During a campaign stop in Des Moines, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani attacked the three leading Democrats seeking the White House by name, accusing them of trying to turn the U.S. into a socialist society.
"They’re all going to France to figure out how they can get all of these failed policies from France and let’s see if we can inflict them on the American people: higher taxes, more government control of health, more government control of education, more government control of who knows what — the air that you breathe," Giuliani said. "…If we’re not careful — if you don’t elect me — this country could be to the left of France."
Giuliani warned that the economic and tax policies Clinton, Obama and Edwards advocate would "shrink" the American economy. According to Giuliani, none of the three understand private sector economics.
"The difference between me and the Democratic candidates is I’ve actually run something. I mean they’ve never run anything. Did you ever think about that? Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards — they’ve never run a city, like I did. They’ve never run a state…I don’t think they’re ever run a big business of any kind," Giuliani said. "…They’ve never had to think of the practical implications of what they’re saying. You can just promise anything, say anything."
Giuliani said the U.S. economy will grow if there’s more open trade with other countries and he accused the three leading Democrats of backtracking on trade.
"Very strange, by the way, Bill Clinton is one of the presidents that kind of opened up free trade and now the Democrats want to go back to ‘stop importing,’" Giuliani said.
Giuliani, who spoke at a public forum on the Drake University campus Wednesday afternoon, never mentioned any of his opponents for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. But Giuliani repeatedly singled out Democrat Hillary Clinton for criticism. "You can’t promise all things to all people," Giuliani said of Clinton.
Click on the audio link below to hear Giuliani’s speech and question-and-answer session in Des Moines.
Earlier on Wednesday, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney campaigned in eastern Iowa and during a stop in Clinton, Romney focused on Clinton as well. "You’ve going to see these polls day after day. They’re going to keep showing Hillary Clinton at 46 or 47 percent, but she’s not going to get higher than that. People know her. They’ve decided who she is. She’s got the people who support her, but She’s not going to get to 50.1 percent. I am," Romney said. "We’re going to make sure to win the White House."
Romney said Republicans need to select a candidate who will not only commit to a "no new taxes" pledge, but who also will promise to cut into the federal budget. "We have 13 teenage pregnancy prevention programs. They’re obviously not working real well," Romney said, prompting some in the audience to laugh. "Number two: why do we have 13? Why don’t we pick a couple and invest in those that are working and stop the others?"
Dave Vickers from KROS in Clinton contributed to this report