Sunday, December 2, 2007

A True Conservative?

In recent days, news about Rudolph Giuliani's affair in New York while mayor has been sad, but not surprising. To be fair, his actions do not seem illegal, just immoral. The former mayor of New York City is chalking the news up to a political hatchet job. Yet, he was concerned enough about this news to have his chief campaign advisor give Chris Wallace a phone call yesterday to justify the Mayor's actions. A little background may help shed some light on this issue.
Giuliani, as everyone now knows, was having an affair while the mayor of New York. It has been much publicized that he had his now wife, then girl friend, living in the Mayor's mansion with him. Only in New York, or DC when Clinton was President!
The heart of the current controversy is that Giuliani was expensing his security detail through "strange" organizations in the city government, while he went on his tryst to the Southamptons. It appears that what was suppose to happen was that the expenses for the security were supposed to go through the police office. The Mayor's office says that Giuliani paid for the expense through an American Express account. Why money was pulled from other areas of government to pay the American Express account is typical government bureaucracy. At the end of the fiscal year, agencies with left over money used this money to pay ahead on the account. Typical government practice, and legal. The question is not whether Giuliani broke the law, but whether what he did was in keeping with the practices of a good executive. Was it the right thing to do?
The answer is NO. We Republicans beat President Clinton over the head with having no morality for what he did in the White House. Can we accept a candidate who was doing worse? Again, NO! Conservative Republicans seem willing to forgive the Mayor for his past transgressions. He did in fact end up marrying Ms. Lane and it is easy to forgive people of transgressions. That is what we should as a people be all about, forgiveness. While there is little doubt of Rudy's leadership, this indiscretion does show a willingness to act above the rules of law and morality. I believe that this behavior by the Mayor is not in keeping with values of what I am looking for in a President. Running for political office is not just about what you will do, but what you have done. We must look at the full record, not just of accomplishments, but of everyday life decisions. How we behave at home reflects as much about us as how we behave at work. Just ask my wife!
Does Giuliani's life and political record live up to our values and standards as conservatives? I think not. What Giuliani did in New York is not morally or fiscally conservative. Funds being allocated to a security detail while the Mayor was having his tryst is the very definition of fiscal irresponsibility. Giuliani will alienate the base of the party, and further divide a country that is sorely in need of healing and unification.
So I ask, "Why do people think this guy is the only Republican candidate that can beat Hillary?" What real distinction from Clinton does he encompass? They're both from New York, they both are liberal on social issues, and they are both the "assumed" nominees from their respective parties. Don't Americans want a choice?
Here is my challenge: for people to stop assuming that these mediocre candidates are the next presidential candidates, and actually choose someone who reflects their values. As conservatives, we must vote for the candidate that best represents our ideology, and our party. This means someone who is both socially and fiscally conservative. Guiliani does not live up this standard. Only one candidate does:
MIKE HUCKABEE
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