Rudy Giuliani: Rudy Giuliani's So-Called "Commitments" Based on Poor Mayoral Record and Empty Rhetoric

June 14, 2007 -- As Rudy Giuliani attempts to sell his so-called "commitments" to voters in Delaware today, he will have a difficult time convincing Americans that he could credibly follow through on them. The more Americans learn about his record as mayor of New York City and his contradictory statements the more likely they will raise serious questions about the his ability to deliver on his campaign promises.

From his poor decisions that exposed firefighters and recovery workers to toxic levels of asbestos after 9/11 to his failure to implement recommendations to secure New York City before 9/11 to his misleading statements about his fiscal management as mayor, Rudy Giuliani's record falls short of his stated commitments.

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Giuliani also has made no apology for ignoring the Iraq War among his twelve campaign promises. He has offered no plan for Iraq and after his speech this week he stated, "Iraq may get better, Iraq may get worse, we maybe successful in Iraq, we may not be. I don't know the answer to that." [MSNBC, 6/12/07, Concord Monitor, 6/13/07]

"As Americans learn more about Rudy Giuliani's poor record as mayor of New York City the more they will see that his so-called 'commitments' are nothing more than empty rhetoric," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. "The truth is that under Giuliani's watch, firefighters and 9/11 workers were exposed to debilitating toxic air, city government spending grew, and he appointed corrupt officials who were not accountable to the people. If he were a strong leader, Giuliani would fess up to his true record and not hide behind baseless platitudes."

Below is a new DNC research document on each of Rudy Giuliani's "commitments."

Giuliani's 12 Commitments:

THE MISSING COMMITMENT - IRAQ: When he unveiled his 12 commitments, Rudy Giuliani failed to make a commitment to the American people on the Iraq War. When asked specifically about Iraq after his speech, Rudy Giuliani made no apology about omitting it and in an interview with MSNBC he said, "Iraq may get better, Iraq may get worse, we maybe successful in Iraq, we may not be. I don't know the answer to that." [MSNBC, 6/12/07, Concord Monitor, 6/13/07]

* Giuliani Even Farther Out Of Touch Then Bush On Iraq. On June 13th, Giuliani said he would consider further escalating Bush's failed "surge." Giuliani said, "If he said the strategy was working, and we needed more soldiers to make it work, of course I'd look at that and consider that." The New York Times reported that according to Giuliani, "it was clear, he said, that America had an obligation to stay." In April, the Boston Globe wrote, "He warns even more starkly than Bush" against withdrawing from Iraq. [Bloomberg, 6/14/07; NH Debate, CNN, 6/5/07; New York Times, 5/6/07; Boston Globe, 4/4/07]
* Giuliani Didn't Have Time To Help Shape Iraq Policy. Rudy Giuliani resigned from the Iraq Study Group in May of 2006, then criticized its findings. When he quit, he said he didn't have the time. Newsday wrote that "It's not clear that he attended a single meeting. Two of the group's top advisers said they didn't even know he had been a member." In April 2007, The Daily News reported Giuliani had yet to visit Iraq. [Washington Post, 6/1/06, 12/19/06; Newsday (New York), 11/17/06; Daily News (New York), 4/3/07]

I. GIULIANI'S FIRST COMMITMENT - TERRORISM "I will keep America on offense in the terrorists' war on us." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Did Not Know If Iran or North Korea Were Further Along With The Development of Nuclear Weapons. "At a house party in New Hampshire, Mr. Giuliani suggested that it was unclear which was further along, Iran or North Korea, in the development of a nuclear weapons program." [New York Times, 4/7/07]
* Giuliani Allowed Feud Between Police and Firefighters To Stop The Implementation Of Recommendations Based On 1993 WTC Bombings. "Security decisions after the 1993 World Trade Center blast--and a feud between New York firefighters and police--resulted in blocked access to the roof on Sept. 11.The agencies rejected recommendations from police pilots that an area of the north tower's roof be kept clear for helicopter landings..Part of the explanation for this decision in the wake of the 1993 blast was an intense feud then raging between the city's fire and police departments over who had control at emergencies." [Chicago Sun Times, 11/4/01]
* Giuliani Failed to Put In A Clear Chain of Command for Emergency Workers. "Giuliani and his top aides did not put in place a clear chain of command for police officers and firefighters." [Washington Post, 8/17/06]

II. GIULIANI'S SECOND COMMITMENT - BORDER SECURITY: "I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Makes a Political Flip-Flop On Immigration, Immigrant Rights. "In contrast to his years as mayor, when he fought federal efforts to curtail public hospital or educational services to illegal immigrants, he now talks of penalties for people here illegally and requirements for them to wait at the back of the line. And while he once pushed policies like providing schooling for the children of illegal immigrants by saying, 'The reality is that they are here, and they're going to remain here,' now he emphasizes denying amnesty." [New York Times, 4/22/07]

