by Andrew Malcolm
Stop the presses! Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor with the liberal social views, has become the last Republican presidential candidate to accept an invitation to appear at a "values voter" conference in Washington on Oct. 20.
The conference, expected to draw some 2,000 conservatives, is being organized by the Family Research Council, an influential conservative group whose leader, Tony Perkins, has been among those quietly meeting amid mumbling about running a third-party evangelical candidate if someone with a pro-choice stand on abortion and gay rights like Giuliani gets the GOP nomination.
One of the more surprising long-term developments in the Republican race this year has been the continued national polling strength of Giuliani in a party where an estimated 30-40 percent of its membership are considered evangelicals opposed to abortion and other of Giuliani's views.
Conventional wisdom has held that his support would melt as conservatives, at first blinded by the halo of his 9/11 leadership, come to know the thrice-married Giuliani and his liberal views.
He trails in Iowa, where he has not invested as much time or money as Mitt Romney, but has pulled close or even with the former Massachusetts governor in New Hampshire and regularly polls among Republicans as the most electable of the party's candidates.
Perkins, in a recent exchange with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, predicted Giuliani's popularity would still diminish once Americans "realize how far outside of the mainstream of conservative thought that Mayor Giuliani's social views really are."
If "by some chance" Giuliani did win the GOP nomination, Perkins predicted an unenthusiastic 2008 election turnout by Republicans, setting up a Democratic victory.
Perkins, James Dobson, the founder and head of Focus on the Family, and a handful of other conservatives recently met in Salt Lake City to discuss threatening to mount a third-party evangelical candidate. Dobson, who supported George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, has made several outspoken statements this year about Republicans he would not support.
Prime among them is Giuliani, whose nomination Dobson said might cause him to skip voting for the first time in his adult life. He called that decision "irrevocable."
A Giuliani spokesman was asked to confirm if the former mayor would attend the Family Research Council's forum and the dinner that evening honoring Dobson. The aide's e-mailed response: "I can confirm he is attending the forum on October 20th."
Andrew Malcolm writes for Top of the Ticket, the L.A. Times' political blog.
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Comments
And all we hear from Brucey, Johnny D. and the rest of the right wing here is how the Democrats pander to the left wing of their party??
What do you call this for the Republicans?
But that's OK Rudy - you keep on moving farther and farther right, and we Democrats will have such an easy time showing how much of a hypocrite you are.
Posted by: BobinATL | October 9, 2007 8:39 AM
The Family Research Council is an anti-gay HATE GROUP.
We have come to a low point in American history when a presidential candidate - with many gay friends - prostitutes himself to hate-mongers (see their anti-gay smears/lies on their website for proof) to win an election for power.
We are fighting Religious Fundamentalism -- we can NEVER WIN if we tolerate the enemy within - RELIGIOUS FUNADAMENTALISM is the enemy.
Posted by: RJP | October 9, 2007 9:15 AM
Now it gets interesting. Rudy's got to decide just what fraction of the evangelical/religious voters are actually represented by CBN, Dobson and the like. Many evangelicals have come to believe that the war, health care, the environment, globalization, etc., are more important than homosexuality, abortion, and whether or not "intelligent design" is taught in schools. I think the influence of people like Dobson and Perkins peaked in '04. They clearly didn't deliver a Republican victory in '06.
Watch for Rudy to say whatever he needs to say in order to get the nomination. Then watch him veer back toward his older, more centrist positions as the election approaches. The only question left will be whether, after all the flip-flopping, anybody will trust him.
Posted by: Scott Free | October 9, 2007 9:41 AM
The question of morals within a Nation is far from being the low point of a Country. Life style has much to do with the health of such a Nation. To this end, Christians have the right and the responsibility to stand up for what they feel as being the correct course of this Ship called the USA.
Giuliani is not going to fair well from his going to this conference, but his staying away would be of the same fruitage.
I predict that Governor Huckabee, who has been slowly climbing up in the polls, will come out of this conference as the darkhorse of choice and will climb to the top.
