No Giuliani for NY-Gov
Rudy Giuliani, as you can probably guess, is probably the politician I live most in horror of ever reaching high office. We can debate about whether the term “fascist” applies to him (or whether we should use that word in polite company), but he’s vile either way.
Anyway, for some reason he just can’t find a race to his liking. Senator, President, and now, apparently, Governor, with sources telling the New York Times that he’s now ruled out a run (leaving it for Andrew Cuomo if he wants it).
So, I’d say the smart money is now on him never going for public office again, and just sitting in the private sector and speaker circuits rolling in the dough. Which is a-okay with me, all things considered.
The shame about Cuomo is that Patterson actually isn’t doing a bad job.
The NY State Legislature, on the other hand…
Comment by Adam — 11/19/2009 @ 11:47 pm
Weird to hear you say that, because that was sort of my impression about Patterson too, but since I’ve heard precisely nobody echo that sentiment (and since I don’t really follow it very closely), have kept it to myself.
Want to elaborate?
Comment by Brad — 11/20/2009 @ 10:14 am
On the personal side, when he talks about the issues to the press, it’s sensible; he’s also aware that you can’t raise taxes and not expect it to affect the economy (reassuring to me). He doesn’t try to engage in ideological Holy War with anyone and, despite arising from the state legislature (and then unexpectedly to the Governorship) he isn’t, at least any more, mired in the internecine stupidities they are.
On spending, he’s right, we need cuts. He doesn’t pretend things are better than they are and he doesn’t play favourites to protect the unions (the unions, for their part, run a lot of ads blaming him for the cuts as if the state can continue to function without them). Most of all, though, he trying to get the Legislature to do their jobs but doesn’t treat them with contempt (even though most of the rest of us are convinced they deserve it); he has his aims but will apparently negotiate to try to get them.
Stylistically, he’s not flashy, nor is he a self-obsessed narcissist like Spitzer (and, I suspect at least to some extent, Cuomo). He’s not without mistakes, particularly the Caroline Kennedy thing; the completely unecessary leaks stabbing her in the back after she withdrew apparently led to Teddy Kennedy threatening vengeance (I wondered, actually when Obama bigfooted the issue of whether Patterson should run again whether that was something done in part for that purpose).
His big problem is that he has a big problem; the state can’t run in deficit, spending is high and the legislature are dysfunctional. The solution has to involve tough spending cuts. He’s gone out there and taking most of the flak for them and the proposed further ones and, frankly, hasn’t been whining much at all; he just keeps explaining why they’re necessary. In an ideal world he’d be able to bring the Legislature into line, but frankly, I don’t think that’s possible in an immediate way; he has to keep chipping away and negotiating and trying to get something out that, whilst unsatisfactory to everyone, cuts the mustard in balancing the budget.
Comment by Adam — 11/20/2009 @ 11:12 am
Perhaps I’ve spoken too soon.
Nooooo!!!!
The AP reports he’s undecided.
Comment by Brad — 11/20/2009 @ 11:30 am
He has at least a puncher’s chance, I would say, and much less difficulty winning the nomination than was the case in 2008 for the presidential nomination. The thought of Giuliani as Governor or Senator I find less disturbing than the thought of him as President. He wasn’t horrible as Mayor and NYC is most of the money and the people in the state.
Comment by Adam — 11/20/2009 @ 11:36 am
His good record at mayor, which itself did often border on…I don’t know what word to use. Authoritarian? Was before his conversion to America’s chief “screw everything but killing terrorist” advocate. There is nobody, with the exception of Dick Cheney, more hostile to civil liberties than he.
That said, I agree with you, that’d I’d much prefer him as Governor than Senator. I think he’d be competitive in the primary but would ultimately lose against Cuomo. He’s got a real shot at Gillibrand if he can clear the field (and I expect, by bouncing from Gov, the NY GOP will be a lot more inclined to clear the Senate field for him).
Comment by Brad — 11/20/2009 @ 11:44 am
The reason he might have had a chance against Cuomo, I think, is that there’s some residual goodwill for him in NYC. Not a great deal, but more than the Republican candidate might normally expect.
Comment by Adam — 11/20/2009 @ 2:41 pm
There’s also a great deal of animosity for him in NYC. That existed before 911, and I think after the 911 fugue wore off it’s back stronger than ever.
I think a lot of local acceptance of Giuliani is that he was viewed as a governing choice, sort of the no-bullshit roll-up-your-sleeves guy. My guess would be much of the shine has come off on that, for independents and moderates, once he chose to dispel much of that for demagoguery. He seems to be faring worse in New York each time he goes out (worth noting his poor matchups when he was still viable for President in the state against the likes of Hillary Clinton, who Gillibrand strikes me as a decent stand-in for).
Of course, I’m still surprised they reelected Bloomberg, so what do I know.
Comment by Brad — 11/20/2009 @ 4:13 pm
Bloomberg’s intrinsically more popular than the election result, I’d say. He’s also pretty damn competent.
I don’t think that the animosity there is from many toward Giuliani in NYC is the problem; those people are mostly not going to be voting for any GOP candidate. The affection he has from some, particularly those that were pretty pissed off with NYC in the higher crime days, is what’s unusual, I think.
Comment by Adam — 11/20/2009 @ 4:19 pm
Wow, is it just me or did we used to think of Giuliani as the very moderate, competant, reasonable Republican? I used to think that, anyway, right up until he started is ultra-authoritarian crypto-fascist campaign for Duce. Man, what a disgusting person he turned out to be. Or always was and I just didn’t know it. Whatever.
Comment by Jack — 11/20/2009 @ 9:52 pm
And my tolerance for Bloomberg is not that much greater than it is for Hugo Chavez, what with his BS manuevers to end run the term limit thing.
Comment by Jack — 11/20/2009 @ 9:53 pm
He asked the City Council to allow it and they did. I think that term limits are stupid anyhow, but I don’t see what the problem is with going through the proper channels to get the rule changed. While it doesn’t look great, the most likely person to abolish term limits — which, as I say, I think are stupid — is the person butting up against them.
If the stupid “natural born citizen” Constitutional requirement to be President of the USA is ever repealed, I wouldn’t be surprised either if the person driving it wasn’t a natural-born citizen of the USA.
Comment by Adam — 11/20/2009 @ 10:41 pm
Ahhnold
Comment by Cameron — 11/21/2009 @ 12:44 am