III. GIULIANI'S THIRD COMMITMENT - FISCAL DISCIPLINE: "I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Spending Under Giuliani Went Up 30% And Number of Employees Rose. In New York City, spending went up 30% under Giuliani as mayor, or by $9.5 billion. Even stopping the tally before costs related to 9/11 finds a 28% increase, or $8.9 billion more in annual spending then before he took office. According to the Associated Press, the city's Independent Budget Office data shows that New York City had more employees when Giuliani left office than when his predecessor, Democrat David Dinkins, left office." [NYC Independent Budget Office, Revenue and Expenditure Summary; NYC Independent Budget Office Agency Expenditures, Full Time Positions; Associated Press, 4/17/07]
* Giuliani Left Behind Large Deficit. As he left office at the end of 2001, the New York Times wrote that Giuliani himself "estimated the 2003 fiscal year budget gap at $2.9 billion" for his successor. However, JoinRudy.com brags that Giuliani "turned a $2.3 billion budget deficit into a multi-billion dollar surplus." [New York Times, 1/4/02; Newsday, 06/05/07; http://www.joinrudy2008.com/index.php?section=2, accessed 4/23/07;]

IV. GIULIANI'S FOURTH COMMITMENT - CUT TAXES: "I will cut taxes and reform the tax code." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Extended Personal Income Tax Surcharge And Preferred Building Baseball Stadiums To Cutting Taxes. Giuliani extended the 12.5% personal income tax "surcharge" for the fiscal years 1997 and 1998. He also opposed GOP Governor George Pataki's proposed cut in the state income tax in 1994. Moreover, Giuliani's opposed the City Council's proposal to eliminate the commercial rent tax in 1999, because he wanted to spend the tax revenue on building baseball stadiums [Club For Growth Press Release, 5/14/07, http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/05/rudy_giulianis_economic_record.php]
* Giuliani Refused To Sign Pledge Not To Raise Taxes. "Rudy Giuliani - who touts his record as a tax cutter on the campaign trail - has refused to sign a pledge not to raise taxes if elected president." [New York Post, 6/2/07]

V. GIULIANI'S FIFTH COMMITMENT - ACCOUNTABILITY: "I will impose accountability on Washington." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Rudy Ignored Ethics Problems, Vetting Process To Appoint Kerik. Despite claiming he only recently learned about Bernie Kerik's ethical problems, in 2006 Giuliani did not dispute evidence presented to a grand jury that he had been briefed on Kerik's ethics problems in 2000 when he appointed Kerik to be New York's police commissioner. Reports reveal that Kerik didn't undergo normal vetting in 2000, and various investigations and charges related to Kerik and his public service continue [New York Times, 3/30/07, 7/10/06; Newsday, 12/18/04]
* Giuliani Appointees Had History Of Corruption. Russell Harding, the head of the Housing Development Corporation under Giuliani, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzlement, mail and wire fraud and possession of child pornography after he was accused of spending at least $400,000 in public funds on himself and friends - for a car, vacations to Hong Kong and Canada, magazine subscriptions and other items. Frederick J. Patrick, who held high-level posts in the New York City Correction Foundation during the administration of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and who Giuliani later named commissioner of juvenile justice and deputy commissioner of community affairs in the Police Department, pleaded guilty in 2003 to looting the New York City Correction Foundation, a nonprofit corporation. Patrick, who spent the stolen money on collect calls he accepted from inmates in city jails and state prisons, some of which officials have said involved phone sex, was sentenced in June 2004 to a year and day in federal prison. [Associated Press, 3/15/05; New York Times, 8/4/06]
* But, Giuliani Did Not Require Accountability When The NYPD Engaged In Brutality. The high-profile shooting deaths of Patrick Dorismond and Amadou Diallo and the stationhouse torture and sodomizing of Abner Louima were "three notorious cases that, for many, seemed to form a pattern of abuse," according to the New York Times. The Washington Post reported, "a white policeman is claimed to have said while allegedly sodomizing Haitian Abner Louima with the handle of a toilet plunger: 'Stupid nigger . . . learn some respect. This is Giuliani time. It is not Dinkins time.'" The Boston Globe wrote that when Dorismond was shot, Giuliani released his sealed juvenile records, suggesting he was at fault and drawing criticism from across the political spectrum. After an unarmed Diallo was shot 41 times, Giuliani demeaned protestors, "this is a great publicity stunt," according to the Times. [New York Times, 12/31/01; Washington Post, 8/20/97; Boston Globe, 3/27/00; New York Times, 3/16/99]

