In a Volatile City, a Stern Line on Race and Politics (Giuliani)

NY Times ^ | July 22, 2007 | MICHAEL POWELL

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Exactly right!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well said....I have real reservations regrding Thompson....would prefer Duncan Hunter ....but the WAR TRUMPS Everything ELSE.....

[Cincinna]

Re: Rudy

Look at his enemies, the people who have attacked him and devoted reams and reams of paper and tons of hot air trying to destroy him...from day 1 when he first took office as Mayor of NY.

Al Sharpton

David Dinkins

Louis Farakkhan and the Nation of Islam

Yasser Arafat

The ACLU

Sonny Carson

Charles Barron

[shrinkermd]

Good post. Rudy G does seem to understand and think more deeply than his opponents who simply mouth the last poll numbers.

[foreshadowed at waco]

There were riots in Crown Heights following a car accident that killed a 4 year old black boy named Gavin Cato. The boy was hit by a vehicle driven by a Hasidic driver. The 1st ambulance on the scene was from an Hasidic volunteer ambulance who checked on the driver of the vehicle not the injured boy who later died.

The already strained tensions that existed between the Hasidim and the largely black Caribbean community of Crown Heights exploded. A young Hasidic student named Yankel Rosenbaum was chased and stabbed by a black street mob as was an Italian man with a long beard who never got the press coverage of Rosenbaum. David Dinkins had famously told his police commissioner 'out of town' Brown to let the community vent and so police officers did not quell the rising tensions until after Rosenbaum's murder. Sharpton had made his usual appearance at a street rally and screamed about the 'diamond merchants' in the neighborhood.

It was certainly a scary time to live in downtown Brooklyn. My friend was in Fort Greene park with her children and they got stoned by black teenagers screaming racial remarks.

[foreshadowed at waco]

There were riots in Crown Heights following a car accident that killed a 4 year old black boy named Gavin Cato. The boy was hit by a vehicle driven by a Hasidic driver. The 1st ambulance on the scene was from an Hasidic volunteer ambulance who checked on the driver of the vehicle not the injured boy who later died.

The already strained tensions that existed between the Hasidim and the largely black Caribbean community of Crown Heights exploded. A young Hasidic student named Yankel Rosenbaum was chased and stabbed by a black street mob as was an Italian man with a long beard who never got the press coverage of Rosenbaum. David Dinkins had famously told his police commissioner 'out of town' Brown to let the community vent and so police officers did not quell the rising tensions until after Rosenbaum's murder. Sharpton had made his usual appearance at a street rally and screamed about the 'diamond merchants' in the neighborhood.

It was certainly a scary time to live in downtown Brooklyn. My friend was in Fort Greene park with her children and they got stoned by black teenagers screaming racial remarks.

[California Patriot]

Rudy-haters should read this article carefully before deciding he’s a RINO. I haven’t endorsed anyone, and have serious doubts about Rudy. But this article explains in a nutshell why all serious conservatives should give him a look. And why he deserves a lot of respect, if nothing else.

[California Patriot]

Most FReepers have no idea what some of our big cities are like, and how much guts it takes for a mayor to take on the sacred cows, including racist black thugs and their racist leaders. They want their candidates and presidents to be just like themselves — churchgoing, one-woman men, down-home, pro-life. I’d like that too. But the world is much bigger than this. Rudy has grappled with the world to a far greater extent than “Mittamorphosis” or Ol’ Fred. I might end up supporting one of the latter. But “conservatives” who won’t give Rudy a second thought are not thinking hard enough about the upcoming election and what’s at stake, or about the nature of the presidency. “Conservatives” who trash Rudy as essentially the spawn of Satan are simply contemptible goobers.

[phillyfanatic]

Correct and if he is on the ticket with Fred, I will gladly vote for either guy in either position. I want to win and stop Hil and BO. Period.

[ellery]

This was the part of the article that really struck me as being pertinent to his presidential campaign:

“I never thought Rudy Giuliani was a racist,” said Fran Reiter, one of Mr. Giuliani’s deputy mayors. “But he was obsessed with the notion there were certain groups he couldn’t win over. And he wasn’t even going to try.”

