Previewing Rudy's Values Voter speech
Posted: Friday, October 19, 2007 3:22 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
2008, Giuliani
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. BergerCHICAGO -- Many people are comparing
Giuliani’s speech Saturday at the Values Voter Summit to the one he gave several weeks back to the National Rifle Association. Once again, he is going in front of an audience that believes he's different from them on the core issues they care about.
But there's a fundamental difference between the two forums -- and one that does not work in Giuliani’s favor tomorrow. The NRA crowd had a great deal of respect for Giuliani. Gun owners are tough guys, and they repeatedly lauded Giuliani’s handling of 9/11 and his image as a pit bull in New York, even if he did take on gun manufacturers. Indeed, nobody at the NRA crowd talked about a third-party candidacy if Giuliani got the Republican nomination.
He may not have gotten their vote, but many said if he wins the Republican nod, they would back him.
That’s not going to be the case Saturday. Giuliani is facing a group that is actively opposed to him as the Republican nominee, and there will be little he can say to change their minds. He will not be trying to win votes -- but to quell talk of a third-party candidacy.
Campaign officials said little Friday about what will be in the speech. But when he has faced these issues before, he has first and foremost stressed his ability to beat Hillary Clinton in the general election. “The idea is going to be that there’s enough for us to agree about and enough that we’re facing in terms of the outside world, meaning foreign threats and domestic problems in terms of spending and everything else, that may just be [when] they think about it that I’m the best candidate and we’re certainly not at odds,” Giuliani said Wednesday, when asked what he would say Saturday. “I think we have exactly the same goals. We have some disagreements on how to get there. That is true of every group of voters and ultimately if you agree on major goals it brings you together.”
He will likely tout his leadership on 9/11 and how he cleaned up New York City. And he will say the key words “strict constructionist” to show he will do no harm as president. He will essentially paint his nomination as a foregone conclusion, and present himself as the more moderate alternative to another Clinton presidency.
When Giuliani campaigned in South Carolina and Iowa in recent weeks, voters who characterized themselves as social conservatives came out to see him. They grimaced when talking about Rudy’s record on gay rights and abortion, but they stressed his leadership and his ability to win. He is able to portray himself as someone trustworthy, even if he differs from them. That is something he has repeatedly stressed on the campaign trail.
“I very much come from the 80-20 school,” he said Wednesday. “You know, my 80% friend is not my 20% enemy."
