The Real Rudy

All year, many New Yorkers have been trying to tell their friends in other parts of the country that there's another Rudy Giuliani than the one they're seeing in debates -- the bully boy who should spell his first name with an "e."

Now they -- and all of Giuliani's critics -- are about to have a 55-hour treasure trove of material to work with. It's as if a revealing but non-legally-incriminating version of the tapes of Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon were out there for everyone to hear, hiding in plain sight before they got to the White House.

Read the whole column here.

Comments

[donnybrkgr]

I can't wait til they drag out photos/comments of Rudy with his corrupt buddy Alphonse D'Amato.

[2008WakingFromaNightmare]

If only he had a rich daddy .. then he could just have this all purged or tossed in a waste basket.

[BrooklynC]

Giuliani's administration was an exercise in mob rule--not that mob (on whose fringes his ex-con father existed). He was a bully who used racism and resentment to marginalize minorities, liberals, Republicans who didn't agree with him, ferret owners, art lovers, advertisers, the press, even the police--anyone who rubbed him the wrong way. I look forward to the soon-to-be­-desperate Romney campaign airing the truth about his awful man. Out of the mouths of Republicans will come the opposition research that ought to bury the Giuliani candidacy. That and the truth about his gold-digging partner-in-adultery wife.

[givemycountryback]

The man is a lying cheating creep. I have no use for anyone who treats his family like he did. Completely selfish. He'll be dumping this one for a younger version. Maybe Brittney.
Or KarenHughes.

[Nommo]

Or a second cousin.

[nancytheragingliberal]

Yes, creep is my fav. word. Thanks for using it. I can see dumping this one for Brittney, but Karen Hughes? She would mow over him like a mega ton cannon. He is a frightening man. We have to keep these repub's out of office until the end of time. Thanks Jonathan for a great post.

[Qbear]

The PUBLIC declaration to his second wife that he wanted a divorce ON AIR, should be in Rudy'd hall of fame....so tasteful.

[nancytheragingliberal]

She cried on TV. It was heartbreaking for her and their children. He should not be rewarded the role of Pres. He will be a horror.

[SamEllison]

Jon, I am a Yankee fan that has in the past listened to the games on the radio. While Rude' was mayor he would visit the radio both during the home fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. One day game during the 2001 season, prior to Sept, Hizzonor stated for the listening radio world and in the presence of his son how wonderful it was to wake-up every morning next to his girlfriend. This was while he was still married to another woman. That tape with John Sterling calling the play-by-play would make a wonderful campaign commercial.

[Stevelagain]

Rudy's support of the 45 million baby genocied in america called abortion is going to kill his chances of being president.­..Ironic isn't it?

The conservative base of the Republican party will not come out en-mass and support him. His pro gay-marriage stance is also a show stopper. The tapes don't make much difference. What conservative cares if their candidate pissed off some caller on a radio show? It certainly wouldn't drive them away.

Not people who hate Hillary and think the country goes down the socialist drain if she gets the Whitehouse­....Rudi's problem is he is just as undesirable to the conservatives as Hillary is. And that means many will stay home and not vote, and others will vote but not for the office of president. It only takes a couple of percent to swing an election in the US.

Rudi will cause that many to stay home....he can't win in my opinion. Not unless you on the left find a way to run Osama or Stalin.

[Halsey]

Steve...sa­y what? Do you realize..S­talin was no more a true marxist/co­mmunist.. than W is a compassionate conservati­ve..both are basically facists...­govemental control...­period..en­d of story...

YOUR government has grown exponentially under W/Cheney..­.we have the equivalent of the Stazi...

did you know that it IS possible to be fiscally conservative (i.e., responsibl­e)..and socially liberal..(­i.e., yeah..give poor kid their innoculations and a decent education.­.and while you're at it..fix the infratruture of this nation).

I think you'd feel right at home under il duce..
he's imprison Obama...

[getalife80]

This is quite frankly the dumbest thing I have ever read. Talk to people who have lived in the U.S.S.R. under Stalin. Stalin makes Hitler look like a nice guy.

[BUSHsurvivor]

Steve, they will not stay home. They are two-faced and will be out there!

[NYC07]

Your absolutly right. The only thing the Self- rightous Religious Right cares about is money and power. They would betry Christ in a heart beat to get the 30 pieces of silver if it could further their lust for control and power.
They only have "Convictions" when it suits them.

