Thank You Pat Robertson

At this time, I’d like to personally thank Pat Robertson, leader of the Christian Coalition. Today Robertson announced that his organization was throwing its complete & unwavering support behind Mr. 9/11 himself, Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican front-runner in the up-coming 2008 Presidential elections. Giuliani receiving an endorsement is really not that big a story. But since it’s from the man commonly associated with the moral right in Robertson, it becomes huge news.

Now some people might assume that my thanks is due to feeling that Robertson’s endorsement will push Giuliani directly to Pennsylvania Avenue. Perhaps I’m secretly pining for “America’s Mayor” to become the official leader of this country & the most powerful man in the free world. Interesting thoughts…but if that’s where you think I’m going, you’d be wrong. For that, I’m sorry, I will not be waving the Republican flag & I certainly won’t be doing so for Mr. Giuliani.

The reason I’m thanking Robertson for his endorsement is because he has now completely & without question ruined the Presidential chances for Giuliani. Robertson’s involvement was certainly expected & Giuliani is not all that surprising a selection for him. Although Rudy’s opinion on abortion certainly seems in direct conflict with the religious right’s focus on the family. But that aside, the fact that Robertson hitched his cart to the front-running horse is not a shocker in the least. He sees Rudy as his best chance to win on the Republican side. Certainly it has been argued that Giuliani is the only Republican with a shot in ’08.

Now that someone as polarizing a figure as Robertson, who is a lightning rod for criticism if you’re on the left side of the fence, has endorsed the top dog in the Republican field, he has effectively taken any chance that Giuliani, who could’ve possibly taken some Democratic & Independent votes based on his history & popularity, will siphon votes from non-Republican voters. People will avoid voting for Giuliani because of their utter disdain for all that Robertson stands for & subsequently says.

If you eliminate Giuliani from the Republican field, the leftovers in Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, John McCain & Fred Thompson (the ones who appear to still matter) don’t seem to have enough to overcome what the Democrats bring to the table. If you were to handicap the race overall & remove Giuliani from the equation, the next nearest Republican candidate, depending on which poll you consult, comes in after Hilary Clinton & Barack Obama. Even John Edwards would be in the mix.

And all of this spells severe trouble for the Republicans. Obama has been telling the Hollywood types thanks but no thanks when they try to support him because he is trying to downplay his “too-Hollywood” image. I wonder if Giuliani would ever consider rejecting Robertson’s support. But the fact is, Rudy has a serious morality image problem as it’s seen on the right. His marriage issues, his support of abortion, advocacy for gay marriage & his lack of involvement in his children’s lives because of the divorces all make him seem as someone who is less than the ideal candidate for the moral right. The Giuliani camp is obviously hoping that Robertson’s support will polarize the moral right & bring their support solidly onto his side.

Politically, I understand why the Giuliani faction would fully embrace the endorsement from Robertson & his many minions. But as someone who is an un-apologetic liberal, I recognized how well Giuliani handled 9/11 & the fallout from that fateful Tuesday morning over six years ago. But right now, because of this ramification, I cannot possibly even consider Giuliani as a viable candidate for my vote.

I think a lot of Giuliani fans who are not Republicans will feel similarly as well. Robertson is such a hated figure to liberals, who stands for all that is wrong with the right. Whether that characterization is accurate or not, Robertson illicits a ton of negativity due to his hate-mongering & holier-than-thou mentality, pun intended.

So congrats to Giuliani; you scored a major coup in your bid for the White House. The sad part is, come November 2008, it just won’t matter.