Thanks Rudy for Dedicating Your Campaign to us survivors of 9/11 - Political Forum

superdude17* · 01-30-2008, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Well, thank you all for your hard work, your spirit, and your support.

A New York Republican named Teddy Roosevelt once said "Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords. Like most Americans, I love competition. I don't back down from a principle fight, but there must always be a larger purpose -- justice for an individual, hope for a city, a better future for our country."

Elections are about a lot more than just candidates. Elections are about fighting for a cause larger than ourselves. They're about identifying the great challenges of our time and proposing new solutions.

Most of all, they're about handing our nation to the next generation better than it was handed to us. This is our opportunity and this is our obligation as American citizens.

(APPLAUSE)

So you've participated in that process, particularly the young people that are here, and you should be very proud of your participation in that process. You're making...

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... you're making your state and your country better. I want to congratulate each of my opponents on a hard fought campaign here in Florida. I want to congratulate Senator McCain, who I believe has been declared the winner.

I spoke to Mitt Romney, told him my regards to him, as well. These are honorable people. They're accomplished public servants and they're good men and we should -- as well as Mike Huckabee.

So let's applaud them all. They're our opponents. And Ron Paul...

(APPLAUSE)

... who won all the debates, on that thing where you call in all the time. I used to watch it afterwards at night when I'd go back to my room and Ron Paul would win all the debates.

But they are truly all honorable people, honorable men, who are fighting for what they believe in. They have different strengths, they have different things to contribute, like I do, and I believe that our party will be stronger as a result of the competition that we're going through.

But win or lose, our work is not done, because leaders dream of a better future and then they help to bring it into reality.

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The responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign. If you believe in a cause, it goes on and you continue to fight for it, and we will.

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I am proud that we chose to stay positive and to run a campaign of ideas in an era (AUDIO GAP) negative ads and cynical spin. We ran a campaign that was uplifting.

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You don't always win, but you can (AUDIO GAP).

I believe that the ideas of our campaign, the 12 commitments that we made to the American people -- Wayne -- in New Hampshire, first, clearly (AUDIO GAP).

First, America needs to stay on offense to win the terrorist war on us.

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This is not optional. We can't wish it away. We can't hope it away. It's there. It's a reality. And America must always remember that the best way to achieve peace is through overwhelming strengths.

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America also needs to stay on offense to achieve economic security. We need to embrace the global economy, not shrink away from its challenges, but turn them to our advantage.

We can compete and we can win through a commitment to pro-growth policies, like lower taxes, less government spending, reasonable regulations, and less lawsuits. Please, less lawsuits.

(APPLAUSE)

(UNKNOWN): (OFF-MIKE)

GIULIANI: You sound like my mother, if she were here, if she were here.

If we unleash the genius of America's free market economy, if we encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, if we can create not just a global economy, but a growth society -- I said it many times during the campaign. America has to be a country in which young people can look up to the sky and they can say the sky is the limit.

There is no end to what we can accomplish.

(APPLAUSE)

I hope -- I hope Congress passes our tax bill that was introduced already by David Dreier and by Senator Kit Bond. It would be the largest tax decrease, tax reduction in American history and it would be a one-page optional tax form.

Wouldn't that be great to be able to fill it out on one page?

(APPLAUSE)

Just think -- just think of how that would -- just think about how that would stimulate our economy. We have got to strive for energy independence. We have to strive for health care through private options.

You know the 12 commitments. I think they outline the challenges for America for the next four, eight and ten years and I'm very proud that we conducted our campaign around them and around ideas and ideas that will enliven America and that will make America stronger.

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Finally, finally, we need to reestablish very, very clearly the idea that the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln and the party of Reagan and the party of Bush, is a Republican Party...

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... is a Republican Party, is a party that is and has been from the beginning, when we do it right, when we are on our game, when we're making our contribution, when we're being our contributor to America, we are the party of freedom. We are the party of the people.

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And we're a big party. We're a big party and we're getting bigger.

I'm even in this party. This is a big party. We understand that America is not great because of our centralized government. America is great because of self-government. It's great because of you, the people, and we believe government works best when it empowers people to take responsibility for their own lives.

These are great ideas.

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Whether it's moving people from welfare to work or something that I think our party should be dedicated to, I think our party should be dedicated to having parents decide the school that their child goes to.

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You want to reach out for votes in urban America, you want to reach out for votes across all kinds of lines of different kinds, ethnic, racial, religious, then you have an America in which the parent decides the school the child goes to, public, private, parochial, charter or home schooling.

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These ideas -- these ideas unite not just Republicans, they unite the vast majority of Americans and they are the key to building a stronger and broader party.

We must be a 50-state Republican Party. We must compete in all 50 states.

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We have to compete for urban, suburban and rural votes, conservatives and moderates, men and women, all races, ethnic groups and religions. We have answers to help each of them, because our answers are not based on class distinctions or religious distinctions or ethnic or racial or religious distinctions.

Our answers are to Americans and they work for all Americans and we have to reach out to all Americans. That's the way to break through the red state/blue state divide...

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... and win the White House and the Congress.

When you run for president of the United States, you don't do it alone. You have a big team that helps you. First, I want to thank my wife, Judith...

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... for being a loving, patient and supportive partner. I want to thank Whitney for her loving support. I want to thank my campaign chairman, Pat Oxford, who has been remarkable.

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My campaign manager, Mike DuHaime.

