Comfortably Zoned with Ralph Zig Tyko

[Not So] Young Republican

December 27, 2007 at 1:46 pm (It's A Cartoon, Maroon, News & Politics)

[Cartoon from Boston Globe]

From my email:

Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney are the leading contenders for the Republican Party’s nod as candidate for President in the upcoming 2008 elections. Former NYC mayor “Rudy” Giuliani is sometimes called “America’s Mayor” in the mainstream press, due to the prominent role he played in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on The Big Apple. Notwithstanding that notoriety, Giuliani is widely despised with many of the rank-and-file New York City firemen, primarily due to his taking the side of the police department in its ongoing rivalry with the firefighters.

Giuliani has, at best, a spotty record on issues like gay marriage and a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy. Both he and Mitt Romney have in the past staked out positions in support of limited gay rights, yet both candidates currently are in retreat on such issues, trying to posture themselves as staunchly conservative and “pro-family values.” Romney has renounced his prior support, as governor of Massachusetts, for a woman’s right to choose abortion; Giuliani is experiencing increasing difficulty squaring his “family values” image with three marriages. He was seeing his most recent wife while still married to Wife No. 2, who says she learned of his desire for a divorce when her husband announced their separation on national television. To this day at least some of Giuliani’s children who are steamed at him about this and other domestic issues.

Despite his checkered history on such matters, Giuliani recently surprised many by picking up the endorsement of noted t.v. evangelist Pat Robertson! The host of the “700 Club” pinned his endorsement on Rudy’s national defense posture, arguing that Giuliani is better able to defend the country from terrorists and foreign adversaries. Those who know Giuliani’s penchant for blowing his own horn are to be forgiven for their understandable skepticism.

In addition, the New York Times reports that one of Giuliani’s long time cronies, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerick, has been busted for commandeering an expensive Manhattan apartment that had been donated by its owner for use by New York’s Finest, who were assisting with rescue efforts in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy. Adding to the scandal is the fact that Police Commissioner Kerick, unsuccessfully nominated by Rudy to serve as head of the Department of Homeland Security, commandeered the apartment for use as a hideaway for liaisons with his mistress, Judith Regan.

Miss Regan is herself notorious as the publisher of the infamous pseudo-memoir entitled “If I Did It” by O.J. Simpson.

We are known by the company we keep. It is also said that, “Those who lay down with dogs will get up with fleas.” Apparently Rudy Giuliani, the Reverend Pat Robertson, Police Commissioner Bernard Kerick, publisher Judith Regan and their ilk are quite comfortable with each other.

It remains to be seen how comfortable Republican voters may be with Rudy Giuliani or his flip-flopping rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

No surprise, I’m voting Obama.