Giuliani starts first steps to Presidential Candidacy

[tunatartare]

I remember reading an article in New York magazine a couple of years back that said that hating the mayor is a New York institution.

[blueangel]

A lot of people like Giuliani. When he took over, NYC was a mess. He cleaned up the streets, put people to work through his welfare-to-work initiative, clamped down on the mob, and did a heck of a job during 9-11. However, his views on illegal immigration could really hurt him.

A very beloved NYC mayor was Fiorello LaGuardia. He led the city through some of the worst days of the depression and the hardships of WWII. My grandmother used to tell me stories on how he would read the Sunday Comics on the radio during a nationwide newspaper strike so the kids wouldn't miss their favorite episodes.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by blueangel

A very beloved NYC mayor was Fiorello LaGuardia.

And a brother in Phi Mu Alpha. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by blueangel

A lot of people like Giuliani. When he took over, NYC was a mess. He cleaned up the streets, put people to work through his welfare-to-work initiative, clamped down on the mob, and did a heck of a job during 9-11. However, his views on illegal immigration could really hurt him.

If you've never read "Freakonomics" you should check out their 'Broken Window Theory' - ol' Rudy is the poster boy for it.

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

If you've never read "Freakonomics" you should check out their 'Broken Window Theory' - ol' Rudy is the poster boy for it.

I haven't read it. Would you care to elaborate?

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by blueangel

I haven't read it. Would you care to elaborate?

You should read it. It's an excellent book. A quick Google search will briefly explain more. There's also a recent Law Review article from University of Chicago that further discusses it.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by blueangel

I haven't read it. Would you care to elaborate?

Basically, you repair cosmetic details (you really think the mafia was a real problem for the everyday life of New Yorkers? you don't realize the Times Square hookers and porno simply moved a block?) instead of addressing the problem, and most people think you've solved the issues.

Rudy won the psychological battle, even though he whiffed on any real issues.

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Basically, you repair cosmetic details (you really think the mafia was a real problem for the everyday life of New Yorkers? you don't realize the Times Square hookers and porno simply moved a block?) instead of addressing the problem, and most people think you've solved the issues.

Rudy won the psychological battle, even though he whiffed on any real issues.

These were far from cosmetic details. Mayor David Dinkins left NYC in shambles. Rudy Giuliani took a city in urban decay and restored it to its previous luster.

Some of the things Giuliani achieved while being mayor of NY:

-overall crime fell 44%

-murder plummeted 70%

-cleaned up graffiti and so-called "broken window" crime which resulted in increased tourism and more $'s for the city

-cut the welfare roles by half by implementing work-fare
(when he took office one out of 7 New Yorkers were on welfare-- he got more than 690-thousand people back to work)

- instituted $2.5 billion dollars in tax reductions

-turned a $2.3 billion dollar deficit (thanks to former Mayor Dinkins) into a multibillion dollar surplus

-stimulated economic growth (450,000 private sector jobs were created under his leadership)

-cracked down on organized crime-- (and how did it effect NY'ers you ask?) It returned hundreds of millions of dollars back to the city which had otherwise been drained from the city's economy

-his conduct during 9-11 speaks for itself. He was called
"the face of America" during that time. He proved to be a strong leader during a crisis unlike any other in this city. He pulled the city up by its bootstraps, united New Yorkers, kept the city running, took to the airwaves, put together a command center, and was able to get important economic vehicles such as the stock exchange open again in just a matter of days.


Did he make some mistakes? Sure. Was he perfect? No.
Can he get elected? I don't know. He's considered a "moderate" Republican. His views on abortion, gun control, gay rights and immigration could hurt him with right wing conservatives... but then again, it could help him with more moderate Republicans and Independents. His personal life also won't help him either with his much publicized messy divorce to Donna Hanover.

[kddani]

I'm not familiar with the governmental structure of NYC. Was the mayor directly responsible for each of these achievements listed? Were programs of his own initiative responsible for these? Or does NYC also have some sort of board or commissioners, etc.?

Also, where do these statistics come from? Sources are always good. Particularly since statistics can often be scewed and rarely tell the whole story.

[mulattogyrl]

Originally Posted by blueangel

A lot of people like Giuliani. When he took over, NYC was a mess. He cleaned up the streets, put people to work through his welfare-to-work initiative, clamped down on the mob, and did a heck of a job during 9-11. However, his views on illegal immigration could really hurt him.

I agree with you here. He did do those things. But otherwise, he sucked monkey butt. I couldn't stand him, and I'm glad to see people agree with me in this thread.

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by mulattogyrl

I agree with you here. He did do those things. But otherwise, he sucked monkey butt. I couldn't stand him, and I'm glad to see people agree with me in this thread.

What didn't you like about his policies? Can you be specific?