Rudy Giuliani And The Mob

12:26 pm EST April 6th, 2007 | News | 7 Comments

This is kind of weird.

Other Italian-American politicians have shunned references to organized crime, fearful of being tarred unfairly by anti-Italian stereotyping. Not Giuliani, who has in the past embraced such talk to remind voters he helped bust up the New York mob as a federal prosecutor. Plus, he’s an unabashed “Godfather” fan.

But some political analysts are puzzled why a man seeking to become the first Italian-American president would dabble so blithely with the darkest stereotypes of his heritage, especially before voters really get to know him.

And a leader in the nation’s largest Italian-American organization said Thursday that Giuliani should drop his Corleone impersonations because they are insensitive to Italian-Americans trying to dispel the linkages between being Italian and being in the mob.

If Giuliani continues to top GOP polls, clearly one of his Republican rivals will dig into the GOP dirty campaigning trick book and do the “some people say” line with Giuliani and the mob, so I guess this is his attempt to defuse that?

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7 Responses to “Rudy Giuliani And The Mob”

  1. fd10801 says:
    April 6, 2007 at 1:35 pm

    It’s not kind of weird. And your swipe at other Republicans notwithstanding, he has to worry about the “all Italians are linked to the Mob” stereotype, from all directions, including after Election Day.

    Somebody was talking about Pres. Bush’s drinking and drugging, which he hasn’t done in years, just yesterday.

  2. jimmmm says:
    April 6, 2007 at 1:44 pm

    Nah, Rudy’s just being canny, using Cosa Nostra references to deflate stereotypes and disarm prejudice–kinda like how gays have coopted the word “queer,” or some blacks have defanged the word, “nigger.”

    Problem is, this kind of openness isn’t what Rudy people want from the America’s Mayor. So it’s a step forward, two steps back.

  3. fd10801 says:
    April 6, 2007 at 2:45 pm

    Yes, jimmmm, tell us more about the Republican mindset — you are so well – versed in it.

  4. puparo says:
    April 6, 2007 at 3:35 pm

    Let’s not forget that Giuliani’s father, an uncle, and a cousin, were all involved with the mob — each of them was a fairly lowly ‘associate,’ but involved nonetheless.
    He IS the Italian-American stereotype — successful professional from an immigrant family that once had ties to the mafia in the US and who leveraged those ties to provide upward mobility to subsequent generations of their family…

  5. fd10801 says:
    April 7, 2007 at 3:12 pm

    puparo: Where did you hear that story?

  6. maverick357 says:
    April 10, 2007 at 3:06 pm

    honestly , why would rudy have so much resentment towards the mob, since his father and other family members are affiliated with it , he try to fabricate that his father was some kind of folk hero in his book , maybe in all actuality he really dispise his father , and you said he took down the mob to the credit that he help witnesses fabricate false testimony , i thought in this country innocent until proven guilty , not just by hearsay from other criminals that trying to escape life sentences , just look at sammy the bull , who you going to exonerate a man who admitted to killed 19 people for a man who only crime was racketeering this is also a man who pardon black heroine kingpin leroy nicky barnes who help plaque drugs in nyc and other cities

  7. maverick357 says:
    April 10, 2007 at 3:06 pm

    honestly , why would rudy have so much resentment towards the mob, since his father and other family members are affiliated with it , he try to fabricate that his father was some kind of folk hero in his book , maybe in all actuality he really dispise his father , and you said he took down the mob to the credit that he help witnesses fabricate false testimony , i thought in this country innocent until proven guilty , not just by hearsay from other criminals that trying to escape life sentences , just look at sammy the bull , who you going to exonerate a man who admitted to killed 19 people for a man who only crime was racketeering this is also a man who pardon black heroine kingpin leroy nicky barnes who help plaque drugs in nyc and other cities