Giuliani Wants His Cut If He Helps GOP Fundraisers

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani already has seen his Presidential hopes fizzle in the primaries and his latest policy will not enhance his future popularity among Republicans: he is asking for a cut of the take if he helps fundraisers:

With the Republican Party in need of money for the November elections, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has offered to appear at fund-raisers around the country for G.O.P. candidates. But there is a catch: He wants some cash out of the deal.

Mr. Giuliani’s aides have told the National Republican Congressional Committee and Congressional candidates that if he makes an appearance, he wants the candidates to help him get rid of his presidential campaign debt.

The unusual request underscores the financial predicament Mr. Giuliani finds himself in, after he ended his presidential bid this year with roughly $3.6 million in campaign debt. Traditionally, prominent party figures help lower-tier candidates by headlining fund-raising events in return for good will and future political alliances, but do not receive funds themselves.

Giuliani’s debt includes some $500,000 he loaned to his own campaign. The Giuliani campaign debt was a major story towards the end of his campaign – one of several ironies for the former Mayor who, like Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, was at one point perceived as a seeming shoo-in for his party’s nomination.

The New York Times article also has this:

Mr. Giuliani’s move has irritated some of his Republican colleagues, who say that the arrangement would put an additional strain on candidates who in many cases are struggling to raise money. Some say rather than making a generous gesture, the former mayor is seeking to tap local candidates’ donors.

The arrangement Mr. Giuliani is seeking was described by several Republican operatives, members of Congress and their aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity either because discussions to set up events are continuing or they did not want to be seen criticizing Mr. Giuliani, who still retains some of his national celebrity status.

“In a year when our candidates are struggling to raise money, this is just another burden,” said a leading Republican Party strategist, who was briefed about the mayor’s request. “This is not about helping the party. This is about helping Rudy Giuliani.”

This kind of request is bound to bite Giuliani on his you-know-what if he has any future national Republican ambitions. Such national ambitions would at this point seem highly Quixotic, since his failed primary strategy will be pointed to for years by political consultants and political science professors as a quintessential wrong strategy. The prospect of him becoming President vanished as quickly as his comb-over.

On the other hand, if Giuliani has ambitions in New York state it appears as if a door is open to him if he wants it:

When voters in a new Quinnipiac poll out today were asked who they’d like to elect as governor in 2010, Michael Bloomberg came out on top, slightly edging out Rudy Giuliani.

The survey gave respondents four choices: Bloomberg, Giuliani, David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo.

Paterson, who enjoys a 67-20 approval rating according to this poll, came in third.

Here are the numbers:

30 percent for Bloomberg
26 percent for Giuliani
23 percent for Paterson
15 percent for Cuomo

Governor Giuliani?

If he goes for it, he’ll need money. Fast. (Read this post from the beginning…)