As the Republican presidential primary season gets underway, two big-name Republican brands and NYC icons have been suggesting that they might run.
Rudy vs. The Donald would be a tabloid dream. How real is the prospect? Giuliani told CNN's Piers Morgan and CNBC's Larry Kudlow that he was "absolutely" considering it, adding that he would be more likely to go if Palin ran since by comparison he'd look more "moderate." Trump told GMA and Morning Joe that he too was "absolutely" thinking about it and would decide by June.
But neither has made it into 2012 poll match-ups and major commentators seem to largely regard it as look-at-me puffery. Indeed, Trump publicly flirted with a presidential run in 1999 and Giuliani with both governor and senate last year -- and both got headlines, not votes.
The one poll exception was Rasmussen, which concluded that Giuliani would be a credible candidate if Romney, Palin, Huckabee and Gingrich didn't run! In response, Celeste Katz of The Daily News wrote that "was like saying '70s girls would have put up Marty Feldman posters if John Travolta hadn't been around."
Trump seems further along in a candidacy, with a web site, ShouldTrumpRun.com, that has an online survey indicating that a remarkable Mubarak-like 67% thought he should run.
For now, each potential candidate is staying in their comfort zones -- Giuliani races to Fox Cable studios whenever there's a terrorist incident or threat repeating the mantra that "America has to stay on the offensive" while Trump hints that he may take over the bankrupt Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park. "I'd make it the highest-grossing restaurant on the planet," he said. Could the name be "Trump on the Green"?
But neither cable studios nor a restaurant for tourists comes close to the thrill and exposure of a possible presidential bid. So until the mainstream media take them more seriously, let me be the first to publish a Gotham Tale-of-the-Tape to help handicap this possible titanic contest.
| Rudy Giuliani | Donald Trump | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight/Height | 195 / 5'10" | 207 / 6’2" |
| Age | 66 | 64 |
| Hair | Nosferatu Slick-Black | Strawberry blond fop |
| Slogan | "9/11... 9/11... 9/11" | "You're fired!" |
| First presidential act | Exec order that all duly convicted terrorists would be beheaded | Exec order abolishing all capital gains taxes |
| Early career possibility | priesthood | film business |
| Religion | Is Roman Catholic | Was Roman Catholic |
| # of marriages | 3 | 3 |
| # of children speaking to | 0 | 5 |
| Biggest success | Calmed NYC after WTC attack and then knighted by Queen Elizabeth II | Built Wollman Rink quickly |
| Biggest failure | 1 GOP delegate for $60m in '08 | Business bankruptcy in '91 |
| Biggest enemy | bin Laden (if alive) or Donna Hanover | Rosie O'Donnell or himself |
| Political liabilities | Inmate #1173 Bernie Kerik ("Bernie, thank God George Bush is our president" -- 9/11/01) and built EMS bunker at 7 WTC | Has been known to exaggerate |
| Political assets | Has own private security force of 110 | Worth 1/10 of Bloomberg and will spend more than Pawlenty |
| Most revealing quotes | "Freedom is about authority," and "He was no altar boy" about an innocent black man slain by police | "Why don't you convert?" to his Jewish son-in-law, and "All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me -- consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected." |
| Likelihood of nomination | 2.0% (Intrade) | 1.6% (Intrade) |
| Favorite book | Battle Hymn of the Tiger Dad | Trump: The Art of the Deal |
| Favorite film role | tie: Keyser Soze in Usual Suspects and the godfather in Godfather | Gordon Gekko, Wall Street and Harold Hill in The Music Man |
| Best description | "Either you love him -- or he hates you." | "The ego has landed." |
| Net worth | $40 million (est.) | $150-2.9 billion (est.) |
Follow Mark Green on Twitter: www.twitter.com/markjgreen
Loading comments… 