[StillAmused]

So you think (like 'America's Mayor') that Hillary Clinton will take us "down the socialist drain"?

Uhh...

Upon graduation, clerked for Judge Lloyd MacMahon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York -- paid for by the taxpayers.

1970, joined the office of the U.S. Attorney -- paid for by the taxpayers.

1975, named Associate Deputy Attorney General and chief of staff to the Deputy Attorney General -- paid for by the taxpayers.

In 1981, named Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in the Department of Justice -- paid for by the taxpayers.

In 1983, appointed US Attorney for the Southern District of New York -- paid for by the taxpayers.

1993, 107th Mayor of the City of New York, 1997 re-elected -- paid for by the taxpayers.

For a guy who's been suckling furiously at the public teat his entire adult life, Rudy has a curious antipathy for 'socialism'. Heaven forbid any of those tax dollars were to make it down the food chain to the unworthy, unwashed masses.

Thanks for the discount analysis. The real reason Rudy will tank is sheer hypocrisy.

[factanonverba]

I'm sure Rudy Guiliani will argue that the world changed on 9/11 and therefore any opinions held on or before said date are not valid.

[TXfemmom]

You can pour all those tapes into Texas. I live in Texas and many of those W people are now Rudy people, and they are beyond help.

However, the people who were duped by Bush, some of them twice, who have come to their sanity, are the ones who really need to hear Rudy, his tone, and the facts.

[DrenchedOtter]

That's excellent news. People ought to decide whether they are for Giuliani or against him based on who he really is, not on the 15 second sound bites du jour that the media is serving up. I hope they are made public soon.

[dawlishgal]

Does anybody seriously think that Republikkers are offput by RUDENESS in a candidate? Afterall, these are the voters that condone child-sliming for getting out the racist vote, reward homophobes, and wear purple bandaids when their chickenhawks crap on the honorable military experiences of heroes.

The very people who are supporting Rudy right now will be THRILLED to hear that he is also rude.

Sadly.

[jbcowan]

JON: From your mouth to GOD's ear !

[larry278]

There is Senator Barak H Obama & former Senator John Edwards for those who fear Senator Clinton & Representative Kuchinich. Don't forget Mike Gravel.
The GOP is short of tolerable candidates if they dump Rudy & Mitt unless Ron Paul who is now marketed as a stainless new born lamb is shown to be a hardy, lovable pup who will grow into a large, vigilant sheep dog who will do the job by instinct with little training or supervision. If the USA survives 8 yrs of W & Co that will be a minor miracle.
Don't expect or pray for more miracles; you may get what you are praying for. It may not be what you expected.

[texanna]

Jon, rush those tapes immediately to Texas. I am seeing waaay too many Rudy 08 bumper stickers on the Suburban XLT's and Hummers around here! These are the same idiots that fell for W The President. It's all I can do to walk on by with keying their car or ramming them from behind.

[Janus]

If this grinning Doofus should make it to the White House, it will just be more of the same that we've endured over the past six years with the Puppet squatting in what has become the Oafel Office.

Doofus is semi-hysterical in his quest to win the White House and lead the fight to increase corporate welfare, make the comfortable even more comfortable with greater tax cuts, attacking social programs benefitting deserving Americans in order to support those cuts, seeing that the rest of the World behaves in accordance with our gun-point policies, and arranging overthrow of both democratic and dictatorial governments that resist the grasping multinational corporations lusting for valuable resources and are demonized as a part of the preparation to bring freedom to those masses "who are yearning to be free."

Those dictators doing our will and keeping their rabble from irritating our multinational corporations and investors, by such means as imprisonment, skull fractures, torture, and some executions here and there will have no fear of being overthrown (in the name of freedom of course...a­fter all why bother with this sloganeering when it isn't needed?).



Doofus had an 11% approval rating as Mayor on September 10, 2001. It zoomed beginning on September 11th, along with the Puppet's, but the Puppet soon began sliding down the slope as more of his ignorant, contemptible cowboy nuttiness increasingly manifested itself alienating the Country and the rest of the World. There is a good possiblity that Doofus will begin his rapid slide down his own slope as New Yorkers and others really begin to show the Country what a mistake it would be to have still another authoritarian polluting the White House.

[Kundera]

He was elected twice in a 10-1 Dem city.