[SJackson]

divorce-driven, abortion-peddling, gun-grabbing transvestite has been covered.

And on the serious aspects of these issues, his clearly anti 2nd amendment stance, what appear to be abortion on demand and civil union positions, Murdock is right, they won't cost him the election, and probably not the nomination. The fact is people will vote on the perception of leadership, and his widely touted perfromace in NYC.

I've commented quite a bit on his postion on gun control, as well as what to what I view over the top law enforcement. And yes, it worked.

I'd love to hear some commentary on the fiscal issues, perhaps Rudy's ability to grow the local economy in the midst of a national boom, perhaps the role of illegal workers, which I'm not as familiar with. And yes, tax cuts, that's a biggie. People will vote on that. His economic record is good on paper, I'd like to know the downside.

Transexuality, homosexuality, wives, his entire pelvic region I'm less interested in, so those posts can be directed to someone else.

[Doogle]

PING

[KDD]

The Budget Buster

It's now apparent that Giuliani purchased the city's good times partially with borrowed money and left his successor, Mike Bloomberg, holding a bag of debt. New York City went from a $3 billion budget surplus in 1998 to a $4.5 billion deficit after Giuliani left office. This mismanagement of prosperity is a big part of his legacy. Giuliani left the city's finances in a mess that was aggravated by the collateral economic damage of 9/11--the loss of up to 130,000 jobs since 2001 and unexpected expenditures for relief, cleanup and overtime.

Tom Carroll is the president of the conservative activist group Change New York. He says of both Giuliani and Governor George Pataki: "There wasn't the fiscal discipline we had hoped to see overall. But on debt, there was no discipline at all."

Some fiscal watchdogs saw this coming, including State Comptroller McCall. In a report issued in July 2001, McCall declared: "As I've said time and again, the most responsible use of the record surpluses of the past few years would have been to reduce the City's mounting debt burden, and build a reserve fund for the rainy day that will inevitably come.... Record budget surpluses...afforded the City a golden opportunity to get on the path toward long-term fiscal stability. The opportunity has been squandered."

Most of the current budget deficit is Giuliani's responsibility. Tax cuts he enacted since 1995--benefiting mainly the wealthy--will cost the city $2.6 billion next year. He added 25,000 employees to the city's payroll, many of them patronage hires, after promising to cut the work force as a candidate of fiscal conservatism. On the day he left office, the head count of city workers was the highest in history.

Giuliani's borrowing practices increased the city's debt burden by 50 percent. New York City is now the biggest debtor in the nation outside the federal government, with $42 billion in loans outstanding. In comparison, the State of California has a debt of $25 billion. When Giuliani took office, the city was spending 15 cents of every dollar it collected in revenue to make the payments on its bonds. Fiscal monitors now project that New York will be spending 20 cents of every dollar to pay off its bonds by the end of this year. To the extent that debt service is rising, the city is forced to reduce spending on education, police and healthcare.

If a liberal Democrat had borrowed with such abandon, and converted a surplus into a deficit so swiftly, the bond raters and editorial boards would have demonized him as a drunken sailor on a binge. Giuliani was hardly criticized.

[tkathy]

Rudy strikes a chord with a wide range of voters who are hungry for a powerhouse tough guy leader. (And are horrified by GWB's "islam is a religion of peace and love BS).

[Calpernia]

>>>>Transexuality, homosexuality, wives, his entire pelvic region I'm less interested in, so those posts can be directed to someone else.

Why are you less interested in his membership to a group that funds ANSWER? Why are you less interested in his membership to a group that promotes pedophilia?

[Peach]

This is the best article I've seen on Rudy's fiscal conservatism:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26604

[Peach]

"He is much stronger than anyone could have predicted six months ago," said former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich from Georgia. "New York is four times safer than it used to be. It's one of the greatest achievements of government capability in the 20th century. And Rudy just has to go out and say, 'This is who I am. If you think the world's dangerous, and you need a tough guy … that's me.' "

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1786270/posts

[ZULU]

Which Rudy Guliani operation do you belong to?

[Peach]

The rebirth of New York City, the most visible urban achievement in the 20th century is the work of the person now dubbed America’s mayor. For the millions of Americans who live in New York and the millions more who work or whose livelihood has been affected by its revival the contrast between the pre and post Giuliani years could not be more striking.

His defense of Israel and intolerance for Arab and U.N. sponsored anti-Semitism is legendary.

