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Anorak News | Presidential Race 2008: Giuliani And Clinton Fight Clean And Dirty On 9/11

Presidential Race 2008: Giuliani And Clinton Fight Clean And Dirty On 9/11

by | 5th, October 2007

US PRESIDENTIAL Race 2008:

Rudy Giuliani has done his best in this campaign to namedrop 9/11 whenever possible. Now it’s Hillary’s turn.

Clinton is pushing her universal healthcare policy. And in a campaign ad now showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, she is pictured at the dust-covered Ground Zero site, her face covered by a white mask.

The advert doesn’t just paint Clinton in a patriotic/heroic light. For those with any knowledge of the clean-up operation, it also hints at the partial blame directed at Giuliani, who was accused of not doing enough to make sure first responders wore face masks. Many have since taken ill after inhaling toxic dust.

President Bush was criticized when he used 9/11 imagery during his 2004 re-election campaign.

But Giuliani’s campaign team declined to comment to the New York Post about the ad. And victims’ families were divided about whether the imagery was offensive. Patricia Reilly, who lost her sister on 9/11, told the Post: “I supported it when Bush did it because I thought that it was an important discussion for the campaign back in 2004, and I think it’s important that she [Hillary] be able to show what she did.”

Meanwhile, Clinton continues to romp ahead of the pack in fundraising as well as in the polls. The New York Daily News reports that her campaign team raised $27 million between July and October, roughly equal to the combined efforts of frontrunners Giuliani and Romney, as well as third-placed John McCain. Barack Obama raised $20 million.

In the Republican pack Giuliani has a problem as his deep-pocketed rival Mitt Romney continues his offensive. Giuliani and Romney have both raised about equal amounts in individual donations so far: Giuliani $45.2 million and Romney $44.65 million.

But Romney, a former venture capitalist, keeps upping his war chest by loaning his campaign money: $17.4 million so far this year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Romney’s ability to supplement his campaign with millions of dollars could prove a significant advantage as the Republican candidates head into the home straight. With primaries just three months away, Romney will be free to concentrate oin his campaign, while Giuliani continues hustling for dollars.

The two candidates were going at each other yesterday in New Hampshire, where the former Massachusetts governor accused Giuliani of raising taxes while he was New York mayor and insinuated that Giuliani’s liberal views made him unelectable among core Republican supporters.

The Giuliani team chose to counterattack by setting up a conference call for reporters with former Massachusetts governor Paul Celluci, who criticized Romney’s fiscal record when he ran the state.

A nice move, but perhaps it would have been more entertaining if Giuliani had gone on the attack himself as he used to when he ran a weekly radio program as mayor of New York.

The New York Times relives “Live From City Hall … With Rudy Giuliani” today, and relishes the mayor’s straight-talking response to New Yorkers’ complaints, about parking spots and gun control laws.

When David of Oceanside, the president of Ferrets’ Rights Advocacy, called to complain about a city health code change that made it illegal to own ferrets, the mayor replied:

“David, your compulsion, your excessive concern for weasels is a sign of something wrong in your personality. I am giving you the benefit of 55 years of experience — having handled insanity defenses, you need help.”

A bit more of that on the campaign trail, or even in one of the televised debates, and this election might just be a little more entertaining.



Posted: 5th, October 2007 | In: Reviews Comments (3) | TrackBack | Permalink