Rudy Can't Fail, Can He?

Here it is, the first YouTube to dent Rudy Giuliani's image since the old "government-funded abortions for all!" speech.

Marc Ambinder has the best take on this.

One cannot listen to this excerpt of Giuliani, taken from an apperance before the Kennedy School of Government in 1996, and conclude that, in the back of his mind, Giuliani was somehow arguing that if only our law enforcement techniques got better, we'd be able to solve the problem. He was making an affirmative argument that solving the problem itself could be more harmful than preserving the status quo So -- clearly -- Giuliani's argument has changed.

Reporters have been pointing out for a while that Giuliani's fundamental thinking on immigration didn't match up with what he was saying to angry crowds, but the response was a collective "eh" sometimes accompanied with a "whatever." Driving the point home absolutely requires this kind of visual proof. Seeing the man contradict himself has a power that you can't get in prose, and it's harder to challenge the provenance of a video camera than to challenge a reporter's anecdotes and facts and bias, as some conservatives did with Wayne Barrett's latest Rudy expose.

Comments

VM | August 16, 2007, 10:11am | #

Great headline, David!

Eric Lindholm | August 16, 2007, 10:15am | #

Very clever - the Clash, of course.

Bradford C. | August 16, 2007, 10:17am | #

God, that was such a bad combover.

ClubMedSux | August 16, 2007, 10:19am | #

I would be much more inclined to vote for Giuliani if he made "Rudy Can't Fail" his official campaign song. Well, maybe not, but it beats the crap out of "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow."

VikingMoose | August 16, 2007, 10:20am | #

ya think, Eric? :)

Lamar | August 16, 2007, 10:22am | #

The next headline should be "A message to you Rudy." Then we can debate whether it refers to The Specials or Propagandhi.

Timothy | August 16, 2007, 10:31am | #

I agree with Lamar.

Timothy | August 16, 2007, 10:32am | #

OH, and just in case:

DONDEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Taktix® | August 16, 2007, 10:43am | #

Now just call the next Putin story "Ivan meets G.I. Joe" and we'll be set.

(Sorry, that song popped in my head when I read The Clash).

Pro Libertate | August 16, 2007, 10:45am | #

If Rudy doesn't get the nomination, I think he should form a new party, the Action Party, and run on an overtly anti-Constitution message. You know, something like him having the leadership qualities to get things done and our needing to get real in this world of imminent Islamic domination.

Jesse Walker | August 16, 2007, 10:47am | #

The next headline should be "A message to you Rudy."

Don't step on my joke, man. I've been waiting for weeks for a good chance to use that one.

Chris S. | August 16, 2007, 10:49am | #

If Rudy doesn't get the nomination, I think he should form a new party, the Action Party, and run on an overtly anti-Constitution message. You know, something like him having the leadership qualities to get things done and our needing to get real in this world of imminent Islamic domination.

That's absurd. If he started a new party, it would be called the "9-11: Never Ever Ever Forget Party" (or some variant on that theme) not the "Action Party."

Stephen the Goldberger | August 16, 2007, 10:52am | #

he'll just deflect this by making some comment about 9/11 making illegal immigration a security issue, and to top it all off, no one really cares about this but us.

Warren | August 16, 2007, 10:52am | #

eh, whatever

Pro Libertate | August 16, 2007, 10:53am | #

Always Considering the Towers' Implosion On Nine/eleven.

Better?

Chris S. | August 16, 2007, 10:56am | #

Much better. You just can't beat a totally effed up acronym incorporating 9/11.

de stijl | August 16, 2007, 11:07am | #

Stop your messin' around. Better think of your future. Time you straightened right out, creatin' problems in town.

Lamar | August 16, 2007, 11:12am | #

Sorry, Jesse Walker. I only meant praise.

lunchstealer | August 16, 2007, 11:18am | #

Wait, is that Jesse's joke, not Dave's joke? Apparently confusion will be my epitaph.

Timothy | August 16, 2007, 11:19am | #

Man, now I've got that song in my head. That makes for a good morning.

Chuck | August 16, 2007, 11:44am | #

As soon as he starts drinking brew for breakfast, we'll know he can't fail.

Jim Bob | August 16, 2007, 11:47am | #

9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11

...and stuff.

JasonC | August 16, 2007, 11:59am | #

lunchstealer - A Message to you Rudy will be Jesse's joke, when he gets a chance to use it. Hope that clears it up for you.

lunchstealer | August 16, 2007, 12:25pm | #

Ah, good. makes sense now.

joe | August 16, 2007, 12:30pm | #

I went to the Market
To realize my sould
Cut what I need, I just don't have.

First, they curse
Then they press me till I'm hurt
Ru-dy can't fail.

Seer | August 16, 2007, 12:39pm | #

Too bad that the only issue "conservatives" care about now is 9/11.

S.A. Miller | August 16, 2007, 12:42pm | #

Boy Rudy Giuliani must really have Liberals pissing in their pants... TPM et al are pulling out all the stops.

MattXIV | August 16, 2007, 12:42pm | #

He mentions 9/11 in excess
No idea why DONDEROOOOOOO wants to elect this
He'll eat the Constitution for breakfast
Rudy can't fail.

joe | August 16, 2007, 12:49pm | #

Uh, yeah, between his unapologetic support for the most hated war in American history, his stated intention of starting more such wars, and his history of saying really, really stupid things in public, liberals are just terrified of Guiliani.

