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The consequences of Giuliani's '9/11 Tourette's'

About a month ago, at one of the debates for Republican presidential candidates, Rudy Giuliani said, “The reality is that I’m not running on what I did on September 11th.” He managed to say it with a straight face.

It seemed like an amusing comment, of course, given how often the former mayor cites the 9/11 attacks, seemingly in response to every question. Jon Stewart recently described it as “9/11 Tourette’s.” But is it really as bad as Giuliani’s critics suggest? The New York Daily News’ Helen Kennedy took a look at how the candidate has incorporated the attacks into various unrelated matters.

And when I say “various,” I mean “every” unrelated matter.

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57 Comments
Bonkers's picture

Retarded cartoon cat for president.

Oh really?

Dr. Know's picture

Friggin' Giuliani.

toosinbeymen's picture

Hey, if bush can do whan can rudy?

Jim's picture

Giuliani should drive a Porsche 9-11.

And then crash it through nine hundred and eleven brick walls.

F-You Fraud Mayor. I was in NYC on 9/11 and you were as worthless as Bush on that day.

L.A. Confidential's picture

Okay on to the next one here. Reminds me of musical chairs.

Rudy rudy rudy baby.

Right on!'s picture

And he's still as worthless as Bu$h today... doubt that'll ever change!

Joe O.'s picture

How pathetic and sick. Giuliani owes his entire Presidential campaign to a terrorist group and the attacks that they carried out. Without Al Qaeda, Guiliani would be someone that people would not even give the time of day to. Al Qaeda has made Giuliani what he is today and in return he gives them free media exposure by commenting about 9/11 all of the time.

SFnomad's picture

Rudy and 9-11 ... it's like a bad remake of Groundhog Day

Samson-'s picture

riiiiiight rudy, riiiight.

and chris matthews doesn't drool when he gets excited, riiiight

L.A. Confidential's picture

Maybe Rudy will angrily blurt out at some annoying question asker "you are our property and must accept servitude for your own good" at a debate.

L.A. Confidential's picture

Q: HOW ABOUT THOSE DEMOCRATS?

G: "President Clinton's depravity was very helpful in adjusting the moral habits of the youth downward."

L.A. Confidential's picture

I thought Greenspan retired?

Greenspan says U.S. economic growth slowing Reuters - Sun Oct 7, 11:36 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Sunday that the rate of U.S. economic growth was slowing, but the odds of a recession are less than 50 percent.

LOONY COUNTRY

L.A. Confidential's picture

So when exactly did this country lose it?

Anyone able pin point the critical moment-juncture yet?

Oh wait Reagan. That had to be it.

raymond's picture

I think the country is tired of being frightened and scared...this guy is NOT who this nation needs right now.

L.A. Confidential's picture

raymond @ 15:

I think the country is tired of being frightened and scared...this guy is NOT who this nation needs right now.

My question is why are these campaigns a year ahead of normal timing? Are we being groomed for something? Or just distracted from what we should be focusing on as usual.

L.A. Confidential's picture

raymond @ 15:

I think the country is tired of being frightened and scared...this guy is NOT who this nation needs right now.

Actually I think the country is tired of being screwed and powerless to do anything about it.

Manipulation is all the politicrits have left in their tool box.

Dr. Matt's picture

I would vote the politician, on either side of the aisle, that would just flat out say a 9/11 won't happen again, simple as that, and not constantly have to evoke 9/11 for purpose of fear.

Weaseldog's picture

L.A. Confidential @ 13:

I thought Greenspan retired?

Greenspan says U.S. economic growth slowing Reuters - Sun Oct 7, 11:36 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Sunday that the rate of U.S. economic growth was slowing, but the odds of a recession are less than 50 percent.

LOONY COUNTRY

The odds of recession by the Feds measuring standards is Zero.

Limp-Dick Blimpaugh's picture

Rudy ran like the scared, bedwetting, Reslug he is.

L.A. Confidential's picture

The one thing the politicos can't ever change is people will always strive and yearn for freedom above and beyond everything else.

Not the "illusion of freedom-debt slavery and servitude" the elites want us to think we have but real freedom and individuality.

SFnomad's picture

L.A. Confidential @ 16:

My question is why are these campaigns a year ahead of normal timing?

They're hardly a year ahead of normal timing, more like just a few months. The primary season used to run about March-June/July, so campainging would beging around the holiday season. Now the primaries are front loaded in January and pushing on going into December.

What makes it look even earlier is that they would just be compaigning in New Hampshire and Iowa to begin with ... now they need to campaign everywhere.

Peter G.'s picture

Get your hot Rudy merchandise here!!! Coffee mugs, tee shirts, bumper stickers. Everything must go! Priced to sell at....

arroyo's picture

Rudy is reminding Americans to be scared, be very scared.

He's right, Americans love to be scared to death.

Bush has played on that fear for 7 years, and it got him re-elected.

