Don't Even Think About Voting For Rudy

It is not rare at all to hear friends of mine saying how impressed they are with Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Guiliani. Every article that I read, whether it is from Time or Newsweek, all point to Rudy's exemplary service while mayor of the Greatest City in The World. The two main attributes that you have probably heard are that he lowered the crime rate in New York and was a remarkable leader during the tragic days following 9/11. I have a few things that I would like to say about these marks of suppossed excellence.

Rudy did not lower the crime rate in New York City. If you were to read The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell and Freakanomics by Steven Levitt, you would learn that no one that has closely looked at the situation believes that Rudy was the most responsible factor in the improvement of NYC's streets. Gladwell suggests that it was truly the work of the police chief that made the impact. It was his tactics of busting turnstile jumpers and cleaning up subway cars that made the city's attitude shift to a more family-free enviroment. Gladwell also mentions that Guiliani was not shy about taking the credit for the work and that this has created quite a bit of animosity between the two former partners in crime-fighting.

Levitt is even more reserved in his praise for Guiliani. Freakanomics barely mentions the impact of Rudy, as if he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Of all the things that could contribute to the downturn of crime, there is only one that truly has statistical truth to it, which is having more cops on the streets. It is true, that when Rudy was in office, there were many more men in blue patroling the five burroughs, but it was Guiliani's predeseccor who began that process and began to see a decrease in crime even before Guiliani took office. The sad fact is that the former mayor largely lost office on the issue of crime. On top of all of this evidence, Levitt believes that the single most contributing factor towards the downturn of crime in New York and the country as a whole is his belief that abortion has had a statistical influence on society by weeding out the parts of the population that are most likely to contribute to crime. Whether you support legal abortions or not, it is a compelling argument.

And now-just a word on 9/11. The firefighters can't stand him. His leadership was of a created type. He didn't really do much besides be there. For Rudy Guiliani, 9/11 was the best thing that could have happened to his career. The truth is that if you, me or my puppy were mayor on that day, we would have all done about as good a job. All he had to do was not get on a plane to Paris to seem like a good leader, and he managed it. I'm just not impressed.

Rudy is blantaly a power-hungry and greedy politician. He is a cold man. He told his second wife that he was leaving her through a press conference, for crying out loud. His children don't speak to him. He is shiny, but only from a distance. This is not a man that we want running our country.

On the others...

Hillary-Seems to be unelectable, but I haven't made up my mind.
Obama-My favorite so far, but I need to see more substance.
McCain-I loved him until he started pandering to the Religious Right. He has become the Establisment that he shunned for so long. Where is the maverick these days? Also, his unwavering love for the war in Iraq is unhuman.
Romney-A lot of people are going to hate me for this, but the history of the mormon church doesn't speak well for Romney. I have a hard time believing that his policy won't be dictated by their Prophet. I don't care about the Kennedy comparisons.
Brownback-I like this guy for a lot of reasons. I like his genuine, non-socially conservative faith. I don't think he stands a chance though.
Edwards-I just feel sorry for him. He doesn't stand a chance and he works so hard. He has no clue about foreign policy. He thinks he can win on the old school domestic ticket, and I just don't see that as being the way to go these days. I do admire him though. The cancer thing is tough, and I wonder if its not smarter to bow out now and then consider a run in 5 years. Okay...looking forward to hearing what you think.