Posted by
Mike on Saturday, March 24, 2007 12:45:28 AM
Recent polls for the 2008 Presidential Election have former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani pulling ahead of John McCain for the Republican nomination. 36% of likely Republican primary voters favor Rudy, while only 20% would choose McCain. Giuliani also beats out Hillary and Obama in head-to-head matchups in the general election. Although it is early, Giuliani's leads have only risen in the last few months.
Obviously, Giuliani's main hurdle will be getting past the religious-right and other social conservatives in the primaries. His history of support for gay-rights and pro-choice measures conflict with the traditional stands of ultra-Republicans who vote in primaries. Lucky for him (and us), the social right has been largely silenced since Iraq and the War on Terror have taken center stage. The group has failed to put up any viable candidate for '08 and it seems almost too late to do so now. Not to say that issues such as abortion and gay marriage are not vital to the American debate, but, at the present time, pressing foreign affairs call us abroad. No man has the expertise, determination, or leadership to guide America through these perilous times more than Giuliani.
Republicans who cannot look past Giuliani's social stands fail to recognize the importance of party unity. If Republicans from the heartland (i.e. old Southern conservatives, religious Republicans, anti-abortion activists) try to make this election about gay marriage or abortion, they have no shot. If they follow the path of ultra-conservatives in Sam Brownback (Kansas) or former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, they will lose. Republicans must run on their strength: national defense. As Lincoln once noted, a house divided shall not stand. Republicans might as well lay out the White House carpet for Hillary or Obama if they stray from the party's true ideals in '08. Vote for fiscal responsibility, vote for victory abroad, vote for leadership. Putting it simply, vote for Giuliani.