Influential Conservative Richard Viguerie Launches Petition Drive Against Rudy

Comments (20)

jdb wrote on October 5, 2007 5:23 PM:

If conservatives field a third candidate, they will splinter their party as badly as the Democrats did after Reagan. I can't wait.

Greg wrote on October 5, 2007 5:26 PM:

one can only hope. I have a feeling that they'll make a deal with him, tho. on the other hand, that would be suicide for the conservative leaders themselves...

American wrote on October 5, 2007 5:39 PM:

I hope these folks stay true to their words and do launch a third party effort, I have signed that sheet, even though I am Democrat, because a 3rd party would guarantee a victory for the Democrats!

Rudy is a nightmare for America! He is running on 9/11 and his wife, who is just terrible.

phil james wrote on October 5, 2007 6:01 PM:

money quote: "if the GOP turns against unborn children, a significant portion of its base will not vote for Republican candidates"

However, if the GOP turns against unINSURED children who are already part of the earthly congregation, rather than a few differentiated cells, well that's another matter. Those GOP candidates we welcome with open arms. See, we don't do well with anyone who can actually think so we like to get them indoctrinated while they are still in the womb. And besides, being against abortion is the greatest of all wedge issues because it doesn't cost us a red cent to be for the unborn while we slam the non-family-values crowd. When it comes to actually putting money upfront to provide for the little ones, well that just pushes the question of how precious they are way too far. See, its not really about the children at all. It's about you heathen scum letting us God-chosen leaders dictate the terms of existence to every American. It's what we like to call POWER baby. Yeahhhhh!

Redshift wrote on October 5, 2007 6:01 PM:

And yet they've tried to spin the idea that Hillary would be a disaster for the Democrats because a lot of people wouldn't vote for her. Is there anything the GOP says about the Dems that isn't mostly projection?

BTW, Greg, I suspect you're right that they'll make a deal, since Dobson's editorial talked about requiring a candidate who will "pledge" to be pro-life, rather than one with an antiabortion record. However, even if this is just a play for influence, I can't imagine it'll motivate the religious right troops to get out and work for the Republican candidate.

Daniel wrote on October 5, 2007 6:29 PM:

There has ben so much speculation over the past week that Giuliani's atypical positions on social issues will finally hurt him. There was the 3rd party statement, but also the cell phone incident at the NRA convention continuing to haunt the campaign.

Anonymous wrote on October 5, 2007 6:33 PM:

Either way, the Christianists lose influence:

If they cave, they prove their weakness to base and the GOP leadership.

If they hold fast, they fragment off into an ineffective fringe party.

Go, Rudy!

Michael Lafferty wrote on October 5, 2007 7:12 PM:

Goodness, I think I just stuffed the ballot box!

The petition states, "I am joining the conservative leaders who have pledged that they will not support or vote for any Republican candidates who are pro-abortion."

That's strictly true, though it's also true that I would not support or vote for any Republican candidate in any case. Under any circumstances.

I couldn't help myself: I signed the petition. It seemed as though agreeing with the statement and signing it, only once—and, offering true and correct information—was a reasonable affirmation of its contents, even if not its intent. And, it upped the counter by one.

But, in doing so, I feel - well, "…so Republican." Yuk. I am going to go take a shower…

Cinderella Ferret wrote on October 5, 2007 7:12 PM:

Here's a little jewel from the petition,

I am joining the conservative leaders who have pledged that they will not support or vote for any Republican candidates who are pro-abortion.

I can live with that. I promise I will not vote for, or support, any REPUBLICAN candidate who is pro-choice.

Why would I argue with that?

r€nato wrote on October 5, 2007 7:14 PM:

I smell an opportunity to pay back the GOP in spades for funding the Greens in order to ratfuck the Dems.

Hank Essay wrote on October 5, 2007 7:16 PM:

Popcorn time!!!

-

chalmers wrote on October 5, 2007 10:04 PM:

On Sean Hannity's radio show today, James Dobson said that he wouldn't support Rudy, McCain or Thompson if they won the GOP nomination.

The main thrust of the interview was Hannity trying to persuade Dobson to give Rudy a break. I think Sean probably knew that was a lost cause, but when Dobson ruled out three of the big four Republicans, Sean was dumbfounded.

Kingstongirl wrote on October 6, 2007 1:08 AM:

I thought at first that the theo-cons were so used to being in power that they would in fact make a deal with Rudy to continue to have a seat at the table. However, given that abortion is their biggest issue, if they support a pro-choice Repub candidate, then that takes the party to the left, and the next crop of candidates may think it's okay to be pro-choice and have a shot at the Repub nomination. I really think the the theo-cons are more inclined to take a loss in the short term by promoting a boycott of Rudy or a 3rd party candidate, in order to let the RNC know that when it comes to abortion, they are not going to compromise. This will therefore keep the next crop of Repub candidates on the anti-choice wagon.

