Richard Nixon, of all people, helped boil the strategy down into an obvious observation: if you’re running for the GOP presidential nomination, run to the right in the primaries, then to the middle in the general election. It’s a common-sense approach that helps explain why [tag]John McCain[/tag] is suddenly chummy with a clown like [tag]Jerry Falwell[/tag].
[tag]Rudy Giuliani[/tag], however, will have to work much harder at this. Unlike McCain, Giuliani really isn’t conservative at all. He supports abortion rights, gay rights, and gun control. In 1994, he endorsed Mario Cuomo (D) over George Pataki (R) in New York’s gubernatorial race. Just a few days ago, Falwell said he couldn’t possibly support him in the campaign. If [tag]Giuliani[/tag] is going to run to the right, he’d better wear comfortable shoes because it’s going to be a long hike.
And yet, [tag]Giuliani[/tag] seems intent on giving it a shot. For example, while most [tag]Republicans[/tag] are avoiding Abramoff-tainted [tag]Ralph Reed[/tag] like the plague, Giuliani is embracing him.
Possible presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani – who was just snubbed by fundamentalist Rev. Jerry Falwell – is headlining a fund-raiser for former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed.
Reed said Giuliani will appear at a May 28 lunch to benefit his run for Georgia lieutenant governor. Tickets go as high as $5,000, for the added perk of a photo-op with Giuliani and Reed.
“He believes they have common ground,” said Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel.
Apparently, that “common ground” is limited to “they both want to get elected and don’t care how it happens.”
Giuliani is also helping out in Pennsylvania.
Campaigning with [tag]Rick Santorum[/tag] in Blue Bell yesterday, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urged Pennsylvania voters to return Santorum to the Senate, saying his fellow Republican had used his leadership to protect the country against terrorist attacks.
“He really has a comprehensive understanding of the dangers that are facing us,” said Giuliani, who is considering a run for president in 2008. “He understands the importance of police, the importance of law and order.”
Asked about the fact that Giuliani and [tag]Santorum[/tag] appear to disagree on practically every social issue in the book, Giuliani said the senator had “taken many positions. Most of them I agree with.”
It seems literally impossible to me that this could work. I was talking recently to a pretty major figure in the religious right about the [tag]2008[/tag] race for a freelance piece I’m working on, and he told me there’s just no way for Giuliani to generate any support at all from the party’s base. Even if Giuliani were to completely reverse course and embrace positions that he’s always opposed, religious-right voters would ask how such a transformation is possible, and would no doubt prefer a candidate who’d been conservative all along.
Giuliani seems like he’s going to give this a shot anyway. Stay tuned.