Thompson Seeks an Edge as an Old Giuliani Foe Steps in to Help a New One

New York Times ^ | October 6, 2007 | Sam Roberts

[Doofer]

In his autobiography, Alfonse M. D’Amato, the former senator from New York, wrote with what may have been unintended irony that the day two decades ago on which he and Rudolph W. Giuliani donned undercover disguises to expose drug dealing was “the high point of our alliance.”

Now, the on-again, off-again, on-again relationship of Mr. D’Amato and Mr. Giuliani has taken another twist. Not only has Mr. D’Amato been prepping Fred D. Thompson, the former television actor and senator from Tennessee, for next Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, in mock encounters he has also been playing the role of Mr. Giuliani.

[chaos_5]

"Rudy was first a Democrat who became a Republican just to get a job in a Republican administration, and he’s not done yet,”

Not much left to say after this little factoid.

[Doofer]

More from D’Amato.

“Rudy was first a Democrat who became a Republican just to get a job in a Republican administration, and he’s not done yet,” Mr. D’Amato complained in one of their off-again periods. “There is no philosophical underpinning to him. There is one of a total amoral philosophy.” At another point he said, referring to Mr. Giuliani, “Just because you studied for the priesthood doesn’t mean you tell the whole truth.”

[Doofer]

Not much left to say after this little factoid.

Beat me to it.

[Rudder]

I read the excerpt only. I get uneasy when the NYT writes about Fred. It’s like watching a monster shark circling prey.

[kbennkc]

Senator Pothole hates Rudy’s guts and knows just where to kick him .

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Oooh...

I’ve been thinking that Tuesday is going to be an interesting night. First off, Fred has overshadowed the last two debates from off-stage. Now, he’s going to need to do something big ON the stage. Knowing Fred, I can’t imagine he’d let the opportunity pass.

He can’t attack on pro-life or social issues, because Huckabee is going to be right there to attack Fred from the right. But Rudy has so many weaknesses that he CAN attack, making Huckabee’s attacks look petty.

I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m definitely interested in watching one of these silly debates for once. :)

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Yeah, Fred’s the shark and the Times is a minnow that he can choose to eat or let live. It’s all up to Fred. :)

[kbennkc]

If Huckleberry tries working in any of those phony canned “holier than youalls” little funnies with Senator Thompson , it is going to be must see TV .

[Politicalmom]

PING!!

[Reagan Man]

Actually, Rooty was a Democrat who became an Independent in 1975, so he could get a job in the Ford adminstration. Rooty became a Republican in 1980, in the hope of securing a job within a possible Reagan administration.

Helen Giuliani said of her son:

"He only became a Republican after he began to get all these jobs from them. He's definitely not a conservative Republican. He thinks he is, but he isn't. He still feels very sorry for the poor."

[papasmurf]

““All you have to do is convey Rudy as Rudy is and you bring out the worst.””

Priceless.

[shrinkermd]

"...In 1994, Mr. Giuliani endorsed Mr. Cuomo over Mr. D’Amato’s candidate for governor, George E. Pataki, warning that “ethics will be trashed” if the “D’Amato-Pataki crew ever get control.”

There is a difference between jealousy and envy. In jealousy the aim is to totally posses the person in question. In envy the aim is to destroy the person in question.

D'Amato's envy has not succeeded. Indeed, he only destroyed his own political chances in trying to destroy Giuliani's.

Fred Thompson may or may not learn from D'Amato. If he is wise, he will not follow D'Amoto's path into mindless envy.

[Dr. Sivana]

D'Amato's envy has not succeeded. Indeed, he only destroyed his own political chances in trying to destroy Giuliani's.

Uh . . . D'Amato's man, Pataki, WON that race despite Giuliani supporting a flagship leftist. NY state was already substantially corrupt, and Cuomo did nothing to change that. With Pataki, it was business as usual, as the corruption is bi-partisan. If Giuliani had a serious issue with Pataki or D'Amato, he could have stayed silent on the race. That would express disapproval without supporting the Dem. Instead, he pulls a John Warner.

D'Amato DID lose his next election in 1998. Giuliani's non-support was only one factor of many. D'Amato had shot off his mouth way too much, had moved left on social issues--losing him more votes than he gained and Schumer was a much stronger candidate Holtzman, Green or Abrams.

Except for the '86 election, D'Amato NEVER won a majority of the vote, being to the right of what the city-dwellers could bear. He benefited in '80 from the defeated liberal Republican incumbent Jacob Javits running in the general election as the Liberal candidate. His Senator Pothole role was absolutely necessary for two reasons. One, he needed to give independents a reason to vote for him. Two, he had to undo some of the damage done by the principled Jim Buckley, whose anti-spending ways cost the state as a whole in terms of federal support. (Buckley, of course was right, but being right has consequences in a liberal state).

So, while the Giuliani feud did not help things, D'Amato probably would have lost in '98 anyway.

[trisham]

“There is no philosophical underpinning to him. There is one of a total amoral philosophy.”

**************

Wow. Exactly right.

[TitansAFC]

I always did like Alfonse M. D’Amato.

;-)

[Doofer]

"There is no philosophical underpinning to him. There is one of a total amoral philosophy.” **************

Wow. Exactly right.

And many who frequent FR are in that same boat in my opinion, sorry to say...

And you guys/gals feel free to flame away...

[Brices Crossroads]

“mindless envy...”

That is a bit harsh. Ed Koch shares the same view of Rudy that D’Amato does. When America gets a view of his true personality rather than what is filtered through his 9/11 prism, they will not see tough. They will see “mean”, an adjective that Koch has frequently applied to him.

He has an ego as tall as the Empire State Building and his arrogance (whether it is rudeness in dealing with others, taking cell phone calls to diss stalwart Republican groups, being late for events)will not play well outside of New York, where there are few Republicans.

I think your criticism of D’Amato is harsh particularly because you are an apologist for Rudy. D’Amato nearly always voted prolife and was generally a conservative during his three terms in the Senate, in spite of representing a leftist state. Rudy is not now, nor was he ever, a conservative.

D’Amato knows his weak points, and he has plenty (from Cuomo to handgun control to partial birth abortion to endorsement of Bill Clinton’s policies as close to his own). Fred is a 12th Commandment guy who, I predict, is going to begin to lower the ideological boom on this poseur starting on Tuesday night.

[trisham]

And many who frequent FR are in that same boat in my opinion, sorry to say...

And you guys/gals feel free to flame away...

**************

Apparently they all agree. :)

[finnman69]

D’Amato giving advice is the kiss of death. He got his ass handed to him by Chuckie Schumer