There was no better mayor than Rudy Giuliani. His political opponents can try all they want to take that away from him, but those of us who love New York know better.
Rudy tamed the wild streets. That city was held in the death grip of violence when Giuliani took office (much as our city is now). When Rudy left office, the violence was down to levels it hadn’t seen since the 1960s. Those who had been predicting the death knell for New York as a viable town were proven wrong and, though Rudy didn’t do it alone, it happened on his watch.
While Giuliani was mayor, I often thought, "Here is a Republican for whom I could cast my vote." His governing philosophy — tough on crime, fiscally conservative and socially liberal — seemed right for the vast part of America, not just the urban streets of New York. It is true, as his critics claim, if it were not for 9/11 Giuliani would have left New York with much of his popularity gone. But in my mind, that didn’t detract from his considerable accomplishments.
People often rally around a tough leader in times of war and then desert them when peace sets in. Giuliani was suffering the same fate as Churchill. Once he had pacified the streets, voters began yearning for an easier hand on the reins.
Giuliani’s immense national popularity after 9/11 overshadowed his very real accomplishments running the city. Some say he did not deserve the praise lavished on him for healing his population after the horrific event struck its core. The main criticisms deal with Rudy’s lack of preparation prior to 9/11. He put the command center in an area he should have known would be vulnerable. His treatment of the firefighters has come under attack from that union’s leaders. All of this may be true, but none of the criticism diminishes the strong leadership he showed after 9/11. If the "heroism" of Giuliani is overblown, then so is the criticism.
So it was when Rudy announced his candidacy for president, I felt he was well-qualified and formidable. It is not so long ago New York City was considered ungovernable. Giuliani proved that wrong. Now many believe Washington can’t be governed, so why couldn’t Giuliani accomplish the same thing?
Sometimes running for president changes a person and it has changed Rudy Giuliani. The qualities that leavened his toughness are gone. He is no longer a social liberal willing to fight for a woman’s right to choose or for gays to have equal rights. Gone is the Rudy who dared to move in and share a home with two gay men. Gone is the Rudy who would poke fun at himself by dressing in drag.
While Frank Rich of The New York Times (no Giuliani supporter) thinks Rudy’s election would repudiate the supposed clout of right-wing evangelicals, I think just the opposite. Rudy has sold his political soul to the evangelicals. His social positions are so muddled, he is almost indistinguishable from any of the other Republican candidates. Ironically, all Rudy’s pandering to the Christian right may go for naught. He is still viewed with suspicion by that group. Giuliani can’t escape his three marriages. He can pander all he wants, he still represents in the minds of many evangelicals the depravity of the big city.
Rudy has become hard line all the way. The man who made New York a sanctuary city now runs away from that image and is a Johnny OneNote on immigration. He fully supports Bush’s misguided war in Iraq, and worse, tries to out-tough the other candidates on Iran. Like Bush, he supports torture as a policy without saying so (water boarding is torture).
What may be even more disturbing is Giuliani does not recognize the limitations the Constitution places on the powers of the presidency. After eight years of George W. Bush running roughshod over the Constitution, Giuliani promises more of the same. Giuliani the Candidate runs as the one protecting us from our fears and it is in his interest to keep us scared.
On healthcare, it is easier for Rudy to state what he opposes rather than what he supports. Healthcare for children is "socialized medicine." Ensuring even the most poor among us have decent healthcare is "socialized medicine." If Medicare were up for a vote today, Rudy would be against it as "socialized medicine."
I don’t take any pleasure in seeing Giuliani turn into a cartoon of old-line Republicanism. I admit there is some ethnic pride at stake and I think, given the long-standing involvement of Italian Americans in politics, it would be wonderful to see one of us move into the White House.
Once I could have voted for the old Rudy; The new Rudy is just Bush in a Yankees cap.
