GOP Death Wish I: Sir Rudy Giuliani
Newspapers generally and The New York Times in particular have an aversion to calling people liars, preferring to let the facts speak for themselves and leaving it to readers to sort things out on their own.
That is why you’d be hard pressed to find a single Times news story that states in unambiguous terms that The Leader of the Free Word has a predilection for lying despite copious documentation to the contrary. You know who I’m talking about, right?
But Times reporter Michael Cooper comes awfully close to calling Rudy Giuliani not just a liar – but a serial liar — today in a hard-hitting story headlined “Citing Statistics, Giuliani Misses Time and Again.”
After examining a number of Giuliani’s statements pertaining to his tenure as New York City mayor ranging from crime to fiscal responsibility and comparing them to the record, Cooper concludes that:
“All of these statements are incomplete, exaggerated or just plain wrong. And while, to be sure, all candidates use misleading statistics from time to time, Mr. Giuliani has made statistics a central part of his candidacy as he campaigns on his record.”
While there is nothing remotely funny about this sorry record, it is mildly amusing that Giuliani has been quick to call others liars.
It was only yesterday that I wondered how it is so many card-carrying members of the Family Values Party are supporting Rudy despite all his crap and corruption that he is considered to be a front runner.
Well, I’m still wondering.
5 Responses to “GOP Death Wish I: Sir Rudy Giuliani”
Many social conservatives are avoiding Giuliani. Giuliani is a Dem Lite (complete with misconduct problems of his own) and many other non-liberals such as I don’t like him. Those who are compromising their principles are doing so in order to prevent Hillary Clinton from being elected, who would be worse than Giuliani.
Giuliani is too weak (a Dem Lite, from New York, which has a poor lefty reputation, though not as bad as Romney’s alien Massachusetts, a big city mayor — irrelevent to the suburban majority and to rural America — and relying on 9-11 celebrity status) to be a serious alternative to Hillary Clinton, and that includes the swing voters (many of whom are not stereotypical social conservatives) and what they prefer or seek. Aside from his celebrity status, all Giuliani can rely on is widespread antipathy toward Hillary Clinton, and this is being defused by Clinton’s “centrist-moderate” posing prior to next November.
A lot of people don’t give a rap if Giuliani is Dem Lite or GOP Bright. That’s for those who obsess over labels and the purity of ideology.
For most, it’s more important to wonder what kind of president a candidate would make. When a canadidate createes a persona totally divorced from his past, and built on obfuscations and distortions, that sets off alarm bells.
It’s almost as if he expected NYC to disappear when his mayorship ended and not be able to testify as to his record.
I am not averse to politicians changing their minds about issues. Changing one’s mind can show an ability to learn. If a person is not honest about the past, however, that brings into question the sincerity of the conversion in the present.
In Rud’s case, it may not be so much about change, anway.
The old Rudi and the new Rudi both thist for power, pure and simple,and there is no squeemishenss about how Rudi gets what Rudi wants. That’s been my opinion since he first started to campaign on the streets of NYC.
Power for power’s sake is not the kind of motivation I admire. Perhaps his upporters do.
The only thing a lot of Republicans care about is the fact that Rudy can challenge Clinton in blue and purple states. His Clintonesque adventures in Southhampton and campaign lies notwithstanding, they are ready to support anyone who can defeat Hillary. So much for their prized conservative principles. (At least Clinton didn’t announce he was separating from his wife at a press conference BEFORE she knew about his plans to leave.
True. Many people really are that motivated (I would prefer the term “desperate” in many of these instances). He may or may not be as repellent as Hillary (who has been low-key the past several months leading up to her anticipated presidential campaign). Given his record, he’s weak and many are not willing to vote for a Dem Lite rather than the real thing. Many are tired of Bush and it requires someone good, or strong, to keep people willing to consider a Republican candidate seriously, not just to keep Hillary C. out of the White House again. We have experienced many bad things under her in the past, but at least we know what to expect this time; we disagree about her politics but not about her strength or competence. What does Giuliani offer both in these areas and as an alternative to (or true shelter from) Hillary Clinton? (And would Hillary Clinton disappear if she actually lost? I doubt it!)
Giuliani has been a Dem Lite and he is a weak candidate. All he has to ride on is celebrity appeal.
Giuliani has been a Dem Lite and he is a weak candidate. All he has to ride on is celebrity appeal.
Which is built on a house of cards. Yes he went to a few funerals and appeared to show commanding leadership in a time of severe national stress. But hasn’t he milked it for all its worth by now? If you look a little closer, you realize that:
He fired his first police commissioner for getting too much credit in the press, replacing him with the unethical, amoral, unqualified (but loyal!) Bernie Kerik.
He did not follow any of the advice given to him about securing the WTC after the first attack, which made the second more deadly and chaotic.
He was convinced NYC could not do without him after 9/11 (a total fallacy, as Bloomberg has long since proven) and tried to stay on beyond his legal term of service in public office.
He is not the nicest human being- having announced to the world about his intended separation from his second wife, before informing her.
He stands for nothing. He’s not a Democrat or a conservative, but blows with the wind.
He’s more than willing to make up any statistic on any issue if it will bring him a few votes in the GOP primary.
His sole virtue for many conservatives, is that his last name begins with a G instead of a C.