pump and they’re seeing their money go into the pockets of some of our enemies. They’re telling us, get it done. Get energy independence done. We will.
The American people are angry that the federal government has failed to protect and secure our borders. And they’re telling us, get it done. And we will.
What America needs in 2008 is a proven leader who will get things done. I’ve been tested. I’m ready. And the time is right now.
CROWD: Rudy Rudy! Rudy!
MAYOR GIULIANI: This is a time for leadership. A leader is someone who combines vision for the future with the ability to get things done. It’s a person who can dream about a better future and then help bring it into reality, actually make [is] it possible. So today, I’m going to share with you my vision for our future, for America’s future. This summer, we presented a bold agenda for the future. It was my 12 Commitments to the American people.
But today I want to explain it in a slightly different way. I want to explain it by describing my vision of the America that I want to hand over to my successor if you give me the honor of being your president. Because we all believe that everyone of us, no matter what our role or who we are in this country, all of us has an obligation, a responsibility to hand our nation to the next generation better than it was handed to us.
We’re about improving our country for the next generation. We’ve always been about that. This generation has to be about that.
So we’ll hand over an America where our schools are the best in the world – not 21st in Science, not 25th in Math like we are today. I’ve got a goal for America. How about being # 1?
We can reform education-primary and secondary education in this country and we can do it by creating and expanding school choice. We’ll empower parents – not government bureaucrats – let the parents choose where their child goes to school. Who knows better?
All children – rich and poor, middle class or otherwise – all children deserve a quality education: whether it’s public, private, parochial, charter or home-school. To me, this is the great civil rights issue of our time. Our children, all of our children, not just yours, not just mine, all of our children need a good education and if the parents are making the choice, if that’s the rule in this country and not the exception, I’m confident that the decisions will be made in their interest. They’re going to do it better than some bureaucrat who has never met their child, doesn’t know their child. So let’s give the power here, the main power to the parents.
We’ll hand over an America that embraces [is] the global economy. That needs fairness. Of course we need a level playing field, but we should be less concerned about how much we buy from overseas, except from the point of view of safety and security, that’s important. But on the economics of it, what we should really be focusing on is how much do we sell to overseas?
America is an entrepreneurial society. We should view the rise of China and India, the people moving out of poverty in China and India, we should view that as a great opportunity to find what America is always looking for: new customers. Right?
When they think of us as a country that’s militaristic, they’re wrong. The essential nature of Americans is not war. Americans only go to war when they have to and then of course we do it to win and to prevail and to be safe. So do it in a determined way. But here’s the essential nature of America and Americans. Here’s what we really want to do with you all around the world. We want to sell you something. Right?
Isn’t that what America’s all about. America is an entrepreneurial society. But we also need to keep our house in order here in the United States. We’ll hand over a country that’s more fiscally disciplined, with a government no larger than it has to be. It’ll be a country where taxes, regulations, abusive lawsuits don’t drive jobs and businesses out of the United States. And we’ll create-
And we’ll create hundreds of thousands of jobs, millions of jobs, in the process. We’ll lower the income tax and the corporate tax rates.
We’ll give the death tax the death penalty.
We’ll find many ways to bring tax relief to middle class families where that tax relief is needed the most. And you know what else we’re going to do? We’re going to develop a single page, one-page optional tax form. How about being able to do it all on one page? Wouldn’t that be great?
Ok. The print may be a little small.
But we’ll work real hard to get it on one page. The Democrats running for president seem to want a nanny state. They want to run your life from the cradle to the grave. We don’t want that kind of state. America’s like a country that puts reliance on individuals, on people, what they can do, what they can accomplish. America’s a country that works on initiative. And then we give people opportunity and help to have that initiative, but we don’t try to direct their lives from the day [their] they’re born until the day they die. We’ll hand off a country that doesn’t penalize success. We’ll reward success. We want a country where the “sky’s the limit”. People can reach for the stars and they can have a hope that they can get there. We don’t want to put a lid on their desires, on their ambitions. We want to encourage social mobility. What country has done it better than America in the history of the world? Move people out of poverty, create social mobility, have people in one generation go from the virtual bottom to the virtual top and all the places in between. We do that by being a country of initiative, a country that rewards success, not a country that penalizes success. So we want to encourage social mobility. That’s how we move people out of poverty. That’s how we strengthen the middle class and that’s how we bring the American dream within the reach of every willing person in this country.
CROWD: Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
MAYOR GIULIANI: Now if you keep doing that, I’m going to stop giving this speech. I’m going to go out and play football.
We’ll hand over a country where decisions about your healthcare are made between you and your doctor, not between you and a Hillary-care custodian.
We can make health care more affordable, portable. We can do that through tax cuts, not tax hikes and government mandates. We can open the market, we can increase choice, we can empower individuals and all of that, all of that will drive down the cost so that people can afford health insurance and good health insurance, quality health insurance. That has to be our goal. We do it through an America, we do it through private decision-making and private markets not through socialized medicine.
We’ll hand over a country with 200 new federal judges – or 400, if you give me a second term. Well let’s work on the first one first. Ok.
These judges will be responsible men and women, people who understand that their role is to interpret the Constitution, not social activists who legislate from the bench.
To do anything less is to deny us the defense of liberty that comes from the separation of powers. We’ll hand over a country where we’ve ended illegal immigration where it has to be done – at the border.
And also a country who’s arms are wide open to people who come here, people who come here legally and openly. We want them, we need them, we will accept them, and what we want them to do, if they want to become citizens, is meet all the requirements and then be able to read English, write English, and speak English.
