Labels: rudy

Labels: gambling, rudy, rudy giuliani

Title Slide: Romney vs. Rudy	What the pundits are saying (sample)	National vs. Local Polls
Romney's Strategy: Tested, Proven	Rudy's Strategy: Unproven	Rudy leads the national polls but...
Primary Calendar	Iowa and New Hampshire	Opportunity for Growth
Fundraising

Labels: fundraising, mitt romney, Polls, rudy, rudy giuliani, strategy

Today, the Romney campaign came out swinging. In their first official Rudy exposé the Giuliani "tax and tax again" record is thrown into stark relief. The research is pretty extensive and makes an excellent case against the fiscal policy that Rudy advocated while Mayor.

"Earlier Today, Mr. Giuliani Assailed The Legislature For Seeking To End The Commuter Tax, Saying That If Anything, It Should Be Higher." (Clifford J. Levy, "Leaders In Albany Plan To Eliminate Tax On Commuters," The New York Times, 5/13/99)

FACT: Mayor Giuliani Fought To Tax People For Going To Work:

University Of Pennsylvania's Factcheck.Org: Mayor Giuliani "Fought To Keep" The Commuter Tax. "Also, it's worth noting that Giuliani's list doesn't mention one tax he fought to keep – New York City's commuter tax, which was lifted by the state Legislature in 1999. The mayor and the city council sued the state to maintain the tax – .45 percent of earned income for most of the people affected – but lost in court. The city had been collecting about $360 million per year from commuters from New Jersey, Connecticut and other parts of New York state." (Factcheck.org, "Giuliani's Tax Puffery," FactCheck.org Website, http://www.factcheck.org/, 7/27/07)

FACT: Mayor Giuliani Not Only Wanted To Keep The Tax, He Wanted To Raise It:

Mayor Giuliani Said That The Commuter Tax Should Be Increased Rather Than Eliminated. "Earlier today, Mr. Giuliani assailed the Legislature for seeking to end the commuter tax, saying that if anything, it should be higher." (Clifford J. Levy, "Leaders In Albany Plan To Eliminate Tax On Commuters," The New York Times, 5/13/99)

Mayor Giuliani Threatened Politicians Who Considered Voting For The Tax Cut. "At the City Hall event, Giuliani also warned Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and any other city-elected backers of the tax cut: 'Voting against the interests of the city, somehow, some way, you will pay for it.'" (Dan Janison, "Former Foes United," [New York] Newsday, 5/17/99)

FACT: Mayor Giuliani Called The $360 Million A Year Commuter Tax "Modest," And Said The City Was "Entitled" To The Tax:

By 1999, More Than 750,000 Non-City Resident Commuters Were Paying The Commuter Tax. "The 33-year-old tax on more than 750,000 non-city residents who commute to jobs in the city rakes in $360 million a year for the Big Apple, when payments by New Yorkers and out-of-staters are counted." (Gregg Birnbaum, et al. "Shel-Shocked Pataki Will Get Tax-Kill Bill Next Week," New York Post, 5/20/99)

Mayor Giuliani Justified The Tax As "Modest." "'Sometimes, the game of politics gets out of control,' Giuliani said. 'This is a very modest tax.'" (Dan Janison, "Former Foes United," [New York] Newsday, 5/17/99)

Mayor Giuliani Said That The City Government Was "Very Much Entitled To This Very Small Tax." "'The city should not feel that it's doing anybody a favor here,' Mr. Giuliani said. 'We are very much entitled to this very small tax.'" (Clifford J. Levy, "Legislature Acts Quickly To Repeal Commuter Tax," The New York Times, 5/18/99)

* Mayor Giuliani Administration Official: "We Want To Retain That Money." "'We are going into this lawsuit in a very optimistic fashion,' said Michael D. Hess, the city's Corporation Counsel, who joined Mr. Giuliani in an afternoon news conference at City Hall. 'We want to retain that money for the good uses that the city will put it to.'" (Abby Goodnough, "Giuliani Files Lawsuit Challenging Tax Repeal," The New York Times, 6/3/99)

