Locked and Loaded for Campaigning

This is a pretty weak response by the Rudy campaign.

In his first quasi-attack on an opponent, Fred Thompson is seizing on New York City’s zeal for gun control to remind voters (and reporters) of Rudy Giuliani’s past support for such measures.

In a post on his blog today that reads a lot like the radio commentaries he did for ABC News, Thompson writes that when he was filming “Law & Order” he came to enjoy many aspects of The City—“but New York gun laws don’t fall in that category.”

You see “they went after” (he doesn’t initially say who the “they” is) gun makers via the courts, and now (here it comes) “the same activist federal judge from Brooklyn who provided Mayor Giuliani’s administration with the legal ruling it sought to sue gun makers, has done it again.” 

The judge ruled that Mayor Bloomberg could sue out-of-state gun stores that sold weapons which eventually were used in the commission of a crime in New York City.

In response, a Giuliani aide hit back with one of the first direct, if anonymous, shots at the water-testing Thompson (that also got in a little dig at Romney, who went up on the radio today with a “sanctuary city” spot).  As crafty as it is, the comparison of Thompson to both an inanimate object (a 527) and a hated figure of the left (Soros) reflects a little bit of frustration at Thompson and his non-campaign campaign. 

“Clearly they’re attacking Mayor Giuliani because he’s the front-runner,” said the unleashed aide.  “The news here is the first 527 attack is from Fred Thompson and not George Soros, and Governor Romney’s ad conveniently forgets that his trooper plan that never took effect did absolutely nothing to cut down on the number of illegals working in his yard.” 

They had to know that this issue was going to be brought up.  They should have had a better response than that ready. 

1. Meh, Thompson’s votes are coming from guys like Romney and Huckabee and Brownback, not Giuliani.  Giuliani’s been around long enough that I don’t think too many of his supporters are ignorant of his positions.  That Rudy isn’t going to be a favorite of the gun nuts isn’t news.

   One could see the response from Giuliani’s campaign as weak.  One could also see it as being dismissive, based on the knowledge that Thompson can’t really hurt them with those kind of attacks.

   Frankly, what this says to me is that Thompson doesn’t have any clue who he should be swinging at, or what punches he should be throwing.  The strong conservatives that are supporting Giuliani are likely doing so based on a view that Giuliani is the most credible candidate on issues of national security.  Perhaps that’s what Fred should be talking about in reference to Rudy.

   Posted by Recess Supervisor on August 22, 2007 at 0010 hrs




2. RS - I see your point but there are a ton of “soft” Rudy supporters out there who are holding their noses and saying Rudy’s better than the rest.  I think what Fred is doing is reminding those folks of Rudy’s bad positions and saying look at me as an opition.  What he should have added onto that shot at Rudy is a statement that he is just as tough on terror as Rudy, ie you don’t have to choose between forign policy and domestic policy - if you pick Fred you can have it all. 

   For the record, I am not a Fred backer.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 22, 2007 at 0829 hrs




3. Based on my own experience, the pro-gun crowd is sort of like the pro-life crowd, insofar as the issue really serves as a litmus test.  So while I agree with your assessment that Rudy has some soft support simply by virtue of being the front-runner, I don’t think that attacking Rudy on gun control is going to be consequential.  Most of the people for whom that is an important issue (or *the* issue) would never seriously contemplate Giuliani as a candidate anyway.

   What is also interesting is that when Thompson got his bump back in early June after his non-candidacy officlally commenced, virtually none of Thompson’s pick-up came from Rudy.  It came almost entirely from voters who were previously undecided.

   At this point, Rudy seems to have a pretty firm base of 27-30%.  That’s not a bad place to be given how many other candidates are out there.  It’s not like that boat race of a primary Hillary is running away with, but it’s still substantial.  What would really help Thompson is for a few other candidates to clear out (guys like Huckabee or Brownback), but with such a condensed primary schedule, that might not happen.

