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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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Ok, well, you probably never read this:
(quoted from Giuliani's Mayor's website in 1997)
"If Mr. Abu Kamal would have tried to buy a gun in New York, he would not have been able to do so. Because in New York our gun control laws are much stricter and more responsible than in Florida.
To purchase a gun in the State of New York you have to give your full name, your date of birth, your residence, your occupation. You have to prove that you're a United States citizen, you have to show you are of good character, competency and integrity. And
you have to demonstrate a real need for the weapon.
And thanks in part to our stricter gun control laws, crime is down dramatically in New York City. Shootings are down over 50 percent. Murder is down over 50 percent. But the fact is that 90 percent of the guns we take out of the hands of criminals in New York City come from out of the State of New York.
We need a federal law that bans all assault weapons, and if in fact you do need a handgun you should be subjected to at least the same restrictions -- and really stronger ones -- that exist for driving an automobile.
The United States Congress needs to pass uniform licensing for everyone carrying a gun. Congress must do more to prevent a tragedy like the one that happened at the Empire State Building from ever happening again.
From Gracie Mansion, this is Mayor Rudy Giuliani."
So not only does Giuliani think that
need should be demonstrated for owning a gun, but he is also in favor of federal gun licensing instead of leaving it in the hands of the states.
Giuliani On Guns and Gun Laws
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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.
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Not sure what you're saying here about immigration related stances, but Giuliani is strongly pro the illegal immigrants in New York.
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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.
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Points taken, and I see that I might have been painting with too broad a brush. I wasn't aware of all the specifics you cited, either, so thanks for the additional information.
I'll note that Bush is a liberal in the overall financial picture, though: tax cuts notwithstanding, his spending binge has far outstripped his tax cuts, and most of it is for social programs both here in the USA, and abroad as well, since the Iraq War is turning into a massive social program.
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WRT to homeland security he is pro-Patriot Act, pro-wireless wiretaps and overseas eavesdropping.
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Yes, on those he is for big government power and arguably not in favor of civil or constitutional rights.
I'd sure love for someone in a debate to ask Giuliani where in the Constitution it states that citizens should have to show a need for a gun before being granted permission to have one.
Thanks for reading.