Ending illegal immigration won’t be easy. It requires changing human behavior – but it needs to be done for everyone’s good. I have the will. I have the way to do it, the plan to do it, and I have the track record to bring safety and order and fairness to a situation that is now [our] out of control. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.
We’ll hand over an America that is stronger, safer and more secure. We’ll make every community better prepared, more prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters something you know about here in Florida. The hurricanes of a few years ago where you had to deal with four all in one short season. The way you did it was a really good emergency response. The rest of the country needs to be at at least that level of preparation and we all need to be at a higher level of preparation. And as we do that, we’ll build a more resilient society – ready to withstand anything that comes our way and ready to help those in need, whenever and wherever they need it. We’re one country. We’re in this together. Natural disaster, terrorist attack, you learned here in Florida. I learned that in New York. We embrace each other.
We’ll hand over an America that is achieving energy independence. We can do it by increasing the diversity of our energy sources. And we can do it by having both a healthy environment and a healthy economy. The two things are not inconsistent with each other. The two things compliment each other if you do energy independence the right way and you move toward the right sources and you support it. And most the most important thing is we’ll approach this goal with the same single-mindedness that America used to put a man on the moon. Remember? Well, some of you don’t remember. You’re too young.
You remember. I remember. You don’t remember. But you’re going to read about this in history, because it’s one of our great historical moments. The Apollo Mission, the mission to put a man on the moon, it was started by President Eisenhower, a Republican. It was advanced greatly by President Kennedy, a Democrat. It was brought almost to its final stages by President Johnson, another Democrat, and it was completed under President Nixon, another Republican. This wasn’t a Republican success. This wasn’t a Democratic success. This was an American achievement.
That’s when we’re at our best. That’s when we’re at our best, when we’re thinking like Americans. We were at our best to put a man on the moon, we were at our best to deal with the horror and the shock and the pain and the suffering of September 11th, weren’t we? No Republicans, no Democrats just Americans. That’s what we need to achieve energy independence and then maybe we can take that spirit and we can apply it to some of these other big problems that we face. What we really need is to reaffirm and we need a new era, not of Republican success or Democratic success, how about we look for things where we can have American success.
Finally, and this is the big challenge of our generation, we’ll hand over a country that is safer, that is more secure from the Terrorists who are at war with us and around the world. We’ll do it the same way that Ronald Reagan accelerated the end of Cold War. President Reagan used to be asked in the early days of his presidency, when the Cold War was in some ways you know very intense, they’d say to him “You know this Cold War’s been going on for a long time is it ever going to end, how is it going to end? People couldn’t see an ending to it, it’d been going on for so long. Will it ever end, can it end? Ronald Reagan listened to them, paused the way he used to, put a little smile on his face and when they were asking him how would it end, he just had that little smile on his face and he said: “They Lose. We Win.”
That’s the same approach that we need to defeat these enemies that we have. We need to stay on offense in this Terrorist War against Us, achieving peace through strength, that’s the only way you achieve peace, through great strength, by being on offense, by being strong, by being confident, by having a military that we expand, not contract. We have to rebuild our military.
I have a goal in Iraq it’s not the Democrats goal, they tried to legislate loss in Iraq, they’re still trying to legislate loss in Iraq. I have a different goal. It will be a very clear decision for the American people. Here’s my goal for Iraq, victory, success for America and for our troops. Let’s achieve the goal that we went there to achieve, a stable Iraq that will act as an ally for us in the ongoing Islamic Terrorist war against us. That is a victory for us and a defeat for them.
CROWD: Rudy, Rudy, Rudy…
MAYOR GIULIANI: Our men and women there believe they can achieve that. They’ve shown us unexpected progress; many people even opponents of that war have been surprised at how exceptional the progress has been. So let’s help them and support them. And let’s do the same thing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Let’s make sure we finish the job and we eliminate Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
We will hand over an America that has stopped Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
And when we stop them we won’t just be moderately confidant but we’ll be totally sure.
But we also need to win the war of ideas and the war of ideals. Strengthening our ties with the Middle East, embracing those people in the Middle East, in the Arab world, in the Islamic world. The overwhelming majority of people who want peace, who below the cultural differences share the same values that we have. We’ve got reach out to them; we’ve got to get to know them better. We’ve got to get them to know us better. We’ve got to do more business with them. That part of the world is filled with people with the same entrepreneurial spirit that we have. The same love for their children that we have, the same desire for a safe and secure life for themselves that we have. There are a few people and more than a few but by no means anything close to a substantial proportion of people, that have perverted the thinking and turned it into a political ideology now of hatred and anger and viciousness and aggression. But that shouldn’t stop us from reaching out to all of the rest of those people who have the same desires that we have. We should actually be having more contact with, doing more business with, having more cultural relationships with the Middle East now than we have ever had before. It is another way to win the Terrorist War against all of Us. And I will do that and I will make sure that we open up in the same way that we will be strong and on offense, we will also have a very big open arm for all those people who want to work with us. We’ll embrace them, they’ll embrace us, it’s not the first time America has done that, it won’t be the last and it will work. I guarantee you it will work.
So all of this is saying that America needs bold leadership to meet these very very big challenges that we have. But I know we have the strength to hand our nation to the next generation stronger than it’s been handed to us. We have the capacity to improve things the way our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, mothers, fathers, people all over have done for us. I have faith in the Genius of America: the power of free people to solve whatever problems they face. That’s why my solutions all begin with a simple thought, a simple philosophy: Give people more power.
