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Top 10 Influential Liberals and Conservatives

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Conservatives

1. RUDY GIULIANI
Republican presidential candidate

RUDY GIULIANI

The clear Republican front runner and perhaps the only party nominee who could beat Hillary Clinton in 2008, Giuliani makes the top of our list despite his unorthodox brand of conservatism that is anathema to many on the Christian Right. Before 9/11, a thrice-married New Yorker in favour of abortion, gun and gay rights would have struggled to survive the early stages of a Republican nomination battle despite his tax cutting and crime fighting credentials. But even many Christian conservatives who disagree with the former New York mayor on social issues now view national security as their number one priority.

Giuliani's performance after 9/11 made him an international figure and helped make a nation feel good about itself just after its darkest hour. But 9/11 is the centrepiece of the Giuliani campaign in more than just that respect - he is determined to confront America's enemies, including Iran, and has taken on an array of hawkish advisers. Meetings with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown while in London to receive an award from Margaret Thatcher underlined his global stature. All the stars are in alignment for a Democratic victory in 2008 but Giuliani has the potential to buck the historical trends and signal a dramatic shift in American conservatism by securing an unlikely win.

2.GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS
Commander of coalition forces in Iraq


GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS

We see this highly respected scholar-warrior, educated at West Point and Princeton, as a potential future president – he would be the first general to reach the White House since Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. In the meantime, however, the prospect of American victory or defeat in Iraq rests in his hands. Perhaps no figure in American public life was cited so frequently in Washington in the run-up to his September report on the progress of the "surge" when his integrity was attacked by the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org.

Although Petraeus, as a professional soldier, has properly stayed away from the political arena, he is a close friend of Bill Frist, the former Republican senator and surgeon who once saved the general's life when he was shot in the chest during a training accident. But we judge that Petraeus's pronouncements on the war on terror, and the clear thrust of his impressive testimony on Capitol Hill last month, place him firmly in the Republican camp on the number one issue for conservatives – the future of the war against Islamic extremism.

3. MATT DRUDGE
Internet journalist and talk radio host

MATT DRUDGE

When Matthew Nathan Drudge, 41, makes a move, the American news agenda and body politic shift with him. His Drudge Report website is the most influential news aggregator in the world. Such is the volume of traffic he generates, newspaper websites he links to regularly crash under the tsunami of extra hits. Drudge shot to prominence in 1998 when he broke the story of the Monica Lewinsky scandal as the mainstream media prevaricated.

Such is his current power that his biggest detractors – Hillary Clinton and The New York Times – are among those who seek to get out their information ahead of the news cycle by courting him. An intensely private man, Drudge, based in Los Angeles, is a former convenience store clerk and telemarketer whose father bought him a computer in 1994 because he was worried about his son's indolence. A populist, anti-abortion, anti-tax, libertarian-leaning conservative, Drudge has his finger on the pulse of Middle America.

4.NEWT GINGRICH
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives

NEWT GINGRICH

He lead the Republican Revolution of 1994, when the Grand Old Party swept into power on a platform of smaller government, welfare reform and lower taxes - ending 40 years of Democratic rule in the House of Representatives. A towering intellect, Gingrich is a one-man powerhouse of conservative ideas. A polarising figure who still bears the scars from his battles with Bill Clinton over impeachment, he recently ruled out a presidential bid in 2008.

Phenomenally well read, Gingrich is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institute and runs his own ideas greenhouse American Solutions. He has taken on Al Gore over climate change, John Murtha over the Iraq war, Hillary Clinton over health care and George W. Bush over immigration reform. A supremely confident media performer, few politicians excite the conservative base as much or are as hated by liberals as Gingrich.

5. RUSH LIMBAUGH
Talk radio host

RUSH LIMBAUGH

A national phenomenon, Limbaugh's influence is massive and has endured the test of time. His recent contretemps with Senator Harry Reid was indicative of Limbaugh's continued power – he raised $2.1 million for military and police families by selling on eBay a letter from the Democrats attacking him. As far back as 1996 he won the ultimate conservative accolade by having Al Franken, a left-wing comedian, pen a volume about him entitled: Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot.

