The Giuliani Papers

Giuliani Shouts Down Constituents at Town Hall Mtg. in June '01

Giuliani only likes free speech when it agrees and panders to him.

This video of a town hall meeting in Staten Island in June 2001 is a perfect example of the real Rudy. Note how many times he calls his constituents morons and idiots.

It's must viewing. Here.

Giuliani Attacks MoveOn.org Ad

Yesterday Giuliani used the ad MoveOn.org ran in The New York Times as a means to get tons of PR, especially on right-wing media. His central "facts" on the matter were lies, of course. As explained by The New York Daily News today:

But Giuliani's facts were challenged. Any advocacy group seeking to place a single, full-page, black-and-white ad in The Times on "standby" over a seven-day period - the paper picks the day - pays what MoveOn.org did, $64,575, sources said.

The New York Post reported The Times charges a higher rate, $181,692, setting up erroneous charges MoveOn got a "lefty" discount. But the higher price is for ads guaranteed to run on a specific day, said Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis.

All of which were details-schmetails to Team Giuliani, which leaped at the chance to hit three of the right's top liberal demons.

Giuliani doesn't like free speech much. In 1997 he ordered the MTA remove bus ads for New York magazine which ever so slightly made good-hearted fun of the mayor. The magazine sued and won. Giuliani appealed and lost.