America’s not unique because of its central government. America is great because of self-government. We unleash the genius of America when we increase freedom. The freedom to pursue success, prosperity, happiness, fulfillment, in the way that you choose, not the way that the government dictates to you. The genius of America is you. The individual American. When you decide how to spend your money, you’ll spend it more productively than any government ever will.
When you’re the one deciding what school your child should can go to, you’ll make a much better decision than some government bureaucrat can make for a child they never met or never known. And when you decide what kind of healthcare you should have, you will make a much better decision than some government custodian can make for you.
It’s really simple. I believe in the strength and wisdom of the American people. Look at our history and you’ll see why. Because no matter when or how your ancestors came to this country, we are all the proud descendants of pioneers and patriots. They created this for us, their optimistic American spirit, the defiant determination to do what some other people thought was impossible, that is our greatest inheritance. Each generation of Americans has been called to overcome great challenges. Previous generations fought for our independence, signed the constitution, ended slavery, healed the wounds of a Civil War, settled the West, overcame the Great Depression and secured civil rights. So when we see all of that, are our challenges any greater than theirs? They won the Second World War against Nazism and fascism and the Cold War against communism. That’s the same strength that’s in each of us. We inherited it, we have it. We’ve got to believe that we do. And now it is our generation’s turn to make history in this new century. I know that this generation can overcome any challenge. I’ve seen your strength, I’ve been sustained by it.
I saw it on the morning of September 11th, 2001. There were points that day, that morning in particular where I wondered, I wondered whether we had the strength to deal with this[,] worst attack in our history, unprecedented, horrific, memories and images that will live with me until the day that I die. But immediately as a I saw the courage and the strength of our citizens and our first responders, when I saw the picture of the firefighters who put the flag up at Ground Zero, just like the Marines at Iwo Jima, many years before, looked just the same didn’t it? You know what I said to myself and this gave me great strength to get through everything. I said to myself this generation, this current generation, our generation, we’ve got the same strength, the same determination, the same patriotism because it comes from our fathers and grandfathers who won the Second World War and did all of these things. Maybe sometimes, maybe sometimes it happens when we’re put under stress and we’re put in a moment of terror and horror and it just comes out. But you know throughout history, people who live in freedom have much more strength than people who live in oppression. That’s been the story of the Old Testament, its been the story of the ancient world and the modern world. It was the story of the 20th century, people who live in freedom overcome oppression. We are on the right side of this. We have the strength, we have the ability. The 20th century taught us, if nothing else, that you have to stand up to tyrants, to bullies, to terrorists. It’s in strength that you’ll be able to achieve peace and vindicate freedom.
With bold leadership, America will meet and exceed any challenge we face. With bold leadership, America will face the future with confidence and reclaim our right to live in freedom from fear. With bold leadership, America will rise to new heights in this still very new century. This is a time for leadership. This is a time for strength. This is a time to roll up our sleeves, not wring our hands. I’ve been Tested in crisis. I’m Ready to lead. And the time is right Now.
Thank you.
December 15th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Did he feel left out because Romney have “the speech”?
December 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Full Transcript:
Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s Remarks in Tampa, FL
12/15/07
As Delivered
MAYOR GIULIANI: Thank you. Tested. Ready. Now. America needs a leader. I am running for President of the United States because I believe that I can lead America into a new era with bold leadership, optimism, determination, and distinctly American solutions. If you’re looking for perfection, you’re not going to find it. Not in me, not in any candidate. But if you’re looking for a leader who has been tested in times of crisis; a leader who’s ready to lead right now; a leader who’s achieved results – results that some people thought were impossible –a leader who believes that there is no problem too difficult for American solutions and a free, American spirit. I believe I am that leader.
I’ve met adversity before. I’ve led in situations that seemed hopeless and dire, in need of a miracle. I don’t just pray for miracles. I don’t just hope for miracles. I expect miracles.
Some people look at the challenges we face as a nation and they fear the future. I welcome it. I welcome the opportunity to keep America safe and secure. We will win the Terrorists’ War on Us.
I welcome the opportunity to restore fiscal discipline to Washington D.C.
While we empower millions of people to move out of poverty and achieve the American dream. And I welcome the opportunity to win this election.
Leading a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House.
But as I travel across our land, I’ve begun to hear a murmur that America somehow has lost the ability to achieve great goals. Some good people have come to believe that our country is on the wrong track. Middle Class families feel that the American Dream may be slipping away. They’re worried about the future. They’re worried that the future may not be as bright as the past. They’re worried that this may be the time where the next generation of Americans doesn’t do as well as the last generation. It doesn’t have to be that way. We — we, you and I — can decide America’s direction. We can determine America’s future. After all, that’s what an election is all about. So let’s decide for optimism, not pessimism; for hope, not despair; for strength, not weakness; for victory, not defeat.
We can’t afford a crisis of confidence at the time we need our confidence the most because our country does face real crisis right now. We’re at war. The American people want to see victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, not humiliation and defeat.
They want their children to live free from the fear of terrorism. They’re telling us, get it done. And we will.
Washington’s culture of wasteful spending is out of control. Everyone knows that. The American people want to see real fiscal discipline. They’re telling us, get it done. And we will.
Americans have heard presidents talk about energy independence for three decades. Now they’re paying more at the pump and they’re seeing their money go into the pockets of some of our enemies. They’re telling us, get it done. Get energy independence done. We will.
The American people are angry that the federal government has failed to protect and secure our borders. And they’re telling us, get it done. And we will.
