New York may be Rudy Giuliani’s home town, but the local Conservative Party has little time for the former mayor.
The state’s small Conservative Party hosted Fred Thompson this week, in what was seen as a snub to Giuliani whose support for such issues as abortion and gay rights rubbed many members the wrong way.
Thompson is “not a panderer,” said supporter Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York.
Asked if he meant Giuliani and Mitt Romney were “panderers,” D’Amato replied: “You’re in the media. You know what they said before they were running for office and what they say today.”
Observers trace conservatives’ dislike back to Giuliani’s stint as a federal prosecutor in New York in the 1980s through his terms as mayor. Giuliani famously endorsed liberal Democrat incumbent Mario Cuomo over challenger Republican George Pataki, a D’Amato protege, in the 1994 governor’s race.
“It’s visceral. They don’t like the guy,” said Doug Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at New York’s Baruch College. “It’s not only political. It’s personal.”
The head of the Conservative Party, Mike Long, said if his party were to hear a speech by Giuliani like they did by Thompson, “We would have to have another event.”
“We don’t have another event until after the end of the year,” he added with a grin. His group throws its weight behind candidates with shared values like fiscal restraint and oposition to abortion – often Republicans but not always.
“We invited someone who more closely identifies with us, OK? Is this ‘anti’ any candidate in the Republican circle? No,” he said. “But it seems to me I would want to dance with the person who knows the kind of dance I do, and it’s more comfortable dancing with that person.
The state Conservative Party has not yet endorsed anyone for the 2008 race.
– Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst
– Photo credit: Jason Reed
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7 comments so far
Reuters does it again. Are you folks covering the political scene here in the UNITED STATES or some other make believe place??? The real conservative is RON PAUL but you folks REFUSE to acknowledge him. You are not supporting a free political process and it’s glaringly obvious. WHEN WILL YOU START COVERING RON PAUL WITH THE OTHER GOP FOLKS??? He wins debate after debate and is crushing the other candidates in ALL of the online polls. If you think it’s coincidence then your heads are IN THE SAND!!!!
- Posted by JamesRon Paul isn’t a conservative, James, and he certainly isn’t a Republican. He’s a whackjob Libertarian, and most of his supporters will end up voting Democrat in the general election.
- Posted by DouglasThe more split the republican party the better in my opinion. Ron Paul is crazy by the way James, Under Ron Paul we would be riding horses to work and carrying gold nugets in our pockets. Sure he is anti war but the guy is obsessed with deconstruction. A step backwards is not what we need, we need to go forward.
- Posted by asdfRon Paul doesn’t have a chance. James, if YOU think that online polls mean anything it’s YOUR head that’s in the sand.
- Posted by lisaLet the truth be told. Ron Paul believes that drugs as well as prostitution should be legalized. His followers believe that government should just stand by while the U.S. becomes a drugged-out, STD-laden mess. True conservatives realize that there is a place for government, unlike Paul’s looney fringe supporters who remind me much more of Lyndon Larouche’s groupies than anything else.
- Posted by Scott JohnsonFred Thompson is the man! He is a true leader who is brutally honest.
Ron Paul is a quack. He would make a good president of France but not our great country.
- Posted by Dave PHow is Ron Paul not a conservative?
Is defending the Constitution make for being a whackjob?
Except for James these are the stupidest, most ignorant comments I’ve ever read! For God’s sake please read something about Dr. Paul from his website or something (and engage your brain, too!).
- Posted by Patrick Murphy