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« The Economist | Main | Poverty » February 10, 2007National Review on RudyIf you're not tired of the Rudy Giuliani conversation already, I recommend checking out National Review's editorial on the subject and John Podhoretz's further comments from The Corner. Putting perhaps a bit more faith in Giuliani's early poll numbers than I do, NR calls Giuliani "a compelling candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2008." Giuliani "saved New York City by restoring law and order and breaking with the disastrous urban liberalism of the 1970s. He will forever be honored for his leadership after the 9/11 attacks. And his effective, no-nonsense management style and straight-talking persona are enormously appealing." Conservatives want to like Giuliani, as Podhoretz argues, and as I have shown in my prior writing on the subject. There is a lot to like. And there is a lot to be worried about. While I focused on Giuliani as an idealized type, where conservatives, particularly of the anti-terrorist law-and-order variety, put upon Giuliani their visions of the best possible candidate in the absense of knowledge about his record, NR takes a more focused approach. Most of Giuliani's opinions on national economic issues (including environmental policy) are unknown at this point, but on social issues, he is a well-established liberal. Particularly, NR finds his position on abortion of utmost concern. The editors write: "Giuliani's most important flaw . . .is his denial that unborn children have a right to life." Giuliani has shown some movement rightward on the issue of partial birth abortion in recent years, but that is just one issue among many. What about stem-cell research, gay marriage, the legal status of Roe v. Wade, the right to die, and so on? NR is absolutely right for calling on Giuliani to be forthcoming with his positions on these issues. He is, if his poll numbers are to be believed, a "compelling candidate," but most conservatives I know will need more than 9/11 heroism to win them over. Posted by David Darlington at February 10, 2007 01:16 PM CommentsSince he'll continue to get credit for it no matter what, this won't bear on the electoral politics. But the 'saving NYC from crime' that Giuliani gets celebrated for is in fact mostly attributable to a steady decline during the Dinkins administration, followed by a period of a _nation-wide_ decline in crime. I'm not at all saying that he deserves _no_ credit for things staying basically good on his watch. I just find the various conservative paeans to him... overblown. Posted by: philosopher at February 10, 2007 05:37 PM | permalink I agree with Phil. Rudy had some serious federal help in turning around NYC: Federal Welfare reform, the COPS program, assult-rifle ban (which Guliani admitted on H&C that he exploited to get the federal funds and aid of the NARCs and FBI - and not using city funds so he could continue to cut taxes), to name a few items. Granted all that needed to be coordinated. So Guliani 2008: "not completely incompetant when federal money is dropped in his lap" Posted by: Brian at February 11, 2007 03:51 PM | permalink Post a comment |
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