I think it's extremely likely that this is what he would do to social and libertarian conservatives, were he to become president -- triangulate and play to the left by very publicly refusing to meet with evangelical leaders, or the NRA, etc., etc. In fact, that's essentially what many of his supporters are admitting he will do (hence their claim that he will appeal to blue-staters). What they forget is that issues described in this article will turn off many blue-staters, while his many other issues will turn off many red-staters. Really, the only person Giuliani is "for" is....Giuliani.

[ellery]

So you agree with Giuliani's infringements of law-abiding citizens' right to keep and bear arms, and their right to self-defense? You agree with his police department's nine months of semi-public strip searches for those accused of misdemeaners such as jaywalking? You approve of his seizure of private property from those who are acquitted of a crime, or not charged at all? You approve of his proposal to collect DNA from all newborns? You approve of his use of eminent domain to shut down healthy businesses, steal their property and turn it over to big developers? You approve of his attempt to overturn the first amendment by claiming "owernship" of his image (even though he's a public figure), thus letting him determine how his name and likeness could be used, reported upon, etc.? You approve of his unConstitutional usurpation of federal power by declaring NYC a sanctuary city for illegal aliens?

Hey, as long as it gets things done. /s

[ellery]

Giuliani shut down the crime and corruption for two terms? Please -- his administration embodied crime and corruption. Here's just a partial list of Giuliani cronies who resigned, withdrew nominations or were removed from office because of allegations of lies, corruption and/or law-breaking.

He appointed high school dropout and former driver Bernard Kerik to NYC Police Commissioner and pushed him for Homeland Security Chief. Kerik turned out to be corrupt and reportedly mob-connected. Giuliani later testified that he had been briefed on Kerik's lawbreaking -- yet he pushed him for the top anti-terrorism post in the country, and then went into business with him.

For NYC Chancellor of Education, Giuliani pushed Leon Goldstein, who later was forced to withdraw his candidacy in disgrace because of allegations that he lied about his qualifications.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DB1539F93BA1575AC0A963958260

In 1995, Giuliani pushed Leonard Piccoli to an executive director job in NYC's public hospitals organization, despite the fact that Piccoli had reportedly been forced to resign from the same job in 1985 due to alleged substantial contracts and ethics violations.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DC1739F93AA25756C0A963958260

One of Giuliani's closest political allies in NYC, Guy Velella, pled guilty to and served time for taking bribes in return for awarding government contracts.

''I endorsed him, I support him, I've worked with him, I know what a good job he's done for New York City and for the Bronx,'' Mr. Giuliani said. The mayor said he thought the disclosures about the criminal investigation would not seriously damage the senator.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E3DF1639F930A35752C1A9669C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVelella%2c%20Guy%20J%2e http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0420,robbins,53585,5.html

Giuliani's Probation Commissioner Raul Russi, and Deputy Probation Commissioner Louis Gelormino, later were dismissed from their jobs under Bloomberg reportedly because of their involvement in Velella's early release from jail.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10914FA355F0C708DDDA90994DC404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVelella%2c%20Guy%20J%2e

After Ray Harding, head of NYC's Liberal Party, endorsed Giuliani, Giuliani appointed his son Russell Harding to head NYC's Housing Development Corporation -- even though Russell Harding was a college dropout with no experience in housing or finance (Giuliani chose a second son, Robert, as NYC's budget director, and later promoted him to deputy mayor). Russell Harding later pled guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands in public funds, and to possessing child pornography.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0512,robbins2,62314,5.html

The Russell case touched another of Giuliani's top appointees. Giuliani appointed Richard Roberts (son-in-law of Vernon Jordan) as NYC Housing Commissioner, and Chairman of the Health and Hospitals Corporation; Roberts was later convicted of perjury related to a $38,000 SUV Russell Harding bought him with city funds.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0436,robbins2,56554,5.html

