Giuliani on rescue workers: ‘I’m one of them’

August 10, 2007

Earlier this week, Mitt Romney equated working for his presidential campaign with military service during a war. It was one of the dumber things I’ve heard a presidential candidate say in a while.

Rudy Giuliani is apparently of the belief that this presidential race is a contest to see which top-tier candidate can appear more ridiculous, so he upped the ante last night.

In Ohio on Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani R-NY handed his critics new ammunition regarding his role surrounding 9/11.

Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati, Giuliani said: “I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers…. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I’m one of them.”

You’ve. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. I noted recently that Giuliani has become something of a serial exaggerator, taking a kernel of truth and pushing it beyond reason to glorify himself, but this is ridiculous. Indeed, if reality had any meaning in this race, these are the kind of comments that should permanently undermine Giuliani’s chances.

Michael Palladino, head of the Detectives Endowment Association, the union of NYPD detectives, told the AP that “the mayor’s record can’t compare to those who spent 12 months sifting through toxic debris for evidence and human remains.”

Of course it can’t, but Giuliani has a national tragedy to exploit and he can’t let facts get in the way of a good con job.

Giuliani couldn’t possibly have been at Ground Zero as often, better yet more often, than the rescue workers. He was busy doing press conferences. He couldn’t possibly have been exposed to the same toxins the workers were exposed to, unless Giuliani is prepared to argue that he was sifting through debris and human remains for 40 hours a week for a year.

And if he is claiming that, then let him prove it — or apologize for insulting those who were at Ground Zero.

“As a result of their hard work, many are sick and injured. The mayor, although he did a fine job with 9/11, I don’t think he rises to the level of being an equal with those men and women who were involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup,” Palladino said.

There’s chutzpah and then there’s chutzpah. If Giuliani wants to say he values the tireless efforts of these rescue and cleanup workers, great. If he wants to honor their service, fine. If he wants to call them heroes, I’m right there.

But he doesn’t get to say he’s “one of them.” It’s wrong and it’s insulting.

I’m not sure why these GOP gaffes cause a minor ripple while Democrats’ slightly controversial comments seem to dominate the political world, but this flap should be hanging around Giuliani’s neck for a while.

Somebody should scoop and dump Rudolf into a landfill. Then he’d be one of them.

http://firefightingnews.com/article-US.cfm?articleID=27125

  • Is the memory too painful for Dem operatives to just take out the tapes of how the Rethugs attacked Gore on “inventing the internet” or being the “inspiration for Love Story,” and copying the attack methodlogy verbatim but inseting Giuliani and his exaggerations? Really, it should be easy, and it ought to work better, since Giuliani has actually said the things he is accused of (and even had Gore said what he was accused of, it would still be more truthful than Roodee’s nonsense.)

    I don’t understand why this isn’t happening. I guess if, as a party collectively, we’re so skittish we pass a FISA bill putting AGAG in charge, no amount of timidity in a fight should surprise me. . .

  • Later, Roodee proclaimed that it was he who built the Pyramids, was the first man on the moon, dated Marilyn Monroe and was the real life figure who inspired George Lucas to create Luke Skywalker. Despite all this, his daughter still likes Obama.

  • I think Gingrich was being kind when he called these guys a bunch of pygmies. They’ve abandoned any and all pretense of reality. It just doesn’t matter to them.

    Bored with rearranging deck chairs on the GOP Titanic, they’ve taken to singing karaoke without learning any of the words.

  • The Republican Fraud Machine ™ continues to crank out new toys for kool-aid drinkers everywhere. In 2000, there was “George W,” the phony cowboy with his (in)completed military service. New for 2008 there are two more “action figures”: “Military-Man Mitt” Romney and “Rescuing Rudy” Giuliani; and an updated “George W” action figure with flight suit and veto-pen grip. I hope that Santa Claus puts these “action figures” under my Christmas tree ……………. with voodoo pins.

  • The Romney and Giuliani examples are part of the conflating technique that Republicans use. War protestors are the same as terrorists. Political operatives are serving just like soldiers. Dishonest comparisons r them.

