Giuliani Commits Major Gaffe Calling Himself Equal to 9/11 Recovery Workers

When a candidate commits a gaffe, especially this long before an election when only a small percentage are paying attention, it is often difficult to tell whether it will have a major impact or be forgotten. Political Radar report a major gaffe from Rudy Giuliani

Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati, Giuliani said: “I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. … I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I’m one of them.”

Michael Palladino, head of the Detectives Endowment Association, the union of NYPD detectives, told the Associated Press that the mayor’s record can’t compare to those who spent 12 months sifting through toxic debris for evidence and human remains.

This gaffe might be especially harmfull go Giuliani as he has nothing beyond his claims of leadership post 9/11 and being strong on terrorism. Even Giuliani’s leadership against terrorism has been questioned:

Just last month, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) released a 13 minute video on the internet urging its members to oppose Giuliani’s bid for the presidency, questioning his leadership both before and in the aftermath of the September 2001 terrorist attacks. At the time of the video’s release, the Giuliani campaign denounced what they called a ‘clearly partisan’ video and cited the IAFF’s history of endorsing and supporting Democratic candidates

Giuliani has gotten away with using 9/11 as many do not realize how poor a job he did in handling terrorism in New York. At least a growing number are realizing that the Giuliani/Bush foreign policy strengthens al Qaeda and makes us less safe. Giuliani’s use of 9/11 for the basis of his campaign has been absurd from the start, but now he has taken it to a new level of absurdity which far more people will see through. If this is taken as an insult from Giuliani to the 9/11 workers, it could prove to be a critical mistake.

1 Comment

Leave a comment