VI. GIULIANI'S SIXTH COMMITMENT - ENERGY INDEPENDENCE: "I will lead America towards energy independence." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* In 2007, Bracewell & Giuliani Represents Saudi Oil Ministry And Hugo Chavez's Oil Company. According to the Associated Press, in March 2007 Giuliani's law firm began representing Saudi Arabia's oil ministry in a Texas court case. Bloomberg News has reported that starting weeks after Giuliani joined the firm in 2005, Bracewell and Giuliani signed as a Citgo as a client. Citgo is the oil firm controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and they paid Giuliani's firm $125,000 to $250,000 to lobby, renewing their contract through 2007. [Associated Press, 5/14/07; Bloomberg, 3/14/07]
* Giuliani Favorite Presidential Candidate of Oil And Gas Industry. "Oil and gas companies have a favorite candidate among the large field of contenders to become the next president, based upon campaign contributions made by the industry." According to data from the non-partisan Center For Responsive Politics, Giuliani "is the leading recipient of campaign donations from the oil and gas industry. Individual and PAC contributions from the fuel industry total $229,923 to the Giuliani campaign," through March of 2007, about double the amount received by the next highest candidate on the list, Mitt Romney. [UPI, 5/7/07]

VII. GIULIANI'S SEVENTH COMMITMENT - AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE: "I will give Americans more control over, and access to, healthcare with affordable and portable free-market solutions." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Advocated Selling the City's Public Hospitals, Which Served the Poor and Uninsured, But Was Blocked By NY Court of Appeals. Giuliani made the privatization of city hospitals a focus of his administration, despite pleas from advocates for the poor and court actions to block him. In April 1995, Giuliani announced his plans to sell three of the city's eleven municipal hospitals, contending the city couldn't afford to operate the hospital system. Advocates for the poor have argued that the move would harm the poor and uninsured and in 1999, the state Court of Appeals agreed with the advocates and blocked the plan, asserting that the system was created to provide healthcare for the needy. [Daily News, 4/18/95, 5/18/95, 3/31/99]
* Experts: Giuliani Plan Likely To Increase Treatment Costs. Giuliani's plan "is a risky move: Most people don't want to see their insurance plans cover fewer services, and experts say that providing greater benefits encourages patients to see doctors before an illness progresses too far and is costlier to treat." [Wall Street Journal, 6/7/07, http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB118117722127727221.html]
* Experts: Giuliani's Plan Would Make It Care For The Those Who Need It Most To Find Coverage. "Many health policy experts say the individual market will only work well if Americans are forced to buy insurance, thus injecting into the system younger, healthier people who are now uninsured and balancing out sicker, more expensive patients." [Wall Street Journal, 6/7/07, http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB118117722127727221.html (emphasis added)]

VIII. GIULIANI'S EIGHTH COMMITMENT - LESS ABORTIONS, BETTER LIFE FOR KIDS: "I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Has Repeatedly Exaggerated His Record On Adoptions, Despite Independent Criticism Of Boasting. Official city data shows that adoptions went down for most of the years Giuliani was mayor, including the last five years he was in office, and by as much as 17% in a single year. Adoptions overall were "only 17 percent higher than at the start, and falling" when he left office. Giuliani's New York City record was considerably worse then national trends for the same years. Federal data shows an average increase of 14% a year and positive growth seven out of eight years during Giuliani's terms, while New York City data show an average increase of only 4%. The independent University of Pennsylvania based group, FactCheck.org said Giuliani's claim created a "false impression" that turned the truth "on its head." ["Levitating Numbers," Factcheck.org, 5/7/07, http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/levitating_numbers.html; New York City Administration For Children's Services; US Administration For Children and Families AFCARS and VCIS data]
* Giuliani Faulted For Lack of Progress In NYC Schools During This Term. "Giuliani has often been faulted for the turmoil and lack of progress in the New York school system during his years as mayor." [New York Times, 6/13/07]

IX. GIULIANI'S NINTH COMMITMENT - STRICT CONSTRUCTIONIST JUDGES: "I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Gave "Convoluted Answer" To Abortion Questions. In the first GOP debate of the presidential campaign, Giuliani said both "it would be OK" if Roe was repealed, and "it would be OK" if it was upheld." [AP, 5/9/07]
* But, Giuliani Previously Reached Out To Anti Abortion Conservatives, Promising To Appoint Strict Constructionist. Earlier in 2007, "He reaches out to anti-abortion Republicans by saying that he would appoint 'strict constructionist' judges, widely construed as code for judges who would oppose Roe v. Wade." [National Review, 5/8/07]

