Fred Thompson will be speaking to the Conservative Party of New York tonight and excerpts from his speech indicate that he will define himself as the conservative in the race:
This is not a time for philosophical flexibility, it is a time to stand up for what we believe in. I spent eight years in Washington fighting for smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation, and conservative judges. With me, what you see is what you get. I was a proud conservative yesterday, I remain one today, and I will be one tomorrow. Together we can carry the conservative banner all the way to the White House and I am asking for your help.
As Jonathan Martin points out, this is a thinly veiled shot at Rudy Giuliani because of the venue. Conservative leaders in New York hardly consider Giuliani one of them. Giuliani ran for mayor on the Liberal party ticket before the Republican ticket, and supported Mario Cuomo (D) over George Pataki (R) for Governor in 1994.
This comes on the heels of the spat between John McCain and Mitt Romney in which they discussed the finer points of being a Republican. The debate to define the word conservative is just beginning...
See Also:
Chuck Todd discusses the race
» Thompson on his record, Giuliani from ElephantBiz
Before speaking to the Conservative Party of New York last night, Fred Thompson was on FOX News to discuss his record, his speech, and the GOP. He came out firing saying that Giuliani has never actually called himself a conservative,... [Read More]
Tracked on: October 16, 2007 12:27 PM | Permalink to Trackback