Writes: DAVID SALTONSTALL

Rudy Giuliani’s ‘crass opportunism’ reflects on Mac: Dems

Friday, September 26th 2008

Rudy Giuliani is positioning his law firm to cash in on Wall Street’s train wreck – a move that has become a gift to political enemies of his pal John McCain.

Even as the nation’s $700 billion, taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout was still being hashed out, the former mayor announced Thursday his high-powered law firm has set up a task force.

Its mission: to help corporate clients get a piece of the action – or keep the federal wolves from the door.

Giuliani is not the only one poised to profit from opportunities created by the mega-meltdown, but he is the most politically famous….. [MORE]

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In 1998 during an appearance on “Inside City Hall” a local cable television program on news station “New York 1,” Reverend Calvin Butts of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, one of New York City’s most powerful and well-respected African American leaders, said of New York City’s Mayor, “I don’t think he likes black people.”

Then, speaking at a news conference along with other religious leaders and several Harlem residents who say they’ve been harassed by police, Butts added “People say ‘Reverend, why are you speaking out? The city is cleaner and safer.’ What I want to tell people is that it’s not happening in our community.”

Giuliani’s tenure as Mayor of New York was marked with police brutality. Giuliani’s brand of politics and politicking racially polarized and divided the city and, during what was economically the best of times, did nothing to alleviate poverty and even exacerbated the disparity between rich and poor.

Giuliani’s “stop and frisk,” and “zero tolerance” policing strategies came under intense criticism. His record on the First Amendment was disastrous and his use and abuse of governmental power is well documented…..[MORE]