   And for the record, I am not a Rudy backer.

   Posted by Recess Supervisor on August 22, 2007 at 1603 hrs




4. “Gun nuts” eh, Stupervisor??

   Personal attacks on 80+ Million loyal Americans usually means getting your disloyal ass kicked…feel safe from behind your keyboard do ya’?

   Both Mitt and Rudolph will be pushing their IQ’s by March of ‘08 merely due to their treasonous and permanent infringements on our god-given right of self-defense and Second Amendment. Gore and his fellow Libertines credit their loss solely to it and so will they.

   Guns and Rudy: The Whole Story
   http://www.theconservativevoice.com/articles/article.ht ml?id=25471

   Why Rudolph Giuliani Really Shouldn’t Be President
   http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/specialguests/2007/mar/08/w hy_rudy_giuliani_re ally_shouldn_t_be_pr esident

   Read the editorial reviews of the following books at Amazon;

   Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 by Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins
   http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Illusion…/dp/0060536608

   The Full Rudy: The Man, the Myth, the Mania by Jack Newfield.
   http://www.amazon.com/Full-Rudy-Man-...76679&s;r=1-1

   Rudy!: An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Guiliani by Wayne Barrett.
   http://www.amazon.com/Rudy-Investigative-Biography-Rudo lph-Guiliani/dp/0465005241/ref=sr_1_1/002-6972407-2757625?ie =UTF8&s;=bo oks&qid;=1188176754&s;r=1-1

   “I used gun control as mayor,” he said at a news conference Saturday during a swing through California. But “I understand the Second Amendment. I understand the right to bear arms.” He said what he did as mayor would have no effect on hunting.
   http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/national/BO42897

   MAYOR GIULIANI AND SPEAKER VALLONE ANNOUNCE
   CITY LAWSUIT AGAINST GUN INDUSTRY
   http://www.redstate.com/blogs/republican_michigander/20 07/feb/12/rudys_lawsuit_against_firearms_industry

   Rudy led the charge in the spurious lawsuits designed to bankrupt the gun industry. Following New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and a score of other cities piled on trying to get some free money or just bankrupt the gun industry. The suits were ultimately thrown out and Congress eventually protected the gun makers with the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. Nevertheless, the damage was done, and I notice that most quality handguns have about doubled in price since 2000, in part due to the legal fees incurred by the gun makers.

   In an e-mail to David Hardy, Don Kates analyzed Giuliani’s attitude toward guns in this way:

   Throughout his political career Bill Clinton’s “position on the Second Amendment” was a bald-faced lie. Every time the subject arose he falsely proclaimed his “belief in the Second Amendment.” Insofar as there was any truth in this scam, what Clinton meant was that he believed that the Second Amendment does not mean anything.

   Rudy Giuliani employs the exact same scam in the exact same way by proclaiming that he believes in the Second Amendment. By carefully reviewing his assertions in the context of his record it is possible to ferret out his real beliefs and intended program. He believes that people living in low crime areas may be allowed (as a privilege, not a right) to have guns for sport. But no one other than public employees and the politically powerful has a right to possess firearms for self-defense. Worse yet, he believes the key to reducing crime consists of disarming everyone who believes in a right to possess arms for self-defense and who lives in an area where the incidence of crime is such that they have some likelihood of using arms for self-defense…

   …If I were Sarah Brady faced with a contest between Hillary and Rudy I would vote for Rudy. Each wants to ban and confiscate guns. But it is far less likely that a Democrat could get away with trying to outlaw gun ownership than that Rudy could do so…
   http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/03/don_kates_take.php

   Mitt “What have I not lied to you about already” Romney:

   http://www.ethicsscoreboard.com/liars/0704_romney.html

   http://boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/14/rom ney_retreats_on_gun_control/

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 8M3Ht28fd8&mode;=related&search;=

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 27, 2007 at 0050 hrs