Giuliani Selection Shames GOP as Convention Looms
Consider the Republican Party’s dilemma caused by record low approval ratings, McCain’s admission that he is fine with reinstating the draft, Democrats trouncing their candidates in Congressional polls, and fewer Americans claiming to be affiliated with their party than anytime in recent memory. It is hard to imagine that things could get worse for Republicans.
Think again. The New York Post alluded to the idea on Aug. 14 that former mayor and failed presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani would have a prime time speaking role at the Republican National convention which begins on Labor Day. Newsday confirmed the nightmare scenario on Aug. 20, announcing that Giuliani would in fact be delivering the convention’s keynote address on the evening of Sept. 2.
Following the Democrat Party’s announcement that former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senate nominee Mark Warner will deliver their party’s keynote address next week, the Republicans were placed in the situation of matching the inspiring, appealing, successful, and capable Warner. Instead, the Grand Old Party failed to rise the occasion by selecting a man who can best be described as egocentric, morally bankrupt, dishonorable, and the true antithesis of what the party needs to be in these turbulent times.
The keynote speech has been a time when Republicans and Democrats have put their best talent forward to articulate a firm vision of what the parties stand for and why Americans should entrust them with the highest office in the land. In 1984 the GOP chose Treasury Secretary Katherine Ortega and Jeanne Kirkpatrick while the Democrats saw Mario Cuomo leave a speech that left party members wished they would have nominated him. Other famous, talented keynote speakers have included Bill Bradley, Ann Richards, Susan Molinari, Tom Kean, Zell Miller, Barbara Jordan, and even Barack Obama.
While the selection of Mark Warner allows the Democrats to highlight the future and spotlight a youthful, former governor with a positive track record, the Republicans have made a selection who does not deserve such a high honor and would have been well-served if his invitation to attend the convention in any capacity would have been lost in the mail.
As I wrote on July 26, 2007 in a column at this very site lamenting Giuliani’s lead in an early Pennsylvania GOP poll:
“I cannot imagine Giuliani—a pro-choice, anti-gun liberal—winning the nomination. He will tear the party apart, distort the meaning of what it is to be a Republican and a conservative, and govern with an iron fist. Worse yet, Giuliani proclaimed in the June CNN presidential debate that he seeks to expand the failed doctrine of nation building.
How can any serious voter consider casting a ballot in favor of any candidate who has endorsed a strategy that has been proven to be failed doctrine? Reason.com reports that in a speech at The Citadel in May, candidate Giuliani stated that ‘this idea of nation-building is not one you want to undertake lightly. But whether we wanted to or not, it’s now our responsibility. We’ve got to get it done right.’
In the June CNN Republican debate, he unequivocally endorsed nation building when he said that ‘We have great resources in this country. And watching the strength of America when we believe in the essential ideals that we have — they’re not just American ideals; they come from God. And I think it’s our moral obligation to find the right way to share that with the rest of the world.’
Giuliani is not a conservative and not a Republican—he is a neo-Wilsonian, big government liberal who believes in using the power of a large, powerful government to get the results that he wants. Nation building does not work. We are trying it—and failing at it right now in Mesopotamia. Giuliani has somehow come to the conclusion that it is our mission to bring American values to the Middle East even if our own national interest does not require such action.”
As Colin Quinn used to exclaim when signing off of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.” Nothing that Rudolph Giuliani has done or said in the past 13 months makes me less apprehensive about his presence on the national stage. He has not attempted to alleviate the well-founded fears of those who consider him a hawkish, dangerous extremist who has very little regard for civil liberties or curtailing executive power.
A constant defender of the Patriot Act and an abuser of the tragedies of September 11, 2001, Giuliani does not deserve this high honor typically reserved for an individual who speaks as a flare of excitement for the party members and attempts to sell the party to the rest of the country. It would be for the long-term good of the Republican Party to hand Rudy Giuliani an eviction rather than a promotion to such a critical role.
Mirroring the rest of the 2008 campaign, what a tremendous disappointment this truly is for GOP and for America.
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