Rudy Camp: Our Candidate Can Beat Hillary
Check out the Rudy campaign's just-released statement on New York's decision today to move its primary up to Feb. 5:
"Rudy Giuliani is the Republican candidate who can compete and win in New York State. Voters here know first-hand that Rudy is a true leader and proven problem-solver who has made a real difference in people's lives. He will bring the prosperity New York City saw under his tenure as Mayor to the entire state."
Noteworthy bit: The Rudy campaign is now making the "he can compete and win in New York" argument a part of its on-the-record pitch. This of course is all about telling conservatives nationally that while Rudy may favor abortion, gun control and gay rights and likes wearing dresses, he's the only one who can beat the other candidate in the race who favors abortion, gun control and gay rights and likes wearing dresses.
Comments (6)
CT Voter wrote on April 9, 2007 2:22 PM:I don't know that upstate New York (and I mean real upstate, not Westchester County) experienced all that much prosperity during the times Rudy mentions, so that seems like a pretty lame attempt to garner support.
Upstate New York has been experiencing an economic downturn for the last 30 years or so. Does Rudy want credit for that?
Greg Sargent wrote on April 9, 2007 2:29 PM:it's true that upstate is in bad shape, CT. my bet is that rudy will argue that, hey, if you wanna share in the prosperity that nyc has enjoyed, vote for me! as if the mayor alone is why an international city that's the finance and real estate capital of the world is doing better than parts of the state that rely on (declining) industry and farming
Legalize wrote on April 9, 2007 3:02 PM:This is Rudy's only play in NY. He has to pander to the folks in the State who are as far removed from the City as possible, which doesn't leave him much more than Suffolk County, the areas north and west of Albany, and the suburbs of Buffalo - not a lot of people. But he probably has a better shot in NY than any of the other GOPers. He has a better shot in Jersey and Pa.
dajafi wrote on April 9, 2007 5:25 PM:If you look at borough-by-borough economic data, New York City's "prosperity" during the '90s isn't particularly impressive. Only Manhattan did well; the rest of them lost jobs and saw real wages decline, IIRC.
CT Voter wrote on April 9, 2007 5:26 PM:Hey! You forgot Rochester. Which, in this case, might not be a bad thing--15,000+ laid off by Kodak, Xerox out of there, Bausch & Lomb, etc. Not to channel John Edwards, but there are two New York States. Downstate, and everywhere else.
And I've never gotten the sense that the larger population centers in upstate NY (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany) are particularly Republican.
(All the places in between, yes.)
ohiomeister wrote on April 9, 2007 6:07 PM:The Rudy camp is all talk. He'd lose New York just like all of the other GOP candidates.
