Arianna on Giuliani's Business Conflicts, with Keith Olbermann

Arianna discusses potential negative PR for Rudy Giuliani's campaign after Time disclosed the shady past of several companies Giuliani's consulting group worked with.

Comments

[amhcw]

And, in particular: Amy Goodman (Democracy Now at 6pm on Link TV: 375 on Direct TV)

[Democrab]

Other than the Patriots, Olbermann is the only show in town.

It's good to see our hero, Arianna on this show so often.

It certainly lends credibility to the writers and readers of Huffpo, when she appears on the most significant political TV show of our time.

[Pat15]

Amazing a very powerful nation such as US & its citizens are scared of a 2 bit Al Quida with soilders who have no boots, old AK-47 rifles & move around on foot...What a shame that these neocons take advantage of fear mongering & the cluless citizens buy into it ...
If the neocons & the Decider had the right strategy we would have wiped out these SOB but alas Booosh attacked a nation which had nothing to do with 911...the sad adventure in Iraq & our nation is paying heavily in lives of soilders, money & our reputaion...
Amen

[TheKiddy]

I am taking this opportunity to ask why Keith and Arianna have John Edwards on ignore. If not now, when? And if Bill Maher is reading these comments, now is the time for all good men...

[Jane22]

I caught it last night, Arianna. Just keep on speaking out. Tell all that we meet and the word will spread. I seldom even turn on the T.V. Dobbs and MSM are just annoying to me! Why get aggravated when you don't have to.

[timothyi]

You asked why Giuliani gets away with sticking to irrelevant talking points and is still standing in spite of his lies.
I think it has less to do with Giuliani and more to do with the kind of people that support him.

His supporters are right wing authoritarians who have no problem holding several mutually exclusive facts in their heads, for example: I believe what Giuliani tells me because he says he is an honest man. Honest men do not lie or embezzle. Giuliani lied and embezzled. Giuliani is an honest man.

Evangelicals and neocons have no problem with these kinds of contradictions; they are simply wired differently. Giuliani doesn't lose their support for the same reason 30% of Americans STILL think Bush is a great president. W and Rudy could stand on stage and bite the heads off kittens and their supporters wouldn't waver in their support. They would just find a way to blame it on the democrats, and would believe it with all their hearts.

[havingalaugh]

All of this is interesting but here's a real important question. What the hell happened to Rudy's comb-over? You'd think with all the money he's made over the last 5 or 6 years he'd be able to get his hair back. If I want a bald president (and that includes you Fred) I'd vote for Howie Mandel, Michael Jordan, or even Sean Connery.

[NWReader]

In the 1980's, Hank Asher smuggled cocaine in Florida. He wasn't convicted, but has admitted it privately. In 1992 he founded Database Technologies (later called DBT) a data mining company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Asher

Asher ousted by board member Kenneth Langone when his smuggling became known in 1999. http://web.archive.org/web/20030805062509/http://www.naplesnews.com/03/08/florida/d923085a.htm

Kenneth Langone is the former director of the NYSE, and co-founder of ChoicePoint, a rival datamining company. http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2005/03/21/story1.html?page=1

Asher founded eData in 1998. In 2000, eData tapped Dale H. Renner, former global managing partner of Andersen Consulting's CRM practice, as its President and CEO. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_Oct_25/ai_66318386

eData renamed Seisint in 1999. Later it's referrred to Seisint, formerly known as eData or similar.