What America needs in 2008 is a proven leader who will get things done. I’ve been tested. I’m ready. And the time is right now.
CROWD: Rudy Rudy! Rudy!
MAYOR GIULIANI: This is a time for leadership. A leader is someone who combines vision for the future with the ability to get things done. It’s a person who can dream about a better future and then help bring it into reality, actually make [is] it possible. So today, I’m going to share with you my vision for our future, for America’s future. This summer, we presented a bold agenda for the future. It was my 12 Commitments to the American people.
But today I want to explain it in a slightly different way. I want to explain it by describing my vision of the America that I want to hand over to my successor if you give me the honor of being your president. Because we all believe that everyone of us, no matter what our role or who we are in this country, all of us has an obligation, a responsibility to hand our nation to the next generation better than it was handed to us.
We’re about improving our country for the next generation. We’ve always been about that. This generation has to be about that.
So we’ll hand over an America where our schools are the best in the world – not 21st in Science, not 25th in Math like we are today. I’ve got a goal for America. How about being # 1?
We can reform education—primary and secondary education in this country and we can do it by creating and expanding school choice. We’ll empower parents – not government bureaucrats – let the parents choose where their child goes to school. Who knows better?
All children – rich and poor, middle class or otherwise – all children deserve a quality education: whether it’s public, private, parochial, charter or home-school. To me, this is the great civil rights issue of our time. Our children, all of our children, not just yours, not just mine, all of our children need a good education and if the parents are making the choice, if that’s the rule in this country and not the exception, I’m confident that the decisions will be made in their interest. They’re going to do it better than some bureaucrat who has never met their child, doesn’t know their child. So let’s give the power here, the main power to the parents.
We’ll hand over an America that embraces [is] the global economy. That needs fairness. Of course we need a level playing field, but we should be less concerned about how much we buy from overseas, except from the point of view of safety and security, that’s important. But on the economics of it, what we should really be focusing on is how much do we sell to overseas?
America is an entrepreneurial society. We should view the rise of China and India, the people moving out of poverty in China and India, we should view that as a great opportunity to find what America is always looking for: new customers. Right?
When they think of us as a country that’s militaristic, they’re wrong. The essential nature of Americans is not war. Americans only go to war when they have to and then of course we do it to win and to prevail and to be safe. So do it in a determined way. But here’s the essential nature of America and Americans. Here’s what we really want to do with you all around the world. We want to sell you something. Right?
Isn’t that what America’s all about. America is an entrepreneurial society. But we also need to keep our house in order here in the United States. We’ll hand over a country that’s more fiscally disciplined, with a government no larger than it has to be. It’ll be a country where taxes, regulations, abusive lawsuits don’t drive jobs and businesses out of the United States. And we’ll create—
And we’ll create hundreds of thousands of jobs, millions of jobs, in the process. We’ll lower the income tax and the corporate tax rates.
We’ll give the death tax the death penalty.
We’ll find many ways to bring tax relief to middle class families where that tax relief is needed the most. And you know what else we’re going to do? We’re going to develop a single page, one-page optional tax form. How about being able to do it all on one page? Wouldn’t that be great?
Ok. The print may be a little small.
But we’ll work real hard to get it on one page. The Democrats running for president seem to want a nanny state. They want to run your life from the cradle to the grave. We don’t want that kind of state. America’s like a country that puts reliance on individuals, on people, what they can do, what they can accomplish. America’s a country that works on initiative. And then we give people opportunity and help to have that initiative, but we don’t try to direct their lives from the day [their] they’re born until the day they die. We’ll hand off a country that doesn’t penalize success. We’ll reward success. We want a country where the “sky’s the limitâ€. People can reach for the stars and they can have a hope that they can get there. We don’t want to put a lid on their desires, on their ambitions. We want to encourage social mobility. What country has done it better than America in the history of the world? Move people out of poverty, create social mobility, have people in one generation go from the virtual bottom to the virtual top and all the places in between. We do that by being a country of initiative, a country that rewards success, not a country that penalizes success. So we want to encourage social mobility. That’s how we move people out of poverty. That’s how we strengthen the middle class and that’s how we bring the American dream within the reach of every willing person in this country.
CROWD: Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
MAYOR GIULIANI: Now if you keep doing that, I’m going to stop giving this speech. I’m going to go out and play football.
We’ll hand over a country where decisions about your healthcare are made between you and your doctor, not between you and a Hillary-care custodian.
We can make health care more affordable, portable. We can do that through tax cuts, not tax hikes and government mandates. We can open the market, we can increase choice, we can empower individuals and all of that, all of that will drive down the cost so that people can afford health insurance and good health insurance, quality health insurance. That has to be our goal. We do it through an America, we do it through private decision-making and private markets not through socialized medicine.
We’ll hand over a country with 200 new federal judges – or 400, if you give me a second term. Well let’s work on the first one first. Ok.
These judges will be responsible men and women, people who understand that their role is to interpret the Constitution, not social activists who legislate from the bench.
To do anything less is to deny us the defense of liberty that comes from the separation of powers. We’ll hand over a country where we’ve ended illegal immigration where it has to be done – at the border.
And also a country who’s arms are wide open to people who come here, people who come here legally and openly. We want them, we need them, we will accept them, and what we want them to do, if they want to become citizens, is meet all the requirements and then be able to read English, write English, and speak English.
Ending illegal immigration won’t be easy. It requires changing human behavior – but it needs to be done for everyone’s good. I have the will. I have the way to do it, the plan to do it, and I have the track record to bring safety and order and fairness to a situation that is now [our] out of control. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.
