Rudy Guiliani in 2008!!!

[Boerseun]

George W. Bush - love him or hate him, but in 2008 he's to be evicted from the White House. And it has nothing to do with his rent being in arrears.

 

Once again, we're seeing history in the making - that's why I parked this thread in the History forum...

 

Who's to follow?

 

I read today that Rudy Guiliani has made the first step towards the presidency by registering the Rudy Guiliani Presidential Exploratory Committee Inc., which can only mean one thing... the guy's got aspirations of the presidential kind.

 

I kinda like the guy. Regardless of him being a Republican (hey - some of my best friends are Republicans...), I like the guy. He had a very good common-sense hands-on approach to crime in New York when he was the mayor there, pre-9/11, which achieved spectacular results. After 9/11 the focus shifted a bit, but he still did an enormous amount of good. He actually came to South Africa for a while as a consultant in reigning in crime in Johannesburg a few years ago. Today, the central downtown area of Johannesburg is basically crime free because of his recommendations, and the 'clean area' is spreading outwards still. And all he did was to present realistic solutions in a very clear and concise way, so that afterwards you think to yourself "why didn't I think of that?"

 

Can he bring the same 'common-sense' approach to World Politics, as the President of the United States? To the US's internal problems? Can he elevate his unique approach from mayoral level to presidential level?

 

I'll be frank (you can stay George, though): I like the guy. If he can successfully expand his hands-on philosophy to national level, I am willing to bet that he (if successful in his bid) has everything to become one of the greatest presidents of the United States yet.

 

So what'll it be in 2008?

 

Would political correctness force the GOP and the Democrats to put forward female candidates, to impress the world now that the UK have produced Margaret Thatcher, and Germany produced Angela Merkel? If there was a female candidate with Guiliani's qualities, I would have supported her as well. The only possible female candidate in my mind would be Hillary - but compared to Guiliani, I just don't think she's got it. Condi Rice is also in the background, and have said that she's not gonna run. But she might be hiding a few cards up her sleeve still, and might be convinced by the Republicans to run. She's female, and black - can't get much more politically correct than that, I guess.

 

And I'm not saying this because Rudy's got a cult of personality going after the 9/11 mess. I'm saying it because I've been impressed with the guy long before 9/11, and have first hand experience (as a non-American) of his practical, realistic common-sense approach, with my experience of having worked in downtown Johannesburg and having seen the changes there.

 

What's your thoughts on the 2008 presidential elections, and with Rudy Guiliani in particular?

 

I'm all for the guy, and I would love to see him push it through.

[moo]

Didn't he leave mayoral politics because of health issues? Or am I just having brain hiccups at the moment... :shrug:

 

moo

[Freddy]

I like John McCain and may vote for him if he wins the nomination. Gulliani is well known and could win the nomination. Please, do not vote for my governor, Mitt "The Twit" Romney, who is a moron. He did not run for re-election because he would have lost. Romney is an opportunist and as a venture capitalist. His company bought up other companies and sold them off putting thousands out of work. Yeah he is a real friend to the working folks. Go ahead make this clown president. You will be sorry!

[CraigD]

What's your thoughts on the 2008 presidential elections, and with Rudy Guiliani in particular?

He’s certainly charismatic, and has an expert grasp of law and law enforcement. His “constitution upholding” record gives me pause, however, as does the combination of his self-reliant expert approach, and an apparently shallow understanding of world affairs and foreign policy.

 

In realpolitical terms, I don’t know if he’s electable, due to the “sleaze factor” hanging about his extramarital affair and eventual divorce while he was mayor of NY, noted for his attempt to install his mistress as “first lady” in his city-funded residence and at state functions, which was successfully blocked by the NY city Council. It’s worth noting that, with the exception of his narrow 1993 election to mayor, he’s not won any of the several elections he’s entered, before or after.

 

Of course, all this is just speculation. I’ve not confidence in any predictions about the 2008 presidential elections. :cup:

[paigetheoracle]

I too like his approach to politics as it seems scientific - add a little of this/subtract some of that. Lets see what this does. As for his grasp on World affairs, CraigD, how can it be any more disasterously handled than what that moron George Bush has? Glasgow has finally done something sensible about people being smashed in the faces by beer glasses, banning them in inner city pubs. This is the kind of thing Guilliani did and I hope applies to gun laws in the USA, speaking as an oputsider (UK resident). I personally am fed up with the world being run by mindless idiots, when life = intelligence and stupidity, death. He gets my vote even if it is worthless.

[pgrmdave]

I think that McCain would be far better than Guilliani, but I wouldn't be opposed to either. I suppose it depends on who the democratic candidate.

[Freddy]

In a NH poll Gulliani came in second to McCain.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061105/REPOSITORY/611050380/1217/NEWS98

[alexander]

after reading your post Boerseun, just one thought, is this a history post or a presidential campagne startup?

 

I think 2008 presidential race is going to be extremely interesting to watch, even the next 2 years, with a republican president and dominating democratic parties in the senate and house will be interesting, and that is leading up to an election where so far there is going to be a woman and a black gentelmen both by the way are or have been governors of a major city and the gentelmen is now a senator or a congressmen, but both will probably be running for presidency, and that will be wicked interesting race to the finish...

[Mercedes Benzene]

You're not American, are you Boerseun?

[Boerseun]

Nope. But I find American politics to be quite interesting, and its fun to speculate who'll follow dubya to the Oval Office.

[pgrmdave]

If the republicans put up Guiliani, or McCain, and the best that the Dems can come up with is Hillary Clinton, then the republicans are assured a win. Sadly, it may be that if the Democrats put up Hillary and the republicans put up a man, the republicans could win simply because of sexism. Voters, especially conservatives, tend to be much less likely to elect a female than a male, even when the polls show otherwise.

[alexander]

i can tell you that that is not the tendency around a lot of people in New England, all of the people i had asked already said that they would vote Hilary vs anyone else. Basically, if you think about it, Clinton is back in the office, he was the last good president, or even out of those people who ran for office in the past 8 years. Aside from that, Hilary is almost guaranteed 90% of the women's vote (ask your girl), and women make up about 50% of people in the world, or US. And a lot of men would vote for her too, i mean if Hilary is smart about her campaigne and presents in herself in the right way. Older people would vote for her if she promises right medicare and social-security reforms, students will vote for her if she presents her Iraq and student loan and federal grants right, and if Democrats are good in the next 2 years the american general public will mostly vote for her because of her party. Lower taxes, chaching more votes, promiss to develop a good foreign policy, like your husband's, and smart people into politics vote for you. Yes she cant get the votes of rednecks really easily, but republicans are not guaranteed a win, like you seem to portray, Dave :hyper: