I lived in New York City for most of St. Rudy's term as mayor. I believe it is incumbent upon everyone who has lived under his governance to do whatever they can to keep him from being president. He would be a nightmare.
Along with everything else, Rudy is also a shitty little money-grubber, and that is one image that won't wear well. From an article in the Village Voice, we learn that Rudy received a few nice gifts from the New York Yankees--4 World Series Rings:
With Giuliani's name inscribed in the 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 diamond-and-gold rings, memorabilia and baseball experts say they are collectively worth a minimum of $200,000. The Yankees say that Giuliani did pay for his rings—but only $16,000, and years after he had left office. Anyone paying for the rings is as unusual as a mayor getting one, since neither the Yankees nor any other recent champion have sold rings to virtually anyone. The meager payment, however, is less than half of the replacement value of the rings, and that's a fraction of the market price, especially with the added value of Giuliani's name.
What's more troubling is that Giuliani's receipt of the rings may be a serious breach of the law, and one that could still be prosecuted. New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others.
The article goes on to discuss not only Rudy enforcing this law against others, but brings up disgraced Bernard Kerick, who should be tied to Rudy whenever possible.
So, this encompasses:
- Profiting from elected office
- Hypocrisy
- The Yankees (hated in most of the rest of the country)
A three-fer! (Except for Yankees fans, and then it would still be a two-fer)