We’ll hand over an America that is stronger, safer and more secure. We’ll make every community better prepared, more prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters something you know about here in Florida. The hurricanes of a few years ago where you had to deal with four all in one short season. The way you did it was a really good emergency response. The rest of the country needs to be at at least that level of preparation and we all need to be at a higher level of preparation. And as we do that, we’ll build a more resilient society – ready to withstand anything that comes our way and ready to help those in need, whenever and wherever they need it. We’re one country. We’re in this together. Natural disaster, terrorist attack, you learned here in Florida. I learned that in New York. We embrace each other.
We’ll hand over an America that is achieving energy independence. We can do it by increasing the diversity of our energy sources. And we can do it by having both a healthy environment and a healthy economy. The two things are not inconsistent with each other. The two things compliment each other if you do energy independence the right way and you move toward the right sources and you support it. And most the most important thing is we’ll approach this goal with the same single-mindedness that America used to put a man on the moon. Remember? Well, some of you don’t remember. You’re too young.
You remember. I remember. You don’t remember. But you’re going to read about this in history, because it’s one of our great historical moments. The Apollo Mission, the mission to put a man on the moon, it was started by President Eisenhower, a Republican. It was advanced greatly by President Kennedy, a Democrat. It was brought almost to its final stages by President Johnson, another Democrat, and it was completed under President Nixon, another Republican. This wasn’t a Republican success. This wasn’t a Democratic success. This was an American achievement.
That’s when we’re at our best. That’s when we’re at our best, when we’re thinking like Americans. We were at our best to put a man on the moon, we were at our best to deal with the horror and the shock and the pain and the suffering of September 11th, weren’t we? No Republicans, no Democrats just Americans. That’s what we need to achieve energy independence and then maybe we can take that sprit and we can apply it to some of these other big problems that we face. What we really need is to reaffirm and we need a new era, not of Republican success or Democratic success, how about we look for things where we can have American success.
Finally, and this is the big challenge of our generation, we’ll hand over a country that is safer, that is more secure from the Terrorists who are at war with us and around the world. We’ll do it the same way that Ronald Reagan accelerated the end of Cold War. President Reagan used to be asked in the early days of his presidency, when the Cold War was in some ways you know very intense, they’d say to him “You know this Cold War’s been going on for a long time is it ever going to end, how is it going to end? People couldn’t see an ending to it, it’d been going on for so long. Will it ever end, can it end? Ronald Reagan listened to them, paused the way he used to, put a little smile on his face and when they were asking him how would it end, he just had that little smile on his face and he said: “They Lose. We Win.â€
That’s the same approach that we need to defeat these enemies that we have. We need to stay on offense in this Terrorist War against Us, achieving peace through strength, that’s the only way you achieve peace, through great strength, by being on offense, by being strong, by being confident, by having a military that we expand, not contract. We have to rebuild our military.
I have a goal in Iraq it’s not the Democrats goal, they tried to legislate loss in Iraq, they’re still trying to legislate loss in Iraq. I have a different goal. It will be a very clear decision for the American people. Here’s my goal for Iraq, victory, success for America and for our troops. Let’s achieve the goal that we went there to achieve, a stable Iraq that will act as an ally for us in the ongoing Islamic Terrorist war against us. That is a victory for us and a defeat for them.
CROWD: Rudy, Rudy, Rudy…
MAYOR GIULIANI: Our men and women there believe they can achieve that. They’ve shown us unexpected progress; many people even opponents of that war have been surprised at how exceptional the progress has been. So let’s help them and support them. And let’s do the same thing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Let’s make sure we finish the job and we eliminate Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
We will hand over an America that has stopped Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
And when we stop them we won’t just be moderately confidant but we’ll be totally sure.
But we also need to win the war of ideas and the war of ideals. Strengthening our ties with the Middle East, embracing those people in the Middle East, in the Arab world, in the Islamic world. The overwhelming majority of people who want peace, who below the cultural differences share the same values that we have. We’ve got reach out to them; we’ve got to get to know them better. We’ve got to get them to know us better. We’ve got to do more business with them. That part of the world is filled with people with the same entrepreneurial spirit that we have. The same love for their children that we have, the same desire for a safe and secure life for themselves that we have. There are a few people and more than a few but by no means anything close to a substantial proportion of people, that have perverted the thinking and turned it into a political ideology now of hatred and anger and viciousness and aggression. But that shouldn’t stop us from reaching out to all of the rest of those people who have the same desires that we have. We should actually be having more contact with, doing more business with, having more cultural relationships with the Middle East now than we have ever had before. It is another way to win the Terrorist War against all of Us. And I will do that and I will make sure that we open up in the same way that we will be strong and on offense, we will also have a very big open arm for all those people who want to work with us. We’ll embrace them, they’ll embrace us, it’s not the first time America has done that, it won’t be the last and it will work. I guarantee you it will work.
So all of this is saying that America needs bold leadership to meet these very very big challenges that we have. But I know we have the strength to hand our nation to the next generation stronger than it’s been handed to us. We have the capacity to improve things the way our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, mothers, fathers, people all over have done for us. I have faith in the Genius of America: the power of free people to solve whatever problems they face. That’s why my solutions all begin with a simple thought, a simple philosophy: Give people more power.
