Seriously - has there been a bigger 'Crash & Burn' candidate than Rudy Giuliani?

[LynneSin]

I mean this guy was suppose to be the Cat's Meow, the sure thing. There was Giuliani and then there were all those other schmucks way down there at the bottom of the republican barrel. This was Mr. 9/11 ready to protect our world from more lurking 9/11s. He was the guy to beat

And today? He's not even on the Repuke Top #3 list. Heck, people like McCain and Huckabee, candidates who were considered longshots from the start, are up there with Mitt Rommey the hair apparent (no that's not a typo).

So seriously - what the heck happened to Giuliani? Even his must win state is looking more like then end of his campaign with Florida's republican Governor and US Senator both endorsing McCain.

So what the hell happened to Rudy?

I'm narrowing it down to these potential items:

1.) His willingness to crawl into bed with Pat Robertson: Rudy was original a moderate republican who supported both GBLT rights and Choice. But in order to gain televangelist fundie Pat Robertson's endorsement, Rudy would have to take a hard turn to the right and thus alienating moderates.

2.) 9/11: Yes, Rudy was the mayor in charge on 9/11 and for the most part, looked pretty damn impressive handling himself throughtout this infamous day. But with Bush piddling himself all over the country instead of flying back to at least the White House, anyone who was Mayor probably could have made themselves look like a leader. But let's face it, America is getting tired of the '9/11 Terra' cries the republicans scream everytime it looks like Democrats might actually win something. I think Rudy became the lil boy who cried '9/11' too many times and the villagers just stopped believing that he was the man that could prevent another attack - especially when the NYPD/NYFD came out OPPOSED to Giuliani and claimed that his policies may have hurt service workers on 9/11.

3.) Judy Nathan: Outside of Rudy Giuliani, it's difficult to find anyone who actually likes the third Mrs. Guiliani. Hell even Giuliani's own kids from his 2nd marriage can't stand her (gee, I wonder why - perhaps because daddy was cheating on mommy with Judy?). From stories about how Judy would be 'co-president' to the truth coming out about how Rudy used NYC tax dollars to squire Judy all around NYC and the Hamptons - Judy became a liability to the Rudy campaign.

What other reasons do you think caused Rudy Giuliani's demise - because personally I think this is one of the biggest stories to come out of the 2008 election!

EDIT NOTE: I forgot #4

4.) Rudy's Friends: Thanks to SheWhoMustBeObeyed who pointed out this obvious name to the list. Rudy was friends with not one but 2 men mired in controversy. You have Bernie Kerik, who is mired in fraud, tax evasion and a host of other federal charges and then, and let me know the name because it escapes me, there is the Roman Catholic priest Alan Placa, who has been accused of molesting underage boys.

[jody]

1. "bigger 'Crash & Burn'"? Wait until super Tuesday and consider BO. n/t

[LynneSin]

8. OB?

You mean Barack Obama or someone else.

If Obama goes down Super Tuesday - well at least he was in the game and was extremely competitive. Giuliani never even got into the game.

However if OB was not Barack but something - ooops!

[Blue-Jay]

13. I think this was supposed to be a serious thread.

[Fresh_Start]

2. 4) misuse of public resources to care for his mistress

5)I think he competed with Thompson for lazy as dirt award

[LynneSin]

11. that was under #3 - which was all things Judy

Personally half of me thinks that the reason Rudy ran was because Judy was such a golddigger she wanted to be first lady.

[sandnsea]

40. It was the mistress on taxpayer dollars

He was in the 30's in the polls until that story broke, and then bam bam bam, all the way down. I'd sure like to know who leaked that story. I suspect big funds changed hands and someone is retired in the bahamas.

[ellenfl]

3. yeah, the great white hope, fred thompson. eom

[dmallind]

17. Pretty clsoe but Rudy wins I think

Fred was the rumoured guy who maybe could unite the right. Giulian actually WAS the frontrunner and presumed heir for a while. This would be like Clinton not only losing all current contests handily, but polling 4th in NY.

