<p>I can't understand how Guiliani could possibly get the Republican nod for Presidency. I mean how could he possibly carry red states? I mean his pro-abortion, anti gun sentiment seems to contradict conventional southern stance. </p>
<p>He does have going for him, a seemingly patriotic stance with 911, and being a very successful prosecutor.</p>
<p>IMHO, he's a slime. I think the only thing he's got going for him is that he was a real mensch on 9/11. Before that, he was not well-liked or respected in NYC. He takes credit for lowering the crime rate, but many other cities experienced the same phenomenon. (Read Freakonomics for an interesting theory as to why.) </p>
<p>I completely agree with you. And they say HILLARY is polarizing??!!</p>
<p>"Before that, he was not well-liked or respected in NYC."</p>
<p>What are you kidding? I live in NYC and we loved this guy. He did wonders for us and IS responsible for lowering the crime rate. He realized that by cracking down on the little crimes, the big crimes would decrease as well because the people who steal and loiter around at night up to no good are more than likely the same people who commit the major crimes (rape, murder, etc.)</p>
<p>It will be tough for him to get the nomination and it will probably be given to McCain. It is a shame though because I think Giuliani would be a good choice for the oval office. Better than Hillary Clinton IMO. She is only senator of NY because Giuliani had to leave the race because of health problems. He was beating her in the polls.</p>
<p>Though I consider myself a Democrat, Giuliani is my favorite out of the current Republicans.</p>
<p>I am fully supporting Hillary though ;]</p>
<p>But if it somehow comes down to Obama vs Giuliani, I'm for Giuliani.</p>
<p>Other cities experienced the same drop in crime that NYC experienced.</p>
<p>"Other cities experienced the same drop in crime that NYC experienced."</p>
<p>The sequence of events in NYC show that it was Giuliani that lowered the crime rate. When Dinkins ran the place, it stunk. It continued to stink until Giuliani took office. During his tenure, crime steadily fell to its lowest point in years. Coincidence? I don't think so.</p>
<p>Giuliani hasn't been involved much with global affairs.</p>
<p>Guiliani's really good, and for all of you who say he's not, you don't know what you're talking about. He completely changed New York. He was way better than Bloomberg and he's an especially good candidate because he's moderate. He's officially Republican but he's really an in-betweener.</p>
<p>"Giuliani hasn't been involved much with global affairs."</p>
<p>Neither has Obama. In fact, he hasn't been involved much at all. He just got elected to the Senate and is already exploring the presidency. Giuliani has addressed the UN before, quite amazing considering he was a mayor at the time (although mayor of NYC is a pretty big-time job). Obama has some interesting ideas and I agree with his attitude about the importance of education. However, I just don't think he's ready for the oval office. Giuliani dealt with 9/11 and a slum of a city (this coming from a NYC resident) and he dealt with both very well.</p>
<p>I just don't like Hillary. I never have. She is a phony IMO, just another typical politician who can't see past her own partisan bias. Giuliani would stand up to the far-right Republicans. He is pro-choice and against guns, hardly your typical Republican. It is annoying to see the carbon-copy Demorcrats and Republicans who are merely "lemings" that follow their party's stance on an issue all the time. Hillary is your typical Democrat. When I watched the State of the Union address, it just got annoying hearing the same Republican and Democrat arguments being used over and over. I have a new respect for Jim Webb, the Democratic senator from Virginia. He tore up the pre-written Democratic response to the State of the Union Address and wrote his own. That showed that he wasn't a typical Democrat who would just accept his party's beliefs rather than stand up for his own. It took a lot of moxie and guts to do what Webb did. I wound up liking his speech. It was probably a lot better than the Democratic drivel written before it, as well as the State of the Union itself.</p>
<p>"He completely changed New York. He was way better than Bloomberg and he's an especially good candidate because he's moderate. He's officially Republican but he's really an in-betweener."</p>
<p>All true. Spoken like a true New Yorker. If only all the voters would see it this way.</p>
<p>Giuliani will never be president because he has too many ghosts in his closet. His sleazy buddy Bernard Kerik is one example. I have a friend who is very high up in a city agency, and he said that when Giuliani was in office, he packed the agency with so many do-nothing political appointees, the agency had trouble even functioning. It was even worse than under Dinkins. Picture that on a national level!</p>
<p>I just know that Giuliani is a good man.</p>
<p>I want a good person to run this country.</p>
<p>I do like Obama though.</p>
<p>I wouldn't mind Giuliani at the helm.</p>
<p>"Giuliani will never be president because he has too many ghosts in his closet."</p>
