Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Rudy Giuliani: Left-of-Kos Republican
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, proprietor of Daily Kos -- supposedly THE voice of the left in the blogosphere -- seems to understand the Constitution better than the Republican front runner:
So, just to keep track: In the space of a week, Rudy Giuliani has said that he supports having his wife sit in on Cabinet meetings and advise him on health care issues (um, just like what's-her-face) and now reconfirms his belief in taxpayer-supported abortions (and shows an inferior understanding of the Constitution than the leading Leftist blogger in the country)!
Nice work, Rudy. Nice work. You're not really interested in being president are you?
That thump you just heard was half of Giuliani's communications people leaping out the window.
UPDATE: Sorry about that folks. An editing session ended up "disappearing" this post overnight! Ooops! Oh, welcome to Andrew Sullivan fans too!
UPDATE II: Ramesh Ponnuru tracks Giuiliani's abortion gymnastics.
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Whatever the merits of the issue, it's clear that there's no sharper electoral poison for the Republican base than abortions funded by taxpayers.Another way of saying this is that, if there is a right to freedom of speech and the press, I should be given money to start up my own newspaper or television station. That is just pure insanity."Ultimately, it's a constitutional right, and therefore if it's a constitutional right, ultimately, even if you do it on a state by state basis, you have to make sure people are protected," Giuliani said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash in Florida's capital city.It's interesting to argue that if it's Constitutionally protected, it should be funded by the taxpayers. One doesn't follow the other. If it does, I want my government-issued firearm today. There are clearly policy arguments to be made for such public funding, but they have nothing to do with the Constitution.
A video clip of the then-mayoral candidate issuing a similar declaration in 1989 in a speech to the "Women's Coalition" appeared recently on the Internet.
"There must be public funding for abortions for poor women," Giuliani says in the speech that is posted on the video sharing site YouTube. "We cannot deny any woman the right to make her own decisions about abortion."
When asked directly Wednesday if he still supported the use of public funding for abortions, Giuliani said "Yes."
"If it would deprive someone of a constitutional right," he explained, "If that's the status of the law, yes."
But the presidential candidate reiterated his personal opposition to the practice.
"I'm in the same position now that I was 12 years ago when I ran for mayor — which is, personally opposed to abortion, don't like it, hate it, would advise that woman to have an adoption rather than abortion, hope to find the money for it," he said. "But it is your choice, an individual right. You get to make that choice, and I don't think society should be putting you in jail."
So, just to keep track: In the space of a week, Rudy Giuliani has said that he supports having his wife sit in on Cabinet meetings and advise him on health care issues (um, just like what's-her-face) and now reconfirms his belief in taxpayer-supported abortions (and shows an inferior understanding of the Constitution than the leading Leftist blogger in the country)!
Nice work, Rudy. Nice work. You're not really interested in being president are you?
That thump you just heard was half of Giuliani's communications people leaping out the window.
UPDATE: Sorry about that folks. An editing session ended up "disappearing" this post overnight! Ooops! Oh, welcome to Andrew Sullivan fans too!
UPDATE II: Ramesh Ponnuru tracks Giuiliani's abortion gymnastics.
Labels: abortion, GOP 2008 President, Rudy Giuliani