Jim Kelly - Conservative Campaigns wrote on October 6, 2007 9:36 AM:

27% of GOP Voters will Vote for the Third Party Rather than Giuliani............
Not Rudy's Week, Problems Only Getting Worse for GOP Leadership?
Could be the start of the Rudy Death Watch?

Early this week it was the "NRA" and then the "Social Conservatives" Tossing Rudy Over Board.

Today a Bishop from the most important Catholic Church makes it to the New York Times. (President GW Bush maintained the majority of this very important vote to win election)

The Archbishops stance on Giuliani was made public earlier Wednesday in an interview with The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Bishops comments revive an issue that could be a factor for churchgoing voters again.

You can read that New York Times Story here:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Giuliani-Communion.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Yet again, Later on today there was More Bad News making the rounds for Rudy & the GOP...

The most important poll of Rasmussen (Polls only GOP Primary Voters) says Most Republican voters consider themselves Pro-Life on the issue of Abortion.

Polls shows that if Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination and a third party campaign is backed by Christian conservative leaders, 27% of Republican voters say they’d vote for the third party option rather than Giuliani.

You can read that poll here:

Link

Jim Kelly - Conservative Campaigns

chigger wrote on October 6, 2007 12:46 PM:

Didn't Richard Viguerie raise a lot of money for operations run by Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church? Or get bailed out of near-bankruptcy by Moon? I know there was some Moon/Viguerie connection. Seems these Super Repugmen don't mind who they bed, so long as it's in the name of THE CAUSE.

chigger wrote on October 6, 2007 1:15 PM:

If I were one of Giuliani's advisors, I would tell him to go on the offense, to consider starting to taget these supposedly-Christian individuals who are tainted (no shortage there), and then make separation of state and church a part of his platform.

JustOneGuy wrote on October 6, 2007 3:10 PM:

A little background on this absolute slimeball Richard Viguerie...

He basically started conservative direct mail fundraising, and then back in the 1990s he was a pioneer in the sort of 1984-esque interest group movement. He founded a group called 60-Plus and a group called the United Seniors Association. As far as I can tell, these groups had two purposes. First, they gave awards to Republicans, who were otherwise being crushed by other seniors groups. Second, the ran direct mail campaigns to get people to "save Social Security" by cutting benefits. Investigations done by the Senate Special Committee on Aging showed that Viguerie's team intentionally tricked old people into signing petitions to "save Medicare and Social Security." The more those seniors learned about what Viguerie was really doing and who he was really supporting, the less likely they were to continue to agree with him. I mean, it was like 80 percent were against the actions in the petitions they signed, 10 percent were still for it and the rest were too confused or embarrased to answer.

So this angel of a man is now going to team up with Dobson. They've ruled out Rudy, McCain and Fred. Huckabee told them to go away. So that leaves Romney if they really want to bet it all and try to win or Brownback if they just want to make a point.

I'm a Democrat and I consider myself a Christian. I look at what is playing out, and this is shaping up to be the perfect storm to create a Hillary presidency.

God help us all.

iceboxlogic wrote on October 6, 2007 5:54 PM:

The GOP is slowly but surely forming the circular firing squad. Give this one another six months with the GOP with no clear leader amongst a field of mediocrities and they'll make the Dems look like political geniuses. Giuliani is deader than a bag of hammers. Likewise Thompson...and Romney is the apotheosis of country club Republican gone loony. If Hillary has an ounce of sense, she's praying for Romney. Me, I want Edwards. I think Hillary's even more of an opportunist than Bill. Yikes.

PS Robert Parry, an utterly reliable investigative reporter, has detailed the Viiguerie/Mellon Scaife/Moon nexus at consortiumnews.com ages ago

chigger wrote on October 6, 2007 8:15 PM:

Hillary and Giuliani are two sides of the same coin, except that Rudy's side is goofier. Frankly, I think it's hilarious that Giulian is polling as well as he is.

So, tell me, which is goofier--that Hillary stayed with Bill, or that Giuliani-the-Republican, has been married three times?

chigger wrote on October 6, 2007 8:38 PM:

"So, tell me, which is goofier--that Hillary stayed with Bill, or that Giuliani-the-Republican, has been married three times?"

PS, in case you can't tell, I think it's half a dozen of one, and six of the other.

And I also think it's time for us to get creative on fixing what's wrong. My first suggestion is to get rid of Capitol Hill, sending Congresspeople back home, and requiring them to vote on various bills from their home states using the same technology that enabled this administration to steal the last two elections. Or maybe moving Capitol Hill to somewhere central, like St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago.

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