For three hours each day, Limbaugh ranges from waxing philosophical to sounding off about political issues of the day. His theatrical style belies an erudition and painstaking research that his detractors often underestimate. His show began in 1988 and still tops the listenership lists. Often accused of going OTT, he courts controversy and relishes a battle. Any conservative Republican would chew off his own arm to appear on the Limbaugh show.

6. DICK CHENEY
Vice President of the United States

DICK CHENEY

The former Wyoming congressman and Defence Secretary during the Gulf War is the most powerful vice president in American history. Freed from the burden of having to plot a future run for office, since 9/11 Cheney has dedicated himself to protecting America by offering unvarnished and sometimes unpalatable advice to George W. Bush about the steps he believes need to be taken. Deeply conservative and fiercely loyal to Mr Bush, he is supported by his wife Lynne who is herself a leading conservative who just missed inclusion on our list. Cheney is an enigmatic figure who keeps his own counsel when outside the Oval Office.

Unerringly hawkish, after 9/11 Cheney abandoned his 1991 qualms about US forces toppling Saddam Hussein, instead believing that Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Syria needed to be confronted and al-Qa'eda hunted down across the world. He recently laughed off his nickname of Darth Vader and has been content to insulate Mr Bush by soaking up Left-wing opprobrium. Cheney turned his office into a foreign policy powerhouse within the Bush administration, nurturing such figures as David Wurmsur, who recently stepped down as his Middle East adviser. If Bush does decide to take military action against Iran, then much of the credit – and the blame – will be laid at Mr Cheney's door.

7.ROBERT GATES
Defence Secretary

ROBERT GATES

A former CIA director who served for 26 years at the spy agency, George W. Bush's decision to replace the ebulliently hawkish, supremely self-assured Donald Rumsfeld with the cautious, understated Gates appeared to mark a decisive shift. Viewed as part of the realist school of foreign policy associated with George Bush Snr, Brent Scowcroft and James Baker, Gates had already advocated engagement with Iran and expressed private criticism of the conduct of the Iraq war.

Gates immediately introduced changes, firing senior officers involved in overseeing military facilities keeping wounded soldiers in squalid conditions, briefing reporters in sit-down sessions rather than confronting them and giving generals more leeway to argue their case. Quietly, Gates is arguing against military action in Iran, holding the balance of power with Condoleezza Rice against Dick Cheney. He is also advocating a steady drawdown of troops from Iraq.

8. JOHN ROBERTS
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

JOHN ROBERTS

George W. Bush will bequeath his successor a head of the Supreme Court who could be on the bench for the next 30 years, shaping the parameters of American life for the next generation and beyond. Roberts joined the court as chief justice in July 2005. He was originally nominated by the president as an associate justice to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor, but was given the top job when William Rehnquist died. At 50, he was the third youngest man to lead the court.

Bush chose him as a reliable conservative and he has not disappointed so far. But the Christian Right's holy grail of overturning Roe versus Wade and making abortion illegal is not among his plans, although he backs limiting practices such as partial-birth abortion. On issues such as the future of Guantanamo, the death penalty, the limits of what constitutes torture, the reach of executive power and conducting the war on terror, the Roberts court will have far-reaching influence. Already the Supreme Court under Roberts has become more conservative.

9. JOHN MCCAIN
Senator for Arizona and presidential candidate

JOHN MCCAIN

The former US Navy pilot who spent more than five years as a PoW in Vietnam faces an uphill battle to win the Republican nomination after an outsider bid in 2000 that at one point looked likely to stop George W. Bush. A consistent advocate of more troops in Iraq, he is closely associated with the "surge" policy and has stuck doggedly to his guns even when his stance has appeared certain to cost him votes. Now 71, he would be the oldest ever US president when first elected.

