Pres. Candidate Rudy Giuliani

Former Mayor of New York Preaches Tolerance, Faith and... Duplicity

May 10, 2007 Cynthia Smaagaard

Rudy Giuliani has shared his message of tolerance and faith, but his double-minded manner has caused problems for the former Mayor of New York.

Republican Rudy Giuliani was named Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" in 2001, and for good reason. In light of the terror of September 11, 2001, he kept the city of New York together and almost single-handedly restored American patriotism. He served two terms as Mayor of the City of New York, the first time by election in 1993 and in 1997 was re-elected by a wide margin primarily because of his focus on fiscal responsibility, open-mindedness, issues of fighting crime plus his unwavering compassion and tolerance toward everyone in his home-town and diversely populated city.

Giuliani also has an extensive history working in law which makes him a great negotiator. In 1983, he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York where he fought against "drug dealers, organized crime, government corruption, and white-collar criminals." He later supervised "all of the U.S. Attorney Offices, federal law enforcement agencies, the Bureau of Corrections, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the U.S. Marshals Service," according to his website.

Giuliani's website tells us he has served as Associate Deputy Attorney General, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General, as executive U.S. Attorney, and Chief of the Narcotics Unit of the Office of the U.S. Attorney. His strong-arm tactics have oftentimes landed him in hot water with the press. When Disney executives wanted to invest in refurbishing Broadway, but were afraid due to the crime, Giuliani made it clear the problem would be dealt with swiftly and completely, leaving folks like Michael Eisner appreciative, but with reservations as to how the mayor intended to keep such a large promise. (PBS)

In 2005, Giuliani returned to private practice and became a partner in the law firm of Bracewell and Giuliani. Despite his affiliation with the Republican party, he is an outspoken advocate for a woman's right to choose legally although he personally feels it is morally wrong. He also prefers to allow for personal responsibility and freedom of speech.

"We have to leave it ultimately to the choice of a woman, I would not be open to removing the right," he recently told a crowd of students at Houston Baptist University. (Lucadamo,NYDailyNews, 5/12/07)

To give you an example of how the former mayor of New York handles difficult moral issues, in 2004 Giuliani told crowds at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City that he believed civic tolerance included acceptance of a person's right to express religious views, whether conservative or liberal, and this included any opposition to gay marchers during a New York City St. Patrick's Day parade. Giuliani delivered this speech to over 1,000 spectators at a memorial for the late Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, a personal friend, where he also discussed the importance of religious values and how his Roman Catholicism had provided moral structure to his own life. Giuliani felt the need to respond to his opponents because he refused to condemn a minister for what some considered anti-gay remarks. He did not encourage the boycott of Gay marchers, but neither did he cancel the parade. Later Giuliani went on to explain his vision of what tolerance means.

"As the Mayor of New York City, I will work as hard to protect someone's right to believe in God as he or she sees fit, or not to believe in God, because I realize that my right to practice my religion depends completely on my commitment to defend someone else's right to practice theirs," he said, "or to practice no religion at all." (Mitchell, Pew, 4/21/04)

Many do not know that Giuliani once considered joining the priesthood. Recent press has been unkind regarding Giuliani's relationship with his family and past divorce record. He is a prolific public speaker, earning several million dollars on the public speaking circuit comparable to former Pres. Bill Clinton. It is also reported that he gave at least $8 million toward Hurricane Katrina relief. Despite his lack of experience at the Congressional level, Giuliani has shown great promise under perserverance and may be one of those rare persons who do better under pressure, a skill most definitely desired for any future President.

The copyright of the article Pres. Candidate Rudy Giuliani in American Affairs is owned by Cynthia Smaagaard. Permission to republish Pres. Candidate Rudy Giuliani in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Rudy Giuliani