What exactly did Rudy do after 9/11 that was so great?

[Stargleamer]

I remember after 9/11 seeing Rudy giving a press conference in which he informed everyone what was happening and wearing a FDNY shirt during the conference and acting somber and shaken. Wouldn't any politician have done the same? Can someone explain why he was regarded as a hero or at least heroic?

Well, then again I have trouble understanding how Bush's popularity rose immediately following 9/11 as he didn't do anything that any other politician would have done.

[Truthseeker013]

1. What exactly did Rudy do after 9/11 that was so great?

(applause)

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. He ran around looking important.

:sarcasm:

[Mabus]

8. and as Richard Belzer reminded everyone a couple of weeks ago

He was running around the city because he didn't have an office to use that day. Rudy put the office in the WTC and it was gone.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Oh I loved that!! Belzer so rocks!

BTW, did you see we have a DUer in Lawrence who wants to meet us?

Mabus, have you been falling down on the job? There is a DUer in Lawrence we don't know!! :spank:

I am PMing you about this cause I hate to embarrass you publicly. :evilgrin:

[Mabus]

26. I exchanged PM's with her once

and meant to follow-up but then I got busy (or saw something bright and shiny :eyes: )

Just 'cuz you didn't know about her, doesn't mean I didn't.

Heck, I embarrass myself publicly on my own most of the time. ;)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. He did not wet his pants and go flying away

like some did.

[AlinPA]

4. He walked around looking concerned and giving updates.

What else? That's about it.

[rurallib]

6. I heard (I think Thom Hartmann) that he was out in the street

because they blew up his command center because he (Giuliani) put his command center right in the target zone. He was outside because he had no other place to go. So he looked like he was involved. A hero because his fuck ups forced him to be.

[MissMarple]

9. And he was the only "leader" visible to the viewing public.

That was it, he kept talking and stayed on TV when our national misleaders were hiding out. That his negligence added to the disaster wasn't widely known at the time. I guess it still isn't.

[Mabus]

5. He usurped the electoral process

for a few months at any rate. That's something Republicans like to see their candidates do.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

7. He showed up.

Honestly. That's all I can think of. :shrug:

[Jim__]

Bush ran and hid.

Giuiliani looked heroic by comparison. Its sort of like being compared to a pile of dog shit and coming out looking better. It's really not that big of an accomplishment.

[Tom Rinaldo]

23. He didn't panic under pressure

The Fire Commisioner, a friend of his, was killed when one of the towers collapsed not that far away from where Guilliani was standing. During that crisis Rudy acted like a leader. He didn't have a My Pet Goat freeze, he seemed in control and calm which did display good leadership. Displaying leadership under pressure is important, but that says nothing about one's ideology and priorities. I have no doubt that there were a number of Nazi commanders during WWII who did not panic under pressure either.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Unlike bush he was there, and he took charge

yes, yes he did.

And he hs used that to create a mythology that ignroes the following errors

1.- Putting the Command Center in the WTC, AGAINST The advise of experts after the first attack
2.- Not having EMS and Police in the same frequency, again a recomendation after the first WTC attack
3.- Declaring the air safe
4.- Not having enough respiratory equipment to protect rescue workers (and in my view why they declared the air safe)

And I could go on

but he did take charge.

I'll give him that.

Would I vote for Rudy based on him taking charge? Nope... I could not trust him with the football and at this stage this is the question you need to ask... can I trust this guy with the Football and the nuclear codes? The ONLY one I could from the field of ten is Ron Paul.

On the democratic side, I can trust everyone of them...

[Rageneau]

11. He gave an eager MSM someone to ask questions of.

While cowardly, stupid, possibly complicit Smitk was hiding and sobbing in fear.

[Monkeyman]

12. Nothing

[Vincardog]

13. He stood next to W without holding his nose or throwing up. I couldn't have done it

[acmavm]

14. Made speeches. Other than that he used dead bodies to fill holes and

he sent people back into a highly contaminated area with reassurances that the entire area was 'safe'.

[C_U_L8R]

15. He hid in the basement

unfortunately he didn't stay there

[The_Casual_Observer]

16. Made all the news shows being shown at a desk surrounded by people in uniform.

[jgraz]

17. People needed a leader just then, and Rudy acted like one

For a day or two. That's about it.