He figuratively walked into the lion's den of a crime ridden, high tax, and decaying city and carried out a conservative agenda of tax cuts, crime reduction and, in the case of the Brooklyn Museum, defense of religion in the public square. On this count Giuliani seems to be the winner in the public character category for his extraordinary vision and leadership.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1780064/posts

[Peach]

Rudy also kicked Arafat out of a concert hall. This was back when it wasn't fashionable and Clinton was hosting the terrorist in the White House as his most frequent guest.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=19980

[betsyross1776]

Hold on to the newspapers there is a lot more to come. I told you all about Judy's first marriage long ago. No body in here believed me. Wait there is a lot more to come. I go way back with this family ( on her side and know her quite well. Hang on, get the glasses and think before you leap into a Rudy campaign.

[Condor51]

This is the 4th Time this exact article has been posted. It goes all the way back to March 16th.

Sheesh just search with Rudy then Deroy as a keyword..

• http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804846/posts
  Posted by jimbo123 On News/Activism 03/22/2007 6:45:23 AM CDT · 35 replies · 277+ views
  Deroy Murdoch; The same Beltway experts who anointed Senator John McCain (R., Ariz.) the GOP frontrunner,..

• Posted by JohnSheppard On News/Activism 03/18/2007 3:31:23 AM CDT · 201 replies · 2,067+ views
  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1802671/posts
  Deroy Murdock; The same Beltway experts who declared Sen. John McCain of Arizona the GOP front-runner,.....

• Posted by areafiftyone On News/Activism 03/16/2007 7:05:33 AM CDT · 150 replies · 1,105+ views
  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1801792/posts
  Deroy Murdock; The same Beltway experts who declared Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) the GOP frontrunner, ...

Is the 4th posting of the same Rudy article considered ...

Deroy is syndicated, his articles are all over the place at different times with different headlines.

[KDD]

In an unpublished 1988 interview (quoted by Barrett in Rudy!), Helen Giuliani said of her son: "He only became a Republican after he began to get all these jobs from them. He's definitely not a conservative Republican. He thinks he is, but he isn't".

[floozy22]

Thanks for posting. Facts ARE stubborn things. But there seem to be many on this site that would delight in preventing an electable Republican with actual accomplishments - cited in your post - that any conservative would applaud, just because he is perceived to be, ah, gay-friendly (the horror), and not "right" enough socially. Those are the folks that will succeed in assuring we have a democrat in the White House come next election. Let's all make sure we nominate a candidate that appeases all the true conservatives in the world, but has no chance of winning a national election. Sounds like a plan.

[Ol' Sparky]

Following national trends, abortions on Giuliani's watch dropped 16.9 percent, while taxpayer-funded Medicaid abortions plunged 23 percent.

Yet, another example of what incredible liars the Rudy apologists. If abortions dropped in New York, it certainly was NOT because of his policies or position on the issue, which included supporting taxpayer-funding for it and receiving donations from pro-abortion groups like NARAL.

So, tell us, how does supporting public financing of abortion reduce it? How does speaking before pro-abortion groups like NARAL and proclaiming abortion to be a right reduce the number of abortions?

All Rudy and his apologists are doing is proving they are every bit as dishonest as Slick Willie and handlers.

[Ol' Sparky]

And, here is Rudy's record:

Illegal immigration/Immigration

Immigration politics have similarly harmed New York. Former mayor Rudolph Giuliani sued all the way up to the Supreme Court to defend the city’s sanctuary policy against a 1996 federal law decreeing that cities could not prohibit their employees from cooperating with the INS. Oh yeah? said Giuliani; just watch me. The INS, he claimed, with what turned out to be grotesque irony, only aims to “terrorize people.” Though he lost in court, he remained defiant to the end. On September 5, 2001, his handpicked charter-revision committee ruled that New York could still require that its employees keep immigration information confidential to preserve trust between immigrants and government. Six days later, several visa-overstayers participated in the most devastating attack on the city and the country in history.

New York conveniently forgot the 1996 federal ban on sanctuary laws until a gang of five Mexicans—four of them illegal—abducted and brutally raped a 42-year-old mother of two near some railroad tracks in Queens. The NYPD had already arrested three of the illegal aliens numerous times for such crimes as assault, attempted robbery, criminal trespass, illegal gun possession, and drug offenses. The department had never notified the INS.

CNN clip:

Announcer: "Back in 1996, mayor Giuliani went to federal court to challenge new federal laws requiring the city to inform the federal government about illegal immigrants."

Rudy Giuliani: "There isn't a mayor or a public official in this country that's more strongly pro immigrant than I am. Including disagreeing with President Clinton when he signed an anti-immigration legislation about two or three years ago."

The New York Immigrant Coalition Press Release, August, 1989:

Rudy would continue to make city services available to all immigrants, regardless of immigration status.

Prohibit city workers from reporting undocumented immigrants to the INS, unless criminal activity is involved….

