Giuliani, prayer, and the last refuge of a scoundrel

January 14, 2008

How far has Rudy Giuliani’s slipped? Put it this way: the former mayor has, all of a sudden, discovered religion.

Rudy Giuliani began his Sunday in an unusual place for him – at church – and with an unusual fellow congregant, the controversial former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

The former mayor, whose second divorce has left him on the outs with his own Catholic Church, started a three-day bus tour through Florida Sunday with a visit to the bilingual El Rey Jesus, a Hispanic evangelical Christian church here.

For the mayor — who as a young man considered the priesthood — it marked the sudden discovery of God on the campaign trail, with a speech that was part sermon and part political pitch.

“This is a beautiful church, and I can feel the spirit of God in this room,” Giuliani told the 7,000 or so worshipers.

For crying out loud, is anyone really gullible enough to believe such shameless pandering?

Also note that Giuliani has a standard stump speech he uses every day on the campaign trail. It includes a firm position against illegal immigration, and includes Giuliani’s unwavering belief that those who want to become U.S. citizens must learn “to speak, read and write English.”

Oddly enough, while speaking at this Miami church, Giuliani omitted all of this from his remarks. I’m sure it was just an oversight — and had nothing to do with the large Latino population in South Florida, most of which votes Republican.

The AP report added:

With his plan for winning the GOP presidential nomination riding largely on a Florida victory at the end of the month, Rudy Giuliani asked an evangelical congregation for prayers instead of votes Sunday and quoted scripture to evoke a message of hope and perseverance.

“I’m not coming here to ask for your vote,” he said. “That’s up to you and it’s not the right place. But I am coming here to ask you for something very special and more important: I’m asking for your prayers.”

Given Giuliani’s declining poll numbers and empty campaign coffers, I suppose the former mayor can use all the help he can get.

But maybe Giuliani hasn’t heard — God has already endorsed Huckabee, so Giuliani is probably barking up the wrong tree.

“For the mayor — who as a young man considered the priesthood….”

As did Stalin and Hitler.

  • …the large Latino population in South Florida, most of which votes Republican…

    Aside from the cuban contigent, why does this group mostly vote Republican’t? Does anyone have any insights here?

  • Il Douche Ghooliani & Krazy Kat Harris.

    Krazy Kat Harris & Il Douche Ghooliani.

    I’m praying for a sex scandal.

    For the mayor — who as a young man considered the priesthood

    Assuming this is true, I hope his people don’t think this will give him a boost with the Evans. They hate the RC with the heat of a thousand supernovas.

  • As soon as I saw the name “Katherine Harris,” I knew nothing good could possibly come of Giuliani’s church appearance. For him.

    It will be interesting to see how much of his platform he jettisons trying to make Florida his first win – I suspect he will rival Mitt Romney in his ability to shift on the fly…

  • “I’m not coming here to ask for your vote… I’m asking for your prayers.”

    (Overheard in the back of the church) “Okay, I won’t vote for you and I’ll pray no one else does either. Satisfied? Now shut up so we can get home in time for the game.”

  • “I’m not coming here to ask for your vote… I’m asking for your prayers.”

    This is clearly a fall back position as Giuliani is under too much scrutiny to secure the proper number of small children whose sacrifice is necessary to propitiate his god.

  • From Katie’s Kalvalcade of Krazee:

    In a prayer at the end of the conference call, she sought God’s help to bring those goals about.

    […]

    She added, “And Father God, right now on the day after the Jewish new year, Father, after the day after atonement, as they enter into their new year, Father God, I just pray that you would bring the hearts and minds of our Jewish brothers and sisters into alignment.”

    Rud!e sure knows how to pick his allies. Watch for photo ops with Phred Felps.

  • Just guessing (#13), that was pretty good!

    I was thinking, oh, just stuff it, Mattress! Like it or lump it, Rudy’s flea-bitten campaign has lost all its support!

  • Touching speech. I’m sure “Tammy Fae” Harris’ mascara was running like an oil spill from the Exxon Valdez.

    Amazing that Rudy know absolutely no bounds to pandering. Politicians are supposed to kiss babies and not the wrong end of adults.

  • ***Someone could create a great comedy movie or musical based on Giuliani’s campaign.

    Mel Brooks?***
    ————————–Swan

    C’mon, Swan, you can do better than that. I’d nominate Victor Hugo. Take a gods-awfully-uglier-than-a-soiled-diaper dwarf and turn him loose in a church, swinging from the rafters and howling “SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY!!!” at the top of his lungs.

    GhoulChild would make the perfect Quasimodo—and Harris could be his “Esmeralda.”

  • I’m a Rudy supporter, and would never vote for anyone else in the GOP primary.

    Huck, Mitt and McCain are all seriously flawed candidates, and over the next 2 weeks the GOP will realize this.

    This website preaches to libs, and is not read by conservatives, so why are you wasting your time? Why don’t you just debate between Hillary and Obama? Have fun!

  • Definition: “The Die is Cast.”

    GhoulChild’s campaign is in a train wreck. With every bone in its body broken beyond repair, it is placed in a sarcophagus-like body cast, and dies of massive financial hemorrhages throughout its comical little body.

    Das Ghoul tot ist. Leben Frei Langen!

  • Oh, I hope that Guiliani doesn’t win Florida, but if he doesn’t it’s going to Huckabee. Not much of an improvement really.

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