ChoicePoint acquired DBT in 2000. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3755/is_200002/ai_n8880563

ChoicePoint, using DBT technology, is associated with Florida voter fraud debacle in the 2000 president election. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A99749-2001May30

Seisint spins off eDirect.com, online data firm, that will become Naviant and eventually sold to Equifax for $135 million in 2003. Michael Brauser, CEO, continues to oversee operations. Seisint retains ties to Naviant. http://books.google.com/books?id=XoNVsYHYWwUC&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=seisint+edirect+naviant&source=web&ots=hui4vbMfVJ&sig=mJWaDYbVMMYiv6Ktzk8RUYjxGoM

LexisNexis buys Seisint For $775 Million - Data Firm's Matrix Tool Generated Controversy - July 15, 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50577-2004Jul14.html

The ACLU has been watching Seisint.
http://www.aclu.org/privacy/spying/14999res20040210.html
=============
Asher, his companies and their subsidies, are deeply embedded in data collection, data mining, and selling access to data. This is the kind of information that makes it possible for other guys, like Frank Luntz, to create brilliant, targeted messages that convince voters. Isn't it interesting that the guy who has such a cozy relationship with Giuliani, was also responsible for the technology that handed the 2000 election to Bush?

[Qbear]

GREAT show, and I appreciate the warning that teflon Rudy has escaped MANY other scanals which should have ened his career and didn't

Still I rely on the basic Amrican fear and loathing of Drag Queens. The day America elects a cross dressing commander-in-chief,
I'll hot oil wrestle Karl Rove naked....ick ick cik!

[outnow]

Rudy jumped up on a platform while George W. Bush read My Pet Goat to a second grade class in Florida. Rudy held the bullhorn like a real man while Bush's knees buckled. The nation was reassured. We felt that someone was in control of the situation, one who had fought crime, made New York safe, and who took took the helm of state courageously.

Rudy declined the ten million dollar check proffered by a sheik as the cameras rolled. What a class act! Even for a Republican. Very impressive!

The check was a "here clean up the mess, condescending act, despicable and beneath contempt." No, we would not take their filthy money. Or would we?

As it turns out, behind the scenes, that is exactly what Rudy was doing. And, as we discover more, that's exactly what the Bush family had been doing for decades. Then we found out that the Carlyle Group and Enron and well, the devil himself has these guys in their pocket. No big surprise. That's capitalism - money knows no country and neither does oil.

In fact, oil caused 9-11. Anybody really surprised?

Arianna said it best: Rudy is a man looking for a "BALCONY." HE FOUND THAT BALCONY ON 9-11.

With the balcony and the bullhorn came the fountainhead of money which Rudy rolls in now. Just let him wallow in his ill-gotten loot from 9-11 - others have profited even more handsomely - politically or economically; and we know who they are.; a scarlet letter should be worn around the necks of those who have made terror and oil their business. May the choke on their wads of money!

Meanwhile, listen to the firefighters who were exposed to asbestos, just as Rudy's ill-gotten booty was exposed. Cast your vote accordingly.

[kellygrrrl]

I cannot imagine who in the world would vote for JulieAnnie ... except maybe a mob crime boss.
Are the Republican voters actually desperate and/or crazy enough to think this guy is worthy of their vote?

[HDR]

The simple and sad fact is that the election (only one) of Bush and his subsequent record has set the standard as low as possible while still meeting the qualifications to be president. Subsequently, anyone (including Rudi) following him will be, and appear to be an improvement. The damage is done. The Repubs won a long time ago.

[truth101]

The people of IOWA should send a message
to everyone -- Rudy and his Partners
can't get elected
because
IOWANS
know a
CON JOB
when
they
see
it.

[roxie]

That Rudy is still in the race shows how far our county has fallen. Chris Matthews , constantly, bashs Hillary while gushing over Rudy. Chris is the same guy that thought Bush image should be on Rushmore. While I do not support Hillary, it seems Matthews is driven to bring her down while another with crook ties is his hero. The clean up of NYC began before Rudy was Mayor, and any one could run around with a mask on their face after 9/11. For any one to overlook his past becaus of his questionable 9/11 actions makes them look totally uninformed. I know it shounds impossible, but Rudy would make Bush look like a choir boy.

[vippy]

If we even consider Guiliani then we have set our standards very low. His wrong doings are so blatantly in our face and still people find that acceptable.