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Rudy Giuliani's Big Fall, Analyzed
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 30, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 30, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Now that former mayor Rudy Giuliani is getting ready to officially throw in the presidential nomination race towel after his third place finish in the Florida primary, Giuliani watchers seem to be enjoying the chance to analyze his campaign's stunning collapse.
Giuliani had led national polls and seem to be a strong contender last year, but when it came down to performing at primaries and caucuses, voters weren't very convinced. Some highlights from the analysts:
- Michael Powell and Michael Cooper have a lengthy article in the NY Times and suggest that perhaps "The more that Republican voters saw of him, the less they wanted to vote for him."
- New York magazine's John Heilemann discusses Giuliani's "Precipitous Collapse" and writes, "The deeper issue with Giuliani’s candidacy, though, was that it offered no coherent or compelling rationale for its existence. The notion that he could do for America what he did for New York City was always going to be a tough sell; the presidency is not a mayoralty writ national."
- The Daily New's Michael Goodwin offers, "That he was never able to close the deal with voters has given rise to speculation among some supporters that his heart was never in the race. They point to a campaign team that had little national experience and an unwillingness by Giuliani to separate himself from his consultant and legal businesses before he entered the fray."
- The Sun's Nicholas Wapshott believes strategy was Rudy's downfall, "Mr. Giuliani's Florida gambit, which must have seemed so plausible over a good lunch in Midtown Manhattan, has proven to be disastrous. He put all his chips on a single number, gambled, and lost."
- Newsday's Dan Janison brings up Giuliani's own book on Leadership: "'Prepare relentlessly,' he wrote. Like, say, by blowing off one key early primary and trying to downplay your efforts in the next?"
Giuliani is expected to endorse John McCain at the Reagan National Library before tonight's Republican debate, but logistics are still being worked out. You can see his speech from last night here and our guess is that he'll go back to making millions on the speaking circuit, but it's unclear whether he'll still command $100,000 plus perks a pop.
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america
city
election 2008
florida
giuliani
john mccain
manhattan
Michael Cooper
Michael Goodwin
Michael Powell
midtown
midtown manhattan
new york
new york city
ny times
Politics
Reagan National
republican
rudy giuliani
the fray
the sun
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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