L.A. Confidential's picture

SFnomad @ 22:

L.A. Confidential @ 16:

My question is why are these campaigns a year ahead of normal timing?

They're hardly a year ahead of normal timing, more like just a few months. The primary season used to run about March-June/July, so campainging would beging around the holiday season. Now the primaries are front loaded in January and pushing on going into December.

What makes it look even earlier is that they would just be compaigning in New Hampshire and Iowa to begin with ... now they need to campaign everywhere.

The election is Nov 08 not Nov 07

George_Metetsky's picture

Joe O. @ 7:

How pathetic and sick. Giuliani owes his entire Presidential campaign to a terrorist group and the attacks that they carried out. Without Al Qaeda, Guiliani would be someone that people would not even give the time of day to. Al Qaeda has made Giuliani what he is today and in return he gives them free media exposure by commenting about 9/11 all of the time.

This is a prize- you should copyright this statment. Well said!

Geazer, Minneapolis's picture

L.A. Confidential's picture

Oh Jeeus H Chiztz talk about playing it

AP - 1 hour, 1 minute ago

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa - Every citizen could get a 401(k) retirement account and up to $1,000 in annual matching funds from the government under a plan offered Tuesday by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Geazer, Minneapolis's picture

http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rudybumpkf1.jpg

L.A. Confidential's picture

I need to lower my blood pressure. Without popping pills for it.

Catch you later.

OxyCon's picture

That photo of Rudy at this link had me falling out of my chair laughing!
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/10/07/2007-10-07_no_matte...

SFnomad's picture

L.A. Confidential @ 25:

SFnomad @ 22:

L.A. Confidential @ 16:

My question is why are these campaigns a year ahead of normal timing?

They're hardly a year ahead of normal timing, more like just a few months. The primary season used to run about March-June/July, so campainging would beging around the holiday season. Now the primaries are front loaded in January and pushing on going into December.

What makes it look even earlier is that they would just be compaigning in New Hampshire and Iowa to begin with ... now they need to campaign everywhere.

The election is Nov 08 not Nov 07

What part of "the primary season used to run about March-June/July" didn't you understand? The parties used to run the primary season then, the conventions were in August(ish) and then a couple months for the general election.

Now, the primary season is January-March, they're still going to have the conventions in August(ish) and then a couple months for the general election.

Like I said, they're only a couple months early, it just looks even earlier, because they have to campaign nationwide, rather than just Iowa and New Hampshire.

Helena Montana's picture

Somebody needs to start a pool on how many times he brings it up tonight. Winner has to buy everybody drinks. I like tequila.

ysbaddaden's picture

Does he really stand a snowball's chance in Texas?

SFnomad's picture

Helena Montana @ 33:

Somebody needs to start a pool on how many times he brings it up tonight. Winner has to buy everybody drinks. I like tequila.

I'll take somewhere between 9 and 11 times.

ysbaddaden's picture

Helena Montana @ 33:

Somebody needs to start a pool on how many times he brings it up tonight. Winner has to buy everybody drinks. I like tequila.

I prefer shots of Famous Grouts everytime he says 9-11.

Rendition Mission's picture

The "Jeopardy" graphic they did for that story is perfect.

Janet's picture

I want Rudy to be asked a question tonight prefaced with "Without mentioning 9/11 how do you feel about....?" I'd laugh my ass off.

Pee Wee from Crawford,Tx's picture

Let's take a closer look at what Rudy did on Sept 11,! He walked down the street, and looked,around! Then he did the same thing for the next couple of days!
Big deal, was he one the pile for months on end, helping with the recovery or clean-up? Nope so can someone answer me this question, what qualifies him to be called "America's Mayor?" Just because some dickhead pundit says so, don't mean it's true!
The media needs to be swept off the air, hitting the road with the losing party next Nov. A New Adminstration, and a brand new set of talking heads, on both sides!

ysbaddaden's picture

Famous Grouse.

MargeAggedon's picture

Standing in front of the cameras claiming all is well and stay calm. Yes ruby, you handled the tragedy as well as any shrub co. appointee. If you take my meaning.

Media Concepts's picture

Jon Stewart's "9/11 Tourette's" comment was really funny but inaccurate. Tourette's Syndrome involves saying and doing things involuntarily. In contrast, Giuliani's repeated use of the term "September eleventh" is anything but involuntary. A better description would be that he is "the 9/11 subliminal guy." You know, the character played by Kevin Nealon on Saturday Night Live who used sublminal messages to try to seduce women. He'd say, "let's go out to dinner (get you drunk), then go back to my house (clothes off), and then relax on my couch (hot sex)." That's precisely what Giuliani is doing by trying to implant the "September eleventh" message in our minds. Thus far, it seems to be working very well.

