Guiliani in a new light
I was a big fan of America's Mayor when he was in office here in NYC. At the time at least, I felt like New York City had really begun to turn a corner during the Giuliani Administration.
I fondly remember Mr. Giuliani's inaugural speech - the one where, his son Andrew at his side, was playfully mimicking his gesticulations. And I remember Rudy, upon noticing the young lad mocking him, just smiled and put his arm around the boy. At the time, most of us thought it was an excellent example of a man turning a potentially embarrassing situation into some positive PR. Rudy came off as a warm, loving father. (See limited coverage here and here, and an SNL skit lampooning the inaugaral address here.)
So when Mr. Giuliani was recently speaking to the National Rifle Association, and took a 'spontaneous' phone call from his wife Judith, many in the blogosphere were critical. (See video here) Some saw this as a transparent gimmick - particularly given that Mr. Giuliani had previously taken calls from his wife while on the podium. (See video here - wait till the end.)
Much of the criticism thus far is focused upon the question - was the NRA call from Judith really spontaneous? Frankly, I don't really find that to be of interest.
What I DO find interesting, however, is that Mr. Giuliani's recent cell phone stunt calls into question what happened all those years ago with his son Andrew. Was that a stunt as well? And if it was, does that recast Mr. Giuliani in a different light for anyone out there?
I fondly remember Mr. Giuliani's inaugural speech - the one where, his son Andrew at his side, was playfully mimicking his gesticulations. And I remember Rudy, upon noticing the young lad mocking him, just smiled and put his arm around the boy. At the time, most of us thought it was an excellent example of a man turning a potentially embarrassing situation into some positive PR. Rudy came off as a warm, loving father. (See limited coverage here and here, and an SNL skit lampooning the inaugaral address here.)
So when Mr. Giuliani was recently speaking to the National Rifle Association, and took a 'spontaneous' phone call from his wife Judith, many in the blogosphere were critical. (See video here) Some saw this as a transparent gimmick - particularly given that Mr. Giuliani had previously taken calls from his wife while on the podium. (See video here - wait till the end.)
Much of the criticism thus far is focused upon the question - was the NRA call from Judith really spontaneous? Frankly, I don't really find that to be of interest.
What I DO find interesting, however, is that Mr. Giuliani's recent cell phone stunt calls into question what happened all those years ago with his son Andrew. Was that a stunt as well? And if it was, does that recast Mr. Giuliani in a different light for anyone out there?
Labels: politics
