Why Rudy will never be President.

Rudy Giuliani is currently the front runner in the Republican primary, despite his position on Guns, Abortion, and Gays. But, from reading Free Republic, I have become convinced that he cannot win the general election.

Free Republic did purge Rudy supporters from it's rolls in April, but that doesn't mean that it's dislike of Rudy isn't significant. Free Republic represents the conservative base of the Republican party. Generally, the base can be counted on to go vote for it's party, regardless of who the candidate is. Indeed, the Republican party's great investments in getting out the vote show how important they realize this effect is.

Therefore, the fact that many on Free Republic wouldn't vote for Rudy over even Hillary is important. It means Rudy has about a 20% deficit to make up.

But you're not here for the analysis; you're hear for the quotes:

Originator of the site Jim Robinson actually made a Rudy hate thread:

If you will just agree to the murdering of your children, then we can win the presidency.

Sincerely,

Rudy Tooter

Note the nickname. If you get a nickname, it is not a good sign. And it goes without saying that the right to choose does not mean you abort your children.

To be sure, some argue that a vote for Rudy is a vot against Hillary:

Rudy, warts and all, is orders of magnitude better than the Hildabeast.

Dennis Prager recently stated that conservatives would be fools to 'let the perfect be the enemy of the good' with respect to a potential Giuliani candidacy: voting 3rd party or staying home on election day is half a vote for HER. I just hope everybody on FR remembers that when the time comes, because if she wins, we can kiss the America we know and love goodbye.

Yes, this odd mixture of quoting the right wing punditocracy and insulting nicknames is what passes for informed debate in Free Repbulic. Well, unless the Bible is involved; then it gets pretty deep.

The reply:

Dear bassmanner,

“... ‘let the perfect be the enemy of the good’ ...”

I’d be happy to vote for the good if the perfect isn’t available.

But I won’t for the evil.

Mr. Giuliani’s presidency would be evil.

sitetest

Not sure why it must be in the form of a letter, but the declarative, manichaestic statement is quite difficult to rebut.

SoConPubbie agrees.

I could care less about sophistication.

Usually, as is the case in this example, all that means is someone has sold out their morals and honor for some other goal.

that kind of common sense really allows one to not think hardly at all!

The argument that Rudy will appoint conservative judges has somewhat more traction, with most saying "wait til after the primary." But some cannot be convinced

It's a long wait for SCOTUS appointments and the ship of state has a large leak that is not waiting. We still might get another Warren appointment. And SCOTUS appointments are only one perk of the Executive, but the slowest and most drawn out.

Rudy has not committed to using the other executive powers to further conservative principles of government, just the slowest and least controllable one. Why? I don't like the answer that comes to mind, so it will take more to convince me, and I'm not seein' it.

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Presidents nominate judges, Rooty Toot will nominate liberal judges (NO president has EVER knowlingly nominated a supreme court justice who had a political philosophy that was diametrically opposed to their own).

I love the assumtion that "Rooty Toot" has a political point of view, despite all his flip-flopping.

Another point of view is that the Republican party deserves this, since they've abandoned conservatives (a view I see echoed by liberals):

[W]hen switching from hardcore leftist Cuomo to allegedly right-wing Pataki: gun control and other issues got a LOT worse precisely because Pataki, a socialist at heart, automatically got the blind support of Republicans.

Sometimes the greater of two evils is the better choice: people recognize it as evil.

Good luck with that. I don't see those beyond this site recognizing Hillary as evil any more than only some see Bush as evil.
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And let us not forget the denial:

Rudy is a liberal who is trying to play conservative and it is not working except for a very few.

yeah...that means the vast majiority of the country, and the Republican Party is liberal.

Also, since Abortion is involved, let us not foget the jingoism:

Don't Cut and Run, vote pro-life always.

Nicely done; war on terror = abortion. Actually, Free Republic does this a lot. But that's a story for another day.
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In conclusion, many on the site hold the following view:

Amen. We cannot beat the democrats by emulating them, and I hope we will not sell our principles (indeed our soul) for the hollow victory of putting a RINO in the white house. I will not.
If the choice is between Rudi an Hilary I will vote 3rd party or leave that part of the ballot blank. I will not vote for an abortionist under any circumstances. If the RINOs take over the Republican party, I will gladly support a prolife conservative alternative.

That alone, coming from the base, is enough the render Rudy unelectable in the general election.