America’s not unique because of its central government. America is great because of self-government. We unleash the genius of America when we increase freedom. The freedom to pursue success, prosperity, happiness, fulfillment, in the way that you choose, not the way that the government dictates to you. The genius of America is you. The individual American. When you decide how to spend your money, you’ll spend it more productively than any government ever will.
When you’re the one deciding what school your child should can go to, you’ll make a much better decision than some government bureaucrat can make for a child they never met or never known. And when you decide what kind of healthcare you should have, you will make a much better decision than some government custodian can make for you.
It’s really simple. I believe in the strength and wisdom of the American people. Look at our history and you’ll see why. Because no matter when or how your ancestors came to this country, we are all the proud descendants of pioneers and patriots. They created this for us, their optimistic American spirit, the defiant determination to do what some other people thought was impossible, that is our greatest inheritance. Each generation of Americans has been called to overcome great challenges. Previous generations fought for our independence, signed the constitution, ended slavery, healed the wounds of a Civil War, settled the West, overcame the Great Depression and secured civil rights. So when we see all of that, are our challenges any greater than theirs? They won the Second World War against Nazism and fascism and the Cold War against communism. That’s the same strength that’s in each of us. We inherited it, we have it. We’ve got to believe that we do. And now it is our generation’s turn to make history in this new century. I know that this generation can overcome any challenge. I’ve seen your strength, I’ve been sustained by it.
I saw it on the morning of September 11th, 2001. There were points that day, that morning in particular where I wondered, I wondered whether we had the strength to deal with this[,] worst attack in our history, unprecedented, horrific, memories and images that will live with me until the day that I die. But immediately as a I saw the courage and the strength of our citizens and our first responders, when I saw the picture of the firefighters who put the flag up at Ground Zero, just like the Marines at Iwo Jima, many years before, looked just the same didn’t it? You know what I said to myself and this gave me great strength to get through everything. I said to myself this generation, this current generation, our generation, we’ve got the same strength, the same determination, the same patriotism because it comes from our fathers and grandfathers who won the Second World War and did all of these things. Maybe sometimes, maybe sometimes it happens when we’re put under stress and we’re put in a moment of terror and horror and it just comes out. But you know throughout history, people who live in freedom have much more strength than people who live in oppression. That’s been the story of the Old Testament, its been the story of the ancient world and the modern world. It was the story of the 20th century, people who live in freedom overcome oppression. We are on the right side of this. We have the strength, we have the ability. The 20th century taught us, if nothing else, that you have to stand up to tyrants, to bullies, to terrorists. It’s in strength that you’ll be able to achieve peace and vindicate freedom.
With bold leadership, America will meet and exceed any challenge we face. With bold leadership, America will face the future with confidence and reclaim our right to live in freedom from fear. With bold leadership, America will rise to new heights in this still very new century. This is a time for leadership. This is a time for strength. This is a time to roll up our sleeves, not wring our hands. I’ve been Tested in crisis. I’m Ready to lead. And the time is right Now.
Thank you.
December 15th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Feeling desperate Rudy?
December 15th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
oooops… please delete my most Kavon.
December 15th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Did we really need the whole speech twice?
I like how the crowd’s line seem to lose emphasis as the speech goes on.
December 15th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
The actual video from the speech can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/rudygiuliani
December 15th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Ending illegal immigration won’t be easy. It requires changing human behavior – but it needs to be done for everyone’s good. I have the will. I have the way to do it, the plan to do it, and I have the track record to bring safety and order and fairness to a situation that is now [our] out of control. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.
*sigh*
Well, at least he only mentioned September 11th twice. He’s improving there, I guess.
December 15th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I like Rudy, and can bear with his liberal social tendancies but I would be extremely nervous if he were to get the nomination.
I just have a lingering feeling that Rudy has a couple of skeletons in his walk in sized closet thhat will coume out to haunt him come the general. Just as the Clintons are holding back on Huck, I get the sense taht the dems are loading up on a whole bunch of shady dealings involving Rudy. I’d be ok if he were to get the nomination, I just will be crossing my fingers praying the dems don’t drop an atomic bomb of a scandal on our heads.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
jcal,
Those are my only real hesitations about Giuliani. I have problems with his past positions with the 2nd amendment, but he’s the only candidate I like enough that I could overlook those problems with, which would usually be a dealbreaker with me.
But, I am sure the democrats have them loaded and ready to drop whenever he pulled away in a poll. The personal mess would bring 1992 all over again. We’d learn all the details of Rudy’s divorces. His public seperation would be on commercials nightly. It is very risky. I have no problem with Rudy as the nominee, and I’d happily support him, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be extremely worried.
That’s my concern.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Funny I feel the same way about Mitt’s Mormon Mafia.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Plus, they’d try to DuMond Rudy with Diallo ads.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I can tolerate any repub other than Rudy and Huck.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Brilliant Speech RUDY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why if only all republicans (an americans) could realize that he is our best hope….
December 15th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Rudy’s a fighter and wouldn’t give up the nomination or the general easily.
Go Rudy!!!
December 15th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
His timing seems terrible on this speech in terms of news cycles. He won’t get near the attention that the “the speech” by Romney got. Once again I am left to question his strategery. Seems like the Romeny camp always has him aced out when it comes to strategy and timing.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
steve:
I have a feeling rudy’s people aren’t dumb…my guess is that he has a few big things up his sleeve or the near future.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
16 – dave-
I think you could say that about any campaign though.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Watch Romney tank tomorrow on Meet The Press.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I did not watch the whole speech because I hate to watch someone read notes. He needed a teleprompter.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I just purused all the main political pages of the news websites and there is not one highlighting rudy’s speech.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
#9
If Rudy were to get the Nom, we’d be in a huge predicament if more “social mishaps” pop up. Clinton could get away with this because the dems could always argue “character doesn’t count” as they did effectively. Repubs could never pull that because we claim, in a very real sense, a moral authority.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Seems like the Romeny camp always has him aced out when it comes to strategy and timing.
