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Jewish World Review
Oct. 18, 2007
6 Mar-Cheshvan 5768
Now, Rudy's integrity test
By
Michael Goodwin
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
He claims to be a straight shooter who will always tell you what he thinks and keep his word, but Rudy Giuliani faces a major test of that claim this weekend. His reputation, not to mention his quest for the White House, could be riding on the outcome.
Giuliani's scheduled speech Saturday to a "Values Voters" convention in Washington will be a litmus test of both his abortion position and his willingness to confront a powerful voting bloc. It's the Republican equivalent of a Sister Souljah moment — will he dare offending people whose votes he may need?
That the challenge involves abortion is no surprise. Among the positions he embraced in his three campaigns for mayor of New York — including gun control and gay rights — abortion always loomed as the biggest obstacle to Giuliani's presidential effort. Doubters said a pro-choice candidate could not win the GOP nomination, just as an anti-abortion candidate could not win the Democratic nomination.
Giuliani has defied those odds by remaining the front-runner while, excepting a few instances, sticking to his pro-choice position. Yet what he will say Saturday remains an open question because of the power of the pro-life movement.
Some leaders of the values group, which is essentially evangelical Christian, are threatening to bolt the GOP and support a third-party candidate if he is the nominee. Such a move could siphon off enough general election votes to hand the White House to Democrats, a prospect that could cost Giuliani the nomination.
Yet Giuliani could suffer a major hit to his reputation if he abandons his abortion stance to win the embrace of the pro-life movement. That reputation was already tarnished by the way he backtracked on a career of supporting gun control in an appearance before the National Rifle Association. The group he once labeled "extremists" suddenly was less threatening to him, a change he attributed to 9/11.
As someone who has long admired the mayor's political courage, I found the NRA speech a cringe-inducing performance. He later admitted that taking a phone call from his wife in the middle of his speech was a mistake, but that was trivial next to the image of him groveling before the NRA members. He had it right the first time — they are extremists.
Should he also backtrack on abortion, Giuliani would probably cement his front-runner status in the GOP primary. But he would pay an enormous price.
His brand as a tough-guy action figure would be compromised, as if he were just another waffler willing to abandon principle for votes. He would no longer be able to use that charge against GOP rival Mitt Romney and Sen. Hillary Clinton without inviting ridicule.
And the move would hurt him in the general election. One of his chief arguments for why he should be the nominee is that his crossover appeal would expand the election map, giving Republicans a chance to win blue states such as New Jersey and California. It's a realistic argument — if he is a pro-choice candidate. But not if he opposes abortion. Many Dems and independents will not vote for a pro-life President whose Supreme Court choices could overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Recognizing that a last-minute conversion is unlikely and would be unseemly, some in the pro-life camp are urging Giuliani to make promises to the values group about keeping the GOP platform pro-life and about not blocking any legislation that restricts abortion rights or access. But halfway gestures won't work, either.
Like the abortion debate itself, Giuliani is basically an all or nothing guy. The refusal to try to have it both ways was central to his accomplishments as a prosecutor and mayor. Now is not the time to try to do nuance. Now is the time for Rudy to be Rudy.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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