Bloomy and Rudy
by Ryan Sager
Fri, 22 Jun 2007 at 11:44 AM
updated Fri, 22 Jun 2007 at 11:47 AM
I've got to disagree with this Bruce Reed column, which argues that a Bloomberg candidacy (or even non-candidacy) hurts Rudy Giuliani by denying him headlines and reminding Republican voters how liberal and unappealing New Yorkers are.
First off, it's worth remembering — always — that we in the political-junkie community are more focused on this election than 99% of the American public. We're now in a long stretch between the presidential announcements (well, most of them anyway) and the actual voting. The two frontrunner (Rudy and Hillary) don't want a lot of headlines between now and December/January. They want to keep their heads down and let their opponents tear each other apart. Mr. Giuliani's mostly been getting his wish as John McCain's chances evaporate and as the Arizona senator tries to take Mitt Romney down with him. The real complication, for him, has been the rise of Fred Thompson — but that bubble has five months to pop.
As to Mr. Bloomberg bringing New York to the forefront — Mr. Giuliani isn't running away from New York at all. While people want to claim he's just the 9/11 candidate, he's explicitly built his candidacy on his record in saving New York City from itself. Without that record, his 9/11 experience would long ago have ceased to be enough to sustain his candidacy. The American people can be sentimental and prone to myth-making, but to assume Rudy only survives because of 9/11 is insulting to everyone involved, both candidate and voters.
Mr. Bloomberg, meanwhile, provides — if anything — a counterexample of just the kind of liberal mayor Mr. Giuliani wasn't. The good things about Mr. Bloomberg's time in office have boiled down to preserving the gains Mr. Giuliani made — and in some limited cases building on them. The bad things (the micro-managing social engineering) are all on Mr. Bloomberg. Yes, Messrs. Bloomberg and Giuliani are both miles away from the GOP base on gun control. But that's the case whether or not Mr. Bloomberg makes a run.
Related Topics: GOP Primary
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