min0 lee

America's mayor is taking the first step toward an official run for America's President.

min0 lee

America's mayor is taking the first step toward an official run for America's President.


Rudy Giuliani, who is idolized by Republicans as the hero of 9/11 and the man who cleaned up New York, set up an exploratory committee - the traditional first step in the long slog towards the White House.

On Sunday in Pennsylvania, Giuliani said he was giving a run for the presidency "a lot of thought" and would make a decision "sometime next year."

Three of Giuliani's most trusted lieutenants filed papers with the state on Friday forming the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee, allowing him to raise money to "test the waters" without officially declaring himself a candidate.

"We have taken the necessary legal steps so an organization can be put in place and money can be raised to explore a possible presidential run in 2008," said John Gross, a director of the new committee with Peter Powers and Dennison Young - all alums of Giuliani's 1993 mayoral campaign.

"It is not a declaration, it is not an announcement - it is none of that," said a Giuliani aide. "It is the legal, back-room stuff that you have to do."
The move potentially sets up a dramatic New York rematch of his aborted 2000 Senate race against Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is expected to set up her own presidential committee soon. Her office had no comment yesterday.

Giuliani dropped out of the 2000 Senate race in a whirl of drama: He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had decided to leave his second wife for his mistress.

On Sunday, GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona said he may set up his own exploratory committee as soon as next week.
While pundits usually hail McCain as the front-runner in the GOP nomination, Republicans consistently tell pollsters their top pick is Giuliani.

Though mired in unpopularity in the summer of 2001, Giuliani's fortitude in the hours and days after the attack on the World Trade Center earned him worldwide admiration and made him a political rock star.
He has spent months traveling the country for GOP candidates, all the while burnishing his image among the party faithful as an anti-tax, crimefighting conservative who successfully ruled New York City - the dark blue heart of blue America.

Giuliani's leadership political action committee, Solutions America, raised $2.3 million and doled out $1.2 million to 55 GOP candidates. He has about $1 million left.
As a candidate, his biggest selling point may be the ability to project no-nonsense competence - a valuable asset when many voters view the current administration as hopelessly bumbling in a crisis.

But most Beltway political analysts think Giuliani's moderate positions on guns, abortion and gays will kill him among the right-wing conservatives who vote in primaries.
In particular, Giuliani's support for gay rights will likely play badly in a party that has been revving up its base by demonizing gays. There are enough snapshots of Hizzoner marching in gay pride parades and goofing around in drag to illustrate a hundred attack ads.
A preview of what Giuliani, a 62-year-old thrice-married Catholic, could face in the heartland came in a 2002 debate, when Democrat Alex Sanders famously attacked Senate candidate Lindsey Graham for being buddies with Giuliani.

"Giuliani is an ultraliberal," Sanders said. "He supports gay rights. He supports banning all handguns. He supports abortion. His wife kicked him out, and he moved in with two gay men and a Shih Tzu. Is that South Carolina values? I don't think so."
It was actually a Chihuahua named Bonnie, but the point was made.



Originally published on November 14, 2006

I Are Baboon

He once lived with two gay men and a chihuahua? What a flamer.

min0 lee

Now, now....that doesn't mean he took a dip in the fondue.

I Are Baboon

At least four of those "cons" look like pros to me. I'd consider him simply because he was on Seinfeld. Anyone who wants to blow open a nonfat yogurt scandal is ok by me.

min0 lee

That episode was on last week I think, and he had hair back then!

dg806

Nope.

1-Andro Rx Pro-hormone

lnvanry

I've been screaming Rudy since I first heard it during the 2004 presidential elections.

he liberal when it comes to domestic issues and neorealistic when it comes to foreign policy...my kind of guy.

min0 lee

But he's a Republican.

Pepper

Barely.

I'd vote him over Hillary, that's for sure.

I can live with his "cons" if he will stop the damn spending.

I Are Baboon

Pro gay rights and pro gun control. Of course DG doesn't like him!

min0 lee

Ohhhhhhh...he is a very big spender. I know first hand.
At Motorola we love him, he made so many jobs for "his people" and spent money on all the equipment they didn't really need.

He formed O.E.M and we sell them their radios and talking to his people they loved him, with the new Mayor it's a little different.

min0 lee

Trust me, he is.

min0 lee

I know!

Decker

I don't know Rudy enough. That's why since Russ Feingold decided not to run, I'm putting my heft behind Min0 lee for president. In the words of the inimitable Randy, "You sure are cute."

As for Rudy, I think this is pretty funny:

Perhaps this is something of an existential question. But do we really have to pretend that Rudy Giuliani has more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting the Republican presidential nomination? Or can we all just stipulate that a multiple adulterer, who supports gay civil rights and choice, has deep and on-going ties to mobbed-up and now-disgraced Police boss Bernie Kerik, has a largely unscrutinized (outside of New York) resume, and had the bright idea of locating the NYC disaster center in the already-once-bombed World Trade Center probably will have some rough sledding in Republican primaries?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

When I used to listen to Howard Stern, he always spoke well of Rudy.

min0 lee

I See I have more votes than rudy!

I promise if elected, I will room with 2 lesbians and a german shepard.

min0 lee

As the Mayor of NYC he did a good job. Crime went down, the streets were cleaner, was tough on organized crime.......

lnvanry

like taking down the Teflon Don....Gotti

dg806

Cause he ran it.

1-Andro Rx Pro-hormone

min0 lee

Which one? The legal one or the Mob?

min0 lee

He is one tough and strict SOB though, he made it tough on people who had parking and didn't pay them, those who didn't pay had their cars towed away.

He once tried to have the diplomats cars towed if they didn't pay their tickets.

He cleaned up the mobbed up south street sea port.

He helped break the mobbed up garbage industry.

Had jaywalkers arrested.


Chases down a driver who ate a red light and held him till the police came (with the help of his driver)

He made topless dancing almost a crime in NYC.

min0 lee

He does or had family in the Mob, but what's one to expect...he is Italian.

maniclion

That means he's gay...

"We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Natures inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that."
Thomas Edison: In conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone

min0 lee

No, just a republican.

goandykid

I think he'd make a great VP for Mccain.

kbm8795

He sure is . . .:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrE6FMpai8

goandykid

I love those, like Clinton's lame duck video he made for the 2000 media convention thing.

min0 lee

Cute Loops

Dont Vote For The Devils Party