Rudy At The California GOP Convention
An earlier trip to the Golden State - Giuliani with the Hollywood Foreign Press, August 2006
Rudy Giuliani was the keynote luncheon speaker at the California Republican Convention in Sacramento on Saturday. PajamasXpress blogger Bill Bradley of New West Notes was there for this exclusive report. Bradley will be following the nascent Giuliani campaign for Pajamas Media as it barnstorms through California with interviews and video to follow.
By Bill Bradley, exclusive to PJ Media
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani turned in an impressive performance in his luncheon keynote address today at the California Republican Party convention in Sacramento. There in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency at Capitol Park, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s state capital residence, as it happens, Giuliani received a much more rousing response than did Schwarzenegger last night at the convention’s opening banquet. Giuliani’s nearly 50-minute address was interrupted several times by standing ovations.
Giuliani did not formally declare his candidacy for president, a prevalent rumor beforehand, but made it obvious that he has every intention of running. In fact, he is on a campaign swing though the Golden State that began last night with a fundraiser and private meetings and continues through Tuesday.
As a speaker, Giuliani is in transition from the high-dollar motivational speaker he became after his heroics on and after 9/11 and a full-throttle candidate for the presidency. His speech isn’t a stump speech yet, and is far too long for one — though the crowd of California convention delegates certainly didn’t mind — but it is clear that he has the makings of powerful themes. And that he is a very good performer behind the microphone.
While he dealt with a number of issues, including education reform, welfare reform, tax reform, and the need to extend health care coverage, and did not not dwell on his moderate to liberal views on social issues, he made it clear that he sees the war on terror as the overarching issue of the election and of America’s future.
Giuliani said it is key to stabilize the situation in Iraq lest the strife-torn nation become a future haven for terrorists. He urged patience for the Bush administration’s new “surge” strategy and ridiculed weeks spent on fine-tuning non-binding resolutions against the move as completely unproductive.
Giuliani likened the war on terror to the Cold War as a long-term struggle requiring resolve and judgment and a more effective job of selling the idea of America to the world. In doing all that, he invoked the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Which is never a bad thing with the mostly very conservative delegates to this convention.
I want to like Rudy..I really do but he scares me on immigration and gun control. If he gives me a ban on partial ban abortion I can look the otherway on his stance regarding abortion.
On the otherhand no other candidate including McCain understands the war on terror better than he does. And that is the overriding issue this and every election until the threat of Islamic Thuggery is gone.
He will take the war to the thugs in a way that even President Bush has been reluctant to do.
Here is how I felt about Rudy back in 2004 Rudy in 2008 Rudy at the Convention
Worth noting since newly moderate Gov. Schwarzenegger’s talk to state Republicans wasn’t accorded the same reception
I agree with Pierre,
So far I don’t see a true solid conservative nor the country electing one in 08. Like it or not, War on Terror has hurt the conservative cause.
If I can get 2 out of 3 (abortion,immigration) from him, he has my support.
is Giuliani just a Gov. Schwarzenegger in disguise? Arnold became the governor by help of most Republican voters, and now he calls him self a pure centrist…Well if he is a centrist, he should have run under than banner…
I’m a life member of the NRA, and the gun issue is about as close as I get to being a single-issue voter. I’m a native of NYC, and strongly disagree with his stance (and that of his successor) on NYC and gun control.
But until I see any presidential hopeful take the war on terror as seriously as does Rudy–and demonstrate, as he does, the understanding of the threat we face from people who WANT US DEAD–he will remain a front-runner for me.
Bradley’s performance with one of Arnold’s Bush-linked advisors (Dowd) was about as content-free as you can get.
If you want to be an alternative to the MSM, let me suggest not acting like them.
You can start by asking Rudy a tough question or three.
For instance:
1. Won’t the massive legalization of illegal aliens that you support be seen around the world as an amnesty, no matter what false name you want to call it for domestic consumption? Won’t that result in millions and millions of people trying to come here illegally?
2. Given that the same forces that currently support illegal immigration also oppose enforcement of the 1986 amnesty’s enforcement provisions and also support amnesty, should anyone in their right mind think those forces would support enforcement of the new amnesty, especially since that amnesty would give them even more political power than they now have?