An unpredictable maverick throughout his life, McCain has frequently bucked party orthodoxy on campaign finance reform, climate change and, in 2000, on the influence of the religious Right, whose leaders he branded "agents of intolerance". Was recently damaged by his backing for immigration reform, which his opponents labelled "amnesty" for illegals and has taken a strong stance against torture. The Arizona senator probably won't be president – though as a Giuliani ally he could be Pentagon chief. His contribution to his party and conservatism will be lasting.

10. MITT ROMNEY
Presidential candidate

MITT ROMNEY

The former Massachusetts governor is positioning himself as the conservative candidate in the race for the Republican nomination. An accomplished businessman and self-made multi-millionaire, he ran the consulting firm Bain & Company before rescuing the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City from a corruption scandal and cash crisis that threatened to sink it.

A Mormon, he has been reluctant to discuss details of his faith on the campaign trail and it remains to be scene whether evangelical Christians will back him. Perhaps more problematic is his recent shift from being a liberal Republican in the New England mould to being a purported rock-red conservative. He became an opponent of abortion rights at age 57 and only recently joined the National Rifle Association. Has sunk truckloads of his own cash into his well-organised and astute campaign that has him leading the polls in the crucial early-voting states. Despite lagging badly in the national polls, he is well placed to win the Republican nomination.

Liberals

1. BILL CLINTON
Former US president

BILL CLINTON

The 42nd president of the United States is now auditioning for the role of what his Scottish friends term “First Laddie”. Having been impeached for lying about his sexual misdeeds during the Lewinsky scandal, blamed by some for failing to kill Osama bin Laden and having left office in 2001 amid accusations of corruption in granting last-minute pardons, Clinton, 61, has made a remarkable comeback. Perhaps everything Hillary Clinton knows about politics, bar self-discipline, she has learnt from him.

A peerless tactician, huge intellect and natural communicator, Bill Clinton was one of the great retail politicians of the 20th Century. His burning desire to see his wife Hillary elected president has much to do with his own quest for vindication and a fresh platform to make his mark on history. Likely to become a roving ambassador in his wife’s administration, he will push for the Middle East peace that slipped his grasp in 2000. Whether Americans truly want a Clinton restoration will become clearer next year. Either way, Bill Clinton’s influence on the American Left in 2008 will be without equal.

2. AL GORE
Environmental campaigner

AL GORE

The former vice-president under Bill Clinton - a hawkish New Democrat senator who won the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election only to lose the White House after a Supreme Court ruling - has undergone a remarkable transformation. His often lonely quest to spread apocalyptic warnings about climate change and the future of the planet has led to an unlikely celebrity, an Oscar for a documentary about him and, this month, the Nobel Peace Prize.

With the deadline for filing for the New Hampshire primary falling today, Gore, 59, appears to have decided not to run for the White House again – a goal set for him by his senator father. While he is unlikely to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2008, his global political influence could potentially exceed even that of a US president. Barack Obama has already said Gore would have a major role in his administration. Mrs Clinton is pushing hard for his endorsement. For any Democrat who wins in 2008, Al Gore will be a figure to reckon with. If a Republican triumphs, Gore will be a likely opponent in 2012.

3. MARK PENN
Political strategist

MARK PENN

As the chief adviser to Hillary Clinton and global CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, Penn has the world at his feet. Pollster and strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign, he has worked for the former First Lady since her Senate victory in 2000. He has also advised Bill Gates’s Microsoft and Tony Blair. As a moderate Democrat, he holds the key to whether Mrs Clinton can win centrist voters in a general election or whether she will be the polarising figure some party leaders fear cannot win.

In his recent book “Microtrends: the small forces behind tomorrow’s big changes”, Penn, who identified “Soccer Moms” as a key voting bloc in 1996, explains how he identifies small patterns of behaviour that have a potentially decisive effect in elections. Married to Nancy Jacobson, a top fundraiser and adviser to Evan Bayh, their Georgetown mansion is perhaps Washington’s principal Democratic salon. If Mrs Clinton becomes president, only Penn will have contributed more than her husband to securing the outcome.