<p>Obama did Cocaine in college.</p>
<p>Hillary and Bill's national health care plan flopped.</p>
<p>Nobody's perfect.</p>
<p>Um I lived through both of His terms in NYC and was sad to see him go. Best mayor NYC ever had. Very happyy your a fool He was the best man.</p>
<p>hepstar, you are right - nobody's perfect.</p>
<p>I'm just going to throw my two cents in here. I have no particular leaning towards any candidate right now; it's just too early for me. </p>
<p>Guiliani was a strong mayor, and everything he did for NYC before and after the events of 9-11 is certainly admirable. But to say that he deserves a serious consideration for the Republican nomination is absurd. I say that he has done little to nothing in terms of global affairs and international relations, and avid supporters snap back with the phrase "He spoke in front of the UN." Not a significant achievement in my book. He has done NOTHING to show the general public his solutions for healthcare policies, social security, or the war in Iraq. Now stir those ingredients together with the fact that he will gain no support from the Southern states, and you will see why a Giuliani presidency is next to impossible.</p>
<p>Clinton, I just don't like. I agree with you whole-heartedly. I'm convinced that she's an angry machine who just feeds on current anti-Bush sentiments. I, as many people, suspect that she announced her bid for the presidential race immediately before the President's SOTU address just so that the contrast could benefit her. She will lose steam soon, and she'll have to adopt a more compassionate stance to appeal to the American people. That's her primary weakness: too little kindheartedness, and too many enemies. Republicans loathe her, and some Dems are even against her. She criticizes Bush about his faithfulness to a bipartisanship, but frankly, I don't see her staying true to that ideal if she was in office either. Hillary simply doesn't have that element of humanity that both Guiliani and Obama possess and play very well to their advantage.</p>
<p>Barack Obama is the poster boy in this presidential race, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean, have you heard the man speak? His keynote address at the '04 DNC was one of the more refreshing speeches coming out of the Democratic party in a long time. Have you read his books? He manifests the conviction and charisma of Clinton (and I'm NOT talking about Hillary) when he was in office in the 90's. Obama is very likeable; the general public does not know much about him, but they are willing to lean in his direction simply because of the youthful enthusiasm and strong appeal he possesses. But here's the thing: Obama is a strong candidate; I just don't see him as a presidential candidate. I agree with you, he is too inexperienced to run this nation right now. In my eyes, he looks like the perfect Vice President. He's young, intelligent, articulate, passionate - he'd be a perfect balance for a Hillary presidency (that's if a Clinton/Obama ticket comes to fruition).</p>
<p>It'll be an interesting race. Too early to tell right now, of course, but it'll be an interesting race nonetheless.</p>
<p>al gore is the best choice. read my post in the '08 hread as to why. many other activists think so: <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13248532/why_gore_should_run__and_how_he_can_win%5B/url%5D">http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13248532/why_gore_should_run__and_how_he_can_win</a>
i think a gore-obama ticket would be amazing.</p>
<p>Republican, democrat, in the end i really don't give a *****. I know this will never happen, but i want a president who's balanced/moderate. From my observations, Giuliani is the man we need. Running NYC is as hard a job as any..... believe me. Although i have to say, if Giuliani doesn't run i like that Obama fellow too. We'll see though, opinions do change. Just my 2 cents:)</p>
<p>"In my eyes, he looks like the perfect Vice President."</p>
<p>An interesting theory for Obama. I could see him more as that then the commander in chief. Despite your comments about Giuliani, I still feel that he is the best person for the job. Addressing the UN meand a lot IMO. It shows that he has addressed many of the foreign leaders that he would have to deal with some day if he became president. Obama appears to be immensely popular amongst younger voters. However, when I hear older adults discussing politics, including my parents, aunts and uncles, they all question Obama's experience even to a greater degree than I do. many are pro-Giuliani or pro-McCain. </p>
<p>Giuliani had his opponents at one time in NY. He won a fairly close race to Dinkins in 1993 and lost to him in 1989. He won the city over though with his job performance, winning over 60% of the vote in the 1997 election, despite the fact that NYC is 80% Democratic. Given this, I think he has a chance, not great but a chance, of winning over the southern Republiacns.</p>
<p>Howard dean was the poster boy to, he got shut down real fast.</p>
<p>Don't believe in the Guiliani hype - overall, he was only a mediocre NYC mayor.</p>