Every campaign from here on out is a You Tube campaign, S.A. As a Democrat, I only hope that the footage of him screaming at a volunteer until she cries comes out after he gets the nomination.

Pro Libertate | August 16, 2007, 12:58pm | #

Not that I think that either will actually get the nomination, but God save us from a Clinton-Giuliani contest.

Pinette | August 16, 2007, 1:01pm | #

Ska Sucks
ska revival isn't cool you stupid fuck
the bands are only in it for the bucks
and if you don't believe me your a schmuck.
but the trend will die out with any luck.

fuck you rudy!

that song seems to have some libertarian vibes.

Lamar | August 16, 2007, 1:03pm | #

Joe, there are plenty of idjit Democrats who will think: Rudy is pro-choice and we had a wonderful time in New York City last winter, we even saw Lion King.....

highnumber | August 16, 2007, 1:44pm | #

Jesse,
There are plenty of Rudy/rude boy songs out there. You could probably find one for every Guiliani story if you want.

joe | August 16, 2007, 2:07pm | #

Lamar,

Does't matter. No one with Rudy's foreign policy positions will win even 10% of Democrats. Not in this decade, anyway.

Lamar | August 16, 2007, 2:38pm | #

Even if he goes against a hawkish democrat whom the left wing will have spent the entire primary season demonizing?

S.A. Miller | August 16, 2007, 3:36pm | #

Joe, can you point out any of the other Republicans running who are already being attacked by Democrats? Rudy is the only one I've seen.

VM | August 16, 2007, 3:45pm | #

Highnumber:

isn't the subtitle to "867-5309" "(Guiliani)"

???

joe | August 16, 2007, 4:16pm | #

Lamar,

The most hawkish Democrat in the race has pledged to immediately begin the withdrawal from Iraq upon taking office.

SA,

I've seen McCain, Huckabee, Brownback, Romney, Fred Thompson, and Ron Paul attacked on both Daily Kos and Think Progress.

Do you actually read any liberal blogs?

JW | August 16, 2007, 4:41pm | #

Goddamnit! I've had The Clash in my head all day because of the title.

Will someone PLEASE tell Mick Jones to shut the hell up.

Lamar | August 16, 2007, 5:22pm | #

"The most hawkish Democrat in the race has pledged to immediately begin the withdrawal from Iraq upon taking office."

I'm not putting words in her mouth. I'm predicting that a shrill and irrational far-far left will do damage to her on the war issue which will have the effect of making Rudy's hawk policy look less dissimilar to Hillary's hawkish record to a middle America that is dumb as hell. I think the polls play this out.

I don't hate Hillary like so many irrational people do. Given the contenders we could do a lot, lot worse, and maybe only one or two better.

Pro Libertate | August 16, 2007, 5:25pm | #

Prediction: The next president will find an excuse to stay in Iraq. The temptation to "do it right" will be simply too great for most of the contenders.

joe | August 16, 2007, 6:12pm | #

Lamar,

I don't think we're going to see anyone fooled by the Nader argument anymore.

The shrill far-left didn't manage the blur the two parties together last November, did it?

highnumber | August 16, 2007, 6:56pm | #

Mick Jones,

Shut the hell up!

And stay out of JW's head!

more voices | August 16, 2007, 7:29pm | #

Waiting for the clampdown...

jh | August 16, 2007, 8:03pm | #

"The most hawkish Democrat in the race has pledged to immediately begin the withdrawal from Iraq upon taking office."

Which Hillary said this? The Hillary who supported the Iraq war when it was popular to do so? The Hillary trying to tack left to win the primary? Or the Hillary who will tack hard toward the center should she win that primary? Or the Hillary who will say or do whatever she thinks will get her reelected should she get elected President?

How old do you have to be to quite believing campaign promises by politicians shortly before an election, especially when those promises contradict prior promises? Old enough to quit believing in the Tooth Fairy?

jh | August 16, 2007, 8:04pm | #

quite quit believing ...

Anonymous | August 16, 2007, 9:25pm | #

Am I the only one here who thinks this blog devotes an inordinate amount of time to Rudy Giuliani? Not a day goes by without three of four new posts about the guy. He gets more coverage than any of the other candidates combined.

Goldthwait | August 16, 2007, 9:29pm | #

Holy shit, a presidential candidate said one thing during election season that contradicts something else he said before? You have got to be kidding me. Given the breathless reaction of Reason, Guiliani must be the first person in the annals of electoral history to have ever done this.

* | August 16, 2007, 10:57pm | #

Holy shit, a presidential candidate said one thing during election season that contradicts something else he said before? You have got to be kidding me. Given the breathless reaction of Reason, Guiliani must be the first person in the annals of electoral history to have ever done this.

Cognitive dissonance is a drag, huh?

joe | August 16, 2007, 11:01pm | #

It isn't a matter of trusting Hillary Clinton, jh; it's a question of the political forces in the country.

You need to worry less about "the right people" being in charge, and more about how the politics of this country operates as a system.

Lamar | August 16, 2007, 11:57pm | #

"The shrill far-left didn't manage the blur the two parties together last November, did it?"

It will be interesting to see how it goes when they can focus on a single candidate. The Alternet's of the world will be focused on a single person.