4. HILLARY CLINTON
Senator for New York

HILLARY CLINTON

Could this woman be the 44th US president? At the time of writing, she appears the odds-on favourite, although a shrill and defensive debate performance and an unwillingness to commit herself on the smallest of issues betray alarming chinks in her armour. A much-improved campaigner, she is mistress of her brief but is vulnerable when forced to move beyond the familiar and lacks the human touch that was Bill Clinton’s speciality.

Much will rest on the Iowa caucus. Victory there will leave her cruising to the Democratic nomination. Defeat could puncture her bubble of apparent invincibilility. If Mrs Clinton, 60, eventually loses to Barack Obama, her early move to the centre to appeal to independents with a hawkish stance on Iran could go down as the ultimate act of hubris. Having never wielded executive power, she would be one of the most inexperienced presidents ever to enter the White House. A battle-proven veteran of partisan warfare, whether her campaign mettle, rigorous intellect and formidable self-discipline will be enough to be an effective president will be severely tested if she is elected.

5. NANCY PELOSI
Speaker of the House of Representatives

NANCY PELOSI

An Italian-American from Baltimore born into a legendary Democratic family, Pelosi moved to the West Coast when she married a future multi-millionaire investor and soon began to carve out her own political career. The mother of five and grandmother of six, she became the first female Speaker and is third in line to the presidency after Vice President Dick Cheney.

An unabashed liberal and outspoken critic of the Iraq war, Pelosi, 67, failed to halt the “surge” of troops in Baghdad and Anbar province and has thus far shrunk from cutting off funding for the war. She received widespread criticism for a foray into diplomacy that took her to an audience with President Bashar Assad of Syria despite White House objections. Although she has reached the summit of her ambition, with the Democrats likely to enlarge their House majority in 2008, Pelosi will remain a major power player in Washington.

6. BARACK OBAMA
Senator for Illinois and presidential candidate

BARACK OBAMA

Burst on to the national scene with a powerful speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention and mounted an audacious bid for the presidency this year after just two years in the Senate. An inspirational figure with two beautifully-written volumes of biography under his belt, Obama still has a chance of becoming America’s first black president. At 46, the comparisons with John F. Kennedy are inevitable and valid – he could become the hope of a generation.

A prodigious fundraiser attracting phenomenal crowds, he still lags behind Hillary Clinton in the polls and has yet to establish himself as a candidate who is seen as both electable and an agent of change. The son of a Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother, his exotic childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia followed by Harvard Law School was later balanced by working as a civil rights lawyer on the mean streets of Chicago. Questions remain over his experience and campaign toughness. Obama’s moment of truth is fast approaching.

7. MICHAEL MOORE
Film maker

MICHAEL MOORE

Moore’s polemical 2002 documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” sealed his position as the Right’s public enemy number one after previously attacking the gun lobby with his “Bowling for Columbine”. No figure is more likely to send a Right-winger into apoplexy than the university dropout from Flint, Michigan who supported Ralph Nader in the 2000 election.

His newest movie Sicko, released in June, attracted yet more controversy when he took sick Americans to be treated in Cuba but failed to mention human rights abuses on the Caribbean island. Afterwards, the Oscar winning producer and director stated that “there is not religious persecution, there is artistic freedom" and that Cubans were able to "freely speak their minds”. Against globalisation, corporations and war, he is unlikely to be any friend of a President Hillary Clinton.

8. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Leaving him off the conservative list was a difficult decision but Schwarzenegger’s defiance of Republican orthodoxy and move towards California liberalism leaves him better placed to influence the liberal sphere. Even unstinting Schwarzenegger support of a Rudy Giuliani general election campaign in California would be unlikely to deliver the state to Republicans. His marriage to Maria Shriver took him into the Kennedy clan.

As an Austrian-born immigrant, the former body builder and action movie star is barred from the presidency, though he has not ruled out a run for the US Senate in 2010 if Barbara Boxer retires. Schwarzenegger’s actions to combat global warming have prompted an alliance with Tony Blair and is likely lead to his working more closely with Al Gore. For any Democrat entering the Oval Office, one of the first calls will be to Schwarzenegger.

