It looks like Rudy Giuliani is polling ahead of all the current Democrats at the moment.


I sure hope this does not last as Rudy seems to lack good judgment. (In my opinion) He has yet to be scrutinized on a national stage and if the Democrats stop trading blows with each other and start digging around Rudy’s closet they will come up with many, many skeletons .

I agree, Koz. I don't think Giuliani will stand up under a national spotlight. With the recent increase in Presidential power at the expense of the Constitution, I am concerned that, if elected, he would claim, as he did after 9/11, that it would be necessary him to stay on in office past the end of his term(s). (I think he was quoted as saying that both New York and the country needed him to stay in office. He almost had to be removed from the Mayor's ofice kicking and screaming. Scratches left by his fingernails may still be on the Mayor's desk.*)

Giuliani also has shown problems understanding the First Amendment while serving as Mayor, and was on the losing end of a lawsuit concerning funding by the city to a museum. His actions cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.

His memory also failed him again when he denied saying that any community that wanted to refuse taking garbage from New York City was free to do so (during the 2000 New York State senatorial race between Rudy Giuliani (who later dropped out in favor of Rick Lazio) and Hillary Clinton). This was taken up by Farmersville, New York, who had signed a legal contract to take the NYC garbage. Giuliani then claimed that he never made the statement and threatened the town with legal action in retaliation. Even though Giuliani withdrew from the race, the damage was done to the Republican party, and Clinton won the election with a surprising support from upstate New York.

Giuliani's personal life also raises some serious ethical questions. Giuliani has been married three times. His first marriage was to educator Regina Peruggi on October 26, 1968. It was annulled in 1982 after fourteen years, according to Giuliani, because he discovered he and his wife were second cousins[65] and did not have the Roman Catholic church dispensation thus needed.[66] The couple did not have any children.

Giuliani's second marriage was to local television personality Donna Hanover, on April 15, 1984. They had two children, son Andrew (born January 30, 1986) and daughter Caroline (born 1989). Andrew became a familiar sight with his father at New York Yankees games, of whom Rudy Giuliani is an enthusiastic fan; Andrew also was an accomplished junior golfer.

In May of 2000, the New York Daily News broke news of his relationship to Judith Nathan. Giuliani then called a press conference to announce that he intended to separate from Hanover.[67] [68] [69] Hanover, however, had apparently not been told about his plans before his press conference.[70] Previously, Giuliani had hinted at the relationship by referring to Nathan as his "very good friend." Giuliani went on to praise Nathan as a "very, very fine woman," and said about his marriage with Hanover, that "over the course of some period of time in many ways, we've grown to live independent and separate lives." Hours later Hanover said, "I had hoped that we could keep this marriage together. For several years, it was difficult to participate in Rudy's public life because of his relationship with one staff member." Hanover was referring to Cristyne Lategano, the mayor's former communications director, with whom a 1997 Vanity Fair article reported Giuliani had a romantic relationship.[71] The mayor and Lategano denied the allegations, and continue to deny them.

Giuliani then moved out of Gracie Mansion and into an apartment.[72] Giuliani filed for divorce against Hanover in October 2000[73], and an unpleasant public battle broke out between their representatives.[74] Giuliani and Hanover finally settled their acrimonious divorce case in July 2002, with Giuliani making a $6.8 million settlement to Hanover and granting her custody of their children.[75]

Giuliani subsequently married Judith Nathan on May 24, 2003, and thus gained a stepdaughter, Whitney. - (Wikipedia)

Regarding Kerik, whom Giuliani personally recommened as Secretary of Homeland Security after Giuliani realied that his own appointment would bring out facts that would probably doom it to failure - Kerik was not only known to have unwelcome baggage, but also known to have serious organied crime ties. Yet he was Giuliani's own Police Commissioner of the City of New York.

No, I don't think the Republicans really want Guiliani as their nominee, although, as a Democrat (some say Commie, Pinko, radical, Leftist Liberal who hates America ), I would love to se him running against any of several Democratic contenders. But that's just me. Some people don't mind a man with questionable ethics who appoints crooks and incompetents to important offices as President.