I'll give the man his props for a few good pressers, but on the whole Ghoulini was a disaster before, on and after 9/11.

[TwilightGardener]

19. He found the TV cameras. No. 1 rule of politics.

[tubbacheez]

20. Contrast was key

You're right. All Rudy did was "appear" in public.

You're also correct that Rudy merely did what any sensible politician would do.

And that's exactly why he looked so good.

He was a leader who stepped up to... umm... lead.

That's good.

Competent.

Normal.

But it looks absolutely spectacular when compared to Bush and Cheney ducking into secret safe-houses and lying low for days on end.

When crisis came, Rudy was a leader who at least tried to lead the public.

When crisis came, Bush and Cheney went into stealth mode and led only their inner government circle, leaving the public alone for days afterward.

[hippiechick]

21. He was the anti-Bush.

When lil' George was hiding in AF1 and Unca Dick was locked down in the bunker, Rudy was Mr Photo Op. He had the foresight to be extremely more visible than Chicken Little and therefore was 'assigned' the 'fatherly leadership' presence. :puke:

Did he deserve it? :shrug: Dunno, I pretty much tuned out.

[sellitman]

22. He also talked about suspending the upcoming election.

He is perfectly suited to lead the RepubliCONS.


:sarcasm:

[MethuenProgressive]

24. He turned down $$millions from Saudi Arabia because he's a racist anti-Islamist asshole.

And that won him a great deal of support with some groups.

[MethuenProgressive]

25. He didn't go to the NYC Emergency HQ - cuz he put it in the WTC after the 1st WTC attack...

13th floor, I think. Smart move, Rudy!

[Forkboy]

35. Well the asshole part still fits just fine.

[valerief]

27. The NY elite were happy he got rid of the homeless, so anything

he did after 9/11 would make him a hero to them. And the elite control the media.

[ClassWarrior]

28. Suck up to the corporate media whores?

:shrug:

NGU.

[BattyDem]

29. I live just outside of NYC and on 9/11 ...

I was terrified! After the towers were hit, we sat there watching the TV and we were just ... stunned. I've been to the WTC many times. They weren't some famous buildings that I've seen in pictures and on television - I stayed in the hotel, had drinks by the piano, rode the PATH train that went under the buildings, shopped on the concourse, had dinner in the restaurants, walked by "The Sphere" in the plaza and bought some trinkets from the street vendors in the area ... and it was all gone.

We didn't know if we were safe. We didn't know what we should do, if anything. Should we evacuate? Should our children stay in school; should our relatives stay at work? Our local television stations were knocked out, so we couldn't get any answers or "comfort" from the familiar faces of our local news media. We couldn't get any information about emergency procedures on a "local" level - we didn't know if the attacks were over or if a second wave was heading to area. Those of us with cable were able to watch MSNBC, CNN, etc., but this was before they knew it was just four planes - they were reporting the possibility of at least 8 planes and we didn't know where they were heading. There was a lot of speculation, misinformation and outright chaos!

Then the towers fell.

Fire engines, police cars and ambulances from my town and every surrounding town were speeding down the main drag with sirens blaring. Fighter jets flew overhead. I thought we were getting attacked again! I grabbed my dog, sat huddled on the corner of the sofa and waited for the BOOM. I listened to my police radio scanner and found out that the emergency vehicles were racing to Liberty State Park to help with the triage (the survivors were going to be brought there for treatment, but that proved to be unnecessary.)

The President was AWOL. The Vice-President was AWOL. The Secretary of Defense was AWOL. None of our leaders in Washington were saying a word. We felt alone. Then Rudy held his press conference and we felt like someone was in charge ... someone had some kind of control of the situation. Obviously, the situation was out of control, but we all needed a voice to reassure us and Rudy provided that.

It may not sound that "great" now ... but on 9/11, it made a lot of us breathe a little easier. I won't vote for him because he had many dictatorial tendencies before 9/11 ... but on that day, he stood up and "took charge" when no one else did.

[vankuria]

31. Thanks for that perspective

Having lived through 911 your insights provide a perspective most of us couldn't imagine. Rudy did provide leadership on a day when our numbskull prez and vice were clearly AWOL. He also spoke eloquently about those who lost their lives and it was very moving.