9. OPRAH WINFREY
Television talk show host

OPRAH WINFREY

Very possibly the most influential woman in the world, Oprah – her first name is her trademark – has become a huge franchise, including not just her eponymous television show but a radio show, magazine, and book club. In her first real foray into politics, Oprah not only endorsed her friend Barack Obama but held a Hollywood fundraiser for 1,500 in his honour last month.

Quite how the “Big O” or the “O Factor” will play for Obama is unclear. She has lived what she calls the dream of Martin Luther King by rising from poverty in Mississippi to becoming a billionaire and the wealthiest black woman in the world. Her imprimatur has turned obscure authors into best-sellers. Oprah is viewed by millions as a personal friend – as she introduces them to Obama in their living rooms, she might just make the difference.

10. EVAN BAYH
Senator for Indiana

EVAN BAYH

Clever, personable and centrist former governor of a red state, Bayh’s 2008 presidential bid showed much promise before he dropped out early on calculating that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were just too strong for him. Now that he has endorsed Mrs Clinton, he is probably in pole position to be her vice-presidential running mate. Fiscally conservative, he implemented the biggest tax cut in Indiana’s history and is an advocate of responsible fatherhood.

Son of Senator Birch Bayh, who ran for the Democratic nomination in 1976 but lost to Jimmy Carter, the younger Bayh, 51, is a potential future White House occupant. Indeed, Bill Clinton once said: “I hope and expect some day I'll be voting for Evan Bayh for President of the United States." If his party continues to move towards the Left, however, he could find himself out of step.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...n/nosplit/listintro.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox
 

Walshicus

Member
This isn't a list of the top ten most influential Liberal and Conservative thinkers, it's a list of American political figures.

EDIT: Ah, I see it's actually from the Torygraph [should have checked that link] and even they put "US" in the headline.
 

Tamanon

Banned
There's no way in hell that Petraeus is even on the top 10 most influential conservatives. All he deals in is the war and he doesn't actively work to influence that.

Although it is kinda weird that GWB isn't even on the list.
 

Rayo

Banned
61. STEPHEN COLBERT
Comedian and satirist
l61.jpg


Shot to international prominence in 2006 when he delivered a searing performance lampooning President George W. Bush and lambasting a pliant media. His eponymous character – a ludicrous figure - is based on Bill O’Reilly of Fox News and is a biting satire of right-wing, personality-driven talk shows.

Colbert has recently launched his own presidential campaign. A stunt, certainly, but he will generate massive attention and heap ridicule on Republicans. A self-described Democrat, he has recently been quoted approvingly by Hillary Clinton in her stump speeches.
 

White Man

Member
Dumb lists, and has there been any evidence that what they say about Bubba is true?

His burning desire to see his wife Hillary elected president has much to do with his own quest for vindication and a fresh platform to make his mark on history. Likely to become a roving ambassador in his wife’s administration, he will push for the Middle East peace that slipped his grasp in 2000. Whether Americans truly want a Clinton restoration will become clearer next year. Either way, Bill Clinton’s influence on the American Left in 2008 will be without equal.

I mean, I am sure he has fancy plans, and pants to match, but this all sounds way more specific than anything I've seen indicated as of late. Has he shown any level of ambition that warrants ranking him 3 notches above his wife, who is actually running for Pres?

It sounds like almost scaremongering: HILLARY WANTS TO WIN JUST SO SHE COULD MAKE THAT SEX PERVERT BUBBA PERMANENT KING OF AMERICA. . .AND THE WORLD.
 

tnw

Banned
how can someone say that oprah is the most influential woman in the world? BS. She might be in Amurika, and maybe even somewhat in the west, but the world? no way.

>_>

Bill Clinton has been pretty busy the last couple of years. Working with Bush Sr., and a bunch of other stuff. I really hope he can keep doing that stuff if Hilary is elected. He seems to really enjoy it, and is a lot more effective than some of the political stuff he was able to do, at least that's how he put it.

Anyway, I was hoping for a list with more perspective, not a who's who of american politics in 2007.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
lol at the "conservatives." Just what the hell do they conserve?
 

