Rudy Giuliani’s appeal as a Republican presidential candidate resides solely in his celebrity following the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks on New York. He was declared “America’s Mayor” and went on take up extremely strong positions advocating the war in Iraq and unconditional support for Israel. Giuliani’s strong showings in early Iowa and New Hampshire polls must be attributed to his popularity following 9/11 and not, say, his pro-choice stance on abortion. It’s not surprising that Giuliani is now reaching out to family members of victims of the September 11th attacks to endorse his presidential campaign.
Supporters of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani have started discussions with relatives of 9/11 victims about backing him if he runs for president in 2008, some family members told The Post.
The conversations have taken place in recent weeks, according to some victims’ families, who described the talks as “casual.”
Marian Fontana, who lost her firefighter husband on 9/11, said she got an invitation to go to a Giuliani exploratory committee dinner last week from a former firefighter working with Giuliani’s committee. She described the invite as “last-minute.”
Fontana said she was appreciative of what Giuliani did after 9/11, but would want to know a lot more about any candidate’s stand on a variety of issues.
The New York Post article also goes on to note that Giuliani’s GOP primary opponents are likely to bring out some of the many critics of his response on 9/11 to combat his image as a hero of the attacks. The Giuliani administration has been harshly criticized for having inadequate communication systems in place for rescue workers sent into the Twin Towers on 9/11, as well as for covering up risks posed to rescue workers and residents of lower Manhattan by airborne toxins in the weeks after the attacks.
Giuliani’s presidential campaign is dependent on the image he crafts surrounding his leadership on September 11th, 2001 and in the days that followed the terrorist attacks. There are sure to be some of the 9/11 widows who will endorse him and others that will continue to be critical of his failures and lies before, during, and after the attacks. The success of his hero narrative is of paramount importance because it’s the only thing that would make his moderate social values and marital infidelities palatable to the conservative Republican base. The narratives success will be determined by the willingness of the traditional media to adopt it and the extent to which right wing pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, and Michelle Malkin don’t push back on Giuliani’s social positions.
Technorati Tags: 9/11, Rudy Giuliani
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[...] late December, Matt Browner Hamlin wrote that the ability of narratives to thrive, in part, depends on the reactions by conservative media figures, such as Hugh Hewitt and Rush [...]
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[...] In late December, Matt Browner Hamlin wrote that the ability of narratives to thrive, in part, depends on the reactions by conservative media figures, such as Hugh Hewitt and Rush Limbaugh. [...]
Left by The Right’s Field » Conservatives Unhappy with ‘08 Choices
January 30, 2007 at 6:41pm