Having said that, I'm not sure Rudy did anything more than what any mayor of a city would do. We have a tendency to elevate those who do their jobs in the face of danger, to sainthood.

[Pyrzqxgl]

30. He stood in front of TV cameras whenever possible with that shit eatin' grin.

[RamboLiberal]

32. He got into every photo-op he could

He said how great is was Bush had been elected.

He appeared more confident on the phone than President Bunny-pants.

He tried to convince New Yorkers to postpone mayoral elections he was so indepensible.

He let people work on the pile in unsafe air conditions.

Then he tried to limit the FDNY and other emergency workers from being on the pile.

:sarcasm:

[Vinca]

33. He walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked

and walked and walked and walked and walked and then he didn't want to leave office because he walked so well.

[doc03]

34. You know if the war in Iraq would have been successful

GWB would be hero today and would have poll numbers the opposite of the ones today. The American people are f---ing morans.

[AuntPatsy]

36. Joined the cross dressing crowd and made it acceptable?

[IamyourTVandIownyou]

37. Uhh... made sure WTC7 was clear so they could..

..pull it.

[Skittles]

38. nothing

he did what he was supposed to do; however, next to the absence/incompetence of bush, he looked like the second coming

[bklyncowgirl]

39. Took charge under a chaotic and dangerous situation--not that I'd vote for him based on that

I'm no Rudy Giuliani fan, but he performed well on 9/11. Perhaps another Mayor might have done as well, perhaps not.

Some of the problems were Giuliani's own doing. As mayor he had been divisive and high handed. He insisted, against advice, on putting his emergency response headquarters in the World Trade Center. One of the reasons he was out on the street when the towers fell was because he literally had no place to go. The New York Police & Firefighters had incompatible radios--a situation that Giuliani had done nothing over the years to remedy.

He did, however in this crisis, keep his cool, made good decisions under pressure, and provided the country with whatever information he could. I don't like the guy but I won't take this away from him.

Bush was flying around the country looking for a safe place to land--or time to get him sobered up--who knows. Cheney was in the bunker. Giuliani was the guy who was out there giving information and holding a frightened city together. He showed himself to be an effective crisis manager. That being said, while I want a president who can manage a crisis, I also want a president who can see the big picture and lead when there is no immediate threat or danger.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

40. What exactly did Rudy do before 9/11 that was so great?

That is the question.

[MiniMe]

41. He walked around ground zero looking involved and important

But the only reason that they have those pics is because the idiot put the emergency management headquarters in the WTC after the WTC was attacked in 1993.

[treestar]

42. He was walking around the in streets of New York

Or at least, appeared to be.

He wasn't hiding in a bunker. So as to that he compares favorably to * and Cheney. But it could be mostly spin. We live in the age of images and appearances.

[Auntie Bush]

43. Your wrong about Bush. No other politician would have

flown off to Nebraska and not addressed the people until that night. Rudy was in the spotlight because of bushes absence and lack of empathy. I do have to give him credit for attending all those funerals...but another politician would have done the same thing. Besides Rudy had to be out and about because his command center was destroyed in the WTC...due to his stupidity.

[mvd]

44. All he did was give assurances that..

everything was ok and kept people calm. But people were so upset then that it wasn't only Giuliani that could have filled that role. His real handling of things was not good: pitting the firefighters against the police, sweeping up evidence when the WTC area was a crime scene (regardless of what you think of 9/11, there were holes in the official story,) and not warning people about the danger of the environment.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

45. I was here in NYC that day

as I have been most of the days of my life.
As already stated above, Rudy was the only visible connection we had to anyone in charge at the time. He did great only by default since Bush and Cheney were nowhere to be f'ing found. And in fact, that is probably a good thing since I literally cringed (and will never forget for the rest of my life) when the first utterance I heard from Bush on the radio was "we're going to get the folks that did this". Refering to the monsters who did it as "folks" really rubbed me the wrong way, and convinced me that the man is a psychopath with no empathy to normal human beings.

Anyway, Rudy was fine, but any leader with half a brain would have done just fine too.

[liberalKD126]

46. it looked convincing

Guiliani looked as though he was doing what was right for the state and teh country for that matter and sometimes I really believed that he was, because we all know that day was horrific, but sometimes it is just hard to believe the Republican party at this point and the administration because it all seems to be a show.