Giuliani And The Evangelicals

It's worth pointing out that, all other things being equal, Rudy Giuliani doesn't really need any more evangelical/conservative support than he already has.

He doesn't need more in New Hampshire; He doesn't need more to win a three way race in South Carolina; he has, at the moment, more support from churchgoing protestants than Mitt Romney does, according to Gallup's polling. Not more in Michigan. Not more in Florida. The more doctrinal evangelicals split between Romney and Thompson, the better for Giuliani.

What he needs is for these voters not to body block him; not to launch a movement to stop him; not to distract him and the party during the period between his presumed securing of the nomination and the election.

Tomorrow, he might as well say: I know you won't vote for me... just don't not vote because of me. Expect him to use the words "Hillary Clinton" -- as in, y'all know..ok, he won't say y'all, he'll say you awl -- you awl know that I'm going to be the nominee and you know that Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee, and I'm really the only person who can beat her. (That reality is sinking in here: I overheard Terrence Jeffries of Human Events acknowledge that he didn't think, until recently, that Giuliani could actually win the nomination.)

His campaign isn't saying much about the speech, but it's not hard to guess that Giuliani will spend the bulk of his time talking about the clash of civilizations -- the [Christian] West versus the [Radical] Muslim east; the threat to our core values; the implicit Sean Hannity notion that you can't begin to fight abortion if you're dead.

Interviews with more a dozen attendees here, randomly chosen, suggest that they won't be receptive at all.

Not Carol Franz, wearing a green "Survivor of Adult Stem Cell Research" shirt.
I'm basically going on life issues because I've gotten off the death bed twice in my life," she said.

When Giuliani speaks here tomorrow morning, I asked Steve Pickett of West Palm Beach, Florida, what he would like to hear?

"I resign. I'm out of the race," he said.

Beth Picket said he wouldn't vote for Giuliani under any circumstances.

"Not even if Hillary..."

"Nope."

Comments

Party split! And there are many republicans that will work hard to make that happen!

Posted by Bjorn | October 19, 2007 3:12 PM

Guilani's problem is that his support among Christians is very soft. I don't see how he keeps the ones he has until election time.

Posted by thatcher | October 19, 2007 5:02 PM

My Goodness, It's time we rally behind someone otherwise it's too late. if we don't get behind Rudy Giuliani soon then Hillary Clinton is the nest President. Once that happens i guarantee there will be regrets.

Posted by ken fozzard | October 19, 2007 6:10 PM

Can't stand Guiliani as president candidate. Is he really qualified??? He con his wife while she was on her deathbed. disgusting.

Posted by Kristin huggins | October 19, 2007 6:25 PM

There's a line in the classic western "Shane" where the soft-spoken gunfighter tells the rancher who has held a town hostage, "Your problem is, you lived too long, old man."

The window is closing on the religious right as an arbitor of political power. Steve Pickett and Carol Franz belong to a group that will eventually be a footnote in American history.

Saturday's convention to discuss a third-party candidate is the death rattle of an ideology, like the rancher Shane took down, that has lived too long.

Posted by Johgn Carpenter | October 19, 2007 6:29 PM

He can win the primary easily without evangelicals. It's their full support in the general that Rudy needs. It's hard for a Republican to win if their own base isn't behind the nominee.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Posted by matt | October 19, 2007 6:29 PM

He won't have their full support so he better plan on getting some dem's who don't like Hillary either.

Posted by thatcher | October 19, 2007 7:55 PM

Rudy is a con man. Here are some reasons why he can not become president:

- He recommended his personal driver, Bernie Kerik, a criminal for the post of Homeland Security Chief.

- He earned millions on the dead bodies of 9/11 victims.

- Rudy has three wives. His first wife is his Cousin.

- He was fired from 9/11 Commission because he skipped many meetings as he was busy earning his millions on speaking circuit.

- He is pro-abortion, pro-gays, anti-gun.

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