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Rudy Giuliani Watch: How to Turn a Question About HIV Into a 9/11 Boast Opportunity

The New York Times re-examines Rudy Giuliani's strained relations with the African-American community during his tenure as Mayor.

By 1997, Mr. Giuliani’s job approval rating in the black community stood at 42 percent, according to a New York Times poll.

But within these victories lay the seed of a problem. Even as crime dropped by 60 percent, officers with the street crime unit stopped and frisked 16 black males for every one who was arrested, according to a report by the state attorney general. Then came three terrible episodes that raised a pointed question for black New Yorkers: Was crime reduction worth any cost?

And here's Rudy in Iowa, when asked about increasing federal support for HIV medication, answering by referring to 9/11 and terrorists:

"My general experience has been that the federal government works best when it helps and assists and encourages and sets guidelines… on a state-by-state, locality-by-locality basis. It's no different from the way I look at homeland security. Maybe having been mayor of the city, I know that your first defense against terrorist attack is that local police station, or that local firehouse."

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    President of 9/11 (none / 0) (#1)
    by john horse on Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 08:16:35 AM EST
    re: Guiliani turning a question about HIV into a 9/11 boast opportunity

    As the Onion has pointed out Guiliani is running for President of 9/11 (the Onion is a humorous satiric newspaper).

    According to Washington-based political analyst Gregory Hammond, Giuliani's candidacy "should not be underestimated."

    "Sure, he has no foreign or national policy experience, and both his personal life and political career are riddled with scandal," said Hammond. "But in the key area of having been on TV on 9/11, the other candidates simply cannot match him. And as we saw in 2004, that's what matters most to voters in this post-9/11 world."