Advice for Rudy from Political Bigwigs

In today's New York Times.

My preferred advice comes from GOP strategist Mary Matalin:

On liberal social positions: carefully evolve, but don’t be a phony. Social conservatives are conviction voters. And social moderates will reject political opportunism. Indicate your respect for conservative convictions and try to “refine” your own. A late-life reversal on late-term abortion is entirely plausible and mandatory. Try to keep focus on constitutionalist judges.

On “personal issues”: concede transgressions and pivot to relevance — “Do you want this race to be about my past (life) or your future (life)?”

Paul Begala's advice that Rudy should do a 180 on abortion should, IMHO, be ignored as the ramblings of a Democrat who probably doesn't want Rudy to succeed and who doesn't understand Republicans anyway. And Rich Galen's point that Gov. Schwarzenegger got 91 percent of the GOP vote in California despite being a social liberal probably ends the myth that Rudy would somehow cause conservatives to stay home.

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