Rudy on 'Getting Beyond' Abortion
by Ryan Sager
Tue, 17 Apr 2007 at 2:17 PM
updated Mon, 16 Apr 2007 at 7:19 PM
Over at National Review, they've been having a spirited debate over Rudy Giuliani's statement that the Republican Party needs to "get beyond" the issue of abortion.
First off, as the transcript the Giuliani campaign produced shows (reproduced after the jump), the former mayor didn't say anything all that offensive to pro-lifers.
Secondly, however, it's worth asking: Isn't Mr. Giuliani right, especially as regards the 2008 election?
So, to the transcript:
AUDIENCE MEMBER: I have a question about the former platform in the Republican Party allowed abortion in the case of rape, incest, and life of the mother. I believe in that and I believe that because of the abortion issue in the Republican Party it is dividing this party so badly that we may not be able to elect a Republican president and I hope-I'd like to hear what your thoughts are on that."
MAYOR GIULIANI: "What my thoughts are on the big question? I can tell you my thoughts on both."
AUDIENCE MEMBER: "The big question."
GIULIANI: "On the big question my thoughts are we shouldn't allow it to do that. Electing a Republican in 2008 is so important to the war on terror, the ability to keep up an economy that's an economy or growth, or from the point of view of what we believe as Republicans to really set us in the wrong direction. Democrats are entitled to think something different but I think that there will be a major difference in the direction of this country whether we have a Republican or Democrat in 2008 and 2009. On abortion I think we should respect each other. I think that's what we should do and we should respect the fact that this is a very difficult moral question and a very difficult question and that very good people of equally good conscience could come to different opinions on it. My view of it is I hate abortion. I think abortion is wrong. To someone who I cared about or cared to talk to me about it and wanted my advice, the advice I would give them is not to do it and to have adoption as an option to it. When I was the Mayor adoptions went way up, abortions went down but ultimately I respect that that's somebody else's decision and that people of conscience can make that decision either way and you can't put them in jail for it. (applause) And then I think our party, our party has to get beyond issues like that where we can have people who are very good people who have different views about this, they can all be Republican because our party is going to grow and we're going to win in 2008 if we're a party that is characterized for what we are for and not if we're a party that's known for what we are against. …" (Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Campaign Event, Des Moines IA, 4/14/07)
The Republican Party is supposed to be the Big Tent part, as John Podhoretz elaborates on here. So what exactly is wrong with saying it out loud — unless it's really not, and abortion is the only issue that matters to GOP primary voters?
Mr. Giuliani has decided not to pander on abortion by changing his position — in other words, he's not Mitt Romney. So the only argument he can make — the only rational position to take if he's going to run — is that abortion isn't a very sound issue on which to base one's vote in 2008.
Mr. Giuliani's not waging a war to purge pro-lifers from the Republican Party. He's not saying the party's platform should be changed to favor abortion. He's even doing what he can to make it clear he would appoint Supreme Court justices in the model of the (pro-life) Justice Alito and Roberts.
So, as he must, he's leaving voters with a choice: Once you "get beyond" abortion, who's the best person to lead the country?
Some conservatives won't get beyond abortion in evaluating Mr. Giuliani. But he's betting that at least a plurality will, and that they'll evaluate him positively on other criteria.
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