Before September 11, 2001, Rudolph Guiliani was known as the scourge of the art community, a critic of nudity and marijuana, the subject of marital gossip, an opponent of political speech, a recipient of the Lifetime Muzzle Award and the darling of the political right.

Giuliani has not given any indication that he has changed any of those views.

After September 11, 2001, however, Rudolph Guiliani was awarded an Honorary Knighthood and has now been chosen to advocate for Mark Earley's campaign to become the next Republican governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"According to the Washington Post, "Republican Mark L. Earley is replacing all of his television ads with one final, upbeat spot featurning New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani praising Earley as 'a man of proven leadership' suited to govern Virginia in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...

Stephen J. Farnsworth, a Mary Washington College professor of political science, called the new add a long shot but a wise move for Earley.

'If you're Mark Earley, you have to do something very dramatic to shake up the race,' Farnsworth said....

[On September 10,] the day before terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center, [Earley] and Giuliani had lunch together and flew over the twin towers in a helicopter.

In the ad, the mayor sits in an office with an American flag behind him and describes that lunch, praising Earley. He concludes: 'Now more than ever, Virginia and America need real leadership, and you've got a candidate for governor in Mark Earley who can provide exactly that kind of leadership. If I were a Virginian, I would vote for Mark Earley.' ...

"Democrats predicted that the Giuliani ad will make little difference in Virginia's governor's race.

'We have a lot of respect for Mayor Giuliani and the job he's done in New York,' said Warner spokeswoman Amanda F. Crumley. 'But we would respectfully say that Virginians don't need someone out of state telling them how to vote in this election'" (Craig Timberg, The Washington Post, November 2, 2001).

What about you?

Previous to September 11th, did you value the job Rudolph Giuliani did on New York?

What kind of job do you think Mark Earley will do on Virginia if he becomes the next governor of the Commonwealth?

The amount of money coming into support Mark Earley's campaign from out of state is no secret. According to the Associated Press, Mark Earley "has garnered almost $10.5 million, with one in three of those dollars coming from national Republican groups" (Daily Progress, November 5, 2001).

What do you think about someone out of state telling Virginians how to vote?

Now the Giuilani's star is on the rise, would you vote for Mark Earley on Mayor Giuliani say so?

Please send your thoughts to george@loper.org where the most representative comments will be placed on my web site with full attribution.

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