Posted on 05/11/2007 5:19:15 PM PDT by Reagan Man
It is more likely than not that Rudy Giuliani will be the Republican candidate in the 2008 United States presidential election. If so, there's at least an outside chance he will win that election. And if that happens, it is almost certain that at some point in the future we will find ourselves wondering how an unstable, nasty, bullying egomaniac -- a man described as "quite literally nuts" in the June issue of Vanity Fair -- became president of the United States.
Here's a big part of the answer: In 1989, Rudy Giuliani ran for mayor of New York City. He lost. He came close, but he lost. No politician has ever had a greater stroke of luck.
Of course, that's not part of the legend of "America's mayor," as no less an authority than Oprah dubbed Giuliani. All around the world, the legend of Rudy is a story more beloved than the one about Jesus raising Lazarus. Rudy crushed crime in New York. Rudy swept the bums off the streets. Rudy scrubbed Times Square with a scouring brush. And the city, like a tulip in spring, rose from the dirt and blossomed.
Then came that terrible September morning. The destruction. The great wound in the skyline. But Rudy Giuliani was stalwart. He stuck his chin out like a lean Churchill and declared there would be no surrender.
For all this, he is loved and praised. His name is invoked in political circles from New Zealand to Poland, making him the most famous mayor in the world and, possibly, the most famous mayor in history. Sweden's consul-general in New York nominated him for the Nobel peace prize. The Queen made him a knight.
At one point in 2006, 77 per cent of Americans told Gallup they had a favourable view of Rudy, while only 12 per cent had a negative opinion. Mother Teresa never scored numbers like that. Since returning to the political grind his favourability ratings have fallen to less saintly levels -- 57 pro, 29 con -- but he still has by far the best image of all contenders in either party. Not even the blankly handsome Barack Obama can touch him.
The man Rudy should thank for this, but never will, is David Dinkins.
Dinkins is the poor sap who beat Rudy in 1989, when all of New York's trend lines were headed in the wrong direction. Violent crime was soaring as battles for control of the crack trade intensified. Unemployment was rising. The city was sinking deeper into deficit. And right around the corner was a major national recession. It wouldn't have mattered if the man behind the mayor's desk wore red tights and a cape, New York was in for hard times.
If Rudy had won in 1989, it would have been the end of his political career. But David Dinkins won, so it was the end of David Dinkins's political career.
In 1993, Dinkins again faced Giuliani and Giuliani won. It was another fabulous stroke of luck. The crack wars had petered out and crime, which had peaked in 1990, was steadily falling. So was unemployment. The economy's vital signs were promising. By the time Giuliani took office on Jan. 1, 1994, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic about New York's future.
But for Rudy, the city revolved around Rudy. Falling crime? Rudy's doing. Improving economy? All Rudy. Pigeons cooing softly? Rudy would be sure to let you know you should thank Rudy. And only Rudy. In 1996, Time magazine's story about falling crime in New York featured the police chief on the cover. So Rudy fired him. When New York magazine ran an ad with the tagline "possibly the only good thing in New York Rudy hasn't taken credit for," Rudy banned it from city buses.
Even more than self-promotion, though, Giuliani reveled in confrontation. His administrative methodology was admirably precise. Step one, identify enemies. Step two, bang heads. Step three, never admit you've gone too far.
As mayor of New York, his main tool for implementing this methodology was the New York Police Department; as president of the United States, it would be the Marine Corps. If Rudy Giuliani ever takes up residence in the White House, I will immediately buy shares in major weapons manufacturers and then replace the delphiniums in my backyard with a bomb shelter.
Yes, his judgment really is that bad. This is a man who didn't tell his wife he was divorcing her before he called a press conference to announce he was divorcing his wife. His grown children refuse to campaign for him, which is apparently a first in presidential history.
This is a man who gave the two unqualified sons of a political ally senior city jobs. One of the sons used his new position as president of the New York City Housing Development Corporation to embezzle $400,000. Oh yes, he was also convicted of possessing child pornography.
This is a man who was told by his chief investigator that Bernard Kerik, an old crony, had links to organized crime -- and yet he still went ahead and appointed Kerik police commissioner. Later, Giuliani formed a business partnership with Kerik. And when President George W. Bush was in the market for a new chief of the Department of Homeland Security, Giuliani convinced him Kerik was just the man for the job. Fortunately, the facts surfaced and Kerik's nomination was scrubbed because, evidently, George W. Bush has far better judgment than Rudy Giuliani. Think about that.
Writing in Vanity Fair, Michael Wolff says New York's veteran city journalists are virtually unanimous in expecting an "implosion to happen any second." How could it not? "He is nuts," Wolff writes, "actually mad."
Unless and until that happens, the reality of Rudy matters not a whit. It is the legend that is marching to the White House -- a legend that never would have been if Rudy Giuliani had not lost that election in 1989 like the lucky s.o.b. he is.
STOP RUDY 2008 PING!
Thanks for the ping.
Rudy Giuliani video on YouTube: “I would like to run on the Democratic line “
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793570/posts
Video of Rudy Giuliani in his own words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBtPIrEle
Transcript of video below.
Will the real Rudy show up at CPAC?
