Giuliani Estranged From His Children

CBS News ^ | 3/5/2007 | staff

[George W. Bush]

Updated:2007-03-05 14:55:26

Giuliani Estranged From His Children

Some Say Personal Problems May Hurt Prospects

CBS News

NEW YORK (March 5) -- It doesn't look like Rudy Giuliani's two children will have a role in his presidential campaign. According to press reports, the GOP frontrunner's third marriage has alienated his son, Andrew, 21, and daughter, Caroline, 18, from their father.

Giuliani's 21-year-old son, Andrew, told the New York Times that he would be too busy working on his golf game to participate in his father's presidential campaign.

"There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife," the younger Giuliani told the newspaper. "And we're trying to figure that out. But as of right now it's not working as well as we would like."

Giuliani's marriage to his third wife, Judith Nathan, followed his divorce from Donna Hanover, the mother of Andrew and Caroline.

In 2000, Giuliani announced during a live TV interview that he planned to divorce Hanover. She responded by publicly accusing Giuliani of adultery.

Caroline Giuliani has not spoken publicly, but the Times and New York's tabloid newspapers reported that she was also alienated from her father as a result of his marriage to Nathan.

The New York Daily News reported that Giuliani rarely spends time with his children and that he had failed to attend many important events in their lives, including Andrew's golf tournaments and Caroline's school plays.

Andrew Giuliani is a sophomore at Duke and a member of the school's golf team. Caroline attends a private Catholic school in Manhattan. She will attend Harvard University in the fall. Giuliani has had no comment on his relationship with his children.

Giuliani holds a huge lead in the polls over GOP presidential rival John McCain, but some political analysts believe the former New York Mayor's estrangement from his children and other personal problems is bound to inflict political damage.

Political analyst Charles Cook told Newsday that the latest twist would hurt Giuliani with the GOP's conservative voters.

"This is just going to be one of a thousand cuts," Cook told the newspaper. "This will just sort of fit into a whole constellation of issues that work against someone winning a conservative party's nomination, a party that thinks of itself as a pro-family party. This just makes it really hard."

Copyright 2006, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[NorCalRepub]

...oh, ok.....well I stand corrected....my mistake...

[presently no screen name]

Rudi has a lifelong pattern of being a bad husband to several wives.

Wow! Didn't know that - lifelong pattern? bad husband to several wives? Enlighten me. Thanks.

[psjones]

you're right, my parents are divorced. I'll let you guess which one cannot bear to have the other parent's name mentioned and which one would be really very happy if we had nothing to do with the other parent. It makes for very uncomfortable family reunions during special occasions. Not a pleasant feeling, but there's not much we can do, we have a parent who made the choice to remain bitter, even though it's been many many years since they split up.

However, we, my siblings and I, are older and all married, we can see why our parents couldn't make it.

[BonnieJ]

I recall all the stories about their dysfunctinoal family, let's not gloss over the reality. The Reagan family was not ideal, so what. Many are not. These stories about Guiliani that all of you are so gleeful about will resonate with many in a different way than you expect, since so many have been through it. They can relate.

[Palladin]

This might give you a glimpse of what kind of First Lady Judith would be:

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Nathan coordinated the efforts of the Family Assistance Center at Pier 94. She became a Founding Member of the Board of Trustees of the Twin Towers Fund which raised and distributed $216 million to over 600 families and individuals. Contributions to the Fund also created the TTF Scholarship Fund and America’s Camp for victim’s children.

She married Rudy Giuliani on May 28, 2003. The wedding was held at Gracie Mansion and was one of only two performed, to date, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The couple share a summer home on The Hamptons and like to play golf together.[5] Since their marriage, Judith Giuliani has worked to raise funds for St. Vincent's Hospital and Cabrini High School for Girls in New York and for Hurricane Katrina relief in New Orleans.[5]

[NorCalRepub]

..correct....I'm just saying the situation isolated would not...other things may bring him down....right now it is doing well....but regardless of who I'm for, this early on, anything can happen

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I'm more concerned with what kind of first lady we are getting with Judith.

I'd be more concerned with what kind of first man we would get with Bill.

[Peach]

My post to you wasn't opinion. It was fact.

[ConservativeStatement]

Every Republican, maybe with the exception of McCain, will be targeted by the media. Meanwhile, the wildebeest and BO will be shown as ideal citizens.

[rlmorel]

You know...I have been saying for a while now, Giuliani cannot get elected.

I like the guy for what he did in New York, I like the way he handled himself on 9/11.

But the shallow analysis told me that the libs would go after him, and would be using stuff like this with his kids, and...unflattering pictures of him. Before everyone jumps on me, I am just expressing how I think the Libs are going to hobble him as a candidate, and it will work on that shallow level against Giuliani in the same way it did (and would if he were a candidate) against Newt Gingrich.

They simply attack his physical appearance in conjunction with using the typical slurs and slanders the left usually employs against conservatives.

Hypocrite
Evil
Uncaring

They just match those up against pictures like this one, and everyone is going to think of Burns on the 'Simpsons"

(I just grabbed him out of the air...you can insert your "typical" conservative-money making-welfare hating-racist-sexist white male)

They have been trying to do this against President Bush ever since he was elected, but...strangely enough, they haven't been able to make it stick. They haven't quite been able to do to him what they did to Gerry Ford, but it is not for lack of trying. The "Dumb" conservative. Just like VP Cheney is the "Evil Greedy" type of conservative.

Most Americans know, including the much disliked (by me) "Middle Voters", that President Bush isn't evil, and he's not a total doofus. But they will make that "evil" thing stick on Giuliani and on Newt, whoever is in the race.

Sad and shallow that they would be able to get positive (for them) results by employing those tactics, but again, my tagline fits.

[JRochelle]

The ones who are messes were his kids with Nancy.

He didn't abandon them!

[JRochelle]

The only way I can relate is that me and my siblings were also abandoned by out father.

I'll vote for Rudy the day hell freezes over.

[BARLF]

My husband lasted seven years. He had multiple problems but the cancer was cause of death.

[mylife]

Well, despite your critisism of my grammar "I aint in no way tired"

I will continue to speak in my usual way

[JRochelle]

oops. Our father.

[presently no screen name]

he didn't have a recent messy divorce and he was Ronald Reagan.

Because his ex-wife wasn't vindictive.

[JRochelle]

I can read the southern drawl in your words!

LOL

[Cicero]

"I don't think CBS News likes me very much!"

[Palladin]

Exactly, Peach. Rudy Giuliani's humanity is what makes him appealing to me. And the way he and Judith took care of the families of 9-11 victims.

My cousin, an FDNY firefighter, died in the WTC attack as he was attempting to prevent 15 people from being incinerated in the elevator. The building came down as Mike was attempting this rescue.

Mike left a young wife and two little boys. Rudy Giuliani attended and spoke at Mike's funeral.

Rudy and Judy saw to it that Mike's widow and childen will be secure for the rest of their lives.

You will not find a greater admirer of Rudy Giuliani here on FR than I.

[finnman69]

I predict the media attempted smear on Giuliani will backfire big time and only strengthen him. Pus, its 19 months out from the general election. By then it will be old tired gossip.