O Mighty Rudy - Dost Thou Lie So Low?
The Times has a pretty good summation of Rudy's precipitous fall. It was pretty spectacular - remember when he took control of the debate about a year back to attack Ron Paul's realpolitik take on the 9/11 attack? He seemed unstoppable, and every bit as comfortable as he if he was giving a tongue-lashing to some whiny critic back in his heyday as mayor. Now it's all over - and he seems to be more relieved than anything.
I thought Rudy would certainly make a better run of it than he did. Despite his liberal social views (not to mention lifestyle), I thought he'd run real strong in Florida and South Carolina based on his man-who-saved-NY image. Of course his secret to turning around New York City really amounted to little more than putting as many young black men in jail as possible. It's sad to say, but this approach, though crude, is a sure-fire way of reducing crime and making a city's streets seem more welcoming to tourists. But due to his ego (and his habit of only surrounding himself with sycophants) he was unaware that he really possessed no other magic powers, and so failed to play up this little secret to these audiences. There aren't many more receptive audiences to such a message - however cryptically sent - than Republican primary voters in South Carolina and Florida, but Rudy, thinking himself a statesman, failed to send it home.
The other secret to New York City's greatness is one Rudy has had nothing to do with. New York has the second most Jews of any city in the world - number 1 is Tel Aviv - and probably the most Ashkenazim. You can walk thru Lincoln Center or the Guggenheim or any other cultural landmark in the city and scan the names engraved on the walls - or thru places such as Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital and note who various wings are named for - to get a sense of how important a large Jewish presence is to a city's cultural and civic vitality. Then there's just the awesome entrepreneurial skills this group brings, and you've got the world's greatest city.
I thought Rudy would certainly make a better run of it than he did. Despite his liberal social views (not to mention lifestyle), I thought he'd run real strong in Florida and South Carolina based on his man-who-saved-NY image. Of course his secret to turning around New York City really amounted to little more than putting as many young black men in jail as possible. It's sad to say, but this approach, though crude, is a sure-fire way of reducing crime and making a city's streets seem more welcoming to tourists. But due to his ego (and his habit of only surrounding himself with sycophants) he was unaware that he really possessed no other magic powers, and so failed to play up this little secret to these audiences. There aren't many more receptive audiences to such a message - however cryptically sent - than Republican primary voters in South Carolina and Florida, but Rudy, thinking himself a statesman, failed to send it home.
The other secret to New York City's greatness is one Rudy has had nothing to do with. New York has the second most Jews of any city in the world - number 1 is Tel Aviv - and probably the most Ashkenazim. You can walk thru Lincoln Center or the Guggenheim or any other cultural landmark in the city and scan the names engraved on the walls - or thru places such as Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital and note who various wings are named for - to get a sense of how important a large Jewish presence is to a city's cultural and civic vitality. Then there's just the awesome entrepreneurial skills this group brings, and you've got the world's greatest city.
posted by ziel | 1/30/2008 11:12:00 PM
9 Comments:
The media will pounce upon McCain's old age once he is fighting the dems not the Repubs. At the debate tonight, he often looked like he was in pain -- or am I projecting? Funny, I have not heard any questions about McCain's health? Many of the guys I know at work who are over 55 are plagued with health problems. What is McCain's true story?
A man over 70 is too old to be president. Would not a legitimate media be discussing what the health outlook is for the average man over 70, yet alone a guy who spent many years in extreme hardship?
Anyway, if you watch him carefully, you can see he will easily fit into a too old caricature when the time is right.
king S.
The media will pounce on JUAN McCain for finishing 894th out of 899 at the Naval Acdamey.
The media will pounce on JUAN McCain for losing all those planes in Nam'.
The media will replay all of JUAN McCain's flip-flops on various positions he has taken over the years.
The media will cynically remind the voters that JUAN McCain was for increasing the amount of legal immigrants to 3 million a year from one million just last year with a bill pushed by his friend, Ted Kennedy, while Hillary will offer to just leave the quota where it is and have a "virtual" fence---putting her to his right on this issue.
JUAN McCain is a dream opponent for Hillary.
"The world's greatest city"? You're welcome to it.
Tossing blacks in jail was hardly the sum of Guiliani's tenure, although that certainly happened. He actively used zoning and panhandling laws to create an environment unfriendly to crime and criminals. People complained about his "fascism", but they're weren't exactly ringing David Dinkins up for a return to Gracie Mansion.
On the race issue, while we're at it, one thing Guiliani did do that people loved was treat Al Sharpton for the hustler he is.
None of this, of course, means he was fit to be president. He'd been have been Dubya cubed, where McCain will only be Dubya squared.
Nutty preacher or not, Obama is looking better and better.
"The world's greatest city"? You're welcome to it.
Yes, garbage stench and all- still the greatest city in the world.
Shabat Shalom- Candle Lighting tomorrow eve- Temple Emmanual 5;30 PM.
Derek, yes, I admit I oversimplified his program a bit, but my point was his policies as mayor don't really translate to the national stage.
And yes, his telling the likes of Al Sharpton to go shove it was is most endearing trait - but, again, had he touted this to the voters of South Carolina and Florida, he might be still in the race today. (I know you can't just come out and brag about that, but there are certainly 'subtle' ways to bring it up - but he didn't even try).
I'm relieved that Rudy bombed. He always struck me as a nasty, vindictive, and possibly unstable piece of work. He may have been good for New York, perhaps as a sort of homeopathic therapy, but I doubt that Rudy would have played well on the presidential stage.
I've had enough of egomanical, gut-instinct, loose-cannon Chief Executives over these past seven years, and now there's McCain to worry about. Mitt, where art thou?
I already made this same point, more or less, at Steve Sailer's site while commenting on the "greatest athlete of all time" question, but there is no such thing as "the greatest city." What's more, a city that proclaims itself the greatest, undoubtedly isn't. But it's certainly a great place to visit.
He always struck me as a nasty, vindictive, and possibly unstable piece of work.
Ya think?
As far as NYC being the greatest in the world, that's my own judgment based on an admittedly small sample of "great" cities - London, Paris, Rome, Dublin. Since, in my opinion, NYC beats Paris, it must the best.
rudy will always be a regional guy- east of the hudson is where his lack of personality is well suited.
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