Mayor Giuliani Said That Suburbanites "Should Feel An Obligation" To Pay The Tax. "On his weekly WABC radio show, Giuliani said that suburbanites 'should feel an obligation to make a contribution to the city that is doing a lot for them.'" (Robert Hardt Jr., "Albany Tax Slash Has City Weighing Layoffs," New York Post, 5/22/99)

FACT: Mayor Giuliani Sued Republicans In Albany So He Could Keep The Commuter Tax:

Mayor Giuliani Immediately Threatened Legal Action In Order To Keep The Commuter Tax. "A spokeswoman for Mr. Giuliani said tonight that he would file suit to retain the tax, maintaining that the state cannot end it without the permission of the city." (Clifford J. Levy, "Leaders In Albany Plan To Eliminate Tax On Commuters," The New York Times, 5/13/99)

* Mayor Giuliani: "We Will Challenge It. We Will Go To Court And We Will Win." (Gregg Birnbaum, "Rudy Goes To War With Albany," New York Post, 5/14/99)

Governor Pataki Signed The Repeal Into Law, Despite Giuliani's Protests. "Gov. George Pataki signed the law eliminating New York City's commuter tax yesterday at the Rockville Centre train station, much to the delight of hometown state Sen. Dean Skelos, who for more than a decade championed calls to remove the tax." (Monte R. Young, "Pataki Signs Commuter Tax Repeal," [New York] Newsday, 5/28/99)

Mayor Giuliani Filed A Lawsuit Challenging The State's Authority To Repeal The Tax. "Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone joined forces and filed a lawsuit yesterday to challenge the Legislature's repeal of the city's commuter tax, insisting the measure was unconstitutional… The suit argues the Legislature passed the measure too quickly and did not receive city permission in what's called a Home Rule message." (Liz Willen, "City Sues Over Tax Repeal," [New York] Newsday, 6/3/99)

The State Supreme Court Rejected Mayor Giuliani's Argument And Ruled The Entire Tax Unconstitutional. "A Manhattan judge on Friday, in effect, rewrote the state law repealing the New York City commuter tax, an action which authorities said could cost the city more than $360 million a year. Supreme Court Justice Barry Cozier said the law, which repealed the payroll tax only for state residents but left it intact for out-of-state commuters, was unconstitutional. His ruling means the tax is eliminated for all commuters…Cozier agreed with lawyers for New Jersey, Connecticut and two private individuals that the new tax law, scheduled to take effect July 1, violates several provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs had argued that taxing some commuters and not others was unfair to those who still would be forced to pay. The judge rejected the city's argument that the law is special legislation requiring a so-called home-rule message before any change is made. A home-rule message is a request from the city to the state to alter a law affecting city affairs." ("Judge Eliminates Commuter Tax," [New York] Newsday, 6/26/99)

FACT: After Losing In Court, Mayor Giuliani Continued To Fight To Keep The Commuter Tax:

The Giuliani Administration Vowed To Appeal The Ruling. "City officials said the court ruling would be appealed." ("Judge Eliminates Commuter Tax," [New York] Newsday, 6/26/99)

The New York Court Of Appeals Rejected Mayor Giuliani's Appeal. "Deepening a financial blow to New York City, the state's highest court said yesterday that state lawmakers acted within their authority last year when they repealed a city tax on commuters and that the 'discriminatory' income tax still levied on out-of-state commuters must also be ended. That means out-of-state commuters will be reimbursed for the city tax they've paid retroactive to July 1 of last year, when the repeal for in-state commuters took effect. The city had collected the 0.45 percent tax since 1966." (Kara Blond, "Court Of Appeals Kill City's Commuter Tax," [New York] Newsday, 4/5/00)

Labels: rudy, rudy giuliani, tax cuts, Taxes

Labels: rudy

“Sometimes, I wonder what it’s gonna take, to find dignity.” –Bob Dylan

Dignity. What does dignity mean to you? The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines dignity as:

1. “The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect."
2. "Inherent nobility and worth: the dignity of honest labor."
3. 
   
1. "Poise and self-respect."
2. "Stateliness and formality in manner and appearance."
4. "The respect and honor associated with an important position."
   
5. "A high office or rank."
6. "Archaic A dignitary.”

Presidential. How do you define presidential? The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines presidential as:

1. 
   
1. "Of or relating to a president or the presidency."
2. "Befitting a president, especially the office of the President of the United States: criticized the candidate for not looking presidential."
2. "Of or relating to a political system in which the chief officer is a president who is elected independently of the legislature for a fixed term: a presidential government."

Based on those definitions, or whatever the terms dignity and presidential happen to mean to you personally, do you think that this or this

meets either standard? Or have we collectively become a movement in which it is not necessary for our presidential candidate to be dignified or presidential?

Much has been made of the fact that Ronald Reagan held the dignity of the office of the Presidency in such high esteem. In fact, the man respected it so much that he refused to take off his suit coat in the in the Oval Office. Conversely, Bill Clinton obviously did not care about the dignity of his office, as evidenced by his personal actions and was condemned for it by our party faithful. Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t that what we on the Right considered his cardinal sin? In addition to his legal wrongs and incorrect policy decisions, we took extreme issue with the fact that the man threw away the dignity of the Presidency and of the United States of America with his conduct.

As Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani engaged in the above referenced behavior for the sake of simple humor while sacrificing his dignity. Those are not the only instances of behavior on his part, and neither is he the only candidate that is known to have behaved in an undignified manner.

Do we as a country, or as Republicans or Conservatives, want to sacrifice our dignity yet again? Or do we want a candidate that will unquestionably uphold the dignity of the party, of the office he holds, and of the United States of America?

Labels: rudy, rudy giuliani

click to enlarge

Labels: afa, Giuliani, rudy, rudy giuliani, social conservatism

No biggie, Giuliani's people argue - they are sitting in the catbird's seat when Feb. 5 rolls around. That's the day a half dozen big states go to the polls. But while Giuliani holds leads now in major, moderate states such as New York, Florida, California, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois, politics is like pool: The first shot changes the next one. If Giuliani loses to Romney in the first three states and to Thompson in South Carolina, a strong Super Tuesday showing is a fantasy.

Mesmerized by the numbers in fairly meaningless national surveys that mainly measure name identification and personal familiarity, the DC doyens cannot stop talking at their Georgetown cocktail parties and on their TV shows about the all-New York match-up (maybe Michael Bloomberg, too, they add excitedly). We'll see. Maybe it will end up that way, but if it does, it will be because the Empire State candidates win the campaign starting this month. Real people, even most activist voters, do not make up their mind on presidential choice until they have to do so. In Iowa and New Hampshire, still the most crucial nominating states despite all the tinkering with the schedule, voters are tough-minded and wonderfully heartless in picking the people who probably will be the general election standard-bearers. We look forward to some egg-on-face retrospectives on mainstream media coverage if those influential early voters decide to ignore the Beltway script. Should Hillary and Rudy both fall, it will be omelet-on-face treatment.

Labels: Larry Sabato, rudy

He cut taxes 23 times in New York and turned a $2.3 billion budget deficit into a multi-billion dollar surplus, while balancing the city’s budget. Because he turned his conservative principles into action, New York City taxpayers saved more than $9 billion in taxes...

"Upon closer inspection, however, Giuliani?s record on taxes isn't as conservative as advertised. In fact, a nonpartisan independent organization found that Mayor Giuliani actually opposed significant tax cuts, and would have denied hundreds of millions of dollars in tax relief for New Yorkers had he gotten his way.

"FactCheck.org, which is run by the non-partisan Annenberg School at the University Of Pennsylvania, has pointed out that Mayor Giuliani fought Republican efforts to kill the city's commuter tax [$360 million annual], and actually went to court to keep it alive."
...
"In another instance, FactCheck.org reported that Giuliani strenuously opposed a personal-income-tax-rate cut amounting to $469 million – but now claims credit for it as one of the 23 taxes he cut."
...
"Moreover, [Giuliani's] refusal to sign Americans for Tax Reform?s 'Taxpayer Protection Pledge' raises serious doubts among economic conservatives about his commitment to keeping income-tax rates low.

When he took office in 1994, Giuliani was indeed facing a $2.3 billion deficit for the next fiscal year. But Giuliani's last budget, issued in May 2001 – before 9/11 – for fiscal 2002, projected a deficit of nearly $2.8 billion in fiscal 2003, the first budget year the new mayor would face. The IBO estimated the deficit would be even larger, about $3.3 billion. In reality, thanks to 9/11, the budget hole turned out to be around $5 billion.