X. GIULIANI'S TENTH COMMITMENT - PREPAREDNESS: "I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Put Emergency Command Center at WTC7. Giuliani has been criticized for his decision to put the city's emergency command center in the World Trade Center complex, widely seen as a terrorist target. In fact, when the building became unusable - later collapsing - it took three hours and multiple attempts to find a place to set up a new command center. [New York Times, 5/15/07; "Leadership," Giuliani, p. 12-19]

* Giuliani Did Not Implement Recommendations From 1993 WTC Bombing, Including Need For Better Radios. According to Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins' Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, Giuliani failed to fully implement a single recommendation made by the fire department official who identified crucial emergency response failures after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Nor did he seriously attempt to address the issue of inter-operability between police and fire department radios until late in his term. [South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), 10/1/06]

* NYC Facing Lawsuits For "Inexcusable Violation" Of Safety Laws Under Giuliani. Groups of recovery workers and first responders are suing the city. "Lawyers representing the workers argue that after the first two weeks the city was guilty of an ''inexcusable violation of basic safety laws'' because it did not ensure that the workers had proper protective equipment, like half-face respirators, and the training to use them." [New York Times, 6/23/06]

* Firefighters, Assured The Air Was Safe, Did Not Wear Protective Gear At WTC Site; Some Later Died and Thousands Fell Ill. Assured by the Giuliani administration that the air was safe, three out of four firefighters didn't wear respirators, which cover the nose and mouth and filter out contaminants. Some used paper masks that were practically useless. Thousands of firefighters developed gastrointestinal problems and what has become known as World Trade Center cough and the deaths of at least four responders died of "a direct consequence of their service" at the WTC site. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine directly linked the increased incidence of potential fatal sarcoidosis among firefighters to WTC dust. [New York Times, 2/27/07; 5/8/07; Newsday (New York), 1/31/07; Daily News (New York), 7/25/06]

* Giuliani Said Air Was Safe After Tests Showed Otherwise, Overruled Health Experts and Failed To Enforce Safety Standards. In late September 2001, Giuliani flatly denied that air quality at Ground Zero was an issue, saying at a press conference: "The air quality is safe and acceptable. And I know there are people that are concerned about it and people that are worried about it, but that's just the reality." But investigations by the media and the public interest groups revealed documents showing that "New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani re-opened sections of downtown Manhattan weeks after the 9/11 attacks despite knowing the air was toxic," and that he "overruled" the city's Department of Environmental Protection . According to the Daily News, 27 of 38 tests before the statement showed elevated levels of asbestos. The Daily News reported, "Giuliani and the city failed miserably to enforce federal safety rules at the site. For weeks, the city did not ensure that every worker used proper respirators and decontamination methods - something federal inspectors noted in a highly critical report on Oct. 6, 2001." [Giuliani, 9/28/01 (emphasis added); UPI, 9/7/06; New York Post, 9/7/06; Daily News (New York), 9/6/06; 9/9/06]

XI. GIULIANI'S ELEVENTH COMMITMENT - QUALITY EDUCATION: "I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Flip-Flopped On Vouchers. In May 1995, Giuliani told a United Federation of Teachers annual conference that vouchers ''would bleed the public schools of needed funds'' and be ''a terrible mistake.'' But, in 1999, Giuliani advocated a publicly funded voucher plan that would have taken $12 million out of New York City public schools. [Village Voice, 3/23/99]
* 59 Percent of New York City Residents Disapproved of Giuliani's Handling of Education. A Quinnipiac survey of city voters in May 1999 found that 59 percent disapproved of Giuliani's handling of education. [Newsday (New York), 5/20/99]

XII. GIULIANI'S TWELFTH COMMITMENT - AMERICA'S REPUTATION IN THE WORLD: "I will expand America's involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world." [Giuliani Press Release, 6/12/07, http://www.joinrudy2008.com/news/pr/286/]

* Giuliani Is A Divider. "The real argument against Giuliani's candidacy is that he was uncommonly divisive and mean-spirited during his time in office.Politicians who have worked with him describe a man who considers those who disagree enemies, not opponents, a divider and not a uniter." [Anna Quindlen column, Newsweek, 1/5/07]
* Giuliani Opposed NAFTA and Protested Global Economy. In 1993, Giuliani said, "I continue to be concerned about the effect it [NAFTA] would have on the job situation in New York City...I haven't seen anything that's going to explain to me how, at least in the short term, it would improve the job loss which has been very, very significant." Four years later, when Swingline Staplers moved its factory from Queens, NY to Mexico because of lower costs, the Giuliani administration threatened to boycott the company's products." [Club For Growth Press Release, 5/14/07, http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/05/rudy_giulianis_economic_record.php]

Source: DNC