[Copernicus]

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Giuliani is probably the most rabid anti-gun candidate of the entire current crop. He believes you should have to prove to the satisfaction of government officials that you actually NEED a gun before you should be allowed to possess one.

[/ QUOTE ] That is not my understanding of his position. I have only heard/read him to say that he would favor demonstration of competence to use a gun, not a demonstration of need for a gun.

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Giuliani is essentially a Liberal except when it comes to civil rights and Constitutional rights. He is pro social spending, pro big government, pro illegal immigration, deeply anti-gun, pro gay rights, and pro-abortion. How is this candidate NOT a liberal? The only way I see him as being not a liberal, is that he believes that freedom is giving up certain rights, and that he would be willing to use the state to enforce the giving up of those rights which he thinks you ought to give up.

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As I said in my orignial post, my positions align somewhat better with Romney's and he is unelectable imo. My biggest difference with his that you don't even mention is immigration and that is so far off that it makes him only the best anti-Hillary choice. I don't think its fair to characterize him as "pro-social spending" or "pro-big government" though. He has programs he believes in and programs he doesnt.

Eg. he is not pro Universal Health Care, the biggest ticket item on the socialist agenda. He is anti-welfare as its currently structured and recognizes that the able bodied should be incentivized to work.

On the "big government" side, again he's anti UHC, the biggest government you can get. Hes for privatizing a lot of the public education system and for vouchers.

On abortion he is pro-choice as a matter of law, not a matter of conscience. Abortion as a bellweather of a candidate is way overblown anyway.

On the fiscal side he is in favor of continuing the Bush tax cuts, in favor of reducing the AMT burden and in favor of reductions in sales/use taxes.

WRT to homeland security he is pro-Patriot Act, pro-wireless wiretaps and overseas eavesdropping.

Characterizing him as a "liberal" is way off the mark, imo, especially on the big issues except immigration.