Beers, Steers, and Metrocons

The Corner, via Instapundit:

We've all been ruminating on the need for Rudy Giuliani to do some hard thinking and plain talking about those social issues on which he is too liberal for a lot of Republicans: abortion, homosexual unions, gun rights. It may be that the greatest of these is gun rights. We folk at NRO being mainly a bunch of flabby Metrocons, perhaps we tend to underestimate this issue. Let's hope Rudy doesn't.

It's hard for me to imagine that gun control is going to lose Rudy more supporters than abortion, but there's a deep, strong gun culture in America - much more extensive than folks on the coasts tend to think. I lived in the South for a while, and it amazed me - it's just as prevalent here in Ohio, adjacent to Dixie.

Giuliani's greatest danger is that he "reads" like a Blue-stater. I've witnessed some Midwest conservatives begin to warm up to Rudy, but he hasn't yet rated wall-to-wall news network coverage. When this eventually happens it will become more obvious - the fast-talking, animated "New York" style will leave some people disaffected. They might be okay with what he's saying, but ... calm down there, fella.

(Word of the day, though: Metrocon. Should politicians like Rudy employ a team of five urban, knowledgeable conservatives ready to "make over" the lives of regular Red state joes? Or would this end in gunfire?)