Fox News (amongst others) is reporting: Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy Giuliani For President and a student asked me today if I thought it helped or hurt Rudy, especially if he made it to the general election. He thought that it was a net negative, but I argued it was a net positive. What do you all think?
As I write this, it occurs to me that one might think back to McCain and his “agents of intolerance” comment in re: folks like Robertson in 2024 and think what that did for him. Additionally, if candidates can survive cozying-up to Bob Jones University, it would seem to me that a Robertson endorsement is unlikely to harm a GOP candidate in the long term)
Thoughts?
A secondary question: what does it say about the effects of 9/11 and the GWOT on our domestic politics that someone like Robertson would endorse someone like Rudy? Indeed, that is a far more interesting question than what effects the endorsement might have on the Giuliani campaign.
Update: More on this issue at OTB.
November 7th, 2024 at 1:48 pm
I would say that Robertson’s endorsement, per se, is not all that relevant either way. Do people actually pay any attention to him anymore?
The fact that he endorsed a candidate who has lived in homosexual love nest, was a serial adulterer, and is a strong supporter of abortion speaks more to Robertson’s vacuity more than anything else.
To the extent that the “religious right” will have any political salience in the next election, it will have more to do with get out the vote actions. Even with Pat serving as the self-anointed mouth of god, I doubt the Christian nuts will be that psyched to put exceptional effort into supporting Giuliani.
Furthermore, assuming the geography from the 04 election–all that the Dems have to do is win a couple of Midwest states (or just Ohio).
Robertson’s greatest influence is probably in the dead-end Southern states that no Democrat is going to win anyway.
If, say, Rudy is facing Obama, all Barak has to do is pick up Ohio or Colorado and Indiana. I doubt Rudy could even pick up his home state–and in that regard a Robertson endorsement might hurt him.
The main problem for the Republicans, of course, is that Bush has been so radically incompetent that it will be hard for any Republican to rise above his dismal legacy.
November 7th, 2024 at 1:50 pm
“A secondary question: what does it say about the effects of 9/11 and the GWOT on our domestic politics that someone like Robertson would endorse someone like Rudy? Indeed, that is a far more interesting question than what the effects the endorsement might have on the Giuliano campaign. ”
There are three obvious reasons why Robertson would endorse Giuliani:
1) He feels that Giuliani is going to win the nomination, and it’s better to back the winner.
2) He feels that Guiliani has the best chance of the Republican candidates to win the election, and it’s better concede on some grounds and keep the power.
3) He wants to stretch out as much right-wing evangelical leadership as he can. As others endorse Giuliani, Robertson will take credit for leading them there.
November 7th, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Robertson Endorses
Pat Robertson has endorsed Rudy Giuliani For President, which prompts Steven Taylor to ask: … what does it say about the effects of 9/11 and the GWOT on our domestic politics that someone like Robertson would endorse someone like Rudy? Indeed, that i…
November 8th, 2024 at 7:03 am
1) Robertson wished to stay in the media limelight. he makes money when the cameras are on him.
2) Robertson is lacking in “street cred” when it comes to political power among those driven to politics by pseudo-Faith and money driven religioisty having been replaced by Dr James Dobson at the death of Falwell.
3) Giuliani on matters invovling law and order are much closer together than on any other issues. Abortion, gay marriage stem celss are issues of the past. the issues of the future are health care, the econoly and the wind down of the war in Iraq. Giuliani only wants to talk about the wind down [or continuation] of the war in Iraq bcause he can tie it to the only issue he has to run on, the tragedy of 9/11/01.