Posted on 08/26/2007 2:47:09 PM PDT by hardback
Supporting a candidate simply because you believe he can defeat another candidate is a hollow endorsement. But the greater political miscalculation is Cramer’s willingness to overlook Giuliani’s substantial shortcomings.
Giuliani is shamelessly running on his perceived accomplishments following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But his reputation is built more on myth than on fact, and the nation’s paid professional firefighters outline their issues with Giuliani in a documentary that can be found at www.
rudy-urbanlegend.com.
Giuliani’s treatment of our brothers and sisters with the Fire Department of New York after the terrorist attacks prevents the nation’s career firefighters from supporting his candidacy.
FDNY firefighters had discovered the bodies or remains of just 101 firefighters as of Nov. 1, 2001, but Giuliani decided to scale back recovery efforts.
The FDNY protested the mayor’s decision to limit recovery, and 15 firefighters were arrested.
Giuliani buckled to the will of developers who wanted to end recovery, begin a scoop-and-dump operation and rebuild ground zero.
That’s not leadership.
Because the brave firefighters of the FDNY fought Giuliani, he changed his mind and 113 firefighters or their remains were recovered after Nov. 2, 2001.
Perhaps Giuliani’s greatest blunder was failing to fix the FDNY’s communications problems. Giuliani knew the radios were a problem following the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and he took office in 1994. Yet it took him more than seven years to replace the radios.
That’s not leadership.
When he did replace the radios, Giuliani used a no-bid contract and failed to properly test the new equipment, according to firefighters with the FDNY. The radios were shelved in March 2001 after less than a week in service because they didn’t work, and the FDNY resumed using their old radios.
Because Giuliani failed to provide FDNY with operable radios, 121 firefighters inside the World Trade Center buildings were unable to hear orders to evacuate, and they perished on 9/11.
That’s not leadership.
As Giuliani runs for president, he uses his mythic 9/11 hero status to hypnotize people into believing he can protect us from terrorists.
But he failed to prepare New York firefighters. So how can we think he’ll actually protect America?
Not only is Giuliani running on 9/11, he’s profiting from the tragedy.
He has become a
multimillionaire pontificating about his role on 9/11.
Giuliani’s biggest single source of income between January 2006 and February 2007 came from speaking engagements around the world. He grossed $11.4 million in speeches, according to papers filed May 16 with the Federal Elections Commission.
That speaks volumes about what motivates him – greed. Even if he loses, he wins, because he can continue to promote himself.
Cramer may be willing to overlook Giuliani’s flaws, but the nation’s professional firefighters aren’t.
Grossbauer is president of the Professional Firefighters of North Dakota and a former firefighter with the Fire Department of New York. He worked for the FDNY, assigned to Engine 71 in the South Bronx, before moving to North Dakota in 1996. E-mail pffndpres@hotmail.com
Yup. EVERYTHING!
The only thing Giuliani has in common with heroes is that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But real heroes don’t try to turn that into the right place at the right time.
noteworthy FReeper quote: "If somebody like ....(place third teir candidate HERE).... isn't the Republican candidate, then we might as well have Hillary as the president!"
I guess I put you on the Hillary for President PING list too...
More gibberish from a member of the obtuse contingent.
I know I hungered to see him on TV at the time; he was a voice of reason and calm.
Doubt Bloomberg could have done the same.
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