-Caveat Lector-
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Conservative Voice
By Joel C. Rosenberg
Dinner with Delay and Giuliani
September 29, 2005 03:56 PM EST
A stunning indictment and an emerging presidential contender. Are
we looking
at the GOP's past and its future?
I had the opportunity to have dinner last night with Rep. Tom DeLay.
The occassion was the annual banquet of the International
Fellowship of
Christians and Jews at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, a block
from the
White House. DeLay was to present the "Friend of Israel Award" to
former New
York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, but one of the organizers told me
that by
late afternoon, DeLay was hesitant to come at all. He didn't want to
overshadow the event given the indictment handed down yesterday by
a Texas
grand jury. But Giuliani wanted DeLay there, and he was certainly
going to
be among friends -- some five hundred pro-Israel supporters, most
of whom
were conservative Republican evangelicals, the core of DeLay's
political
base.
In the end, to his credit, DeLay did not let a left-wing Texas
prosecutor
Hell-bent on a political vendetta -- or a mainstream media circus
-- keep
him away. He arrived at the ballroom a bit late, but when he did,
the crowd
erupted in a sustained standing ovation. I happened to be seated
right next
to the head table and it was interesting to watch the dynamic. As
you would
expect, Mayor Giuliani, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman and GOP operative
Ralph
Reed were among those giving DeLay his standing O. But also
standing were
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the once and possibly future Democratic
presidential
candidate, and his lovely wife, Hadassah.
Perhaps it was just the class and graciousness of the Liebermans,
operating
in the bipartisan spirit of the evening, that brought them to their
feet
with the rest of the crowd. But one could easily imagine other leading
Democrats sitting on their hands rather than give an embattled GOP
leader a
hero's welcome on the very night of his indictment. (This is, no
doubt, why
Sen. Lieberman has little chance of ever winning the Democratic
presidential
nomination; he's simply too nice.)
From my vantage point, just a few yards away from the podium, DeLay
struck
me as visibly moved, humbled by the crowd's affection. And he
hasn't lost
his sense of humor. "So, how was your day?" he began. His
introduction of
Giuliani was particularly interesting, under the circumstances.
DeLay hailed
"the man seated to my right" as a "hero" and a first-rate leader,
not just
for Giuliani's performance on 9/11 and the days and weeks
following, but for
his success in so dramatically reducing crime in New York City and
improving
the city's economic and cultural vitality long before 9/11.
Giuliani got his first big laugh of the night by saying, "I never ever
thought Tom DeLay would refer to me as a man to his right. I think
I might
be able to make use of that some day."
Indeed, as Giuliani received his own two standing ovations, both at
the
beginning and end of his talk (with the Liebermans on their feet
each time),
I couldn't help but find myself wondering if I was watching a bit
of history
in the making. Was this the GOP's past and its future on the stage?
DeLay certainly embodies the GOP's powerful recent past. He has
been an
incredibly effective political leader, helping Newt Gingrich and
Dick Armey
bring about the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives
back in
1994 and guiding the Revolution's legislative agenda forward ever
since.
He's not the evil monster the Democrats make him out to be. He's a
man of
strong evangelical faith, deep conservative political convictions,
and a
steely determination to win partisan political and policy battles
no matter
what obstacles are in his way. Whether he can survive this latest
attack I
have no idea. It's too early to say. I hope so. But it now seems
fairly
certain that whatever happens next DeLay will not be someone people
think of
as the future of the party.
Which brings us back to Giuliani. Last night was my first
opportunity to see
him up close and personal, to shake his hand and take his measure
and see
him operate in front of such a conservative crowd. There was no
question in
my mind: he's running for president, and right now I believe he
very well
could win the GOP nomination in '08.
I'm not endorsing him, mind you. I have serious problems with his
pro-abortion and pro-gay rights positions, to say nothing of his messy
divorce in office after having an affair with a staffer. But I
can't tell
you how many conservatives I talked to last night that said, "Yeah,
sure,
except for those things he'd be a fantastic president!"
That's the feeling you get with Rudy. It's hard not to like him.
It's hard
not to want him to succeed President Bush even if you disagree
strongly with
him on core issues. Why? Because he's funny. He's smart. He's
tough. He's
experienced. With the whole country and the whole world watching,
he handled
every aspect of 9/11 with such courage and compassion, from
managing the
immediate crisis response to attending funerals for month after
month after
month. What's more, you get the sense that this guy could really beat
Hillary Clinton. And isn't that what the GOP is really looking for?
Accepting a pro-Israel award (and discussing his recent trip to
Israel) in
front of 500 rank-and-file Republican evangelicals was a shrewd
move for
Giuliani in light of his presidential aspirations. It gave him a
way to
identify with conservatives on an issue of great concern -- Israel --
without raising any highly-controversial social issues. At least
for now.
Giuliani is also shrewdly trying to strengthen his appeal to free-
market
reform-minded conservatives and libertarians. He has, for example,
recently
spoken at several business and economic events with Steve Forbes,
including
a Forbes magazine CEO conference in Sydney, Australia.
Conservatives are casting around right now for a serious presidential
candidate, and having a hard time picturing even people they like
being able
to break out of the pack. Sens. Sam Brownback and George Allen are
among the
names I hear bandied about most, along with Sen. Bill Frist, until he
flip-flopped so clumsily on the stem-cell issue.
The good news: it's early yet. But one thing's clear. Tom DeLay's
star is
dimming, and Rudy Giuliani's is on the rise.
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