Can Giuliani appeal to the reactionist Republican base?
No way, according to this snippet:
But one thing to remember is that the Republican base has an authoritarian cast to it, and I can see Giuliani fitting himself to that yearing for a "strong leader" by playing up his associations with 9/11. (Which, as far as I can tell, consist of not being a completely incompetent mayor duing and after the attacks.)
Also, these are the same folks who are convinced that George W. Bush is divinely annointed to be our president. If they can believe something like that, why couldn't they believe the same thing about Giuliani? I don't yet see any limit to their ability to pour their desires into whatever candidate they are told is the chosen one.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says Giuliani is a non-starter for the religious base.I've heard a lot of talk about Giuliani and the difficulties his stances on social issues (gays, guns, gametes) will create with the Republican base. I've speculated myself about the contortions he will have to go through to get the nomination.
But one thing to remember is that the Republican base has an authoritarian cast to it, and I can see Giuliani fitting himself to that yearing for a "strong leader" by playing up his associations with 9/11. (Which, as far as I can tell, consist of not being a completely incompetent mayor duing and after the attacks.)
Also, these are the same folks who are convinced that George W. Bush is divinely annointed to be our president. If they can believe something like that, why couldn't they believe the same thing about Giuliani? I don't yet see any limit to their ability to pour their desires into whatever candidate they are told is the chosen one.
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