About
Welcome to Catholics Against Rudy! The purpose of this website is to empower faithful Catholics at the local level to educate their fellow parishioners about Rudy Giuliani’s abysmal record on non-negotiable “Culture of Life” issues (e.g., abortion, embryonic stem cell research) and traditional marriage. This will (hopefully) be accomplished by outlining, in exhaustive detail, Mayor Giuliani’s public record, and pointing out where his policy positions are in direct contravention to fundamental Church teachings. In doing so, we will endeavor to allow Mayor Giuliani to speak for himself (vis-à-vis his public quotes), sans any commentary on our part (although we will link to commentaries by others from time to time). We will also strive to accurately portray Mayor Giuliani’s public-policy positions, to indicate whether those positions have evolved over time, and allow our readers to judge whether the timing of any such moderation of views appears to be politically opportunistic. Finally, while Catholics Against Rudy fully intends to hold Mayor Giuliani accountable for the policy positions he advocates in contravention of fundamental Church teachings, we will seek to avoid (to the extent possible) any material that could be interpreted as a personal attack against him. This is not to say that character does not matter; it most certainly does. Nor is it to say that the policy positions one takes are not a reflection of that person’s character; they are. That having been noted, our view is that material touching upon Mayor Giulian’s personal life is best left to others, as it tends to distract from his policy positions, which are the basis of our opposition. Indeed, we would encourage all Catholics to pray for Mayor Giuliani on a daily basis; specifically, that he will confess the error of his ways, fully embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church, and return to full communion with the Church. That having been said, there have been occasions when Mayor Giuliani has made his private life public, and in the process demonstrated a blatant disregard for fundamental Church teachings (e.g., divorce, adultery). On these matters, we will not remain silent.
This website is owned and operated by Steve Dillard, with the (unpaid) assistance of like-minded folks. It is not a PAC, and as such does not solicit or accept monetary donations; nor is it required to register or file reports with the FEC. To the extent money is needed to operate this website, it is being provided by Steve Dillard out of his own pocket. The web-hosting for CAR is being generously provided by cyberCatholics, and the design work was done pro bono by friends of Dillard, including Patrick Carver (a staunch, pro-life Southern Baptist), who believe in this cause. A special note of thanks to Zach Brissett, who designed CAR’s Cafepress shop. Finally, thanks to Christopher Blosser for creating several banners and buttons for CAR.
If you are interested in viewing Steve Dillard’s appearance on “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” you can do so here and here (there were two parts to the interview).
Disclaimer:
Needless to say, everything posted/published on this website represents either: (1) Steve Dillard’s personal views, (2) the teachings of the Catholic Church (as quoted), (3) Rudy Giuliani (as quoted), (4) the views of those linked to in a particular article or blog post, or (5) CAR supporters (as so expressed); and not those of: (a) Steve Dillard’s employer or clients, (b) his family, friends, or fellow parishoners (c) the Republican Party, (d) other presidential candidates, etc.
(more to come)
What journalists and bloggers are already saying about Catholics Against Rudy:
-AJC’s “Political Insider”:
“On the Fourth of July, 37-year-old Steve Dillard will launch a national web site called CatholicsagainstRudy.com . . . . Dillard, a convert to Catholicism, was also a vocal critic of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential campaign. That’s why he’s going after Rudy Giuliani, who has had only limited success among Southern evangelicals because of the thrice-married candidate’s support of abortion rights, and his statements in favor of civil unions for gay couples. ‘We need to tend to our own house. And we need to hold Republicans to the same standard that we did John Kerry,’ Dillard said recently.
Many social conservatives are worried that a Giuliani victory in the Republican race for the White House would be followed by a decline in the party’s emphasis on core issues that have rallied Christian conservatives to the GOP side since the early 1980s. ‘[Giuliani]is emblematic of a coming — or already existing — rift in the Republican party,’ Dillard said.”
“Steve Dillard Formerly Of The Southern Appeal Blog Now Has His Catholics Against Rudy Website Up And Running Steve was on MSNBC with Chris Matthews and subsequently sent me and other Catholic bloggers an e-mail discussing his strategy and campaign. As I stated in my book, I can’t fathom the former NYC mayor winning the GOP nomination and winning the general election, because the Pro Life Movement would bolt. It is very sad that Rudy has so many gifts but just can’t seem to translate them to his views on life or his personal relationships. As I indicated here some months ago, one writer on the National Review website said, ‘hey if he can be that rude to his wife imagine the fear of God he could put into foreign leaders or bureaucrats.’ This is hardly the direction we need to go right now or at any time.”
“Macon will be home base for a national push against Republican presidential hopeful (and former New York City mayor) Rudy Giuliani. Steve Dillard, a local attorney, GOP activist and well-known political blogger, is spearheading ‘Catholics against Rudy,’ a soon-to-be-launched Web site that will focus on Giuliani’s stance on abortion. Dillard even got interviewed about it this week on MSNBC’s ‘Hardball with Chris Matthews.’ Even with Matthews repeatedly interrupting him, as is the host’s style, Dillard’s message came through loud and clear: Giuliani supports abortion, so Catholics shouldn’t vote for him . . . . The website, Dillard said in a later interview with The Telegraph, will focus on ‘the spiritual implications of voting for a politician who holds pro-abortion or pro-choice views.’ He plans to launch it July 4th. ‘You cannot, in good conscience as a faithful Catholic, vote for Rudy Giuliani,’ Dillard said.”
