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Bravo to the Daily News for pulling out the Photoshop for today's cover: Rudy Giuliani as Moses, after the presidential contender unveiled "twelve commitments to the American People" yesterday in New Hampshire. The Daily News puts them on stone tablets in a graphic. The former mayor said, “I believe America solves its problems best from strength, not weakness, and from optimism, not pessimism. My Twelve Commitments are a promise to this generation and generations to come that we will keep the American dream alive. I believe it’s the kind of leadership and common sense accountability the American people need in Washington.”
As for the commitments, here they are:
1. I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us.The NY Times notes that Giuliani admits he was not successful in dealing with the NYC school system and the Post finds Giuliani's commitments are like Newt Gingrich's Contract with America. Giuliani called his commitments a "mission of reform and change," saying, "We are going to lay out a vision of doing what other people think is impossible."
2. I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
3. I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.
4. I will cut taxes and reform the tax code.
5. I will impose accountability on Washington.
6. I will lead America towards energy independence.
7. I will give Americans more control over, and access to, healthcare with affordable and portable free-market solutions.
8. I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.
9. I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges.
10. I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
11. I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents.
12. I will expand America’s involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world.
In other Republican presidential candidate news, former NY Senator Alphonse D'Amato has endorsed Fred Thompson.
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Right-wingers love this sh1t. They will eat it up and Rudy will be their nominee. Thankfully, the middle (sane) and the left will strike down this fool.
By the way, Rudy has zero chance of winning NY against Hillary. Obama would be a dead-heat.
Unfortunately for Rudy to get even one of these 'Commandments' through, he has to work with Congress & Somehow follow the Constitution of the United States, a document he had trouble following during his tenure as Mayor of New York.
Good Lord, look at all them Buzz/code words, the right will just love it, lovvvvve it.
Commitment #13: I will exploit the tragedy of September 11 for every last tasty dollar and political point I can squeeze out of it.
Oh...My...God...help us all.
1. I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us.
I hope he didn't speak these words out loud. From the lips of that lisping fool, the sheer volume of saliva shooting forth would drown the masses.
I like the fact that he's willing to go on record about the goals he's setting. Better than all the squirming and pandering you often see from people running for office.
Points 1,2,6,7,8,10 and 11 all will cost large amounts of money... yet he wants to CUT taxes????
When he announced the "Commitments" yesterday, he forgot about the tax cuts one and had to backtrack to it, probably forshadowing a L'il G presidency.
1: By the way, Rudy has zero chance of winning NY against Hillary. Obama would be a dead-heat.
A Republican not winning New York? The hell you say. Rudy has the BEST chance of winning NY of any Republican candidate, and it's still a single digit percent chance.
8: Points 1,2,6,7,8,10 and 11 all will cost large amounts of money... yet he wants to CUT taxes????
Reforming the tax code could easily have the affect of cutting taxes on the middle class... ie: AMT, Child tax credits, green credits, raising the student loan instest deduction, etc, etc.
Credit to him for putting his plans in text rather than what all the candidates on the other side are doing... which is essentially STILL saying "we're not them."
I find it weird that he wants to end illegal immigration. The usual republican tactic is to use immigration as leverage for hispanics to vote for them like the cubans in florida. They usually talk tough but dangle that carrot in front of poor and desperate mexicans. Too blatantly say he hates their asses is stupid. how do you think the republicans won in 2000 and 2004 with such a slim margin? it was the hispanics.
Ron Paul for President!
Ending ILLEGAL immigration is not the same thing as hating immigrants or immigration in general.
"I will demonize Muslims across the world like I demonized black in New York City."
"I will continue the thirty-year GOP strategy of scaring the piss out of white people in order to get elected."
And wasas it just me, or were the words "civil" and "rights" nowhere to be found in this epistle?
Ending illegal immigration is not the same as ending immigration. I know several people who came to this country legally and did everything by the rules and they are all against illegal immigration. Giving people a free pass while others have to work to get citizenship just seems wrong. Give the family of people who played by the rules a leg up on the process and kicking out those who cheat.
Now, imagine if you have two people - one works hard and saves money to buy a car, while the other steals a car. Should the person who steals the car be given the car for nothing?
As for taxes, the best thing to do would eliminate the IRS and all of its bureaucrats all of who get wonderful benefits an pensions and replace it with a national VAT. This way everyone pays and those who are buying yachts and Ferraris can't hide their money in tax shelters.