Labels: fiscal discipline, rudy

So I finally read Wayne Barrett's Giuliani takedown in the Village Voice (I linked to it a while ago). It goes through Giuliani's five big lies about 9/11. The first three are, if true, pretty devastating. It appears that Barrett's reporting was pretty meticulous. But he does have an axe to grind —see this Barrett hit on Giuliani's personal life, for example—so I'm not sure whether he is leaving anything out that exculpates Giuliani.

Labels: Giuliani, national security, rudy, terrorism

Labels: abortion, adoption, rudy

• Rudy avoiding an opinion on Roe vs. Wade
• Rudy says no on marriage amendment
  

Labels: rudy

But in running Rudy and John out of Ames, Romney has shown real strength, and must now be the favorite to take Iowa in January and probably is the man to beat in New Hampshire.

Labels: iowa, John McCain, rudy

1. Rudy thinks that Judges with a pro-life record are not terrific (from the line: "if on 20 other issues they would be terrific")
2. Rudy just "might" bring himself to appoint pro-life judges.
   

Labels: abortion, rudy

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Labels: al sharpton, mittcast, rudy

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in his campaign appearances this year has stated that he personally abhors abortion, even though he supports keeping a legal right to choose. But records show that in the '90s he contributed money at least six times to Planned Parenthood, one of the country's leading abortion rights groups and its top provider of abortions.

Labels: abortion, donations, planned parenthood, rudy

Hi Rich. Giuliani's comments are the kind of talk that is going to ensure that the Democrats win the White House. He's talking about people ignoring their core beliefs. I have respect for him and think he's a great speaker, but as a Christian conservative (ironically, from Iowa) I can honestly tell you that I will not vote for him. Period. And I don't care if it does allow Hillary the presidency…

Giuliani made his sharpest case for moving beyond social issues this weekend in Iowa, telling The Des Moines Register, "Our party is going to grow, and we are going to win in 2008 if we are a party characterized by what we're for, not if we're a party that's known for what we're against."

Asked about abortion, he said, "Our party has to get beyond issues like that."

Labels: abortion, rudy

You combined two essential qualities of executive leadership. You had an overarching vision of a new New York City - a safer, cleaner and more prosperous place - and you were able to marshal the institutions of city government to help effect your aim.

And I haven't even yet mentioned your magnificent leadership on and after 9/11, which also combined both the visionary and the practical in a truly stirring way.

That combination of vision and competence is what even your enemies have come to show a grudging respect for.

So where is it now?

The vision seems to be there. But not the competence.

John McCain's 2000 campaign for president failed, but it was an unruly and joyous romp. His campaign this time feels quite different: Carefully planned, meticulously calculated -- and a tragedy.

Labels: John McCain, rudy

Labels: rudy

Although presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is quick to say that he "hates" abortion, his recent choice of words shows little enmity for the practice. In an interview with CNN, the former New York City mayor reaffirmed that he supports taxpayer funding for abortion. "I'm in the same position now that I was 12 years ago... which is, personally opposed to abortion, don't like it, hate it, would advise [women] to have an adoption rather than abortion." He went on to say, "But it is your choice, an individual right. You get to make that choice, and I don't think society should be putting you in jail." American women have not been at risk of jail under past abortion laws, nor are they in the future. This canard is what the radical feminists have long said in an attempt to frighten and mislead. Referencing a 1989 speech, in which Giuliani said, "There must be public funding for abortions for poor women," the CNN interviewer asked if he would maintain that same position as president. Giuliani replied, "Probably." Then he added, "Ultimately, [abortion] is a constitutional right, and therefore... even if you do it on a state-by-state basis, you have to make sure that people are protected." That is an odd formulation, since Roe v. Wade is notable for withdrawing the protection of human life. And if abortion is a "private" act, what business does the government have funding it? If it is hateful, what other hateful things merit tax subsidies? Giuliani assured a crowd in Iowa that he would appoint conservative judges who will "interpret the meaning of the Constitution." Yet Giuliani's opinion of what the Constitution guarantees offers little comfort to the vast number of Americans who count themselves among the ranks of the pro-life.

Labels: abortion, frc, rudy