New at Reason
In the cover story from reason's December issue, David Weigel delves deep into Rudy Giuliani's views of government, power, and liberty.
Comments to "New at Reason":
I have nothing of interest to offer but just wanted to say that was a very good piece, David.
Jamie Kelly | November 14, 2007, 6:14pm | #
“Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority.”That says it all. This man must not become our next president, no way, no how, under any circumstances.
Ashish George | November 14, 2007, 6:15pm | #
I think it was a good piece, but I'm not sure why Weigel called him the liberal candidate. The article makes it clear Giuliani has become a neoconservative of sorts. And his fondness for Bobby Kennedy aside, he doesn't seem to support the causes that most strongly motivate contemporary liberals: abortion rights (he would appoint another Scalia, not another Ginsberg), universal health care, and a commitment to diversity.Maybe "The Prosecutorial Candidate" would have been a better title?
Jamie Kelly | November 14, 2007, 6:15pm | #
I mean, Orwellian in its madness. Fucking Orwellian.Lost_In_Translation | November 14, 2007, 6:56pm | #
Guliani, god willing, will not win the presidency.And Ashish, neoconservatives are liberals who got kicked out of the sandbox for smashing up everyone elses toys. Look how many ex-communists, socialists are in the neoconservative ranks and how callously they pursue power as an ends. Nobody, anywhere, should aspire to be a neoconservative.
Ska | November 14, 2007, 7:16pm | #
Yeah, JK, that comment is really scary. Hopefully there are only a handful of people who agree with it. Because we all know there are people who do.J sub D | November 14, 2007, 7:19pm | #
If, as the Las Vegas odds makers expect, it comes down to Hillary vs. Rudy, I'm voting for Clinton, part two. I despise the woman.You'll notice that Ron Paul is off the board.
duster | November 14, 2007, 7:45pm | #
Bobby Kennedy spoke out agaist drug prohibition, in pointing out that it benefitted organized crime and made criminals out of ordinary citizens. I wish Rudy were a little more like him in that way, but it doesn't jibe with his 'Freedom = Submission' equation. More than a handful of people agree with that, and they're the people politicians pretend to care about most.CKG | November 14, 2007, 8:57pm | #
This is going to be very difficult, but I think if it comes down to Hillary versus Rudy, I'll have to back Hillary too. Neither give a damn about freedom, and so with either one, we'll have some dark years ahead. But at least Hillary is calculating enough that she won't fuck up. Rudy is so committed to his vision of the "War on Terror" as this era's Cold War, that he will never give up, even if the Middle East winds up becoming a melted-down puddle of radioactivity. Rudy will keep on fighting at all costs. Even despite this, there is a little part of me that still sort of likes him. Oddly enough. Not enough for me to actually vote for him, but just a bit.Andrew | November 14, 2007, 9:01pm | #
Above all, great article. As someone who worked in New York in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I can tell you this: Things changed under Giuliani, generally for the better.There is an autocratic side, yes. But then, this trait was perfect in NYC, long-called the "ungovernable city." You needed a butt-kicked like Rudy G. to whip it into shape. (And by "shape," I mean basic things like the ability to walk down a street at night with a reasonable assumption that you will NOT be mugged, harrassed, swindled etc.).
The question then before the house is: Can a great mayor make a great President?
M | November 14, 2007, 9:51pm | #
This man must not become our next president, no way, no how, under any circumstances.No there's a seditious, and soon-to-be actionable, sentiment!
/snark
BakedPenguin | November 14, 2007, 10:51pm | #
...there is a little part of me that still sort of likes him. ...Not enough for me to actually vote for him, but just a bit.There's a part of me that likes him, too. Not enough for me to vote for him, but enough to brake if he were ever to step in front of my car.
Of course, I like my car, too.
BakedPenguin | November 14, 2007, 11:29pm | #
Argh. That should have been "...I like my car, too, which is a good reason to brake."Someone Who Doesn't Want to Lose His Job | November 14, 2007, 11:31pm | #
I want to post this Giuliani quote ("Freedom is...") on my Facebook page (I know, I'm a lame-o; I'm on Facebook), but I'm worried that people wouldn't understand that it was meant ironically.It would be up there with such greats as:
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."