MargeAggedon's picture

Media Concepts @ 43:

Jon Stewart's "9/11 Tourette's" comment was really funny but inaccurate. Tourette's Syndrome involves saying and doing things involuntarily. In contrast, Giuliani's repeated use of the term "September eleventh" is anything but involuntary. A better description would be that he is "the 9/11 subliminal guy." You know, the character played by Kevin Nealon on Saturday Night Live who used sublminal messages to try to seduce women. He'd say, "let's go out to dinner (get you drunk), then go back to my house (clothes off), and then relax on my couch (hot sex)." That's precisely what Giuliani is doing by trying to implant the "September eleventh" message in our minds. Thus far, it seems to be working very well.

Subliminal guy was so funny!
And I agree with you, he is a little more like the subliminal guy... but tourettes also suggests he's now doing involuntarily and couldn't stop even if he wanted to :D
Which is probably true.

oZer's picture

The Pimp of 9/11

Peter G.'s picture

Back in college we use to play a game called Hi Bob. The rules were quite simple. Tune in The Bob Newhart Show. Every time someone says "Hi Bob" you take a pull on your beer. Did I mention the beer? Also if someone just says "Bob" you have to chug the balance of your beer. Lovely game. Everybody wins. I understand that variations of this game are popular on campuses throughout North America. It has come to my attention that some students are playing a very dangerous variant of this game. They are watching Giuliani speeches and taking sips of their beer whenever Rudy says 911. Many cases of alcohol poisoning have resulted. (The symptoms might have been exacerbated by the speeches). Could we not bring this to his attention. Maybe he'll lighten up. For the sake of the children.

Mellifluous's picture

Let's nominate him for Mayor of Ground Zero.

Ed's picture

I cracked up when I saw that article and picture yesterday.

It seems to me that what is happening here is Guiliani is running as a "general" in the war on terror. Like in the old days, when someone like Eisenhower capitalized on leading us to victory in WWII, Guiliani is trying to capitalize on his stewardship of post-9/11 NYC. Since it's the entire basis for his candidacy, he has to mention it ad nauseum, lest he expose himself as completely unqualified for the presidency.

Living in Northern NJ, I've witnessed Guiliani firsthand. While I'll give him some credit for acting like a leader in the aftermath of the attacks, that was more a response to the leadership void created by this incompetent president, who took days to show up. But that's very little to run on, especially given that he was extremely unpopular at the time. Time will reveal just how sleazy he was/is, in both business and personal dealings, and how poorly he worked with both his allies and his opponents. And if Theresa Heinz Kerry and Hillary Clinton turned people off, wait until they get a full dose of Judith Nathan Guiliani.

Nyc W. Alberts's picture

I make a point of reposting this Onion piece:

Ghouliani To Run For President of $9/!!

Every week on NYC's Craigslist, just to piss the wing-nuts off.

~nwa

ronhohn's picture

Other than walking the street looking like an albino koala, what did he do that anyone else would not have done?

dan's picture

Rudy Giuliani said, “The reality is that I’m not running on what I did on September 11th.”

He did something on 911?

George_Metetsky's picture

ysbaddaden @ 40:

Famous Grouse.

Yep...

Brawlin_Dem's picture

You know what I remember about Rudy on 9/11? He was in front of the cameras, freeaking out and fanning the fears of everyone when he was practically screaming they were going to need at least 50,000 body bags.

Some fucking manager! He lost his wits and scared people worse than they already were.

Col Kilgore's picture

Im curious. If Rudy was on the pile at WTC as much as he claimed ? Shouldnt he be at least half as sick as the others who were down there . Rudy wanted to turn cleanup into a "scoop and sift " operation the day after they found the stash of gold reserves. Im curious about that too.

Voice of Reason's picture

He's absolutely right, I don't see how you all could disagree. He is not running on what HE did on 9/11. He's running on what THEY did on 9/11. He didn't do jack. Case closed.

[...] on Bush’s approval, party identity, Hillary versus Grandpa Fred, Hillary versus the guy with 9-11 Tourette’s’, and a few demographic questions, the robo-pollster [...]

yogi-one's picture

G-man's right - he's NOT running on 9-11. Today, I was just reflecting that it's NOT 9-11 today. And that G-man is NOT America's Mayor, and that he's NOT exploiting 9-11, because, you know, like today is NOT 9-11. Of course, we all remember 9-11 everyday, and I call my wife every day and say "Honey aren't you glad it's NOT 9-11, and we're still here because the Christian God loves us, and he didn't want us to die on 9-11" (which is NOT today, by the way).

So G-man is moving on and is NOT reminding us of 9-11 every time he opens his mouth (even though 9-11 brought him nearly $30 million in speaker's fees alone, plus gave him a shot at being President). Even though sometimes some of us might think of 9-11 when we think of G-man, it's NOT because he's trying to associate himself with 9-11 in our minds or something like that.

Because, you know, today is NOT 9-11.

So don't think of 9-11 when you think of Rudy, OK?

Edwin's picture

And he even "has his wife call him" so he can weasel it in just a few more times, for good measure-- IN CASE ANYONE FORGOT!!!!

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