Leadership
November 24th, 2007 . by MartyWith the current spat between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney over their respective claims to lowering violent crime rates, there is but one question to ask:
What is a leader?
A man who wasn’t afraid to kick Yasser Arafat out of a crowded symphony hall even when world opinion momentarily and naively sought peace. When conventional wisdom drove city leaders to beg and cow at the feet of minority activists, Rudy ignored them, attacked them, exposed them as hypocrites. The mayor made a habit of never apologizing, even after alleged instances of police brutality, and it served the city well, freeing its streets from the grip of anarchy and minority activists. Where hippies and anarchists once ran wild, squatting private property, multi-million dollar condos and boutique hotels now rise up in their place.
Ours is not a time for abstract ideology. Ours is a time to be practical, to be strong against cynicism and disorder. When Rudy was mayor, protesters mocked his Italian heritage, branding him a fascist. The word fascism has been sullied forever, fairly so, by the National Socialist movement. But in actuality, it is the approach most suitable for turbulent times. Sure, we have to be careful and mindful to avoid the twin traps of anti-semitism and socialism, but in Rudy Giuliani we need not worry.
Rudy Giuliani is not and has never been an anti-semite. His greatest allies are Jewish and he has been a consistent supporter of Israel. And you can’t accuse him of being socialist. He did more for private business and property than any mayor before or after him. So he leads with authority. What exactly is wrong with that? Nobody criticizes a football coach when he believes in his mission to the exclusion of any and all distraction. We should expect at least as much from our leaders.
