Fit To Print

Giuliani as Social Liberal

November 17th, 2007

To many Republicans, Mayor Giuliani represents the perfect candidate for a campaign in which consumer confidence among conservatives is dangerously low. He’s the heroic veteran from 9/11 who can cut through Hillary’s calculating double-speak. And at the same time, he’s brought the party into the 21st century on social issues, proving himself quite alluring to much-needed independents and Reagan Democrats.

I’ll leave 9/11 missteps for another post. As for this “social liberal” the media keeps purporting to see, there are basically two issues on which that case is made: abortion and gay rights. In fact, that is all “social liberal” is ever used to mean, it seems. Not only does this help conveniently frame the debate by immediately denoting where a candidate stands on two over-emphasized wedge issues, it ignores all other aspects of true social liberalism.

On the federal level, abortion and gay rights are token issues. Barring an incredibly unlikely constitutional amendment, the only impact a President has on this dynamic duo will be through the judges he appoints. And Rudy has already promised to appoint conservative judges in the Scalia/Thomas mold. So his comparative tolerance is only skin deep, never highlighted unless it’s politically advantageous (i.e. when you’re running for mayor of New York).

On other social issues, Rudy fails even the appearances test. Just talk to a New Yorker. 41 shots ago, one might have asked Amadou Diallo how socially liberal Rudy’s racial profiling and crime-fighting policies were. If you are looking for an endorsement, I wouldn’t go interviewing any union members or welfare recipients either, as both constituencies got the short end of the Rudy stick during his time as mayor. Of course, the way he goes through wives, that stick might just be short all around. Actually, Rudy’s deeply held personal belief that one should be able to marry whoever (of the opposite sex), for however long (it takes her to find the lipstick smears), might be his most socially liberal position to date (no pun intended).

All cheap shots aside, it is time for the media to wise up to a man who flip-flops his social positions just as well as any Kerry or Romney on a windy day, and also happens to far outpace the other candidates on such key issues as Bushian authoritarianism and fear/war mongering. Rudy’s Machiavellian leanings seem much more noteworthy than which Democrat says yes or no faster every time Wolf Blitzer stomps his foot.

Entry Filed under: Politics