Campaign myth #4762: Rudy Giuliani is a good manger
Fact: Giuliani is a poor fiscal manager
– Today’s Daily News headline story: “Poor Rudy – Cash crunch leaves Giuliani campaign aids without pay”. Ok so he’s putting his remaining $7 million into Florida and a few aids “volunteered” to go without pay. What will Rudy do with the Federal deficit the next President is bound to inherit from our current “conservative” administration? By the way Rudy’s personal net worth is estimated by some to be between $30 and $60 million.
-While Rudy deserves some credit for controlling spending in his first term, he left poor Mike Bloomberg with a $6 billion deficit. By the way – this wasn’t only due to 9/11, remember the economy was headed south long before 9/11 and City revenues along with it. Tax-Hike-Mike’s dismal handling of the deficit will be the subject of another post on this blog.
Fact: Giuliani doesn’t set priorities well.
-In Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, Wayne Barrett goes on for chapters about Rudy’s turf wars with the Port Authority, his failure to prepare NYC for terrorist attack even after the first World Trade Center bombing, his inability to cut through bureaucracy to acquire new radios for the Fire Department… the list goes on.
-Meanwhile Rudy picked fights with anyone who couldn’t defend themselves such as cab drivers, street vendors, night clubs, African hair braiders….
Fact: Giuliani can’t manage his team
In Grand Illusion, Barrett also describes how Rudy failed to resolve the turf wars between the Police, Fire Department and Emergency Management which to a great degree led to many of the problems encountered on 9/11.
This list just scratches the surface. Take a look at what Jacob Weisberg said in this Slate post.
“This comparison doesn’t make the case for Bloomberg as president so much as it underscores what a scary place a Giuliani White House could be. President Rudy would give powerful speeches denouncing terrorism while assuming extraordinary wartime powers. He’d reject compromise with his antagonists and ignore the nuts and bolts of running a government. After a few years, he’d be on nonspeaking terms with much of his Cabinet, never mind his fellow world leaders. By the time he got done, he might make us appreciate George W. Bush.”
Fortunately Rudy’s chance seem to be dropping fast. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell who would be worse given the choice of Rudy and John McCain.
Of course that isn’t the only choice. There is still a libertarian choice in the New York primary: Ron Paul.