By Donald Kaul
I’m trying to make up my mind about Rudy Giuliani: I can’t decide whether he’s a nutball or a sleazeball. For now I’m going with a sleazy nutball, but I’m open to suggestions.
In a series of hysterical attacks on Barack Obama in recent weeks, Giuliani has all but called the president un-American. He’s lashed out at the man he says doesn’t love his country, is soft on terrorism, and plays too much golf.
“I don’t hear from him what I heard from Harry Truman, what I heard from Bill Clinton, what I heard from Jimmy Carter,” Giuliani griped on Fox News, “which is these wonderful words about what a great country we are, what an exceptional country we are.”
He’s full of it, of course.
A quick check by The New York Times revealed multiple examples of Obama declaring his ardor for his country. The most telling was his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, where Obama reflected that “in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Rudy said it so it must be true. So think the denizens of the Republican Cloud Cuckoo Land presided over by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, who has reported that he’s getting texts“praising Rudy to the rooftops.”
Not that it will make any difference, of course.This wouldn’t ordinarily be of any great importance. Presidents have often had to deal with partisan loudmouths hurling insults at them. Franklin Roosevelt had Father Charles Coughlin, a Catholic priest at a posh parish just north of Detroit.
Coughlin, who had a nationwide radio show, was a virulent anti-Semite. He would weekly tear into FDR for his supposedly pro-Jewish leanings, among other things.
I think the Vatican finally ordered him to shut up. In any case, he went away. Those guys usually do.
Giuliani is a somewhat more dangerous case, because the Republican Party finds itself in rather odd position these days. It’s held hostage by its least educated, most intolerant, and most rabidly partisan cohort.
Thus any Republican vying for the presidency must constantly look over his or her shoulder to make sure they’re not making enemies of supporters who foam at the mouth at the suggestion of compromise.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, the leader of this year’s presidential weathervane caucus, is a case in point. Giuliani showed up uninvited to a fat-cat fundraiser for the governor a few days ago and, again uninvited, grabbed the mic to deliver one of his Obama rants, making himself rather than Walker the center of attention.
Asked afterwards what he thought of the remarks, Walker refused to weigh in, demurring that he didn’t know whether Obama loved America.
Walker is also on record refusing to comment on evolution, and his opposition to abortion has become more strident since he started looking at the presidency.
If you’re trying to disguise yourself as a moderate, the last thing you want is a clown like Giuliani stirring up the animals.
The one thing Republican candidates agree on is that the country must be saved from the specter of universal health insurance. Month after month, year after year, Republicans have harped on the disaster of “Obamacare.”
Except that it’s not really a disaster. The Affordable Care Act is working reasonably well despite the Republicans’ best efforts to sabotage it. Allowed to stand and be improved, this landmark health care reform will go down as one of the Obama administration’s great achievements.
So it’s no wonder that Republicans can’t stomach it. Their friends on the Supreme Court are teed up to deliver it a blow that may prove fatal later this year.
Which is really a much bigger worry than the intemperate remarks of a nutty sleazeball like Rudy Giuliani.
Donald Kaul worked some 30 years as a syndicated Washington columnist for the Des Moines Register before retiring at the dawn of the new century. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Reach him by email.
Retired FF says
Giuliani tells it like it is. Tell me what good Obama has done for anyone that is willing to pull themselves up and actually do an honest days work? It is very evident that the Dems just want to gain votes by giving every lazy person benefits at the expense of those that have worked hard to get where they are. Now Obama thinks we should not only give away billions of dollars in benefits to illegals but we should now welcome people from countries with strong terrorist ties. What kind of true American would do that?
john mac says
you should wipe the mud from woodstock from your eyes. he should be our president .
J Russell says
If you don’t believe the Republican Party has become the refuge of the angry haters, intolerant, and the supremely ignorant look who’s leaders started and support this absurd “Obama doesn’t love America ” rant. By the way if the un or non-informed in the 17% not sure were required to make a choice, the split would follow the do or don’t percentages or about 55% do. However, it is chilling to think the large majority of the Republican hard core base are that ignorant. No wonder they could not managed and collapsed our economy just 6 years ago and control both house of Congress and are in disarray and can’t govern now. The Republicans are going to have to trade their clown car for a clown bus.
Obama 2015 says
Giuliani is a moron. He comments are un american and shows he is out of touch.
Obama has helped me save my house and I was working 80+ hours a week. And thanks to Obama care he helped my father in law save his wife life and his small business. See those insurance companies and Mortgage companies wrote their own rules before he became president. Now they are have laws they have to follow. So now my mother in law has a policy and he isn’t paying 8k a month out of pocket.
Also thanks to Obamcare my brother who was out of work do to a medical issue finally was able to get a policy and after 3 months of visits and medication he is finally able to work again because his medical condition is in check. He is now working part time during the week and full time at another job on weekends. Funny how that worked out huh?
Obama also had the guts to send in Seal team 6 to kill Bin laden and he has killed more terrorist and ended more wars in the past 6 years than any president in the past 35+ years. We are also winning a war vs Russian and we haven’t fired one gunshot.
You guys keep talking about the money Obama is giving away but we have been giving away billions of dollars a year to keep illegals out and they still get in In fact more people came to this country before Obama was the president. All the current immigration policies are not working. As soon as he comes up with a solution to stop flow and make them pay and become tax payers not only do the republicans say no they don’t even offer any ideas.
I am living proof that Obama’s policies has helped me and my families future. And I haven’t collected a penny in government benefits
Also your comment about Dems just want to gain votes by giving every lazy person benefits at the expense of those that have worked hard. Last time I looked, more republicans collect welfare benefits than dems. All states that vote Republican have the highest welfare rates and 90% of them are American born. Also lazy people don’t vote, they smoke pot and watch Cartoons.
