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Koch on Giuliani's Florida Loss: 'The Beast Is Dead'
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ShareJanuary 29, 2008 9:41 PM
ABC News' Mark Mooney reports: Rudy Giuliani may not have announced any decision on his political future yet, but that didn't stop another ex-New York City mayor from declaring Giuliani's candidacy finished.
Ed Koch, who has feuded with Giuliani for years, was delighted with Giuliani's crushing defeat in Florida. He crowed, before the final votes were even tallied, that he was certain the verdict by Florida's voters "will drive a stake through his heart. The beast is dead."
If Koch is correct, Giuliani joins Koch and a long line of former New York City mayors who have discovered that being mayor of New York is a political dead end. Former Gotham mayors have a combined losing streak as epic as the one owned by the Chicago Cubs.
The two best known politicians who used the mayor's office as a springboard to political oblivion were Koch and John Lindsay.
Lindsay switched from Republican to Democrat, and ran for president in 1972 on the boast that he had successfully held "the second toughest job in America." He dropped out after winning a mere 7 percent in the Wisconsin primary. To make rejection complete, he later lost a Democratic primary for a Senate seat.
Koch took his brash "How'm I doing" schtick upstate in a run for governor in 1982, but was quickly sent back to the city.
After three terms as mayor, Robert Wagner also developed national ambitions. He was nominated for vice president and the Senate, but lost both bids.
Even Fiorello LaGuardia, the Depression era mayor who became the standard by which the city's mayors are measured, couldn't move up. He was eventually mentioned as a possible veep candidate, but he died of pancreatic cancer in 1947 before he had a chance to break the curse.
"I know it's true, but I can't give you an explanation why they don't go on to higher office," Koch told ABCNEWS.com.
Koch said his own case was fueled by glowing poll ratings and flattering press coverage. "I felt I could do anything," he said with a self deprecating laugh. But he didn't know whether that was a feeling that had infected the ambitions of his fellow mayors.
Koch is delighted that the losing streak remains intact.
January 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (30)
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This is the only candidate that I was really hoping would drop out. Reason? He was the only candidate that lives in the total denial that our current buffoon-in-office has: He really DID think he was going to win in Florida! Although all the polls and every conceivable number told him positively otherwise, he STILL believed he was going to win! We had enough of these mental cases in office. No matter what their political views are, at least the remaining candidates are sane.
Posted by: image18301 | Jan 30, 2008 1:50:15 PM
Rudy was a fabulous mayor. When he wasn't wearing drag, he made the streets run on time and kept crime off the trains, or something like that.
Posted by: Vindicator | Jan 30, 2008 2:24:17 PM
I'm delighted that Rudy has received the fatal blow that will make him go away, perhaps as the main guest cross-dresser at Miami Beach's famous drag show club.
But does former NYC mayor Koch's revelation mean that the present one Michael Goldberg has no chance of becoming U.S. president and should indeed not even entertain the idea of running for that office?
Posted by: Yvon Thivierge | Jan 30, 2008 3:25:26 PM
Great, just great - just when I thought I could sleep well at night finally, along comes Vindicator and spoils it by mentioning the VP post for Guiliani! Damn, now I gotta go get more Valium...
Posted by: image18301 | Jan 30, 2008 3:34:08 PM
You may not like Rudy, but you damn sure are benefiting from his time as NYC Mayor. If you are one bit honest, you can't overlook the deplorable shape,in every way, that NYC was in before he was Mayor.
NYC was on the brink of disaster. Sure, he may have hurt some feelings. but the Rudy you hate saved your ###. Not to admit such is disingenuous at best.
Posted by: JKC | Jan 30, 2008 5:04:01 PM
Please! Either Koch knows why NYC mayors can't move up and chooses not to say so, or he's as deluded as... as you'd expect from an NYC ex-mayor with ambition.
None of these men could possibly get elected. If you have what it takes to win NYC's mayoralty, including a humane approach to immigrants, a non-discriminatory approach to religious pluralism, and a modest respect for the rights of women and gay people, you CANNOT get elected nationwide as a Republican. Period.
And especially not in the Republican primaries, which have been dominated by religious extremists since 1980. It's not just Guiliani's association with crooks like Kerik and his multiple adulteries while in the Mayor's Mansion. "The curse" of unelectability nationwide falls automatically on anyone who can win New York City's mayoralty.
Posted by: Ankhorite | Jan 30, 2008 5:43:47 PM
I'm so glad to see Rudy go! All the NEastern Republicans are not REALLY Republicans
Posted by: magpie22 | Jan 30, 2008 6:22:26 PM
image18301: You are right on. As a Floridian who visits NYC much, Rudy's legacy carries on today--wouldn't want the Koch NYC back--wouldn't visit
Posted by: moe | Jan 30, 2008 7:55:44 PM
I could not be happier. Both Frankenrudy and Patakula tormented and scared the wits out of New Yorkers for years, and drained everything, including their blood.
May their corpses rest in peace. (But then again, don't the legends speak of the undead, and the reanimation of dead flesh?)
Be aware...Be very aware.
Posted by: alinnyc | Jan 31, 2008 1:25:27 PM
I am so glad that Rudy left the race, and I even donated to his campaign. but I am still happy,
because I am sick and tired of the freaking media repeating "nineleven" all the time.
if you'd listen to RUDY, he never even MEANTIONED his leadership on 9/11.
but the media, being afraid that he is popular for that, (and for good reason) decided to depict him as someone who says it all the time.
I urge you all to listen to all the candidates: dem and republican, and count the amount of times any of them said the words "september 11". you'll find that any of them have said it more times than Rudy.
but the media will rub it into our heads that this is all he talks about
now that he left the race, the media will finally stop harrassing him (and all us NYers) about the most horrific, and traumatic experience of his life (and all us NYer's lives)
Posted by: Marty | Jan 31, 2008 10:18:43 PM
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