  • Zeitgeist,

    Remember, you need the complicity of the MSM to brand somebody they way Gore was branded. Guiliani has two things in his favor: 1) he is a Republican; 2) the MSM still fawn over him. It wouldn’t matter how many Democrats called him on his exaggerations if the MSM doesn’t report it.

    This doesn’t mean I disagree with you. I whole-heartedly agree. The Democrats should be calling Guiliani on his exaggerations lodly and constantly. I am just not optimistic on it doing any good.

  • “… this flap should be hanging around Giuliani’s neck for a while.”

    I bet it won’t. Julie-Annie is GOP and therefore corporate and therefore above criticism so far as the corporations, their lackeys in the so-called press, and the sheep are concerned.

  • “I’m not sure why these GOP gaffes cause a minor ripple while Democrats’ slightly controversial comments seem to dominate the political world, but this flap should be hanging around Giuliani’s neck for a while.”

    It’s called corporate media monopoly, wherein a few individuals/organizations own the majority of media outlets, thus controlling widespread narrative. They want to tarnish those who would stand against their interests, and keep quiet those instances and shenanigans that would tarnish those who would not.

    It’s what has fostered the development and voice of the blogosphere, I would venture.

  • Don’t bother calling on him now. Wait until he’s the nominee, if that’s that case. Then take his collective masterwork of bullshit and ride it straight to the White House.

    Also, the auto preview really borks my typing. One post without it earlier allowed me to type at a normal pace. With it on quite literally I’m done typing now and the screen is six or seven words behind me. I’ve taken to typing comments in notepad first now because of this.

  • His whole reason for running president was 9/11 – outside of that he’s got nothing. He needs to keep connecting his name to 9/11 because when more scrutiny come (and it will if he stays in the race) he needs to have the wiggle room that being associated with 9/11 will give him becuase he is so very shallow elsewhere.

  • Its all about the MSM or should I say the “LIBERAL MEDIA” (insert sarcasim and laughter). Its not a level playing field which has the repubs spewing BS they know they won’t ever get called on and its has the Dems timid and scared. In politics, perception matters more than reality and Joe Sixpack, Eddie Punchclock and Sally Housecoat are a guilble bunch.

    slip kid no more, ” I like the cut of your jib” and I too hope Santa brings me the whole Commander Codpiece action set but those damn libruls have pretty much killed santa in their war on xmas.

  • There’s chutzpah and then there’s chutzpah blatant, shameless lies that announce the speaker is out of his fucking mind.

    I agree with everything said here and would just add that ReThugs will steal anything that isn’t nailed down, even another person’s thunder.

    I really hope he doesn’t have the need the help of first response workers. I know they’ll show up but it might be the difference between the FRWs waiting for someone to answer the door when they come and chopping it open with a hatchet.

  • Republicans should do themselves a favor and disown Rudolph the Red-faced Liar. If Rudy was there at Ground Zero more than the workers, why doesn’t he have emphysema or lung cancer yet? Why does he have no problem spouting out hot air when so many workers on the pile are having a hard time even breathing? Sorry Rudy, but I call bullshit on you.

  • This is classic Guliani only more so. The man took credit for everything done by his police commissioners as mayor, until the profile of the commissioner got to high, then they would be forced out. He’s worse than any gloryhound, he is the worst kind of credit thief, liar and thug.

    That said, I voted for his re-election as Mayor. For reasons akin to the “made the trains run on time” arguments we heard after wwII in europe. I could respect his campaign more if he focused on administrative success as Mayor. Thankfully that is not his style.

  • “Giuliani on rescue workers: ‘I’m one of them’”

    Please… Ask Rudy/Rudia if he has a good health insurance. Pass the popcorn, please…

  • I bet Rudy is a real douche bag in person. He seems like the kind of asshole that would manage a local retail grocery store and take his job way to seriously. I could totally see him yelling at some stoned teenage stock boy for stacking the canned corn wrong and then lecturing him on the value of hard work. What a tool.

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