Could Rudy Change the GOP?

Last week I attended a Rudy Giuliani campaign stop. I can't honestly say I was genuinely interested in what he had to say, nor was I there just to see how much I disagreed with him. He's just a big name, a man I have seen on TV so often over the past 6 years, and the fact that he isn't a social conservative would allow me to listen to him speak for a half an hour without wanting to punch the person standing in front of me in the back of the head. So I stood there, listened to what he had to say, read a little pamphlet on his "12 Commitments to the American people", listened to him ramble about his successes in New York City...

Was I impressed? No, not really. I've seen Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speak and they both run laps around him.

But something surprised me. In this large group of conservative-minded northwest Iowans, not one person asked him about abortion or gay marriage. And when asked about his own religion, his answer seemed less "Republicany" than any response I've heard from a Democrat thus far--he never intertwined faith and politics, and he went on to joke about his poor church attendance! Perhaps I will need to attend a Brownback, Huckabee, or Romney event to really get a scope of how prevalent these concerns are among Republicans around here, but regardless---having been closely watching conservative politics over the past few years, it was a refreshing change.

So I was thinking (and have been thinking for several months now), could the nomination and potential election of Rudy Giuliani fundementally change the Republican party's stance towards social issues such as abortion and gay marriage and reduce the influence of religion on party politics? I think so. Consider groups like Focus on the Family, and the American Family Association. Having a man like George Bush in our nation's highest office validates these groups--his actions undermine how radical they really are. A more moderate Republican president, depending on how popular he his, would isoloate these groups, making it obvious how not mainstream they are. I believe other moderate Republicans would follow suit--with their constituency more concerned with things like taxes and defense, they could become more progressive on social issues without turning too many heads.

When the GOP turns its back on them, where will the religious-right have to turn?

Likely, this is all wishful thinking. There are around 251 Republicans in congress, many of whom run on socially-conservative, "pro-family" platforms. They aren't going to be quick to change, and neither will their constituency. And Giulinai is going to have a hell of a time getting through the Evanglelical-infested primaries. To see true progressive change on these issues, a Democrat is still the best bet--and as a first time voter I have no intention whatsoever of giving my vote to the GOP. However, if in January of 2009 we find ourselves with Rudy in the White House, I'll be able to find at least some sort of silver lining.