What Makes Rudy Run
Guns and gays. But is that enough to push aside the GOP social agenda? Not if you're a cultural conservative like Tony Perkins, who runs the Family Research Council. He says that once GOP voters figure out where Giuliani stands on the issues, they'll dump him. And if they don't, he warns, "an unenthusiastic Republican base will suppress turnout and set up a Democratic victory." But what if Giuliani finds a way to finesse his liberal past by, say, promising to appoint conservative judges, as he did recently on the stump? "I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am," he said. As for his support for gay civil rights, an adviser says, "since when are voters not open to tolerance?" And when it comes to guns, he adds, Giuliani had a city in crisis, got the guns off the streets, and reduced crime. And, in a pitch to conservatives last week, Giuliani himself called Ronald Reagan his "hero."
Will all of this work? It's unknowable. But here's what we do know: In 1999, George Bush was the only Republican candidate who could raise about $70 million to get elected. Now each man in the top tier can raise that, and more. That means they can last until they kill each other off—and get ready. Stories about Giuliani's marriages, McCain's temper, Romney's Mormonism: It'll be a food fight.
Then suddenly, Newt Gingrich will appear.
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