Ex-NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani is talking about buying the Chicago Cubs, despite his much-professed love for and allegiance to the New York Yankees. Oh Lord, how could our great hero betray us?
Rudy made Bill Clinton look like a choirboy--he not only cheated on his wife, but actually went to court to demand the right to bring his girlfriend to the home he shared with his wife and young children.
You may remember the spectacle of Mayor Giuliani announcing that he needed to defy the law and stay on beyond his term, ostensibly to boost the morale of NYPD and FDNY. He made this claim publicly, despite having denied them a contract for two years.
The truth is Rudy's forced retirement was what they needed for a morale boost. Shortly after the mayor's power-grab, I met a fireman who spit on the ground every time he heard Rudy's name. And NYPD, once a strong supporter of Rudy, had by then taken to public demonstrations against him. Lincoln and Roosevelt stood for re-election, but in Rudy's eyes, democracy, as a priority, was a far less important than appeasing his massive ego. Public sentiment put an end to this.
Perhaps you recall Rudy's proposal that welfare recipients be required to work in NYC public schools, as well as his charming accusation that those who opposed this plan were racist. Sure, people chronically unable to find work are adequate role models for NYC kids. His kids didn't attend public schools, so why should he care anyway?
In fact, if you live or work in the city, you may be a recipient of Rudy's legacy--his policy of reducing city education aid by precisely whatever amount the state increased it. Mayor Mike had to stop that to gain control, but has steadfastly refused to compensate for it, resulting in the still-stalled CFE case.
Few people benefited from 9/11--only Rudy and bin Laden come to mind. You notice how you never see the two of them in the same place?
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