Rudy barely ahead in New York ... and courting controversy in Florida
Rudy Giuliani has bet all his chips on Florida, which his chaos theory of campaigning postulates will sling shot him through to "Tsunami Tuesday" on February 5th, causing him to mop up states like an electoral Swifter Sweeper. Then, he laughs (demonically) all the way to the convention.
Okay, well let's say Rudy does win Florida (which I rather doubt will happen at this point, given the fact that he has run out of both money and media interest, while Mike Huckabee is catching on nicely, thank you, on the GOP side...) doesn't the Man Who Made NYPD Cops Walk His Girlfriend's Dog have to win New York ... too...?
A new poll suggests that John McCain is right on Rudy's tail in his home state. From Pollster.com:
Among 471 likely Republican primary voters, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani runs at 32%, Sen. John McCain at 29% in a statewide primary; former Gov. Mike Huckabee trails at 12%, former Gov. Mitt Romney at 7%, former Sen. Fred Thompson at 6%.
Not a good look for Rudy.
Neither is this. Rudy's Florida strategy is partly predicated on the fact that Florida is home to so many retired New Yorkers, whom he, and much of the media, assumes love the guy. But what if they don't? Broward County, where I live, is nicknamed "the Sixth Borough" of New York because there are so many of us here. But I don't know a single former New Yorker who likes ... scratch that ... who doesn't despise, Giuliani. For one reason or another, he is not necessarily beloved by all former Big Apple residents. One big group who is iffy on the mayor: firefighters. And Rudy is testing them, big time: he is scheduled to be in Miami tomorrow for the Three Kings Parade, where he will pal around with Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina. From the Herald:
Giuliani firetruck ride splits firefighters BY MARC CAPUTO Rudy Giuliani's plan to ride in a Miami-Dade firetruck in Sunday's Three Kings parade has outraged some firefighters who say the presidential candidate has ''lied'' about his 9/11 record because he did too little to equip and protect emergency workers.
The controversy -- unwittingly set in motion by County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa -- has politically pitted firefighters against one another in Miami-Dade as well as in New York. To quiet the feud, the IAFF's local Miami-Dade chapter, 1403, will cover its numbers on the union-owned firetruck by draping it with an American flag.
Giuliani's campaign said he will probably ride in the truck and walk beside it with firefighters.
The campaign responded to questions about his record with a statement that stressed his generous spending on New York emergency management agencies. It also dismissed some firefighter attacks on his mayoral record as a partisan smear linked to the Democratic-leaning International Association of Fire Fighters union, which released a popular but questionable YouTube video and website calling the Republican's leadership an ``Urban Legend.''
Jim Riches, a recently retired New York firefighter featured in the union's media, told The Miami Herald that Giuliani doesn't deserve to go anywhere near a flag-draped firetruck.
''This is improper. Rudy lied about what he did on 9/11. He's giving the appearance he's backed by firefighters and he isn't,'' Riches said, ``Rudy has to go all the way down to Florida to get firefighters to stand next to him because he can't get that support in New York.'' ...
...Riches said he believes his son, Jimmy Riches, died in the north tower of the World Trade Center because the radio system and command were so ineffective that he never got the word to evacuate.
''We had the same radio system we had when the World Trade Center was attacked in 1993,'' he said. ``We didn't have respirators to help with the cleanup and rescue, so now 70 percent of first responders are sick. And he promoted people to the top who all ran before the towers fell.''
Riches learned of Giuliani's invitation in an e-mail to all Metro-Dade Firefighters union members that listed local firefighter Joaquin Del Cueto as a contact. Closing with ''ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!'' the e-mail invites members to meet Giuliani, wear Giuliani T-shirts and walk beside the firetruck to ``GET OUT THE VOTE!!!!'' ...
I've spoken with a high ranking member of the southeastern region of IAFF, and I can tell you that Rudy cannot count on firefighters in Florida to go out for him. They are split between Democrat and Republican candidates like everyone else, but there's definitely no special love for Rudy among former New York firefighters, any more than there is among expat New Yorkers in general. That's just one of the reasons Rudy's election strategy is risky at best, and probably not too bright.
<%
dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
