One Country, One Standard

The Divine watertiger recommended Kevin Baker's takedown of Rudy "Bada" Giuliani in the August Harper's. The article is unfortunately not online; but even if it was, Harper's website is so bad I doubt you could find it. But I digress.

The article reminded me of one of Rudy's 1993 campaign slogans -- "One City, One Standard" -- which he used to inflame assure Outer Borough Archie Bunkers (and more than a few of the Upper West Side Liberals that give David Brooks the vapors) that crazed negroes would stop getting "special treatment" in a Rudy administration. ('Cause, you know, black people were getting all types of perks in 1993 New York. In fact, black people were getting such special treatment in those days that virtually every white NYC resident was trying to figure out a way to become black. But again, I digress....)

In any case, I was thinking that if Rudy winds up as his illustrious party's nominee that he could play on the "One City, One Standard" platform that worked for him in the past. I'm thinking, "One Country, One Standard." And by that I mean One Standard for All Criminals, such as disgraced former vice presidential aides who lie to federal prosecutors, disgraced ex-police commissioners and Department of Homeland Security secretary nominees, jammed up for evading taxes, disgraced senators who procure sexual services, disgraced campaign chairman indicted for possession with intent to distribute coke, and disgraced priests accused of covering up allegations of the sexual abuse of children. Rudy could assure America that in a Rudy Administration, the standard of justice for those people would be exactly the same as for any other justice-obstructing tax-evading hooker-procuring coke-dealing abuse-covering Joe Schmo walking the streets of America.

After all, beginning with the stolen 2000 presidential election and extending to the recent U.S. Attorney Scandal, America's faith in its justice system has been severely compromised. So what better way to telegraph to voters your intention to set it right by going back to what worked for you in the past, with a twist?

For more on Rudy's race-baiting ways, check out the video that Josh Marshall posted up last week. And you can read the ever-so-polite NYT tip-toe around the subject here.