Which must be why the week after “The Speech” (yawn) Huckabee started to puilverize Romney in Iowa.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
And, how many black votes do you think Mormon Mitt would get in a general election?
Right….NONE
December 15th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
It seems like Rudy has consistently had the policy of leaving gapping holes for challengers to fill.
Mollify pro-lifers by taking the FDT position on Roe? Nah.
Compete for the early states? Nah.
Campaign as hard as Mitt Romney? Nah.
Rudy could have easily been 20% ahead if he’d run a competent campaign.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Kevin,
Lay off the religious disparages
December 15th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I like Rudy’s commercial it’s the best one he has put out so
far. The speech also reads well. However, I didn’t like Rudy’s
performance in conveying the speech. His body language was all
wrong. It was shifty and he looked uncomfortable has he was
moving from both directions of left to right. I think the results
of the speech would have been better had he looked directly into
the video camera, used a teleprompter, and was more smooth in the
delivery of the speech.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
22 – Cliff
Mitts numbers have only gone up nationaly since “the speech” and his Iowa numbers have stayed consistently between 22 and 25. Could you please tell me what polls show him going down?
December 15th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
#23
i dont think we have gotten any in the past. plus with obama in the mix i dont think we even have a chance to increase our #s.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
steve #27 – the entire bane of Romney’s political existence has been winning Iowa. He isn’t going to.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
econ grad stud,
1. If Rudy were anti-Roe he would lose the ability to change the electoral map and put the whole country in play.
2. I don’t think it’s wise to play to win states he is not likely to win. Screws up the expectations game.
3. Rudy only sleeps 4 hours a night. He works at least as hard as Romney. Difference? Most days he has to do a fundraiser because he can’t write himself $10 million checks each quarter.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
29 cliff – you didnt answe my question in 22 – don’t make statemnet you can’t back up please.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Cliff,
You must admit that announcing this speech after it was announced that Romney would be making his widely anticipated MTP appearance and then delivering it after the Sunday News cycle has effectively closed, doesn’t ooze great planning. Since there were no particularly earth shattering pronouncements here (other than Rudy’s equivalent of “I’m Bob Rumson and I’m running for President!” h/t “The American President”), the best that Rudy can hope for is that his speech will be mentioned in passing tomorrow morning. It certainly won’t have legs to make it to the Monday shows. Those will be taken up by Mitt’s MTP, one way or another; either he will ace it, or tank it. One way or the other, there just isn’t any room for Rudy.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
29 cliff – you didnt answe my question in 27 -
December 15th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Kevin,
He’ll get at least one black vote. Mine.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Huh… as I read the speech I tried to imagine Rudy giving it, and there were a couple of lines later in that I could imagine getting a real connection. Yet all the YouTube bits were from the first chunk, which I think was the weakest part of the written version, plus the closing lines. I’d like to see the whole thing.
So metro’s shock & awe starts, lets see how it plays out.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Cliff,
You knew this was coming your way…..
THE HUCK-A-BUST is COMING………..Jan. 3rd!!!!
Mark My Words………
Organization over Flavor-O-the-Month, Smart People over Not-so-……People
December 15th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
#30 metro
“Difference? Most days he has to do a fundraiser because he can’t write himself $10 million checks each quarter.”
They have raised almost the same amount of money wich would mean they have given same amounts of fundraisers.
Its funny how you fiscal conservatives love to play the “rich boy card”. Hmm who else does that ….oh yea edwards.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
I am positive Rudy is going to hold Florida. As a Rudy supporter, the most recent poll means little— it is only one poll, and you’d expect Huckabee to be getting some kind of “bump”. I think Rudy needs to change tact though. Rudy and Mitt Romney are very much the same. They both did extraordinary things while in government. So I think when people watch Rudy’s pre 9/11 adverts, they tend to compare them to Mitt’s…. and let me say it now; both are compelling examples of fiscal conservativism.
However I really do think it is time for the 9/11 adverts… and people know what I am talking about. If it is okay for Clinton, who did not even have an active role in the emergency response/recovery effort, to use 9/11 footage, and if it okay for John McCain to use his history as a POW veterean, and if it is okay for Romney to illustrate how he made the SLWO games a success, then it should be okay for Rudy to go by his own experience; people need to see the man who emerged from the rubble of 9/11 stronger and prepared to be the nation’s next President.
You don’t lead opinion polls 6 years straight because of what you solely did in a state or city government. It is important, and true those achievmeents have to be stated; his accomplishments as Mayor are too big to ignore. However on 9/11, people from ALL over the world acknowledged the leadership exhibited by Mayor Giuliani, and I think it is time to exploit those emotions once again.
People know what I mean, and if the Rudy’s campaign people surf this site, I think it is time they pull out all the stops. I’m not panicing, but name recognition alone won’t win this primaries
December 15th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
That’s right Name recognition alone is’t going to win the
primaries or the nomination. Rudy’s polls over the last
year has been built on Celebrity and Name recognition.
