The Perils of Rudy's 9/11 Strategy
When Rudy Giuliani left office, nobody imagined that a half decade later New Yorkers would again be confronted with the death of firefighters in a building unoccupied since September 11, 2001, or that Ground Zero would still be a hole in the ground. In that light, this week's deadly Deutsche Bank fire serves to further burnish Mr. Giuliani's special claim to 9/11 greatness, which one GOP hand calls "the lynchpin of his candidacy, something he needs to guard and preserve."
Yet despite the contrast between Mr. Giuliani's swift moves to decontaminate and rebuild the site and the inaction since he left office, his 9/11 record may prove his undoing.
For all of Mr. Giuliani's success in bringing crime down and pulling the city back from the verge of economic collapse, his popularity had plunged during his second term, as his confrontational demeanor, aborted Senate run against Hillary Clinton and ugly divorce reminded New Yorkers just how dislikable the mayor could be. As of September 10th, 2001, Rudy Giuliani had no future in elected office.
All that changed when the Towers were struck.
Mr. Giuliani's run for the presidency has been predicated on his actions after the attacks—his shining hour, as it were. By focusing on that, and by speaking only in generalities about the previous years spent "turning the city around," the Giuliani campaign has helped insulate his mayoral record from criticism on the right about his liberal stances as mayor on gun control, abortion and immigration.
Thus far, the gamble has paid off. With no declared candidate igniting the passions of the conservative base, Republican voters have embraced the former mayor's brand of strength and leadership.
Democratic attacks and media hit pieces (most recently in The New Yorker and Harper's keyed in on the one-name scandals every New Yorker can reel off: Louima and Dorismond; Kerik and Harding; Donna, Andrew and Caroline. None of this has dented his numbers among Republican primary voters, who mostly see the mayor as the man who turned around an ungovernable city.
But Mr. Giuliani's real problem is the very thing that has been regarded until now as his greatest strength: his strong association with post-9/11 leadership.
Ironically, that brand was strengthened when his request for an additional 90 days in office—highly unpopular at the time—to oversee the rebuilding process was turned down. Instead of a longer record of specific decisions and events that likely could have fed ammunition to critics and opposition researchers, he was left with the symbolic significance of his short stint unvarnished.
It is Michael Bloomberg and other elected officials have left the process in the hands of slow-moving and politically insulated bureaucrats. (Headline in the Aug. 22 Daily News: "Tragic Blame Game.")
Yet it is Mr. Giuliani who has the most to lose from the constant trickle of stories about first responders who've fallen ill (and who Mr. Bloomberg is fighting against providing with health benefits), new human remains discovered at the site, communications devices failing, and buildings decaying—not to mention attacks from politically antagonistic firefighter unions and 9/11 widows.
Mr. Giuliani has shown signs that he is aware of this vulnerability. Last September 11, he told the AP: "'I spent as much time here as anyone. She did. She did,' Giuliani said, indicating his wife, Judith, and his spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel. ‘[Deputy Mayor] Joe Lhota did, and Joe got ill. [Deputy Mayor] Rudy Washington did and Rudy clearly got sick as a result of September 11.'"
But his efforts to defend his record risk doing more harm than good, as was the case last week, when he said that he "was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers" and that he was "exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to."
In response, the Times issued a report tracking his time at Ground Zero (29 hours between September 17 and December 16 of 2001), and critics pounced, with International Association of Firefighters President and frequent Rudy foil Harold Schaitberger declaring, "On 9/11 all he did was run. He got that soot on him, and I don't think he's taken a shower since."
Mr. Giuliani did put his health on the line, and deserves credit for it. But the aggressive comparison about his physical role at Ground Zero with those of the first responders and volunteers who worked on the pile upset the delicate political balance by which he had benefited from his 9/11 record without appearing to exploit it.
As Mr. Giuliani must now be well aware, he is as little as one news development or poorly framed comment away from having the rationale for his political campaign pulled from under his feet.
Harry Siegel is the co-author of Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life.
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Well said. Giuliani is such a fraud that even his hagiographers are starting to admit the truth.
9/11 Truth Now. Let's Make History 2007. A Week of Events
NEW YORK CITY
Watch the terrific promotional video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs_JNKw9dh0
The "9/11 list-serv" distributes daily e-mails containing newspaper articles and other relevant information re: 9/11 issues of interest to 9/11 families, 9/11 organizations and interested individuals.
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The "9/11 list-serv" distributes daily e-mails containing newspaper articles and other relevant information re: 9/11 issues of interest to 9/11 families, 9/11 organizations and interested individuals.