Culture of life:
ABC clip:
George Will: “Do you think Roe v Wade was good constitutional law?”
Rudy Giuliani: “Yes I believe, I believe it is.”
Cnn Clip December 2, 1999:
Announcer: “Giuliani was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial birth abortions, something Bush strongly supports.”
Rudy Giuliani : “No, I have not supported that, and I don’t see my position on that changing.”
Immigration
CNN clip:
Announcer: “Back in 1996, mayor Giuliani went to federal court to challenge new federal laws requiring the city to inform the federal government about illegal immigrants.”
Rudy Giuliani: “There isn’t a mayor or a public official in this country that’s more strongly pro immigrant than I am. Including disagreeing with President Clinton when he signed an anti-immigration legislation about two or three years ago.”
Gun control:
CNN clip
Rudy Giuliani: “I’m in favor of gun control”
Meet The Press:
Tim Russert: “How about registration of all handguns?”
Rudy Giuliani: “You know I’m in favor of that. I’ve been on your show many times.”
Gay Rights:
CNN Clip:
Announcer: “As mayor he supported civil unions, and extending health and other benefits to gay couples.”
ABC Clip: “I supported domestic partnership legislation and signed it”
Meet The Press:
Tim Russert: “So should gay people be openly allowed to serve?”
Rudy Giuliani: “I think people should be judged on the merits. And there should not be a specific focus on someone’s sexual orientation.”
First Amendment:
ABC Clip
Cokie Roberts: “Would you vote in the senate in favor of Mccain / Feingold?”
Rudy Giuliani: “Yes, I’m a big supporter of Mccain / Feingold. I have been for a long time.”
Party Loyalty:
ABC Clip:
Rudy Giuliani: “Frankly George, I’d like to run on all the lines. I’d like to run on the liberal line, the conservative line, I’d like to run on the democratic line if I could figure out how to do it.”
Conservative Values:
Meet The Press:
Tim Russert: “Whether it’s gays in the military, gun control, campaign finance, late term abortion - you and Hillary Clinton are in sync on those issues.”
Rudy Giuliani: “Well then maybe the other side should stop the ‘He’s part of the vast right wing conspiracy’.”
Welcome To CPAC, Rudy!
End clip.
I’m pretty sure Ottawa is in another country. As distasteful as I find Giuliani, I wish foreigners would mind their own affairs.
Nuts. I worked in New York all through those years. Giuliani DID turn things around in New York. Some people give Bratten the credit, but Bratten needed a strong mayor to back him. We just saw Bratten screw his own cops in LA for breaking up a riot because Villaraigosa told him to, and left him no choice but to do the wrong thing.
Giuliani has numerous flaws. I would never vote for him for president. But give him credit, he was a great mayor.
But he would be a rotten, culture of death dealing, evil judge-appointing president. Therefore he cannot be let into the White House. No need to make up slanders, there’s enough to disqualify him already.
Wholiani?
“General David Dinkins where are you?”
That sounds a lot like Bill Clinton's approach to politics: "I reward my friends and f*** with my enemies."
Villaraigosa makes my hackles stand straight up. He is very bad news.
Nice in theory, but Rudy is also campaigning for the positions of Leader of the Free World and Warlord on Terror, where he would be a disaster.
Lots of Americans (including Freepers) popped off about the French election. Face it, politics has become a spectator sport.
As a New Yorker who dislikes Rudy, I must reluctantly disagree with this. Rudy is a canny campaigner. I don't remember any "Macaca" moments when he ran for Mayor.
What's more likely than implosion is erosion. As more people focus on the race, the Republican base will get past the Giuliani image (which the artice accurately captures) and decide that he's too far to the left.
My prediction: In the normal winnowing process that occurs, Giuliani will be one of the last candidates standing. He won't be the winner, though, because he's nobody's second choice. As some of the more conservative candidates see they're getting nowhere and drop out, their supporters will switch to other conservatives. Giuliani will go to the convention with a substantial bloc of delegates, and will be treated with superficial honor and respect, in return for which he'll gallantly endorse the nominee -- but he won't be on the ticket.
This nut is power hungry. He sounds like a dictator tossing out the opposition.
It is an interesting article.
It is also not entirely accurate. In addition it smacks of having a vindictive agenda based purely on the articles venomous tone.
I’m not a Rudy supporter (though I once was). Rudy would not be a good fit for the U.S. Presidency. But Rudy is a pretty good guy and he was a good mayor for a very liberal city.
I wish him well. I just don’t wish him the nomination.
Rooty is a despicable and repugnant creature.
Extremely bad news. How convenient that he was in El Salvador and Mexico on "trade missions", knowing that it was going to get ugly here. On his turf. Viva La Raza!
Bratton is over his head dealing with a mayor who gives his speeches in Espanol and English. I'm trying to figure out how long it will take him to be in a position to run for governor. Bet he's worse than Bustamante.
Bratton should resign, and let Villagairosa swing in the wind...
“It is more likely than not that Rudy Giuliani will be the Republican candidate in the 2008 United States presidential election.”
Guaranteeing 4 to 8 years of a Dem POTUS.
juliani pissed me off when he didn’t run for the u.s. senate seat now occupied by her highness.
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