He also has over played his role in 9/11 that some nameless
but important exordinary Americans feel that 9/11 was about
Rudy and not the people or the service people or about the
event of America being attacked. Rudy just doesn’t represent
the three legged stool of the republican party. If he had
more of an embrace of social conservatives, Rudy would have
had this liked months ago. Hence the rise and fall of Thompson
and now the rise of Huckabee.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Rudy made a really good case for himself and it was a very good speech. I did see his speech covered at CNN by Alexander Mooney. It doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of attention or clicks – hits and I’m not sure why.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
#34 Matthew, you are being awfully presumptuous thinking Romney is going to last that long.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
I’m here!! I finally downloaded Firefox, and can now post on my very favorite website – Race42008.com.
Thanks to Jason Bonham for telling me that you need Firefox to post here. I was using IE and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working.
Allow me to introduce myself:
I’m a former 6-year Senior Aide to Congressman Ron Paul. I was also Ron’s Travel Aide in his 1988 Libertarian Presidential Campaign. I’m also the guy who founded the Republican Liberty Caucus in 1990. And I served a two-year stint on the Libertarian National Committee.
I’m a diehard Libertarian Republican! Rudy’s my man for ’08. But I could also support Mitt or Fred.
I invite you all to visit my website at http://www.mainstreamlibertarian.com and my blog at http://www.libertarianrepublican.blogspot.com
Also, I invite you all to listen in to my weekly show “Libertarian Politics Live” on Blog Talk Radio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/libertarian
Enough of the shameless plugs and self-promotion. Now on to commenting regularly!
December 15th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
If you worked with Ron Paul then why would you call for support
for Rudy. Or be open to Mitt or Fred?
December 15th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
#41 – And you are being equally as presumptious assuming he won’t.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Feltcher,
It wasn’t my assumption. It was Kevin’s. He said “how many black votes do you think Mormon Mitt will get in a general election?” I was simply responding. Anyway, back to the speech. I’m not a huge fan of the few video clips they have up, but the speech seems pretty well written. Obviously alot depends on the delivery, so I’d have to see the whole video to make a more serious evaluation.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I hope this can stop the Rudybust. The republicans should seriously nominate Huckabee over Rudy or Romney, hah even Thompson and McCain are way betters options.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Dondero,
It’s great to have you here.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Steve – on the RCP average Huckabee is up by 10+ in Iowa.. What are you talking about?
Irish – every candidate except Giuliani has already played all their cards. Getting endorsed by Robert Bork means as mmuch to Joe Sixpack voter as the rotation cycles of the moons of Jupiter. Giuliani has someting a little more dramtic in wait.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Cliff,
We’ve been hearing that for quite some time now. Yet new cards keep getting played. And I am absolutely convinced that you give “Joe Six Pack” far less credit than he deserves.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Cliff,
You forget that the mythical “Joe Six Pack” doesn’t vote in the primary.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Nice talking with everyone, but I have ta jet.
Be back next week.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
this speech contained all things i have heard rudy say before. so not a really big deal to me.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
jcal and Tommy,
I disagree with the idea that Rudy is a ticking scandal bomb. First of all, he was in a hostile media spotlight for 8 years as NYC mayor, with the NYT digging for every bit of dirt they could get. He got hit a few times, but overall, he survived it. He also has a whole bunch of moralists fighting against him for the (R) nomination, as well as a number of Republican enemies in NYC and New York state, so if there was anything really worth hearing about, we’d probably hear it during primary season. Second, the fact that he’s been hit before ensures that nobody expects him to be perfect, snd the returns from moral scandalmongering will diminish (the Clinton rule). On the other hand, a single major moral transgression would sink either Mitt or Huckabee, and leave them no hope in the general (this holds, to a lesser ectent for Fred and McCain) Are you willing to bet that Mitt or Huck is as “perfect” as their PR operations have made them out to be?
December 16th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Agree Big S,
All of Rudy’s dirty landury has been hung out by the MSM for all to see.
This so called “scandal” about Rudy’s police protection is FIVE YEARS OLD and could have been thrown at him months ago. But, it’s clear it was held back so as to do the most damage to him just before the primaries, probably coordinated with conservative groups favoring another candidate.
Guess the die hard Conservatives have a death wish because they have done everything to discredit and derail our two most electable candidates,Rudy and McCain.
Let us who are serious about winning pray to God that one or the other survives to win the nomination.
December 16th, 2007 at 8:29 am
It’s funny so many Pro-Lifers here are so willing to write off the Pro-Choice Republican vote.
Hey Social Cons, if you want to push us out of the Party, you all will have a tougher time winning the general.
The GOP is not monolithically Pro-Life. Gallup took a poll back in May, and found that fully 35% of all Republicans are “Pro-Choice.”
Rudy’s our guy right now. And Rudy can deliver Pro-Choice leaning Republican States like Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut and maybe even California, precisely because he’s Pro-Choice.
Can your guy Huckabee do that? Tell us please how Huckabee will have appeal in California? How about Oregon? Washington State?
Okay, he may get some votes in North Florida, but what about Central and South Florida?
And tell us please, which Northeastern State is Huckabee most likely to move into the GOP column?
Outside of Pennsylvania, I can’t think of a single Northeastern state where Huckabee has any appeal whatsoever. Certainly not NJ, MA, CT, MD, or NY.
And even in PA he’d lose. Maybe not as badly. But look at Pro-Lifer Santorum’s recent hammering.
Only a Pro-Choice Republican can expand the base of the GOP and give us an opportunity to win Pacific Coastal and Northeastern states.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:29 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkITyPRJR2s
December 17th, 2007 at 9:51 am
I heard Rudy’s speech yesterday. I thought it
is nice.