Tamanon

Banned
tnw said:
how can someone say that oprah is the most influential woman in the world? BS. She might be in Amurika, and maybe even somewhat in the west, but the world? no way.

>_>

Bill Clinton has been pretty busy the last couple of years. Working with Bush Sr., and a bunch of other stuff. I really hope he can keep doing that stuff if Hilary is elected. He seems to really enjoy it, and is a lot more effective than some of the political stuff he was able to do, at least that's how he put it.

It's actually funny that they say she may be the most influential woman in the world....yet rank her below Hilary.

Although I can't off the top of my head think of a more influential one.
 
tnw said:
Anyway, I was hoping for a list with more perspective, not a who's who of american politics in 2007.

Well to be fair this is mainly an American site so I didn't bother to preface the title with America in it. Politics is local so a world ranking of liberals and conservatives becomes dicey although obviously not impossible.
 

Walshicus

Member
White Man said:
It sounds like almost scaremongering: HILLARY WANTS TO WIN JUST SO SHE COULD MAKE THAT SEX PERVERT BUBBA PERMANENT KING OF AMERICA. . .AND THE WORLD.
It's not intended as such, I'd imagine. He's pretty popular in England [where the Torygraph sells, obviously]. In fact I can't think of an American politician who's more popular here.


Well to be fair this is mainly an American site so I didn't bother to preface the title with America in it.
Oh really...
 
siamesedreamer said:
The first two names to begin with.

And if you're talking about "influence" then Roberts should be at or near the top.
I might not put Petraeus that high but Rudy is currently the leading candidate for the nomination of his party for the presidency of the United States and has been the most visible and lauded and popular Republican since 9/11 happened. That's pretty influential at the moment.
 

Tamanon

Banned
minor effort said:
Christopher Hitchens is on the conservatives list.

Interesting.

It's bizarre, he's a big atheist and hugely anti-religion and also a huge hawk. Like Hilary + Rudy combined.
 
Stoney Mason said:
I might not put Petraeus that high but Rudy is currently the leading candidate for the nomination of his party for the presidency of the United States and has been the most visible and lauded and popular Republican since 9/11 happened. That's pretty influential at the moment.

I disagree with calling him "conservative". Had the list been "top 10 DEMs and REPs", then yeah you can't really argue with him being at the top.
 
siamesedreamer said:
I disagree with calling him "conservative". Had the list been "top 10 DEMs and REPs", then yeah you can't really argue with him being at the top.

I think conservative is just as broad a term as Republican when all is said and done. I've made threads about this...
 

tnw

Banned
Stoney Mason said:
Well to be fair this is mainly an American site so I didn't bother to preface the title with America in it. Politics is local so a world ranking of liberals and conservatives becomes dicey although obviously not impossible.

No what I meant was liberals and conservatives throughout american history. This article took almost no time to research if you watch the news/read the paper.

Like how Lincoln's vice president was a particularly strong conservative for some reason or whatever. That would have been interesting to me.

Anyway, there are a lot of influential women. Princess Diana comes to mind. I don't know, if they actually looked into it instead of taking the low hanging fruit that the media puts forth, then I bet they could have found someone. I'm pretty sure that around 6 billion people on the planet have never heard of oprah. She's very influential in the US, but much less so outside of it. Condeleeza Rice seems a lot more influential, for example, and she's not even on the list!
 
tnw said:
No what I meant was liberals and conservatives throughout american history. This article took almost no time to research if you watch the news/read the paper.

Like how Lincoln's vice president was a particularly strong conservative for some reason or whatever. That would have been interesting to me.

Anyway, there are a lot of influential women. Princess Diana comes to mind. I don't know, if they actually looked into it instead of taking the low hanging fruit that the media puts forth, then I bet they could have found someone. I'm pretty sure that around 6 billion people on the planet have never heard of oprah. She's very influential in the US, but much less so outside of it. Condeleeza Rice seems a lot more influential, for example, and she's not even on the list!

Well I agree a historical list would also be interesting although people tend to gravitate to the here and now.
 

ToxicAdam

Member
Guliani has done nothing to influence the Republican agenda in a certain way, nor has his campaign done anything to influence the other candidates into altering their viewpoints.

In other words, he is just a cult of personality that has no defining platform or policy.


So, who exactly is he influencing except uninformed voters?


I would argue that John McCain is actually more influential because he has backed up the Bush administration on key policy issues. Issues that he could have derailed if he chose to take that tact.
 
ToxicAdam said:
Guliani has done nothing to influence the Republican agenda in a certain way, nor has his campaign done anything to influence the other candidates into altering their viewpoints.

In other words, he is just a cult of personality that has no defining platform or policy.


So, who exactly is he influencing except uninformed voters?

I would argue he sets the tone (full court press) for all the candidates running on the right on the War, The Iraq Issue, Iran, and Terrorism in general. As far as a cult of personality, that's not to far from what politics often is imo so he's doing fine in that category too.
 

ToxicAdam

Member
Stoney Mason said:
I would argue he sets the tone (full court press) for all the candidates running on the right on the War, The Iraq Issue, Iran, and Terrorism in general. As far as a cult of personality, that's not to far from what politics often is imo so he's doing fine in that category too.


He's simply running on the blueprint that Rove and his cronies laid out in 2004. Guiliani has not expounded on anything new regarding these issues. Simply trumpeting what has been said before.
 
ToxicAdam said:
He's simply running on the blueprint that Rove and his cronies laid out in 2004. Guiliani has not expounded on anything new regarding these issues. Simply trumpeting what has been said before.


I don't necessarily disagree but with all the neo-cons around him and his most aggressive stance, I think he is closer to the spiritual successor of that viewpoint than the others. I don't really see much difference from his position (outside of minor things like the national ID Card) and the others except he simply turns the amp up to 11.
 

ToxicAdam

Member
As GAF's preeminent Republican .. MY LIST:


1) Alan Greenspan
2) Matt Drudge
3) John McCain
4) Newt Gingrich
5) Lush Rimbaugh
6) Roger Ailes
7) Frank Luntz
8) Cheney
9) John Roberts
10) Dobson



Jules would barely crack my top 20. Unless he becomes the President, he has as much influence as John Kerry did on his party. NADA
 
ToxicAdam said:
As GAF's preeminent Republican .. MY LIST:


1) Alan Greenspan
2) Matt Drudge
3) John McCain
4) Newt Gingrich
5) Lush Rimbaugh
6) Roger Ailes
7) Frank Luntz
8) Cheney
9) John Roberts
10) Dobson



Jules would barely crack my top 20. Unless he becomes the President, he has as much influence as John Kerry did on his party. NADA

Serious Question. Did you really believe Rudy currently has the same level of standing and profile in his party as John Kerry did pre election run?
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Surprised that Colbert and Stewart weren't listed together, and that Colbert ranked higher, and that both weren't higher.
 
shouldn't rush lambaugh be number one on the conservative list? His syndicated show recruits and convert republicans like no other.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
topsyturvy said:
shouldn't rush lambaugh be number one on the conservative list? His syndicated show recruits and convert republicans like no other.

Does he really win over undecided people though? I always thought he just pandered to people who think like him to begin with.
 

Tamanon

Banned
DrForester said:
Does he really win over undecided people though? I always thought he just pandered to people who think like him to begin with.

Nope, he's actually a pretty big recruiter. All it really takes is to listen to one or two shows and someone might find an idea to latch onto.

I'd actually agree with TA's choice of Alan Greenspan as one of the most influential Conservatives.
 
Stoney Mason said:
Serious Question. Did you really believe Rudy currently has the same level of standing and profile in his party as John Kerry did pre election run?
john kerry never had any standing in his party at this time of the election. in fact, if my memory serves me correctly, i think John kerry was exactly like richardson at this time.
 
DrForester said:
Does he really win over undecided people though? I always thought he just pandered to people who think like him to begin with.