[shain from kane]

4. He made money from the nation's tragedy.

[2rth2pwr]

5. John Edwards?

[LynneSin]

19. John Edwards started in 3rd and lived up to that placing

Giuliani started in first and is now trailing Ron Paul in delegates

[soleft]

6. Firefighters

[napi21]

7. He's probably the biggest, but Freddie isn't far behind! n/t

[cobalt1999]

9. Dean crashed pretty hard in 2004

That's probably bigger.

[LynneSin]

12. True BUT!!!!.....

Dean was an internet phenomenon that was picked up by MSM closer to the elections. But you talked to Joe & Jane Public, who probably use their computers for sports scores, ebay and downloading Porn & Music, he was never really a factor.

[Armstead]

10. Huckabee may follow

[LynneSin]

15. Huckabee was the team everyone figured would end up last in the division and miss the playoffs

Where as Rudy was considered a favorite to win the big game.

I think Huckabee's train is puttering out but I hardly call him a 'Crash & Burn'. The only 'Crashing' that Huckabee did was into the Top #3 early in the game, which even impressed me a bit (although still can't stand the candidate).

[mwb970]

29. But Huckabee and Giuliani are the most entertaining!

They're so goofy and wrong. Since they can't win, let's keep 'em around awhile.

[MediaBabe]

14. My third wife sitting in on cabinet meetings would be fine

That wasn't a good selling point.

[LynneSin]

18. Judy, in a nutshell, was never a good sell.

I think the Vanity Fair article about her was the beginning of the end of Rudy's campaign. After that hit the press (and it wasn't a pretty story), the news broke about how she was escorted around town on NYC tax-dollars even BEFORE she was Mrs. Giuliani the third

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

16. We'll never know all the reasons, and that's part of his plan

The shit they dug up on him and his wifetress and his good friend Bernie Kerik (you left him off the list!), and the questions raised about his super-secret client list made Rudy scared that someone would stumble across some REAL dirt - some real go-to-jail-do-not-pass-go dirt. So he scaled back his efforts and dropped behind. He is sacrificing the ego-satisfying thrill of leading the free world (heh) for the easy buck$ of the private sector.

Either that, or he ran out of dough.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. I think he's mobbed up. Through Butt buddy, Bernie

Butt Buddy Bernie, at who's trial you may rest assured R9u1d1y will be called as a witness ...... if not co defendant.

[adabfree]

21. Mike Barnicle (sp?)

Said, Ghouliani came off as a "weird little man, selling fear!"

LMAO...sums him perfectly, IMHO.

[calimary]

22. I think Empress Judy is a BIG turn-off. Especially for all those of us who

remember how horribly he treated Donna Hanover, his second wife, throwing her over ON TV, in a news conference, in public, humiliating her in front of the eyes of (then) the whole city, by announcing their divorce. He hadn't bothered to mention it to her first. SCHMUCK. SCUM!!! BASTARD!!! If that's how he handles people, FIE on him. If this is his idea of running a campaign, imagine what a botch-job he'd do in the White House! He might actually be worse than dubya. Arrogant fuck!!! Yeah, Her Majesty is a SERIOUS turn-off. And well deserved!!! She won't gain him any ground with women voters - particularly divorcees.

Arrogance, too, I think. That self-flattering schtick lending the impression that he is already the anointed heir-apparent. What a crock!

He deserves to be kicked out the back door. A little mortification is good for the soul. Especially HIS soul (assuming he even has one).

The only thing I'm waiting for now is the news about how he's now tired of La Princessa and thrown her over for Wife Number FOUR.

[LynneSin]

25. If anyone ditches anyone in this relationship - I think it'll be Judy ditching Rudy

She's is a very well-documented gold-digger.

He didn't get her to the White House and now turned out to be a has-been of the republican crop of candidates. I'm giving Rudy & Judy about 2-3 years until this union is busted. Technically they are both serial monogamists

[calimary]

33. Well, any way you look at it, neither of them has a respectable track record

as far as keeping a marriage together. It does not bode well for their future together. Of course anything's possible. They could always bond closer and closer in adversity and all that. But she is INDEED a well-documented gold-digger with delusions of grandeur. And she may well take it personally when he loses. Which would make her Mrs. Loser. A MAJOR-LEAGUE no-no. Heaven forbid she carry that millstone around in high society.

