Is the GOP Changing?
If Giuliani wins the GOP nomination despite his social liberalism, will it signify a changing of the GOP's core principles?
In a debate at TNR, Thomas Edsell says "yes." Ramesh Ponnuru says "no" and cites Colin Powell's almost-candidacy from 1995-6 as evidence. i think i'm with Ponnuru, but I still think that Giuliani has little chance of ending up with the GOP nomination. His poll numbers have been dropping, and I think it's because more Americans are learning more about what Giuliani thinks about issues, rather than simply remembering what Giuliani represents. It's why Giuliani deflected Ron Paul's sober-minded statement about the dangers of "blowback," using it as an excuse to rile up everyone's emotions about 9/11. It's a potent weapon, but it's Giuliani's only one, and I don't think it's strong enough to win him the nomination.
It is sad, tho, when the most substantive take on foreign policy among GOP prez hopefuls comes from a cranky old libertarian. Even sadder that the GOP has responded by trying to shut him up.
In a debate at TNR, Thomas Edsell says "yes." Ramesh Ponnuru says "no" and cites Colin Powell's almost-candidacy from 1995-6 as evidence. i think i'm with Ponnuru, but I still think that Giuliani has little chance of ending up with the GOP nomination. His poll numbers have been dropping, and I think it's because more Americans are learning more about what Giuliani thinks about issues, rather than simply remembering what Giuliani represents. It's why Giuliani deflected Ron Paul's sober-minded statement about the dangers of "blowback," using it as an excuse to rile up everyone's emotions about 9/11. It's a potent weapon, but it's Giuliani's only one, and I don't think it's strong enough to win him the nomination.
It is sad, tho, when the most substantive take on foreign policy among GOP prez hopefuls comes from a cranky old libertarian. Even sadder that the GOP has responded by trying to shut him up.
Labels: Giuliani
posted by Kindred Winecoff at
4:42 PM
1 Comments:
He's not the only one.
Romney and Guiliani, to name but two, are courting the fundamentalists voters by shifting socially liberal viewpoints. I guess you gotta dance with the girl who brung ya.
This isn't uncommon. Even Bill Clinton did it a time or two during his presidency.
Besides, it's much easier to have a circular conversation about abortion than to actually talk about something that matters like how in Hell are we going to get ourselves out of this mess our President calls "the war on terrorism".
--P
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