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My senior campaign adviser, Tony Carbonetti.

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And then my remarkable Florida team, the very best Florida team anybody could have, headed by Attorney General Bill McCollum.

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And a few of our people here in Florida. I can't mention all of them, but, of course, Ingrid McCollum, who gave me the single best introduction of my campaign.

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Mayor Julio Robaina, Karen Unger, Joe Fogg, Dan Sargeant, Al Austin, my friend John Sale (ph), and so many of my friends that are all here and so many of our senior staff, all of whom really came to Florida.

Can't mention all of you, but you know you're all in my heart. You know how important you are. You know how important you're going to be in the future to everything that we do and everything that we accomplish.

(APPLAUSE)

Of course, I'm grateful to all of my campaign staff. I'm grateful to my entire campaign staff, the volunteers who unselfishly answered every request, every call, left on stone unturned in their unwavering support for me.

To each and every one of you, thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

But in a larger sense, when you run for president of the United States, you also carry people you have met throughout your life, memories of their struggles, their sacrifices and their triumphs.

I'm the grandson of immigrants. I can't imagine that they ever thought that their grandson would have run for president of the United States or been mayor of New York City or associate attorney general or United States attorney or maybe even just a lawyer.

(APPLAUSE)

They taught me to appreciate the opportunity to achieve the American dream.

I've spent much of my life working in law enforcement alongside brave police officers, FBI agents, federal agents, firefighters, dedicated U.S. attorneys, U.S. Marshals, DEA agents.

I've had the honor of leading America's largest city through some difficult crises, helping to take our streets back from criminals, turning around an economy that was hemorrhaging jobs and helping to heal the wounds left by the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.

This campaign has been dedicated to their memories and driven by the strength of their example. The future of our nation is in good hands because it's in your hands. It's in the hands of the people.

(APPLAUSE)

And together, together, you and I will keep fighting to build the better future we have dreamed of, a future where America solves its problems on offense, with optimism, not on defense. No pessimism, ever, ever, ever. Just optimism, strength, not weakness.

We'll reclaim our right to live in freedom from fear, because free people have the strength to overcome whatever problems we have to face, if we face them united and together.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll stay involved. We'll stay involved and together we'll make sure that we do everything we can to hand our nation off to the next generation better than it was handed to us, confident that America will always be the land of the free, because we are the home of the brave.

God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Thank you.

END

I really am having a hard problem letting this reality hit me. I have to admit, when I saw this speech, I teared up, being a survivor of 9/11. I really did and still do every time I read those words bolded in my signature. It will be hard not seeing you on the stump anymore. You were the reason why I was interested in politics, other than George W. With both of you leaving, I feel like a part of my interest in politics has as well.

god bless you rudy. you would have made a great president, no matter what any newspaper, liberal, ultra conservative, anti-abortion or any firefighter says. you showed me what it means to have honor, integrity and believe in an individual. you became mayor of new york with ideas of change, and you left accomplishing that change. not many individuals, no matter what level of politician, can say they did this.

i will see you again.

Diligent_d · 01-30-2008, 03:25 AM

I know you feel sad, forlorn and betrayed. But don't fret, maybe you can find another Republican candidate to fall blindly behind in lieu of your fallen hero, Rudy Giuliani.

If not, then I suggest either blanking out the next four years of politics or beginning a premature campaign for Jeb Bush in 2012 - who likely will also be a non-factor when the time comes.

Do you have anymore future political predictions for us, Superdude?

Aya · 01-30-2008, 04:20 AM

It's disgusting that a politician uses the victims of 9/11 for its presidential campaign.

Albinonewt · 01-30-2008, 07:51 AM

Thanks Rudy, for all but guaranteeing a McCain victory.

Where's all your RINO talk now Dude?

Navigator17 · 01-30-2008, 08:18 AM

a terrible campaign, ill handled and myopic. I though he had some good Ideas and had a viable chance, but his managers just blew it.

Izzibeth · 01-30-2008, 09:10 AM

A survivor of 9/11? You were in the buildings/vicinity of the attack when it happened, dude? I didn't know...

Unless.... you're just calling yourself that because you are an American who didn't die that day. Which would put you in the same category as nearly 300,000,000 others. Anyone who is not a true survivor of 9/11 should not call themselves as such. That is really a pretentious thing to say.

If you were there, then I apologize.

Live Free or Die · 01-30-2008, 09:12 AM

McCain beats Romney to win Fla. primary
AP - 2 hours, 37 minutes ago

AP - Sen. John McCain won a breakthrough triumph in the Florida primary Tuesday night, seizing the upper hand in the Republican presidential race ahead of next week's coast-to-coast contests and lining up a quick endorsement from soon-to-be dropout Rudy Giuliani.

And now, the proverbial arrow through the heart. Sorry dude.

Albinonewt · 01-30-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izzibeth

A survivor of 9/11? You were in the buildings/vicinity of the attack when it happened, dude? I didn't know...
.

I was wondering that too. He's 17 years old and 9/11 was 6 years ago...

superdude17* · 01-30-2008, 11:15 AM

yes, 3rd period had just begun when it happened. i went to middle school about 15 blocks uptown. i grew up in new york city, if you haven't forgot. scariest day of my life.

superdude17* · 01-30-2008, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albinonewt

Thanks Rudy, for all but guaranteeing a McCain victory.

Where's all your RINO talk now Dude?

show some respect. good riddance.