There is only one way to control spending in Washington and that is very strict term limits, say one term per level of government. This way we can eliminate career politicos and get back to the founders original intent of having people serve then go back to a real job.
Dumbass blowhard.
It's been mentioned before but we have term limits,
they're called elections.
"how do you think the republicans won in 2000 and 2004 with such a slim margin? it was the hispanics."
Actually, in 2004 it was women who shifted towards Bush by a small enough margin to eke out victory-he scared enough moms about terrorism killing their kids that they voted for him to "keep them safe".
And Gore won in 2000.
Also, there is no such thing as "energy independence" because we live in a global economy. In the early 1970s England had "energy independence", every last drop of their oil came from North Sea fields. When the OPEC embargo started, English crude went up to $12 a barrel just like everybody else's. We have to return to our nation's founding ideal of limited government. The Fed is there to make sure the roads all meet up at the state borders, formulate international trade policy, and defend our nation. The Fed is not there to worry about what people do in their bedrooms, force education policy down the state's throat, or run a confiscatory, invasive, tax on success. If you want a nanny state or craddle to grave health care that is a matter for your state government not the Fed.
Looks like Frank Luntz has been keeping busy for the Giuliani campaign. I wonder how many focus groups he conducted to come up with the phrase "the terrorists' war on us?"
Numbers 8, 9 and 11 constitute tremendous pandering to the far right. What's he going to do with those "non-citizens" once he's identified every single one of them (which is impossible, by the way)? And his vow to "reform the legal system" is almost scarier than the idea of Bush appointing another Supreme Court justice.
OY!
Hmm. If it weren't for #1, I could almost get on board with this.
But no. And no to Hillary as well; I just don't trust her.
On the other hand, Mike Gravel has what is easily the most interesting platform for 2008. So far, he's the only 2008 candidate who's thrown any new ideas out onto the playing field. I wish that he'd gotten more press coverage and campaign funding.
Ron Paul is also an...interesting choice. Although I disagree with him on a number of points, he is an actual small-government conservative, and has done a remarkably good job of keeping his own personal morals/beliefs out of his political decisions (which is a really weird thing to say about a politician).
His use of the first person just sounds weird. Are "you" personally really going to do all that, Rudy?
When I think of political rhetoric of this stripe, it usually includes warm and fuzzy, consensus-building plural pronouns: "We're going to change America for the better... etc." Did you ever hear master rhetorician Bill Clinton say "I am going to [insert political catchphrase here]"? No, he was smarter than that. This just shows that Rudy is a megalomaniac with a tin ear.
And it's a blatant rip-off of Gingrich's Contract with America. Effective in 1994 for a congressional body. but now it just sounds like a cliche coming from Rudy (who wouldn't have been caught dead with Gingich and Co. back in 1994).
Looks like Rudy's tacking to the right!
#19, you are breath of fresh air in the cesspool that is the dominant NYC "big-goverment should help us until it's something that doesn't benefit me" political ideology
Tkaisen said "A Republican not winning New York? The hell you say. Rudy has the BEST chance of winning NY of any Republican candidate, and it's still a single digit percent chance."
That's like saying Hillary has the best chance of winning South Carolina against a GOPer. Who cares? She's still going to lose.
I will not allow anyone to drink beer at any street fair in america.
what a blast of utterly fictional gas. are we sure this isn't the harry potter spoiler? it would take some serious magic to do any one of these.
ditto on Frank Luntz working OT on new catchphrases.
ie. not school vouchers but education opportunity grants.
I agree with guest #25: overall, Hillary cannot win, but neither can Giuliani. A pox on both their campaigns. I wouldn't want either want of them to be President.
If Hillary's last name was anything other than Clinton, she couldn't get elected dog-catcher.
And Obama is an empty suit whose personal opinions are wayyyyy to the left of even mainstream liberals.
With Hillary and Obama as the two stars of the Democrat party, I'd say the Republicans biggest problem is becoming over-confident.
second that...Ron Paul for Prez!
as a democrat who hates black people and women I'm going to find it real hard to pull that ballot come november.
[22] said:
I don't know that I heard him say it, but he definitely did some inserting of something somewhere.This is the type of desperate-to-please nonsense that's gonna send Thompson straight to the White House.