Good morning. Rudy Giuliani has said that the Democrats want a 'nanny' government. Agree?

Question

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-07-30-giuliani-democrats_N.htm

Quotes from article for those who don't wnat to read it:

At an evening event in Laconia, Giuliani cited Democratic proposals that would take income taxes from 35 to 39.6%, dividend taxes from 15 to 39.6%, and capital gains taxes from 15 to 28%. He also took a swipe at Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Edwards at an evening town hall-meeting at a lakefront hotel, equating their campaign promises to socialism.

"I have a picture of all three of them. On an airplane. They're all heading for France," he said.

**********************************************************************

Giuliani argued that he favors less government and lower taxes.

"That's what makes America great, not this nanny government that Democrats want to give us, where government controls your entire life," he said.

Answer 1

Yes, I agree. It's no longer a Democratic party. They seriously need to change the name and fess up. Nanny government = socialism. There's no other way to look at it.

Answer 2

I do believe that some people who champion the liberal cause do believe that goverment should dictate the actions of the individual. But not all, nor do any of those candidates that were mentioned. (we could argue Clinton, but thats an issue for another post)

However, this obsessive partisianship that Giuliani espouses is exactly why I do not feel comfortable supporting him. He was one of those in the last election supporting Bush by saying that if a Democrat was elected, the "enemy" would detonate a nuclear device on American soil. He is a fear monger and gutter snipe.

Like Clinton, I believe Giuliani is the wrong choice at the wrong time. We need someone to cross the aisle and generate consensus so that we can move this country forward.
Continued mudslinging and "business as usual" just isnt going to cut it. America is not the streets of New York. We dont put up with his gang-turf mentality out here in the heartland.

I had hoped he had matured a little. Apparently not.

If he supports less government and less spending, why hasnt he spoken out against the current administration? Hypocrisy.

To sum up, I dont see anything wrong necessarily with conservative talking heads making statements like this, but its not ok for a Presidential candidate.

Answer 3

Giuliani doesn't think for himself then, he's just following other people's views, not making his own decisions about the views either. We are never going to win there, it's in their culture to have war groups, and they are always going to fight. We can leave now and they will start fighting again, or we could leave in 10 years, after spending millions more on the war, and they will still start fighting again. It's a pointless war. Well, if you like oil it isn't, but I don't, so it is pointless.

Answer 4

Giuliani may be right, but unfortunately, what he failed to notice is that Republicans are also desperately seeking a nanny state. Under the current occupant, spending has risen out of control, mostly due to the Iraq war. You cannot continue to increase spending without eventually increasing taxes or drastically cutting something. Unconstitutional programs that waste my tax dollars, such as the so-called "faith based" initiatives, have been promoted under this administration. The classic example of the nanny state, the "war on drugs" is still raging out of control and is as unsuccessful as ever. On top of that, with the "Patriot" act, we now have cut back our civil rights in exchange for "security". I don't know about you, but terrorists don't scare me much at all. On the other hand, our own government is getting scarier all the time.

I will be forced to support Giuliani in the primaries because he is the most secular and moderate of the candidates. I like Ron Paul for being principled, but he doesn't count. However, I feel it is time to make my party pay for their support not only of stupid imperialistic wars and spending sprees but also for their coddling of the religious right, and most of all for their failure to do ANYTHING at all about the energy crisis. So I'll probably vote for Obama if he wins the Dem's primary.

By the way, Giuliani could be percieved has having run NYC as a mini-nanny state, with his emphasis on "broken window" policies.

Answer 5

There's a thought that the government must step in and save everybody, even if we aren't asking for saving. The fact that Giuliani says that he wants less government and lower taxes may appeal to his base but I want to see how he plans to get there.

Pardon me if I'm too skeptical but I'm tired of people who talk a mean game about lowering taxes and then spend like there's no tomorrow. Show me the plan.

Answer 6

Giuliani has no problems criticizing the Democrats..but he should be telling voters how he would balance the budget. Considering our debt and deficit are out of control, lowering taxes again and writing IOU's to China and Japan is not going to get the job done. He honestly doesn't know the difference between his a$$ and a hole in the ground.

BTW. .Giuliani talking about small government is like Rosie talking about dieting. It sounds nice, but its not going to happen.

Answer 7

I'm not sure about a "Nanny" government but if taxes are raised that high, especially capital gains tax, we will hurt all the economic growth. I pray for a Republican majority congress if a Democrat is elected president.

If we are going to raise taxes we should leave capital gains alone and raise income tax only on the highest tax bracket while lowering taxes on the lowest tax brackets.

Answer 8

Since when has "name calling" been considered equivalent to facts and logic?

Giuliani is a popular nutcase. If we took the money we are wasting in the Middle East and the military, we could balance the budget and have money left over for universal health care.

Go see the movie "Sicko".

Rudy has taken extreme political advantage of 9/11. He is a flag waving opportunist. I do not like politicians taking advantage of the deaths of so many Americans and the ongoing occupation of the Middle East. We should meditate about all of the lives being taken over the past half dozen years.

Answer 9

Rudy got that right out of the Republican Play Book of Cliches. Like noboby's ever heard this stuff before?

He also said the price of health insurance would drop as demand increased. What an idiot.

Answer 10

He's a ******* liar!!!! "where government controls your whole life" sounds like a ******* teenager just saying the lines he's told, so he can get into office and do what bush is doing now. screw that guy and any of his supporters. you need to start thinking for yourselves. i don't want a "nanny" He's:void(0);
Check Spellbinder. far from it. but the republican ideal is complete and total oligarchy, with the top business owners ruling everyone, a capitalist version of 1984. that's the "Nanny government" he's describing. more like a fat nanny who sits on you and crushes your insides out. and I'm not your average "bleeding heart liberal" I'm not a communist. i just think that every LIE that comes out of a re publican's dirty, filthy mouth has no hope of EVER being the truth.

Answer 11

A fair assessment.

Democrats have largely abandoned liberalism and become primarily concerned with socialism instead. Socialism, in that context, is large govt regulation and spending on social programs, which is directly opposed to the liberal economic model.

Which leaves the Libertarians as standard-bearer for civil liberties and personal freedom, along with low taxes and small govt.