Posted by: Robert george Dunn | October 9, 2007 9:48 AM
It is a sad commentary on American culture when conservatives can't find candidates who don't have checkered pasts. I include divorce and re-marriage in checkered past. Where are the people who have lived clean lives, with nothing to hide, who marry one time for life?
Posted by: James Brantley | October 9, 2007 10:23 AM
" Where are the people who have lived clean lives, with nothing to hide, who marry one time for life?
Posted by: James Brantley | October 9, 2007 10:23 AM
James!
Vote for me! Married to the same woman for 37 years! Too bad I'm a lefty, huh?
Posted by: C.Morris | October 9, 2007 11:34 AM
C Morris, congrats on your 37 years, but perhaps your wife doesn't know any better.
Anyway, my parents have been married for 52 years. There are several couples at my church married for over 60 years and several more married for 50 and more. All religious righties too.
You have a long way to go. But, seriously, 37 years is pretty good.
Posted by: John D | October 9, 2007 12:44 PM
C Morris, congrats on your 37 years, but perhaps your wife doesn't know any better.
Anyway, my parents have been married for 52 years. There are several couples at my church married for over 60 years and several more married for 50 and more. All religious righties too.
You have a long way to go. But, seriously, 37 years is pretty good.
Posted by: John D | October 9, 2007 12:44 PM
Thanks for that "contribution," Dyslin. You're like the guy who every time he hears a story needs to one-up the person he's talking to.
My grandparents have been married for 65 years. Yeah!! I win!!!!
Posted by: Distrust and Verify | October 9, 2007 1:48 PM
John D,
Oh Yeah? My parents have been married for 61 years! Take that! And they are lefites also.
Next thing you know we will have to whip out the tape measures to see who has the longest.......car.
Posted by: C.Morris | October 9, 2007 5:08 PM
My grandparents have been married for 65 years. Yeah!! I win!!!!
Posted by: Distrust and Verify | October 9, 2007 1:48 PM
OH yeah? Once I hate a dead frog and I didn't throw up or nothin.
Posted by: bill r. | October 9, 2007 5:19 PM
A joke;
There once was an old couple, Elmer and Hazel, that were in their 90's and had been married for over 70 years.
One day they went to see their old family lawyer and told him they wanted to divorce and start new lives.
The old family lawyer was shocked and amazed. He couldn't believe his ears.
"Why", he inquired, "after over seventy years of marriage and now in your nineties, did you decide to divorce and start over.
They looked at eachother, and then Elmer said, "Well, we wanted to wait for the kids to die first."
Posted by: C.Morris | October 9, 2007 6:00 PM
Next thing you know we will have to whip out the tape measures to see who has the longest.......car.
Posted by: C.Morris | October 9, 2007 5:08 PM
This was exactly where my mind went with Dyslin's one-upsmanship, but I'm glad you went with it.
And we all know Johnny D drives a Nissan Murano (its NOT an SUV people, even though Nissan says it is), so if you have a full-size sedan, you win.
(We all know "lefties" have the biggest, er, cajones, which is why conservatives are so insecure they need to yell from the rooftops about their accolades rather than letting them speak for themselves and simply being comfortable in knowing one's own self-worth.)
Posted by: Distrust and Verify | October 9, 2007 6:30 PM
Actually D and V it seems to me you male Lefties must have very teenie tiny peepee's cause you folks are so insecure and throw such hissy fits all the time. In fact, I would say most female lefties are probably more manly than lefty "men."
Posted by: John D | October 9, 2007 8:36 PM
D and V,
I read somewhere that the Murano uses propane in the AC unit.
Posted by: C.Morris | October 9, 2007 9:03 PM
OK here's my theory.. They all frighten me!! But if I had to vote for a (COUGH COUGH) Rep it would be Guliani.. My Dem without aa doubt Hil. I think when all is said and done IRAQ should and will be done by the time al is said and done. Pretty sure not one person wants this too continue. REP or DEm. Hopefully we all know thiswill end and they will be taken care of and ALL COMPENSATION will be given to the soldiers and there families. Huge protester re this whole war.Rosie colored glasses this needs to end now before the elections. No onee is going to know where to vote
Posted by: Leslie | October 10, 2007 4:30 AM