Giuliani appointed his lifelong friend, Louis Carbonetti, Commissioner of NYC's Community Assistance Unit. Carbonetti resigned after news came out that he had allegedly failed to disclose more than $100,000 in business debts and back taxes and reportedly held two driver's licenses with slightly different names at the same time. He pleaded guilty in 2004 to perjury. Carbonetti's son, Anthony Carbonetti, was Giuliani's chief of staff and is now a senior political adviser to his campaign.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-lijani255229113may25,0,729089.story?coll=ny-lipolitics-headlines

Giuliani's friend Alan Placa was hired on at Giuliani Partners after Placa, a Long Island Priest, was barred from active ministry because of allegations of sexual abuse and reports of using his role as a spiritual adviser to gain information from victims to strengthen the diocese's legal position.

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=19106

When Giuliani promoted Kerik to Police Commissioner, he appointed William J. Fraser to replace him as Correction Commissioner. Fraser resigned in 2002 amid reports that he had paid Correction employees to work on his home, and had allegedly pushed them to work on Pataki's reelection campaign.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A13F73C5C0C748EDDA80994DA404482

Anthony Serra, a Giuliani campaign volunteer and high-ranking official in Giuliani's Dept. of Correction (in charge of all the jails on Riker's Island), resigned after being charged with stealing city property and ordering correction officers to renovate his home.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40913FB395B0C728DDDAC0894DB404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fR%2fRikers%20Island%20Prison%20Complex

In 1994, Giuliani appointed Anthony Schembri to Correction Commissioner. Shembri resigned a year later after charges that he used a workday to make a paid speech in Atlantic City, had the city regularly pay overtime and tolls for department drivers on errands to Rye, N.Y., where he had been Police Commissioner, and allegedly broke the law by never establishing a residence in the City. Shcembri went on to head Florida's troubled Juvenile Justice Dept.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E0D71630F937A15752C1A962958260

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/13/Citrus/Colleagues__friends_h.shtml

Giuliani hired former Corrections Dept. Chief of Staff John Picciano at Giuliani Partners. Picciano, a close friend of Kerik's, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend and threatening her with his gun in 1998. But he was never arrested. According to Terrence Skinner, a retired corrections supervisor, "{Kerik} told me that I should basically pretend it never happened." Picciano left Giuliani Partners one day after Kerik abruptly resigned.

http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=19361&siteSection=1

Giuliani appointed Michael Carey, a son of former Gov. Hugh L. Carey, to head NYC's Economic Development Corp. According to a "scathing" audit covering the last 18 months of Giuliani's administration and the first six months of Bloomberg's, the organization was used as a "little bank account for the mayor's office" -- reportedly paying for mayoral aides' cars, lavish parties and out-of-town trips. For example, the audit states that it paid more than $11K for Carey's going-away party, and $7K for the going-away-party of Catherine Giuliani, the organization's chief of staff. The audit states that the organization also bought at least 11 cars for the mayor's office during Giuliani's administration.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E2DC143FF933A25753C1A9659C8B63

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-8873007.html

[SamuraiScot]

Giuliani shut down the crime and corruption for two terms? Please -- his administration embodied crime and corruption.

I'll stipulate that all your sources are correctly linked and that all the stories you've identified are correct in their essentials.

And I'll once again state that Giuliani shut down crime and corruption for two terms. It may clarify things if I remind everyone that we're talking about New York here, a city whose habits, history, and institutions of public dishonesty go back at least to 1625. For this city, Giuliani was Mr. Clean, vastly less corrupt than the entrenched Democrat-Liberal-Old Labor-Communist machine that preceded him.

And maybe more important, he cut taxes, set loose an economic revival, caused a revolutionary improvement in public order, and made personal crime plummet in a city described in the lamestream media as "ungovernable." They called it that in the process of making excuses for the failures of Giuliani's predecessor, the hapless Democrat David Dinkins, New York's own Jimmy Carter. But the city did seem ungovernable. Giuliani proved that if you made some effort to side with citizens against the criminals, it would become more governable.

They're all scoundrels, but Giuliani, as mayor, was a most excellent scoundrel. (As I've said, I do not endorse him for President.)