- Mel Brooks
"People should not be afraid of their government; governments should be afraid of their people"
-Alan Moore
and the all-time classic:
“There is a fine line between fiction and nonfiction, and I believe Jimmy Buffett and I snorted it in 1976.”
-Kinky Friedman
(Thank you Reason, for introducing me to the last one!)
Kolohe | November 15, 2007, 12:29am | #
Benito Mussolini in a coat and tie.oncogenesis | November 15, 2007, 2:35am | #
No, Kolohe. Grandpa Munster channeling Benito Mussolini.R C Dean | November 15, 2007, 7:49am | #
Benito Mussolini in a coat and tie.Given Rudy's well-known penchant for drag, could we be looking at an election where both our candidates are "Hugo Chavez in a pantsuit"?
Broomstick Hilda | November 15, 2007, 9:38am | #
I mean basic things like the ability to walk down a street at night with a reasonable assumption that you will NOT be mugged, harrassed, swindled etc.).Things didn't change one bit. The mugging, hassling, and swindling was just done by the police instead of private citizens.
Why would anyone vote for either Hillary or Rudy? Their differences are miniscule (unless you are a party partisan who wants your particular authoritarian in charge), and voting for one over the other is a tacit endorsement of that person. Better to not vote at all and hope the turnout is so low that it sends a message.
Cesar | November 15, 2007, 9:53am | #
Heres pretty much where I stand-Hillary Vs Rudy, I vote for the LP nutjob.
Hillary Vs Romney, I vote for Romney.
Hillary Vs Thompson, I vote for Thompson.
Hillary Vs McCain, again the LP nutjob.
AWIK DUNDER(head)OOOOO | November 15, 2007, 10:26am | #
"Why would anyone vote for either Hillary or Rudy? Their differences are miniscule"WHY YOU SISSY FAKE LIBERTARIAN CRAP ... MAN. GHOULIANI STANDS FOR STANDING UP AGAINST THE STANCES OF ISLAMOFACISM. 9/11 9/11 9/11. HILLARY SITS AND TAKES IT.
RUDY IS A TROO LIBERTARIAN. YOU ARE NOT. AND THAT MEANS YOU ARE... YOU ARE... YOU ARE....
A SILLY ASS FACE!!!!!!!
SO THERE.
crw | November 15, 2007, 12:30pm | #
Actually, in Hillary vs. Rudy, I'd hold my nose and vote Rudy. I'd rather have a power mad douche and divided government than a power mad douche and single party rule. Remember, a vote for Shrillary is a vote for letting the Dems do any damn thing they please.ChrisO | November 15, 2007, 2:13pm | #
Actually, in Hillary vs. Rudy, I'd hold my nose and vote Rudy. I'd rather have a power mad douche and divided government than a power mad douche and single party rule.That's a pretty important thing to consider. Of course, there's always the expatriate option.
Bulbman | November 17, 2007, 12:55am | #
Rudy, whatever his faults, it as close to perfect a Republican candidate as we are ever likely to get. He is strong on national defense, tough on welfare, tough on crime, and liberal in the classical sense on economic matters. He's moderate on social issues and conservative on everything else. So are the majority of the American people.Not only that he's a proven leader. He took New York, a crime-ridden socialist basket case and made it again into the world capital it once was. His leadership after 9-11 was magnificent.
Libertarians and conservatives should unite behind the best hope for defeating the socialist-Islamo-fascist coalition that dominates the Democratic Party today.
Tony Conte | November 17, 2007, 8:05am | #
The impracticality of some many libertarians never ceases to amaze me. Guliani is certainly no prize from our perspective, but he is surely better than any of the statist Democrat alternatives. Faced with the poor choice of Guliani vs. any leftist Democrat, the rational libertarian should support the lesser of two evils. One party rule by statist Democrats for even four years could put this country on a long term collectivist path that would take decades at best to reverse.McKinley | November 25, 2007, 3:10pm | #
“Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority.” Followed shortly by "...how to stretch the laws like a trapeze net, catching criminals and nuisances who had thought themselves invulnerable." then followed by "The mayor directed the Metropolitan Transit Authority to strip the ads." obviosly a complete contempt for law other then his own. Hillary vs. Rudy: Nanny state vs. Police state.