News
Updates and News from Washington
Podhoretz on Giuliani in 2000
New York Post's John Podhoretz writes on WH 2000: "Why not Rudy
Giuliani? The reasons to discount his chances as a presidential candidate
are manifold. ...[But] lost in the negative assessment of his chances are
the sorts of qualities Giuliani could bring to a national race. First, he is the most
successful and effective politician in America right now, bar none. This
isn't local boosterism talking. Any of the other people on [the WH
hopefuls] list would die to be able to list Giuliani's accomplishments as
their own. He oversaw a... 50 percent drop in crime in the city... [and]
budgets that simultaneously cut taxes and currently shows a surplus. ...Secondly he is probably the best public speaker in the party. He can
deliver a complex address without even glancing at a note.... Perhaps alone
among contemporary politicians, he understands what it means to be a
conservative reformer. His speeches and policies are based on an ethic of
personal responsibility. ...Giuliani is one of the few conviction
politicians left in the United States, and that's, ultimately, what he
might be able to bring to a race for the presidency at a time when
(perhaps) the country has grown tired of the twist-in-the-wind opportunism
of Bill Clinton and his ilk. ...He has proven himself willing to take on
unions, public-interest groups and the press in service of unpopular ideas
that he makes popular by explaining them and trying to put them in
practice. ...The [GOP] will benefit unambiguously from Rudolph Giuliani's
presence for years to come" (7/24).
RNC Meeting Dust Up
Washington Times Ralph Hallow writes, "Social conservatives were
conspicuously absent from the agenda" of the three-day RNC summer meeting.
Scheduled speakers: NY Gov. George Pataki, NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and NJ
Gov. Christie Whitman. RNC Chair Jim Nicholson added Center for the
American Founding dir. Balint Vazsonyi to the schedule. RNC TX member Tim Lambert:
"If you look at the speakers, they're all from the left wing of
the party." Party officials say that the "centrist Northeastern tilt of
the meeting agenda is partly because" NYC is now a leading contender as the
site for the 2000 convention. "Some social conservative RNC members from
the South, Midwest and West complained that only GOP officeholders who
support abortion rights and homosexual rights are scheduled to address the
meeting. Even some members who are more centrist on social issues grumbled
that the GOP leadership in the [NE] is out of touch with [GOP]
conservatives in the rest of the country" (7/24). Jim Nicholson 7/24
remarks to the RNC: "Clinton says he wants strangers to be able to take
your daughter across state lines to get her an abortion -- without telling
you. What is this man thinking" (release, 7/24). More RNC news -- header
over release: "RNC Commits $5 million to 'Operation Break-Out'" (7/23
release).
Hefley Amendment Update
The latest word is that Commerce, Justice, State will reach the floor on
Monday now. Hefley could be offered at any time. There has been a move by
the leadership to add a popular measure on curbing the use of executive
orders by the President (something even our friends widely support) to the
Hefley Amendment in order to save it from defeat. But do not fear -- we
are preparing our response and will work hard to counter every
parliamentary maneuver they throw at us. Each delay in bringing the
measure to the floor gives you ANOTHER CHANCE TO CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
AND TELL THEM TO VOTE NO! ON THE HEFLEY AMENDMENT!!
CALL YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TODAY AND TELL THEM
TO VOTE NO!! We must deal James Dobson and the radical right a CRUSHING
DEFEAT by REPUBLICANS VOTING NO ON HEFLEY.