Thanks for your service as a fire fighter.
Obama 2015 says
Sorry for the typos.. I was on my phone.
Obama 2015 says
So true.
If he didn’t love his country why would he be president? He could be making 6 figures a year in Chicago and have much less stress and see his wife and kids much more. Obama wanted to make a difference and help this country. Anyone that has been president has to love this country.
Retired FF says
Obama 2015,
I am glad that the gov. programs that have been put in place to help folks like you have worked and that you and your family now are able to get your lives back together. Exactly what those programs were designed to do. I have spent close to 30 years in emergency services and have seen first hand the abuse of the system by numerous generations of people that live off the system because they are able to with no requirement to get off their lazy butts and find a job. It is us the hard working taxpayers that continue to support these people and if the POTUS has his way we will be supporting millions of additional lazy people that have no business being in our country to begin with. Keep giving people benefits to stay home and do nothing and they will keep voting for the people that are giving them the benefits. We as Americans cannot and should not support this type of government. It can’t be sustained!
Obama 2015 says
I agree with you to a point because I have seen this 1st hand as well, but this issue isn’t Obama’s fault. It is hard to break a cycle of abuse when their is no way out. No education and jobs how do you expect them to do better? All the low paying jobs moved to China and Mexico in the 1980’s and 1990’s. YOu didn’t have to have an education to support a family if you worked hard. Today a Masters degree doesn’t get you a job.
Just so you know, Obama actually has deported 2 million+ illegals since he took office. He has also killed more terrorists than Bush and Clinton combined.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/02/u-s-deportations-of-immigrants-reach-record-high-in-2013/
For every lazy person living off the system there is a CEO that isn’t paying millions in taxes because their home is in the Cayman Islands.
Alot of the illegals come here to take low paying jobs. Once the government cracks down big business for hiring them under the table this isn’t going to change.
Also again lazy people don’t vote. If they did vote Weed would have passed and Charlie would be Governor.
Obama isn’t perfect but he doesn’t hate this country.
John Smallberries says
“In conclusion, the handful of people I have seen during emergencies that abuse social programs are somehow representative of the whole, therefore, social programs should be abolished because”
Sherry Epley says
Let all “reasonable” people remember that the USA was founded by “illegal immigrants”. The native Americans who were slaughtered and herded on to reservations by the “Europeans” who came here certainly were not happy with such an invasion.
The manipulative divisive rhetoric of hateful words like “makers” and “takers” is a cancer to our humanity and most certainly to our culture. That kind of fear and hate destroys our very souls. . . in addition to our country. How tragic to read them in comments here!
Every human being is the brother and sister of our species. . . warts and all. To so hatefully judge and label others is a terrible reflection of how we actually feel about ourselves. How very tragic and sad!
confidential says
Exemplary comments form Americans like Sherry, Obama 2015 and Russell here are the one’s that make our America #1. Thank you for seeing the daily reality we all live and being compassionate with your fellow country men and immigrants legal and just arrived…as we are all creatures of God seeking our a better life and golden dreams.
Sherry Epley says
I am so very disappointed in Rudy Giuliani. . . on so many levels.
First of all, the horror of September 11 happened to us ALL. . . not just to HIM!
How incredibly disrespectful his comments were to those that lost family and loved ones on that day! How outrageously oblivious and self centered can any person be to claim that 911 did not happen to each and every citizen of the USA, including President Obama. Rudy Giuliani should be mortified and embarrassed over his chest beating. . . and, that he actually uttered those words.
No “reasonable” person would think that anybody who ran for President of the USA and then endured the daily stress and hardships of that office, would do so without truly loving our country. I suppose the key word here is “reasonable”. . . which Rudy Giuliani most certainly is NOT! It very well could be that Mr. Giuliani is now delusional enough to believe that those who do not love his personal version of how the USA would be under his reign. . . do so because they do not love the USA.
How very sad that Rudy’s ego has completely destroyed his intelligence and common sense. He now looks like a complete FOOL. . . which apparently he is!
Anonymous says
He loves the USA…or, at least, he loves hookers in the USA.
Obama 2015 says
Thank you..
A Mom says
AMEN
Sherry Epley says
Thank you “confidential says”. . . we all need to do our best to counter the terrible negative emotions and attitudes of fear and hatred of humanity where ever we find them. Peace, compassion, love and joy should be our watch words and our mission in life. We Can Achieve Those Things TOGETHER!
just me says
Rudy NAILED it on why 0bama doe not see America like most Americans. 0bama was brought up and influenced by people who DO dislike America. He does not “love” the America that made this a once great republic and those who worked hard to build it either by their sweat and hard work or their wealth in paying for it.
w.ryan says
Giuliani has always been hateful. He became Mayor of NYC on a racial platform and he continues this trend of hate. He is divisive and should not be given this much clout. He turned his back on the NYC Police Unions who help got him elected as Mayor. Labor negotiations were volatile. There were slow downs by the cops and he blasted everyone that differed from his view. 911 happened and he was exalted as a great leader (Not). He proposed suspending the constitution so he can stay Mayor. The fool, despite being told not to put the Emergency Command Center in the world trade center ignored common sense and lost it during 911. Even his Police Chief is a felon. He now has the nerve to blast Mayor DeBlasio with regard to police relations as well as Obama. Obama has done good for the 99 percent for the most part. He should shut his mouth!
Jeanne says
Glad to see someone with guts enough to see and say the horrible un-American actions of Obama
Obama 2015 says
Name the un-American actions? Give me a list.