-Thomas Crownof RedState:
“Steve Dillard, one of my old blogging heroes (now retired), was on Hardball last night to talk about this crazy idea that Giuliani shouldn’t get a free pass on being pro-baby-murder on his way to the Presidency. You can infer how I feel about that position . . . . Anyway, there’s a lot to enjoy in this, but my favorite parts come when Steve calls Giuliani an extremist on abortion (behold Matthews’s response); when Steve deftly pirouettes through the cliche bits on the Iraq War . . . . Steve was much more polite than that, but did a great job. Check it out.”
“They’re stirring as they should, if they are going to be consistent. Catholic theocons set a benchmark in 2004 for judging a Catholic politician, aided and abetted by the man who is now the current Pope, and the full NRO/First Things Monty. Compared with Giuliani, John Kerry is about as orthodox a Catholic as you can find. And by Benedict’s standards, no Catholic could in good conscience vote for a man with Rudy Giuliani’s social views. You’ve got to give Steve Dillard credit for applying his principles across parties . . . .”
-Rebecca Sinderbrand (of the New York Observer):
“A separate effort from another group of Catholic activists—to operate under the admirably straightforward title of Catholics Against Rudy—will also take aim at Mr. Giuliani’s record on social issues. It’s the brainchild of Georgia lawyer Steve Dillard, best known as the formerly anonymous voice of Southern Appeal, a conservative Catholic legal blog that drew a wide-ranging, fiercely loyal audience until Mr. Dillard outed himself and subsequently retired the site five months ago. Mr. Dillard, along with other bloggers, commentators and activists who are planning to participate in the effort, are modeling their project on the headline-grabbing Catholics Against Kerry site that targeted the Democratic nominee three years ago. (Organizers say that none of the individuals involved in that operation are principals in the new effort.) . . . . Visitors to the new site, [Dillard] said, will find themselves at a one-stop shop of anti-Rudy messaging, material and merchandise, including anti-Rudy bumper stickers, T-shirts and other assorted items. (They will be sold at cost to avoid any kind of potential profit—and the F.E.C. scrutiny that would undoubtedly bring.)”
-Thomas B. Edsallof the Huffington Post:
“The anti-Giuliani group with the least visibility - but substantial ambition — is run by Steve Dillard, a Catholic activist in Macon, Georgia. Dillard, a former law clerk to conservative Judge Daniel A. Manion of the Seventh Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals, in 2002 created Southern Appeal, a conservative legal blog. He is currently launching a web site, Catholics Against Rudy, with the goal of becoming an integral part of the Catholic blogosphere, consisting of more than 1,000 web sites accessible at www.catholicblogs.com. A search for ‘Giuliani’ on catholicblogs.com suggests that Dillard may have a ready audience: the overwhelming majority of posts are from people who share Dillard’s belief that ‘a faithful Catholic cannot in good faith vote for Rudy Giuliani.’”
-David Brody of CBN:
“There’s no doubt that after talking with numerous Evangelical leaders and activists, there is a major effort underway to stop Rudy Giuliani from becoming President. Giuliani is especially distasteful to certain conservative Catholics who believe his pro-choice position is in direct conflict with the teaching of the Catholic Church.”
-People for the American Way’s “Right Wing Watch” blog:
“Now, heading into 2008, the Right is facing what some of them see as an even more ominous threat: the prospect that Rudy Giuliani could win the GOP presidential nomination. And just as they did with Miers, right-wing activists - especially anti-choice Catholic ones – are gearing up to launch an all-out attack in an effort to deny Giuliani the nomination . . . . Though there has been a steady stream of grumbling from the Right about Giuliani to date, these two initiatives appear to be the first concerted efforts any activists have made to actually try and weaken his campaign chances. While some on the right are hedging their bets, and even praising Giuliani for his pledge to appoint ’strict constructionist’ Supreme Court justices, that argument isn’t working with these fervently anti-choice activists. Considering that both Fidelis and Dillard were instrumental in the successful take-down of Harriet Miers, it looks as if Giuliani’s campaign is about to have quite a fight on its hands.”
-Mark Shea of Catholic and Enjoying it!:
“Be sure to follow [Steve Dillard's] new site: Catholics Against Rudy (scheduled to launch on July 4, 2007) . . . . Thanks for doing your bit to keep the GOP from permanently becoming the Party of Torture *and* Abortion, Steve! You are the salt of the earth.”
and
-Tertium Quid of “From Burke to Kirk and Beyond”:
“It’s a free country, and if Rudy Guiliani is going to be a practicing Catholic and make apologies for partial-birth abortion he is going to draw fire. We are going to see a strong anti-Rudy backlash.”
-Paxalles:
“Steve Dillard . . . appeared with Chris Matthews on Hardball to discuss his new site Catholics Against Rudy, which is due to launch in July. He will be doing this in conjunction with a group of prominent bloggers . . . Dillard and company may do major damage to the frontrunner.”
“The conservative anti-Rudy assault that is sure to happen is beginning.”
“Catholics Against Rudy” has also been mentioned by the following (prominent) Catholic bloggers:
Jeff Miller aka the Curt Jester
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