Make sure that city workers understand what benefits immigrants are entitled to….

Encourage outreach to immigrant communities to encourage their utilization of city services….

Support the use of interpreters and translators in city government

Support bilingual and bicultural education with goals of learning fluent English and maintaining native language skills….

Oppose making English the “official language” of the U.S.

Support adding alienage to protected class under City’s Human rights Law.

Additionally, he has supported Bush's guest worker program.

Guns

CNN clip

Rudy Giuliani: "I'm in favor of gun control"

Meet The Press:

Tim Russert: "How about registration of all handguns?"

Rudy Giuliani: "You know I'm in favor of that. I've been on your show many times."

As mayor of New York City, Rudolph W. Giuliani became the favorite Republican of gun control advocates. He spoke in favor of a licensing system for gun owners that would require trigger locks and firearms training, and he lobbied Congress to outlaw most military-style assault weapons. He was the only Republican mayor to join a lawsuit by dozens of cities against the gun industry, and he complained that Southern states had lax gun laws that fed the illegal weapons trade in the Northeast.

Abortion

s mayor, Rudy Giuliani will uphold a woman's right of choice to have an abortion. Giuliani will fund all city programs which provide abortions to insure that no woman is deprived of her right due to an inability to pay. He will oppose reductions in state funding. He will oppose making abortion illegal. New York Times, August 4, 1989

On Partial Birth Abortion: Mr. Giuliani has said that New York State law should not be changed to outlaw the procedure. New York Times, January 7, 1998

Leaflets distributed by the Giuliani campaign .... said that he opposes restrictions to Federal Medicaid financing for abortions and opposes the Hyde Amendment, which is intended to deny support for that financing. New York Times, June 18, 1993.

"I never called for the overturning of Roe vs. Wade." Rudy Giuliani, New York Newsday, September 1, 1989

From the FEC database: 04/24/1999 Donations

NEW YORK STATE NARAL INC WOMEN'S HEALTH PAC

NARAL donated exclusively to Democrat candidates with one exception----Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani accepted $1,000 from NARAL in 1999.

NARAL gave $250 to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

NARAL gave $1000---4 times as much-----to pro-abortion Giuliani.

The homosexual agenda

Giuliani said homosexuality is "good and normal." quoting Ray Kerrison New York Post, July 7, 1989

According to the New York Times, Giuliani has attended every “gay pride” parade in New York during his eight years as mayor. In 1992, during his first run for mayor, Giuliani took part in a homosexual “pride” parade that included a contingent of pedophile activists marching behind a banner for NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love.

On Gay Domestic Partnership: "I have no objection to the concept of domestic partnership," said Rudy Giuliani on Informed Sources New York T.V. Show (PBS), May, 1992

n Gay-Rights/Gay Rights Bill: Giuliani favors extended civil-rights protection for gays and lesbians. Giuliani urged, by letter, to the New York Senate Majority Leader to pass the state's first ever gay rights bill, but did it privately. "I am writing to convey my support for the current legislation to prohibit discrimination against gays and lesbians, and to urge you to allow the bill onto the floor of the Senate for prompt action." ".......It is my belief that we can penalize discrimination [against gays] without creating any potentially objectionable special privileges or preferential treatment." New York Post, June 5, 1993

Global Warming

"I do believe there's global warming, yes. The big question has always been how much of it is happening because of natural climate changes and how much of it is happening because of human intervention. The overwhelming number of scientists now believe that there is significant human cause." -- Rudolph Giuliani, Feb. 12, 2007.

Taxes

[Giuliani] says ruling out a tax increase is "political pandering." Newsday, August 31, 1989

School Choice

"He doesn't support tuition tax credits and vouchers." Sandra Feldman, President of N.Y.C. Teacher's Union, 1993

[NapkinUser]

We got a Giuliani thread in progress.

[toddlintown]

Here come the RudyBotFRChicks!

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Julie-Annie is not qualified...

[sig226]

Giuliani used federal green spaces money to designate highway medians and traffic islands as green spaces to get federal grants to help balance the New York City budget.

Giuliani wanted to give $200,000,000.00 to the New York Mets to build a new stadium, as well as spending another fortune on transit infrastructure to serve the new stadium. He justified this on the grounds that the 3.5% city income tax on the Mets' $100,000,000.00 payroll would produce a net gain from the expenditure.

Mayor and former prosecutor Giuliani also used the dot com boom to balance the city books. I remember reading New York Times financials that called a stock a buy because it had a high Price to Anticipated Return. The dot com boom was a stock rip off of Enron proportions; the price of the stocks had no basis in any fiscal principle. But the city was raking in the taxes and Giuliani was taking credit for it.