3. The Mexican government has a great deal of political power inside the U.S., and may have even used proxies to organize several of last year’s marches. Please explain exactly what you will do to prevent that government from having even more influence inside the U.S. should the massive legalization you support take place.
4. Do you think anyone in their right mind would consider a literacy test to be a tough requirement for citizenship as you propose?
5. What do you say to all those millions of people waiting in line to come to the U.S. who will have millions of former illegal aliens cut in front of the line, clogging the system and making it even more difficult for them to come here legally?
I fully expect the Bradley questioning to be more along the lines of “So, tell me about your immigration plan while I stand here and nod my head.”
I agree that Rudy won’t do much more than Bush on immigration (although his stance on crime offers some hope).
I do not believe, however, that he’ll be bad on 2nd amendment issues. He stated categorically on Hannity’s radio show that he interprets the 2nd Amendment as guaranteeing an *individual* right. So my sense is that he simply won’t care to federalize the issue and we’ll neither gain nor lose ground during his administration.
As a 2nd amendment enthusiast, it strikes me that this is not something to be worried about in a Giuliani administration. Indeed, McCain’s assault on 1st Amendment freedoms worries me quite a bit more.
Guliani’s comparisons of the War on Terror to the Cold War is spot-on.
Bush’s policy, which stressed pre-emptive wars and using “hard power” to forcibly expand democracy has been thoroughly discredited – we’re sinking time, money, and precious lives in Iraq while being discredited in the eyes of even our closest allies.
Last week the Polish considered re-naming a square in a major city for Ronald Reagan. Reagan, as much as a hawk as he was, helped to bring down the Soviet Union with both tough talk and negotiation. As I doubt that such a touching moment will ever occur in Iraq for George W. Bush, I think we should take more or our foriegn policy cues from the former rather than the latter.
If Guliani’s evocation of Reagan’s policies are sincere, then his nomination is the best chance this country has in this stage in the war on terror.
The war on Islamic totalitrianism is first and foremost. All else pales in comparison because if we lose this war none of the other issues will continue to be issues. The Islamists intend to reestablish the Caliphate, only this time encompassing the world. Rudy understands this. He, unlike our current president, can articulate his understanding. He was also fiscally responsible as Mayor of New York. What more can you ask for?
I contributed 2 weeks ago to his campaign. Granted, only $100, but then I’m not rich.
The key line in Bradley’s report about Rudy is “he sees the war on terror as the overarching issue of the election.” So do I. This is the life-or-death issue for the U.S. Further, in my view, Rudy is the only Republican that is as articulate as the Democrat front-runners, including the MSM’s new favorite, Sen. Obama. If Rudy doesn’t get the GOP nomination, I foresee 4 to 8 years of a Democrat in the White House – assuming our republic lasts that long.
Rudy gave a good and interesting interview on Hannity and Colmes last week, and goes over his various stances, including 2nd Amendment. He is taking a Federalist stance on that and some few other issues, and wants SCOTUS judges that will ‘interpret the constitution not invent it’. As a prosecutor I think he may hate weasel judges more than anyone and he has a history of appointing some good ones as Mayor of NYC. We tend to forget the NYC police force is as large as some *armies* in the world.
Fighting to keep the Nation first is paramount. And I have had it with candidates that are a grab-bag of programs to divide the Nation and get together enough to want the goodies in the grab-bag to win. So, I, too, have 50 questions that I would like to see answered in the next year or so from all of the candidates. I refuse to vote for individuals pushing government programs and that have no idea of what they think government actually *is*.
A good motto for Republicans for 2008 might be: “It is the war AND the courts, stupid.” I would be a lot more comfortable with Rudy if he would give us a few examples of living candidates he feels would be qualified for high-level court appointments. But, I still feel he is a liberal compromise candidate, not someone whom I could support if there were someone more conservative out there who could win.
Go with the best candidate you have, not with the one you wish you had but do not. Don’t lose the good by holding out for the perfect. I’m with Rudy.
No, Fred Beloit, it’s not “the war AND the courts, stupid.” It’s the war, period. You don’t win this war, there are no courts… unless you like sharia courts.
And be serious, no one more conservative than Giuliani would stand a chance of victory.
I’m not a right-wing blogger. I’m a political analyst.