AlterNet: 'Giuliani Time': Just When You Thought You Knew How Evil He Is

'Giuliani Time': Just When You Thought You Knew How Evil He Is

By Lisa Gray-Garcia, AlterNet. Posted December 4, 2007.


As the film "Giuliani Time" reveals, rarely has one man so successfully harnessed the hatred and ignorance of the U.S. public for poor people and people of color.



"Peddlers, panhandlers and prostitutes, they all need to be cleaned out ." The first time I heard Rudy Giuliani speak was on a NBC nightly news broadcast. It was 1996. I was living in Oakland, Calif., at the time -- 3,000 miles away from Manhattan, where, as mayor, Giuliani was implementing his "clean-up campaign." But the sting of his speech still scared me.

It was the first time I had heard hygienic metaphors to describe poor people like me who were surviving in an underground street-based economy. Rudy Giuliani had become mayor of New York City on a campaign that constructed a new scapegoat for all of America's crime problems: "the squeegee man" (aka a person who cleans car windows at stop lights).

Giuliani was emboldened with "the broken window" philosophy, which claimed that if broken windows remain unfixed for a period of time the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.

The theory was promoted by the hyperconservative Manhattan Institute and was already litmus tested by N.Y. Police chief Bill Bratten. In his now-infamous statement, Giuliani publicly linked three street-based economies and communities with dirt or trash: They were something to be cleaned up as a means to create the perfect U.S. city.

Under his rule, ridding Manhattan of the newly designated and oxymoronic "quality of life" criminals such as panhandlers, recyclers, window washers (aka squeegee men), sex workers, hot dog peddlers and street artists was the way to have a crime-free, user-friendly, corporate dollar-fueled city. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/rights/69409/

Of late his polling is in a downward spiral nationally.

He's virtually skipped Iowa altogether.

He's trailing at least 2 other contenders in New Hampshire.

His once-impressive lead in South Carolina is now in clear jeopardy.

He's increasingly perceived as a 1-note johnny with all the 9/11 bullshit.

He's not real good on his feet and his language is the speech of bullies and hyper-prosecutors, and not the language of understanding or compassion or compromise or consciousness.

He's a back-alley thug in it for the adrenalin of power.

Gulliani will have the hardest time getting ANY of the african american vote. People outside of the NY area probably don't even know the half of it but his reputation in office prior to 9/11 was one of the most racially divisive imaginable, especially in such a diverse place as NYC.

The right has enough problems with the african american voting public to begin with but at least there is some overlap with the more religious segment of the population. But given Guilliani's secular reputation coupled with his record on minority issues and lack of sensitivity I think it would be possible for the right to lose even more of the vote than they already have.

Although admittedly i don't purport to speak for any segment of the population of which I'm not a member so this is for the record just my own gut instinct.

I know exactly what you're saying. There was literally a police beatdown of an unarmed and innocent black man every week at one point, or so it seemed. In fact, in one of the beating cases, perhaps Abner Louima, one of the cops exclaimed "It's Giuliani Time" while he was beating the man.

That "It's Gulliani Time" line was recanted by Louima. Doesn't take away from the abject horror of what he was put through, but nonetheless he admitted that he was shell shocked and that probably didn't happen.

The absolute low point was when the cops shot an unarmed black man and then when people were outraged they released his juvenille records (which are sealed) only so Guilliani could point out that "he was no altar boy" and that he "had a habit of punching people"

God, just thinking back on that time even as a suburban white dude just enrages me. It was so brazen and repulsive.

First of all, mayors do not get to be President. That is a fact. Mayors who go on to be governors or VP could, but the U.S. electorate is not going to elect a mayor President.

Second, Giuliani is trying to get the nomination in a party whose base at best tolerates him and at worst dislikes him intensely. Even if he manages to split up that base and gets the nomination, that base will not ever get excited about his candidacy. Should Hillary Clinton get the nomination, some of that base will come out to vote against her, yes. But not enough of them. Too many will reason that he is not any better than her so why bother?

And finally, Guiliani is just not likeable, his meanness and arrogance shows through enough that over the course of the primaries and general election, most voters are going to see it on display at least once if not several times. And that is a killer. Americans want to like their President. This is actually a difference between Hillary and Giuliani as well. Generally people find her more likeable as time goes on, with Giuliani the opposite is true.

I'm surprised the media doesn't mention this. While I have to admit out of respect for his children it's probably not a bad thing. But if a Democrat had this issue, say Chelsea didn't speak to her mother, the talking heads would be frothing at the mouth, fox noise would have 24/7 coverage.

Fuck him with a toilet plunger.

:nuke: