Giuliani: America's Mayor?

There has been so much political soul searching over the brisk rise of New York's former mayor. Those who followed Rudy Giuliani's civic career from the beginning predicted his entrance into the race. However, outpolling establishment candidates like John McCain and ascending to the frontrunner status took the punditry by surprise.

Despite his modest physical appearance and a soft spoken demeanor Giuliani manages to look presidential even among imposing figures like Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback. On the stages of both republican debates, particularly in the company of those who admittedly don't believe in evolution, Giuliani distinguishes himself as an intellectual. While some of the aspirants mangle their responses and struggle with time, Rudy proceeds with comfort, explaining precise differences between Suni and Sheite Muslims, giving swift and unambiguous answers.

Born in Brooklyn, NY to working class catholic parents Giuliani easily personifies the Horatio Alger reverie. Work ethic and scholarly achievement propelled NYU Law School Magna Cum Laude graduate to the position of Executive US Attorney by the fresh age of 29. As a mayor of what was once branded a hopeless city Rudy affirmed himself as a true reformer. "The city has changed", said Frank Luntz, a renowned republican strategist who once worked with Giuliani. CompStat crime program, a creature of Giuliani's administration, was credited with the 57% overall crime reduction in a notoriously unsafe New York.

As he antes up for the presidential run, fiscally conservative Giuliani is expected to carry the lion share of Wall Street and the rest of the corporate block. Those who benefited from the cleaner, safer and better smelling New York will also stand by their mayor. Yet, in his move for the highest office Rudy Giuliani will not enjoy a cakewalk even in his own town. The price for a more habitable New York was often paid by poor and working class minorities in the way of disproportional penalty statutes for nonviolent crimes, trampled civil liberties, and the rise of "Dirty Harry" cops.

NYC's Civilian Complaint Review Board findings on the merits reflect a 34.6% increase in complaints of police misconduct during Giuliani's time as mayor. "He was a one-trick magician, and that was crime," says Ruth Messinger, one of Rudy's failed opponents in reference to Giuliani's inability to balance his crime battle with the vigilance on civil rights. The cases of unarmed Amadou Diallo pierced with 41 NYPD-issue bullets and Abner Louima, who was sodomized by officers at Brooklyn's 70^th precinct still resonate among New York's outer borough minorities unlikely to drink the Giuliani cool aid.

New Yorkers who came to view themselves as disenfranchised during the so-called "Giuliani Time" are expected to rally behind Barack Obama, who has insofar been able to skillfully move around both Rudy and Hillary on their own turf by setting forth his healthcare initiative and securing local endorsements from organizations like the 1199 health workers union.

Giuliani also faces significant challenges beyond his home front. The weighty presence of a very 'reaganite' Tennessee Senator turned actor Fred Thomson was unmistakable at both republican debates, even though Thomson wasn't there in person and has yet to officially enter the race. "Of course, he doesn't want more competition," said Frank Luntz about Thomson's possible threat to Giuliani's presidential ambitions, "The guy's a fantastic actor. But more importantly, people see in him what they saw in Ronald Reagan. I think Thompson may do well."

Other potential setbacks on a macro political scale are sure to include a close relationship with an ethically dubious former NYC police commissioner Bernard Kerik, as well as the lack of clarity in Rudy's positions on a number of social issues. In many political circles a self proclaimed pro-choice Giuliani has already earned a label of a flip-flopper on abortion. "Rudy's public proclamations on abortion are pathetic and confusing. Even worse, they're hypocritical," said Thomas J. Tobin, the bishop of Providence, R.I. to Rhode Island Catholic in response to Rudy's public statements.

Christian and social conservatives will also take issue with Giuliani's three marriages, the latest of which is civil and not sanctified under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Sometimes also called into question are his numerous public appearances in drag. "The guy dresses up like a lady a lot," joked Bill Maher, a popular political satirists who hosts "Real Time with Bill Maher" on HBO. A pro-gay civil union Giuliani, who on a number of occasions wore a dress to charity events and NBC's Saturday Night Live is likely to face a tough time convincing the overzealous Christian right that it was for a "good cause."

However, the single most interesting political development in the Giuliani saga continues to be the six hundred pound gorilla known as Iraq. His pro-war posture is a curious paradox of "America's Mayor", who rose from the wreckage of 9/11 only to face the strongest public condemnation of the invasion. Still, Giuliani maintains his support for the president, whose war-driven national approval ratings can now rival only those of Nixon. On the campaign website, draftrudygiuliani.com, the former Big Apple mayor exhibits an almost incestuous affinity for the Bush administration by showcasing gregarious photos in which Rudy is seen together with George Bush and Dick Cheney.

"Giuliani's a different character, and he will rise and fall based on who he is himself," Luntz explains. The republican nomination is still fair game, but with plenty of money in the bank and Fred Thomson waiting in the wings the Giuliani campaign promises to be anything but boring.