I disagree with him of course but he's very well respected in the school of conservative thought and promotion. Versus someone like say O'Reilly who is more viewed as a red headed stepchild among the conservative faithful.
 
topsyturvy said:
john kerry never had any standing in his party at this if my memory serves me correctly. In fact, i think John kerry was exactly like richardson at this time.

That's sort of my point. Rudy was inevitable and highly touted. John Kerry was barely known on the national scene in a substantial manner and was for more a winner of the circumstances game.
 

Mandark

Small balls, big fun!
A few years ago, you could have put Bush, DeLay, and Rove at the top of the list and have done with it. It's harder to figure out who's the most influential in a movement that's on its heels.

I'd probably have Antonin Scalia, Grover Norquist, and Fred Kagan or Bill Kristol on my list.

As for Giuliani, he isn't really influencing anything. Romney gave a speech about "Islamofascism" that hit all the usual points before the '06 midterms, IIRC, and McCain's always been crazy hawkish.

On the war thing, he's more emblematic than he is influential. None of the other main candidates was leaning to a more moderate stance before he joined.
 
Rudy Giuliani 'flattered' to top Telegraph list

“I’m flattered by the choice,” the former New York mayor told the Telegraph in Manchester, New Hampshire. “It probably reflects the fact that by far I have the strongest record of fiscal conservatism of anybody running.



“I’ve reduced taxes more than anyone running for president. I got spending under control. And George Will [a conservative columnist] wrote a column independent of all this political stuff saying as mayor of New York I ran the most conservative government in the country in the last 50 to 60 years.”

Mr Giuliani also said he admired Britain’s tradition of Prime Minister’s Questions and would seek to emulate this form of accountability by holding more press conferences than any president since John F. Kennedy.

“I remember telling Tony Blair when he had Judith [Mr Giuliani’s wife] and me at one of the question and answer sessions we had, I thought that was a very good discipline for a Prime Minister every week to get up in front of the parliament.

“I said it reminded me of when I was mayor of New York because I’d do one of these press conferences a day. So that now that I’m running for president I only have to do three or four a week, it’s actually easier.”

Mr Giuliani said that he would “probably have more press conferences than has been usual since maybe Kennedy” before he was assassinated in 1963.

“I enjoy doing them because they keep me on top of things.

“They do mean you make a few more mistakes because when you answer a lot of questions and you’re a little more open about it you’re going to have to go back sometimes and correct something you said. But it keeps you on your toes.”

Mr Giuliani had earlier given a strikingly optimistic speech at St Anselm College in Manchester in which he touted his experience as New York mayor but barely mentioned the things for which he is famous internationally – leading the city after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

His biggest accomplishment in New York, he suggested, was to “turn around people’s perceptions of their lives” and make them believe that improvement was possible.

“Ultimately, it’s not about me. America is about you. If I can get you to be confident, you’re going to do it. If I can get you as a group to believe in yourselves, you are unbelievably remarkable, the things that you can do.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/06/wuspols206.xml
 

Sol..

I am Wayne Brady.
What about the lady that started/runs PETA.

lol advertisements for that docu on her make it seem like she could summon jesus to eliminate whoever she wants.
 
ToxicAdam said:
As GAF's preeminent Republican .. MY LIST:
1) Alan Greenspan
2) Matt Drudge
3) John McCain
4) Newt Gingrich
5) Lush Rimbaugh
6) Roger Ailes
7) Frank Luntz
8) Cheney
9) John Roberts
10) Dobson

As a GAF closet conservative, I'd say you give Greenspan and McCain too much credit, but the rest is pretty good. McCain isn't playing a big influence factor in five years unless he gets elected president, and Greenspan isn't going to do enough influencing unless someone makes him Fed chair again.

My list (only top five):
1. Drudge
2. Roberts
3. Gingrich (needs to get out more often and explain his ideas, some of them are fantastic)
4. Limbaugh
5. Petraeus (really makes me want to yell his name out like "ATREYU!")

Hopefully, in few years, I can put Mike Pence in there.

PS. If Evan Bayh can influence liberals to be more like Evan Bayh, things will be a lot easier in the future.
 
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