She's already WAY unpopular. A HUGE liability for him. And that may get under his skin, too. "If it weren't for YOU..."

We can just call it "Donna's Revenge." Served COLD. Fitting payback, I think. rudy - take your strumpet with her champagne tastes and her princess complex and go home.

[MediaBabe]

27. I bet he doesn't serve the papers this time.

Running a presidential campaign is seriously stressful. Losing that race is even worse. I predict divorce papers from the future ex Mrs G any time.

[LynneSin]

28. I truly believe Rudy would have never run if it wasn't for Judy.

and since she didn't get what she wanted - time to ramble on.

[calimary]

32. Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me one bit. She is eager to become First Lady.

Anxious to do so. I'm not sure how good she is at handling stress. Believe me, if he won, she'd be the biggest thorn in his side that ever existed. Talk about baggage. There'd be a sizeable number of Americans who wouldn't be able to get past that. I think she's a HUGE liability. And remember - his numbers started tanking when those stories about her started circulating.

And NOBODY loves a loser.

[LynneSin]

35. She won't be First Lady of the US - but that leaves her about 200 other countries

she could sink her teeth into.

Techinically that guy from France is single - perhaps that could be Judy's next target

[hfojvt]

23. I think his late entry "strategy" was a losing one

Staying out of Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, and South Carolina makes people write you off, forget about you and concentrate on the ones who are actively campaigning.

He might still come back. From stories like the Harry Potter books, evil cannot be counted out just because they are badly wounded and look like they are finished. He might Diebold Florida and suddenly become the comeback feel good story of the year.

[LynneSin]

26. You know, that should have been #5

We should have learned from Wes Clark in 2004. He thought he could step in late to the democratic primaries and sweep away a victory. We hardly knew who he was.

[JackintheGreen]

24. Crash and burn candidate?

Oh, is this ever ripe for a 'joke' of exceedingly poor taste. I, however, shall not be the one to make it.

[Kahuna]

30. No one could get over the stench of Judy and Rudy. I never believed

that Americans would all a homewrecker (for lack of a better word) to occupy the White House as our first lady.

[no name no slogan]

31. Sadly, Gary Hart in 1987 is up there

He was virtually a lock on the '88 nomination until all that shit with Donna Rice sunk him.

[LynneSin]

34. I could almost give you that but.....

There was no one thing that sunk Giuliani's career. Using your terms we could probably also add Joe Biden in 88. I forget if Joe was before Gary or vice versa but after the one tanked his run with a scandal then the other one tanked it. Of course Joe's was the plagerism scandal, which is such a joke in 2008 standards.

Hart (and Biden) lost that race over one very stupid mistake - Giuliani never had that one stupid mistake.

[Knox Harrington]

36. Barack Obama

after he got his a-- handed to him in Florida tonight and after he showed what a piece of crap lowlife he is by refusing to shake HRC's hand at the SOTU.

[jackson_dem]

37. Phil Gramm?

[donheld]

38. There is none so deserving of the Crash and Burn

:bounce:

[JI7]

39. Fred Thompson

[Lucinda]

41. I think you have to actually TRY , before you can crash and burn.

Rudy's one state strategy, and constant 9-11-ing wasnt even an effort.

You really have to wonder though, why he thought he could go the distance.

[LynneSin]

42. Which is truly why I believe his run was more of Judy's idea than his

People running for president start planning early in life (well except that idiot chimp - he was a stooge put in there from Reagan admins leftovers). Even if President is a long-shot goal, a politican plans early his/her career.

[NoPasaran]

43. John Connally in 1980

He spent a zillion dollars and ended up with exactly one delegate.

[bidenista]

44. No. nt

[robcon]

45. Ted Kennedy, 1980. Running against an incumbent Democrat, Jimmy Carter.

Talk about crash and burn.

[yardwork]

46. I hope that the Republican candidate for president crashes even worse.