That's the scuttlebut...as the New York Post reports, he's reportedly gathering together his top political advisers for a possible 2012 presidential run has even scheduled a trip to New Hampshire next month to press the flesh and meet people.
Could he win? Possible, provided he ditches some of those 'top political advisers' who ran such a lousy campaign for him in 2008.
He has a number of positives. He's a great debater who would make haggis out of Obama in a one on one. He has a demonstrated record of accomplishment in solving seemingly insurmountable problems, and knows how to get reluctant democrats to get with the program, as he demonstrated in New York City.He also is a fiscal conservative who's proven he can bring a near bankrupt economy back to health.
As someone who still enjoys high approval ratings in New York State, he would effectively put that state in play in the general election, and his national defense and security views are rock solid. He's definitely one who could take that 3 AM call and handle it.
Negatives? He's got 'em. His position as a New Yorker with moderate and frequently common sense positions on various social issues is a two edged sword. It works for Republicans and independents who lean that way and is a negative for those with more socially conservative views,especially those in the Heartland.
Even worse, as I pointed out before, the circumstances surrounding his divorce are going to have an effect on the female vote. If the mayor had been the dumpee rather than the dumper, that would have been one thing, but the fact that he was the one to make the decision to do the split and the unfortunate way that went down is all a significant amount of female voters will want to know about him. He would have to work hard to overcome that.
As some of you know, Mayor Giuliani was my personal choice for Republican nominee in 2008 based on his resume and accomplishments...because I always view elections as a hiring decision. I still say that had he been the nominee rather than McCain,the results of the 2008 election might have been very different.That's especially true if we were talking about a Giuliani-Palin ticket.
It still may come down to that, in the end if Sarah Palin runs. Giuliani might very well position himself as the GOP alternative to Sarah Palin, and even if he loses the nomination the two of them, who have good personal relationship, would be natural partners.
A Palin-Giuliani ticket would not only unite the GOP and be a likely winner, but would put the country in superb hands. The only problem would be Giuliani's age. He'll be 68 in 2012 and might not be able to follow 8 years of a Palin administration with his own presidential term.
Perhaps a cabinet post.
He's a great debater who would make haggis out of Obama in a one on one.
ReplyDeletemccain is a bulldog in debates as well.
being that and doing that......are two different things.
I've never seen any evidence of that,myself.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he's a carpet chewer and a phone thrower within the Senate walls, but I've never seen him do much in a head to head.
BTW, if you know what haggis are, there's a lil' insult to Obama there.
Sheep guts? Best served with ketchup...
ReplyDeleteGot baggage? Rudy does. My recollection is that he was very unpopular just before 9/11. It was his handling of the aftermath that made him "America's Mayor." I gotta give him credit though, NY was a real sh*thole before Rudy. He got the squeegee guys off the streets first, and then all crime declined. He's got the credentials, and I would vote for him. His last campaign never got out of the gate. New Hampshire and Iowa will tell us all we need to know, eh?
Giuliani's support of abortion works in NYC, but not among conservatives. IMO, Giuliani's public affair (which you overlook and the press won't if he becomes a frontrunner) and the divorce that followed are not just problems in themselves, it also highlights his problems on other social issues. Unless the economy is much worse than it is today, I don't see how the Republican base will support a candidate with Giuliani's liberal social views on abortion, divorce...
ReplyDeleteJust to throw my 2 cents in; I think Giuliani with Palin for VP could win, and be a welcome sight. However, even I wouldn't vote that ticket unless he promised not to let his personal views on things like abortion affect his political decisions, vowing to fight to turn those issues to the states. Also, he'd have to promise to only appoint judges who shared that view and who were strict constitutionalists.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the female vote(probably could add a lot of Bible Belt votes lost there as well), but if he came out loud and often to apologize for the way that he handled the divorce situation, none sorry for the end effect, but very sorry for the method used to achieve said result, I think he could mitigate most of the damage there.
Old Ez
Hi Old Ez,
ReplyDeleteActually, what Rudi has said on abortion is pretty much that. His position is that the abortion question is best handled by the states, that since Roe v Wade is settled law at this point, that any move to change or repeal it will be done in the courts, and that he will appoint strict constructionist judges.
He said that repeatedly in '08.
As for the circumstances surrounding his divorce, well, we'll see.
Regards,
Rob
Haggis is the sheep's innards ( including the heart,lungs and liver) mixed with drippings, spices and onions. These days, they're usually made in a casing, like sausage.
ReplyDeleteNo true Scot would ever put ketchup on haggis.
In another part of the world, a similar dish is known as chitlins y'all!
Regards,
Rob