NYT: G.O.P. Will Ask Giuliani to Challenge Mrs. Clinton

[kskiska]

The chairman of the New York State Republican Party said yesterday that he planned to ask former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to run against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2006, even while Mr. Giuliani's camp hinted that he had no desire to take on that race.

The chairman, Stephen Minarik, said in an interview yesterday that party leaders were discussing potential candidates to challenge Mrs. Clinton, but that his first choice would be for Mr. Giuliani to run.

"I think Rudy would be a great candidate for us," Mr. Minarik said. "I have not had a chat with him about it yet, but I am going to."

Throwing out Mr. Giuliani's name, even before the chairman spoke with him, may indicate just how much of a problem the Republicans face in coming up with a credible candidate to challenge Mrs. Clinton, Republican political strategists said.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2005/01/26/nyregion/26rudy.html

[accipiter]

1. Rudy willl bite the dust

He was never all that popular, and people are getting sick of his 9/11 hero bullshit posturing.

[mountainvue]

2. They're setting him up just like they did Kerik. n/t

[LynneSin]

3. Republican Hypocrites

They bent over backwards to try and impeach Clinton on trumped up charges with his relationship with an intern.

And yet Guiliani moved his mistress right into Gracie Mansion in NYC (NYC mayor home).

Hillary is all class and will bring down Rudy's crass

[brooklynite]

37. To be perfectly honest...

Rudy left Donna and the kids at Gracie Mansion and moved into a friend's apartment (remember the GAY couple???).

An important distinction that I'm sure Republicans will appreciate.

[Oilwellian]

4. Riiight

As if Rudy will give up the small fortune he'll make as a contractor for Homeland Security. :eyes:

[MidwestTransplant]

9. In addition Rudy wouldn't take the risk of loosing

He would be finished forever if he did. Little to gain, lots to loose.

[AnnInLa]

27. Exactly! He could never run for Pres or even VP if

he is humiliated by the very NYC that he professes to love so much...the whole country would brand him as a loser.

BTW, how do you like that they call her Mrs Clinton instead of Senator Clinton...not so subtle, are they?

[pinerow]

31. Hate to nit-pick...the correct spelling is "losing"...not "loosing"

and I do agree...El Rudy has been down this road already...I believe there are more skeletons rattling around in his closet to risk the publicity.

[MidwestTransplant]

60. I was spelling something else

;)


Just kidding. thanks for the correction!

[BrklynLiberal]

5. I live in NYC, and everyone I know hates him.

As for the Repuke "family values", he is on his third wife, (who he brought into Gracie Mansion while his second wife and kids were still there), he is pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and I am sure he has more skeletons in his closet than Bernie Kerik.

[NYC]

13. I'll vouch for that.

It's a good thing his term ended when it did. We wanted him out.

[leftynyc]

25. From Westchester here and I know

all the Dems have to do is hang his fawning support for the chimp around his neck. He'll go down hard.

[Renew Deal]

6. He's all they got.

[spotbird]

7. But the Catholic Church is sure to oppose Giuliani,

what with his being a prochoice adulterer and all.

That will be very hard for his race.

[TheFarseer]

8. Giggliani will go down in flames

I thought he was an OK guy a long time ago, but after this election, he's revealed himself to be a total whore without a shread of credibility or an ouce of dignity. That might fly in Texas but not in NY. I predict they will be as sick of his sorry ass as I am.

[Nite Owl]

10. Seems like a sign of

desperation. He has so much going against him and is going to want to give up his lucrative business to be in the Senate for six years? Maybe the NY GOP is heading the same way as Illinois. Are we going to have to import Alan Keyes for this one too?

[saltpoint]

20. Nite Owl, I love the Alan Keyes line in your post.

Burst out laughing when I read it.

Thank you for that.

[yellowcanine]

36. Yes! Run Alan Keyes! In fact, the GOP to should run him everywhere

until he wins! We need Alan Keyes in the Senate of the U.S. If not in the Senate, the House! If not in the House, the State House! If not in the State House, the Big House! Heh.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

38. Get out those videos of Rudy licking Bush's ass and that...

will ruin him in New York.

Hillary is safe!