The 9/11 List-serv archives can be accessed at
http://groups.google.com/group/911-list-serv
Wow. Yes, everyone knows that Harry is a nearly-retarded sycophant, but not even the dumbest conservatives agree with Harry's brain-dead claim that say, DOUBLING NYC's 300-year-old debt in JUST 8 YEARS is a sign of how great Rudy was on economic decisions.
Do you REALLY believe this, Harry?
Of course not. YOu're just an asskisser like your dad.
Which is why Harry has chickened out of any public debate with me for years.
Hey Harry, if you don't trust your brain, why should anyone else?
FACT: Rudy was the most fiscally reckless and liberal mayor IN HUMAN HISTORY and I'll debate anyone publicly.
GIULIANISCANDALS dot BLOGSPOT dot COM
President Rudolph Giuliani is tantamount to Sanjaya as American Idolworship. Could it happen only if most of the country is brain-dead. Oh -oh!
This writer and you New Yorkers never cease to amaze me from the comments section. Mr. Giuliani runs for President and you folks six years later want to make him the scapegoat for every negative issue about 911. You had so many heroes during the 911 tragedy and then Democratic politics has to be instilled to the dramatic events that took place. Everyone in the country admired you folks for the great job you guys did. Just like Katrina, President Bush was the bad guy for creating the hurricane, for not driving the buses himself, for not running the state of Louisiana instead of the Governor. FEMA and the Federal Government were way down the line, until everyone else, like the New Orleans mayor, the Governor, and N.O. city officials did there job. But the President gets the blame. How come no other states like Mississippi, and Alabama had problems. Because of Democratic politics. I didn't blame the Commandant of the Marine Corp or President Nixon when I stepped on a land mine in Vietnam. It happened and I went on with my life. Now New York is trying to pin the blame on Rudy Giuliani for firefighter getting sick. Yes, maybe he should of asked the question to the Fire Chief and Firefighters Union President, (A Democrat political hack), should your firefighters wear respirators or cover themselves with a special suit, but you guys were trying to save lives of your brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Time was of the essence and the firefighters, police and other first responders went in without any regard for there own safety. Now six years later you want to blame Rudy for a decision that I don't think was his. I think other folks are to blame. He happen to be at the Command Center making decisions after consulting with the leaders of each group. I remember when David Dinkins was running NY city and it was a cesspool. How do you think he would of done? New York politics is vicious. I know you great Americans will do the right thing. I bet when those firefighters, police, veterans, and yes Democrat men and women get in the voting booth in 2008 and cast there vote for either Hillary or Rudy to be President, I would suspect when no one is looking, that your going to vote for Rudy Giuliani a true New Yorker. Please don't tarnish the great job you folks did during a difficult time. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for instilling politics in everything. They always want to blame Republicans for any tragedy that happens.
Go Rudy in 2008
100% disabled Vietnam Veteran,
Steve H USMC retired in California
Actually, Steve H USMC retired in California, your facts are wrong about Rudy's role on 9/11. Most notably: he was NOT in the Command Center on that day, because the Command Center was located in the World Trade Towers complex, and was rated unsafe for inhabitants.
Why, one must ask, would someone be so stupid as to locate the city's Command Center in the ONLY U.S. building to be attacked since the War of 1812?! You would have to ask Rudy, as it was his decision.
How dare you tell New Yorkers how to view the events of 9/11! Stay in California, you troglodyte!
Eli, your so shortsighted. There's always a Incident Command Center for an emergency of this magnitude. When 911 occured and 7 World Trade Center collapsed, the original Command Center, your incredible statement. Don't try and patronize me in thinking that you caught me in a mistake, you only belittle yourself. The decision was made to set up an Incident Command Center at the Police Academy. This was verified at the 911 Commission hearing of, former Commissioner of NYC OEM, Richard J. Sheirer. His statement was that the ICC was set up within 2 1/2 hours of the catastrophe. The cities response was extraodirnary. The Fire and Police Dept. were performing beyond expectation. Under the leadership of Mayor Giuliani, Police Commissioners Safir and Kerik, Fire Chief Von Essen, Police and Fire Departments the cooperation was unparalled. The goal was to save lives and everyone performed there duties and responsibilities with exemplary fashion. There's always a chain of command and you just don't pin the blame of things that go wrong on the person you don't like. You really need some help, telling me and everyone else that they shouldn't have a viewpoint on an American tragedy. What do live at Stalag 13? I love California, and New Yorker's, but most of all I love this country. That is something I think you lack. Don't liberals always resort to name calling? Why don't you try saying Ape (troglodyte), instead of thinking that you are some kind of intellectual.
Steve H. USMC ret. Mr. California