Read this and try not to laugh too hard:
In the Republican race, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who recently made clear his intentions to seek the presidency, has expanded his lead over Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Giuliani holds a 2 to 1 advantage over McCain among Republicans, according to the poll, more than tripling his margin of a month ago.White evangelicals? For a Catholic Mayor of New York City who, as I like to remind my conservative friends: was living with a gay couple while he was getting a divorce from his second wife, a separation he announced to the media before he told her, and was cheating on her with his now third wife down the hall from where his kids were living in the mayor's mansion?
The principal reason was a shift among white evangelical Protestants, who now clearly favor Giuliani over McCain. Giuliani is doing well among this group of Americans despite his support of abortion rights and gay rights, two issues of great importance to religious conservatives. McCain opposes abortion rights.
Ok. I am sure that Christian Right support will last. All people know about Rudy is 9/11. And the truth is even much different than the myth on that one too (nice move, after the 1993 World Trade Center attack, choosing that as your counterterrorist HQ).
My pal Howie Klein has more on Rudy's habit of cross-dressing.
One more note. I hope Robert Greenwald's and my efforts with The Real McCain have been responsible for some of McCain's crashing poll numbers, but Rudy is an even worse choice for the Right for the reasons stated. It's still McCain's--as he has all the Bush people and Establishment GOP support--unless Jeb gets into the race (but by the time we're done, McCain may not want it).
posted by Cliff Schecter @ 3:12 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Cliff, what do you think of Matt Stoller's take on Rudy's rise among White Evangelicals?
"Don't fall for the nonsensical idea that the right-wing decides their contest based on issues, or has any principles that we would recognize. To them, it's all about demonstrating a tribal authoritarianism. Giuliani does this." - Stoller
I also found this comment in that same post rather interesting.
So do the wingnuts just not know about his more liberal positions? Or could it be that they're willing to excuse them (or simply not believe them) because they see him as an strong authoritarian figure? I know John Dean has been talking about this the last few years though I confess I haven't read his book.
The weak "somebody tell me what to do" crowd is strong with these fools.
All of those people with the image of Rudy strolling bravely through Manhattan on 9/11 will be shocked when they learn it was because he had nowhere to go. . .wise choice of headquarters, indeed Cliff!
Once you go on air a few times and let loose on Giuliani, Bulldog, his authoritarian status will shrink like George Costanza's Mr. Happy after a dip in the ocean.
If this is who the righties want to go with, then they've given us more ammunition than we could ever hope for. It's almost too easy.
I don't agree completely with Stoller jambon. I do believe that among elite Christian Right members this is true, but among those who bring pictures of aborted fetuses or fetishize about guns and fantasize about beating gays on the far right, no dice.
There is some validity in the authoritarianism theory, as this is why Dems such as Joe Lieberman and Ed Koch as so comfortable with their new friends on the Right. But the one-issue interest groups that sunk MCain are going to destory Giuliani, if his past doesn't first.
Or maybe it's the dress Cliff. One never really knows.
I have a question regarding authoritarians. Is Jebb like Al? Is he going to commit? Or not?
It would be an interesting challenge and pretend Jebb wins.... imagine the fun the comedians would have.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (that's white fundie families)has closed the door on Rudolph as Susan Molinari calls him. I believe polling has shown when fundies find out more about Rudolph they are less likely to support him. It's not the dress(think Bohemian Grove) it's the three wives, affairs and marching in the gay pride parade. After all the crap Patty OBigot Buchanan gave Nancy P for marching in the SF pride parade --the same will be said about Rudolph.
Why is Bill Clinton's past infidelity is more relevant to his wife's candidacy than Rudy Giuliani's own infidelity is to his own candidacy is an exercise left to the reader....via Atrio
outline of Tweety's obession with the Clinton's sex life. Matthews is a loon and virtually factless in his pursuit of purient political
stories that hurt Democrats.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/28/video-matthews-obsessed/
catalogue of Tweety's obsession with Clinton's sex life.
"Tribal authoritarianism" -- Stoller's got it exactly right. That, plus the desperate desire for a white knight to solve all problems.
Cliff, you're working with someone who made a documentary about Fox News, so you should understand what's going on. Who gets the highest ratings on Fox? O'Reilly. Why is he #1? Well, it's not because he meets every last litmus test:
O’Reilly says he’s pro gun control, against the death penalty, and supports civil unions, not just for homosexuals, but "for everybody."
He says he's for gay adoptions as a last resort: "I'd rather have nice, responsible gay home than the system for kids. What else?"
And about the environment? "Government’s gotta be proactive on environment," says O'Reilly. "Global warming is here. All these idiots that run around and say it isn't here. That's ridiculous."
O'Reilly's #1 because he hates. Everyone can see that. And everyone can see that about Giuliani. They have the same style -- seemingly reasonable and soft-spoken, but ready to pounce on an enemy in the most vicious manner possible. That's an incredibly appealing combination to right-wingers.
John Podhoretz put it more politely earlier this week: "more than any other candidate in the race, Rudy Giuliani is a liberal-slayer. When he rejects liberal orthodoxy, which he does often, he doesn't just oppose it. He goes to war with it -- total, unconditional war." That's the appeal.
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