[leesa]

11. Oh Please. Giuliani wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

[marmar]

12. I'm sick of his face and his annoying voice ...

No one has gotten further off a tragedy (save for Bush) than Rudy has, simply for doing what ANY other mayor who was in his position would have done. This is the same Rudy who wanted to build an underground bunker for himself and had pissed off the unions and half of New York so badly that he was going to be run out of town, pre-9/11.
Rudy, do us all of favor and sit your ass down!

:puke:

[oasis]

14. By 2006 Republican will be a four letter word.

[yellowcanine]

41. Make that 6 letters: REPUKE

[Dr Fate]

15. I think the GOP/media could easily Swiftboat her.

Who is going to stop the GOP/media from Swiftboating her?

All they need to do is open up some old Clinton Presidency accusations...and "make her deny it."

It does not have to be true-thats what we all seem to forget everytime- they can just make shit UP- and the media will repeat it.

I call it "Swifboating."

The 2004 election proves that an unopposed GOP/media can easily Swiftboat anyone or sell a lying fool...

[Mojorabbit]

16. Perhaps

this explains her strange speeches lately re abortion etc...

[Dr Fate]

17. Pretending to agree w/ GOP/media does not stop them from smearing DEMS...

Just ask Tom Daschel or Kerry.

If she thinks that agreeing with Bush/media on an issue will keep them from Swiftboating her, she is crazy.

[6000eliot]

18. I agree

but haven't they already shot their wad on the Clintons?

[KDLarsen]

21. I'm sure they could roll out another "morality" issue..

.. perhaps a bit of push-pollingasking the voters what they think of a womanwho stays with her husband despite him cheating on her (Dons flamesuit for that last one - though it had to be said).

[Bridget Burke]

33. "Stand by your man"

That's exactly what she did, for the good of her family & the country.

I'm sure they'll try to turn anything into a negative, but quite a few people live in the real world. They'll understand.

[lancdem]

51. Hillary would fight back

Kerry waited too long.

[6000eliot]

61. I agree

Either of the Clintons would have run a much better campaign than Kerry did. Both of them have plenty of experience dealing with the vast right-wing conspiracy and coming out on top. If only we had had somebody with their skills running in 2000 and 2004. The elections wouldn't have been close enough to steal.

[Dr Fate]

63. Thats what they want- to "Make her deny it."

If DEMS dont start exposing medias GOP bias in every appearance, we can forget it.

[saltpoint]

19. I don't know upstate New York politics very well --

-- so I can't guess at Rudy's chances against Hillary Clinton, but my first impression would be, Why does anyone think Giuliani would be an effective senator? He's a top-down, hierarchical, ego-driven, me-first sonofabitch who hasn't written a syllable of legislation in his life.

What is the NY GOP thinking?

[leftynyc]

26. Upstaters hated Rudy

Felt he disdained them and scarfed up all the fed money for the city. He'll get no help up there.

[saltpoint]

32. Hi, leftynyc. That's right -- I forgot about the cash flow --

-- after 9/11.

Thanks for the bump here.

[d.l.Green]

34. That's for sure. He was going to visit my upstate city

while he was still mayor and we coordinated a successful effort to disinvite him. Of course he came up with some lame excuse to hide the embarrassing situation. It was a black mark on our already Republican minority, especially because of the racial undertones of the guy post-Diallo.

I'd bet there are other cities all over upstate that wouldn't even want him to set foot there, let alone campaign. Hey, but I say, let him. He needs to taken down a few notches closer to the muck he represents. Just thinking about his era makes me want to puke... :puke:

[hollowdweller]

22. Probably why Hillary is trending to the right at this point.

[lancdem]

52. She hadn't changed her position on abortion at all

She thinks it should be safe, legal and rare, which is why she supports family planning and the morning-after pill.

[NVMojo]

23. the family values guy!! he will do great!!! HAHA!!!!!

[n2doc]

24. Sleaziani goes down

I hope the bozo does run. She'll wipe the floor with him. Should be the final nail in the coffin for his career. But I'll bet he comes up with an "excuse" to not run, just like last time...

[alarimer]

28. I think he'd win

A lot of people love him for some reason. My mom, for example. She's a Democrat and would vote for Giuliani because he loves him. I told her about his moving his mistress into the mansion while he wife was still living there but she didn't seem to care. A lot of people upstate do NOT like Hillary at all. She will probably lose.