*From Wikipedia -

The 9/11 attack occurred on the scheduled date of the mayoral primary to select the Democratic and Republican candidates to succeed Giuliani. The primary was immediately delayed two weeks to September 25. During this period, Giuliani sought an unprecedented three-month emergency extension of his term, from its scheduled expiration on January 1 to April 1, due to the circumstances of the emergency besetting the city. He threatened to challenge the law imposing term limits on elected New York City officials and run for another full four-year term, if the primary candidates did not consent to permit the extension of his mayoralty.[47]

According to CybercastNewsService.com , Giuliani seriously considered running for Mayor on the Conservative ticket if he was not allowed to stay on. (This despite the law limiting him to 2 terms.) He would have then let the courts decide the issue. This, of course, would have made a mess of the election and put NYC in a legal minefield with regard to the running of the city. But apparently, that wasn't important ti him, only holding on to office was. He later changed his mind when someone convinced him that he couldn't win in court, even if he won the election.

Rudy Guiliani certainly does make an interesting candidate. I had forgotten about the museum lawsuit. In looking it up then I remembered:

With a mission to trace the major themes in 20th-century art, Bourgeau’s work, among other things, alluded to the recent British “Sensations” show that was hotly criticized by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who threatened to cut off city funding for the Brooklyn Museum of Art. While the “Sensations” show featured Chris Ofili’s portrait of the Virgin Mary, which was adorned with elephant dung and thereby perceived as sacrilege to some Christians. Bourgeau says he presented a “safe” version/reference in his Bathtub Jesus with an antique tub and 18” doll wearing a condom. The work was innocuous, says Bourgeau, it wasn’t even a condom; but a finger protector for counting money. He said the work itself didn’t become shocking until people read the title.

http://www.detroitmona.com/dia_censors_jef_bourgeau.htm

Guiliani will certainly not lose any votes over this As for the skeletons in his closet, I doubt very seriously any of these things already listed will make a difference. During the 9-11 crisis, Guiliani has shown he can lead during a crisis.

Here is the one issue that could very well make the difference on whether he is nominated or not by the Republican Party. The subject of abortion, Rudy has been Pro-Choice. Conservative Republicans do not like that. If Guiliani is to get nominated, we will have to see how he works around that hurdle.

The problem is not that Giuliani felt it was wrong for the city shouldn't pay for what he considered offensive. The problem is that he didn't see that it was a cut and dried First Amendment issue, and a sure loser in court. (As an attorney, he should have known that on his own, even if he was a former prosecutor; he can't blame any advisors.) Giuliani spent all that taxpayer money just to look good to the voters. There was no chance of winning that lawsuit, and he should have known that. It seems to me that we have had enough poor planning by the White House recently, and we really don't need more of the same.

As far as his ability to lead in a crisis, what is to stop him from trying to claim that the US will be in a crisis at the end of his term(s) and that the term limit laws should be suspended for him? After all, he tried that once in a job that had a 2 term limit. In the Mayor's office, he wasn't Commander-in-Chief of a huge military. As President, he would be. Would we see the Military follow illegal orders so that he keeps power? An honest look back would tell us that the Republicans would have done what they could to keep Reagan in office for another term (or so) and the same could be said for the Democrats about Clinton. Neither, however, controlled Congress at the right time. But what if they did?

So, with Giuliani, we have a man who tried to subvert his state constitution and didn't understand the single most important Amendment to the US Constitution, along with a man who appointed known crooks and incompetents to high positions. Haven't we had enough of that, too?

Don't take what I say as anti-Republican. I like many of Giuliani's positions. But he is "ethically-challenged" at best, has placed very questionable people in very powerful positions, and either doesn't understand basic law or thinks it shouldn't apply to him. He would be a dangerous President.

quote:

Originally posted by DorianGreyed:

But he is "ethically-challenged" at best, has placed very questionable people in very powerful positions, and either doesn't understand basic law or thinks it shouldn't apply to him. He would be a dangerous President.

I think most all of the Republicans in office must have had the same teachers!

Ah, heck, I like Rudy, even though his politics and mine are a little different. He does, however, have this high powered microscope that will focus on him for a Presidential run.

John McCain seems to have trouble, too. Though a number of Democrats like him, I don't know that they will vote for him.

Mitt Romney is also a bit to the left of my comfort zone, but is a candidate that may spark my interest.

Folks, you simply have to win the South to be President. 100 million people live here, if you count Texas and Missouri which share economic and cultural similarities. And the South nearly votes as one. None of the above candidates has a lot of strength here. Neither do likely opponents Clinton and Obama. Interesting race ahead.