Public image of Rudy Giuliani
Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, and a candidate for President of the United States in 2008, Rudy Giuliani was both glorified and criticized in the public sphere for his past actions.
Many credited him with reducing crime and improving the city's economy and lauded his leadership during the September 11, 2001 attacks and his coordination of the emergency response in the immediate aftermath.
Others disapproved of his policies and political positions as Mayor and candidate and criticized the perceived glorification of his role in the aftermath of 9/11 during the 2008 campaign.
As a candidate in 2008, Giuliani did not stray from his stances, remarking that it is better to make abortion rare and increase the number of adoptions rather than to criminalize the practice.
Some social conservatives accepted this as a reason for their support of Giuliani, contending that his position on abortion was the most pragmatic view taken by an anti-abortion candidate in the 2008 election.
Joseph Cella, president of a Catholic advocacy group in Michigan stated, "It's becoming ever more clear that Rudy Giuliani suffers from John Kerry syndrome.
It's just a matter of time before more bishops step up, because he shares the identical position on abortion as John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
At a public appearance in Derry, New Hampshire on August 16, 2007 an audience member, Katherine Prudhomme-O'Brien asked him, "[H]ow you could expect the loyal following of Americans when you are not getting it from your own family?"
But having strong beliefs, being able to stick with them through popular and unpopular times, is the most important characteristic of a great leader.Supporters of Giuliani claim that while he was mayor of New York he displayed leadership skills in the aftermath of the World Trade Center Attacks.
In November 2006, civil-rights lawyer and frequent Giuliani critic Norman Siegel pledged to "swift boat" the former Mayor by bringing attention to these and other controversies.
[19] In the aftermath of the attacks, Giuliani gained the moniker "America's Mayor" and was named Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2001.
A BBC associate said, "Mr Giuliani's appeal as the man who led New York through the terrorist attacks is occasionally over-emphasised in his campaign.
"[20] The International Association of Fire Fighters issued a letter in 2007, accusing Giuliani of "egregious acts" against the 343 firemen who had died in the September 11th attacks.
The letter asserted that Giuliani rushed to conclude the recovery effort once gold and silver had been recovered from World Trade Center vaults and thereby prevented the remains of many victims from being recovered: "Mayor Giuliani's actions meant that fire fighters and citizens who perished would either remain buried at Ground Zero forever, with no closure for families, or be removed like garbage and deposited at the Fresh Kills Landfill.
The unions' complaints focus on the malfunctioning radios used by the fire department on September 11, 2001 and what they claim was a lack of coordination at the Ground Zero site.
[30] Giuliani adviser Elliot Cuker claimed to have persuaded the politician to dress in drag in order to help him with the gay vote.
[31] Giuliani was supposed to appear as himself on a May 2007 episode of The Simpsons entitled "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot", but his role was cut due to his presidential campaign.
[36] After the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, Giuliani was portrayed by Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon on the show's "Weekend Update" news segment.