[lancdem]

53. Since Rudy's not running, it's a moot point

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

29. And they told him he can't get cancer and quit like last time

when he was behind.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. What about the rumors that Colin Powell may take a shot at it?

Thet're not strong rumors, but they've been bandied about. How would Powell do in NY?

[Tacos al Carbon]

50. Powell has publicly declined

to run for NY senate. He would have been very, very formidable.

[Rockerdem]

35. Giuliani is a Pug, but hes not that stupid

[John_H]

39. Good choice. He'll only lose by 4-5. Pataki: 7-9.

[Me.]

40. Even East Side Fur Coaters Are Fed Up With Rethugs

Overheard on the Madison Ave. bus: they are upset because they can't get funding for their charities and actually said, "not with these people in power". In addition we have a horrifically run MTA, with oversight by Pataki and Bloomberg trying to push the cost of a stadium for the Jets onto taxpayers. No rethug is going to have a chance to get in, anywhere. Especially not Giuliani, he is looking tarnished these days, and if the people here wanted him, they would have bent the rules and give him the 3rd term he was trying to finagle.

[alphadog]

42. Wait, I thought we weren't voting for Hillary

Wasn't everybody saying the other day that Hillary won't get their vote because of her recent statements on abortion and faith-based initiatives? So are we all going Green Party?

[trogdor]

43. I guess they're counting on Pataki to run for Governor again.

We're pretty tired of George P., too.

[davidinalameda]

44. G.O.P. Will Ask Giuliani to Challenge Mrs. Clinton

this is probably a dupe

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/nyregion/26rudy.html?oref=login

The chairman, Stephen Minarik, said in an interview yesterday that party leaders were discussing potential candidates to challenge Mrs. Clinton, but that his first choice would be for Mr. Giuliani to run.

"I think Rudy would be a great candidate for us," Mr. Minarik said. "I have not had a chat with him about it yet, but I am going to."

Throwing out Mr. Giuliani's name, even before the chairman spoke with him, may indicate just how much of a problem the Republicans face in coming up with a credible candidate to challenge Mrs. Clinton, Republican political strategists said.

[WI_DEM]

45. on the upside

if Rudy runs and Hillary beats him--we won't be hearing about him for '08. But he would make it a close race, unfortunately.

[xultar]

46. All of the Hillary haters here @ DU LOVE THIS I'm sure. Congrats

Y'all.

[yardwork]

47. More shilling from the New York Times

[noamnety]

48. That could be fun

Despite having no interest whatsoever in the man's personal life, I am prepared to help in the haymaking, if called upon.

[Mizmoon]

49. She is SENATOR CLINTON, not "Mrs. Clinton"

calling her "Mrs. Clinton" is a GOP trick.

[EC]

54. A bit off subject, but got to thinking...

Couldn't Bill run for Govenor or even Mayor in New York?

[leftynyc]

58. He certainly could and IMHO he'd win big in either race (eom)

[dance]

55. Senator Clinton

The GOP movers become nearly incontinent when they even THINK about Hillary Clinton and her promising political future.
They would try to recruit Jesus Himself to run against her if that were possible. They may slow her down, but they won't ever stop
her. What can they do? Bring up her secret past? This scares the hell out of the Republicans who use two tactics to win elections: slinging dirt that destroys character and/or using a 'straw man approach'; assuming ownership of the moral value issues that are embraced so strongly by their evangelical constituency.
But I digress...

[lancdem]

56. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[dance]

62. welcome

thank you so much...

[BiggJawn]

57. I think I heard that a Mr. Keyes is looking for a situation....

Bet the NY GOP could get him for cheap....

[iamjoy]

59. Paint Guiliani As A Flip Flopper

of course, it'd be easier if Senator Clinton hadn't started trending to the right. But imagine:

Now, Mr. Guiliani, you are Pro-Choice and Pro Gay Marriage. Yet, you continually support and endorse candidates in your party who would ban a woman's right to make decisions about their reproductive freedom and wish to restrict marriage. Why? Is that other issues of the Republican Party are more important? So Reproductive and Marriage Freedom aren't important to you? Do we know what this man would do in the Senate if a law resricting reproductive or marriage freedom came to the floor? Would he cave to the pressures of the more radical in his party? Or would he vote with the Democrats?

We may not have to do anything, the Conservative Republicans (if there are any in New York) may take care of him in the Primaries.