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Rudy Rakes it In

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 02:29:47 PM EST
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The New York Observer has some fascinating details of how wealthy Rudy Giuliani has become since leaving the Mayor's office.

Mr. Giuliani has become a tycoon. In a 2002 divorce filing, he estimated his income from paid speeches alone—unadulterated Rudy— at $8 million. His business, dismissed at first as a resting place for his political ambitions, grossed tens of millions of dollars last year with more than 50 employees and marquee clients like Merrill Lynch. A sense of the firm’s scale emerges with the fact that it recently acquired a midsize investment bank with 140 employees. On March 29, Mr. Giuliani announced that he’d also become a partner in a Houston law firm.

My favorite tidbit is that he charged $100k for giving a tsunami aid speech in South Carolina in February - forking over $20k of his fee as a chartiable contribution -- when other celebrities like Clinton, George Bush I and George Clooney donated their time. The author writes it is indicative of his lack of understanding of sensitive political issues:

The former Mayor’s decision to profit from a fund-raiser for tsunami victims in a politically sensitive state is only the most vivid example of how small a role his political ambitions have apparently played in his personal calculations. At times, he has shown a willingness to trade in political capital for, well, real capital. He has given his speeches to a wide range of organizations around the world with little apparent attention to American politics. And his firm hasn’t been shy about taking on politically unpopular clients, including the owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester and the pharmaceutical industry.

....“I assume that the people who gave to the charity assumed their money was going to tsunami relief, not Giuliani relief,” said Howard Wolfson, the spokesman for the New York State Democratic Party. “It raises the same old questions about Mr. Giuliani’s judgment, that somehow the same standards and rules that apply to others don’t apply to him. “It’s wrong to take money for charity appearances. Mr. Giuliani ought to know that,” said Mr. Wolfson, who is also an advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton.

I'm hoping it means Giuliani has no intention of running for dogcatcher, let alone President. I could care less how much money he amasses - he can giggle all the way to the bank - unless he's building a war chest for a national office run.

Update: Rudy says he's not ruling out a political run for NY Governor or President out. This week he announced he's going back to practicing law because he's missed it so much.

Giuliani announced Thursday that he will open a New York office for the 60-year-old Texas-based law firm Bracewell & Patterson, which has been renamed Bracewell & Giuliani. “For me it’s returning to my roots,” said Giuliani, 60, who began his career as a lawyer. “People who know me are not surprised. They know how much I enjoy practicing law and how much I have missed it.”

He was a prosecutor who loved putting people in jail and a Mayor who trounced the downtrodden. Do you really believe he'll be anything but a rainmaker who brings in clients and collects a piece of yet another pie?

The law firm, with 400 lawyers in offices in Washington, D.C., London, Kazakhstan and Houston, is among the nation’s 125 largest. It is a full-service firm handling corporate, real estate and tax law.

He also will continue to manage Giuliani Partners. Someone needs to remind him that hearses don't have luggage racks. (taken from here.)

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    • Rudy Rakes it In | 41 comments (41 topical)
    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 03:31:25 PM EST
    "The author writes it is indicative of his lack of understanding of sensitive political issues:" How much did "the author" donate while Rudy was donating 20K? Sounds like small-minded sour grapes to me. Who lacks understanding of "sensitive political issues" now? Thanks for the thoughtful donation, Rudy!

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 03:58:04 PM EST
    what I read from the article is that $80K from what that tsunami benefit raked in, ended up in generous Rudy's pockets

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 04:11:00 PM EST
    Actually the people who you mentioned are different as was pointed out --they donated their time to the relief efforts whereas Mr. Guliani charged. He had made millions from the 9/11 attacks. His donations to various 9/11 charities are very small --I guess he wasn't paid to speak at any events.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 04:30:05 PM EST
    Relative to my income I gave a lot more

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 04:43:16 PM EST
    No Dr Ace that you be you more pointless drivel and mindless dreck you think everyone is like you a shallow self serving turd who doesn't give to back -- Post 9/11 in the little town where I live there were a number of events and I live clear across the country What did you do to give Dr. Ace? I'm sure relative to your income it was far less than mine or Guiliani's

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#7)
    by pigwiggle on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 04:43:26 PM EST
    Rudy transformed cash that was spent on a most dubious product, the sound and content of his voice, into something charitable. I imagine that the would be money garnered from the would be speeches of Clinton, Bush et al. would likely provide more comfort than their touring and photo ops. Maybe I’m wrong. “Relative to my income I gave a lot more” So I suppose you should have a proportionally greater due of the gratitude? We’ll get back to that; right now I’m trying to find the blog where Rudy is patting himself on the back, to a proportionately smaller extent of course.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 05:41:43 PM EST
    I agree. Kudos to Rudy to the generous donation. This is a malicious smear of Giuliani. The basis of this article is to quote various individuals who ASSUME various things (such as what the contributors think about where their money is going) Most people don't understand that charity is big business. It is standard procedure to pay huge fees to famous people, liberal and conservative, who are pros at tugging on the heartstrings (& purse strings) of the emotional masses. [edited for length. This commenter is limited to four comments a day.]

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#8)
    by john horse on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 05:42:20 PM EST
    How could anyone with a conscience profit off a tragedy like the great tsunami? Clinton didn't. Bush the Elder didn't. Many other celebrities didn't. How morally shallow and hypocritical of Guiliani to ask people to help others when he apparently was only interested in helping himself.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 06:08:14 PM EST
    "How could anyone with a conscience profit off a tragedy like the great tsunami?" Here's how, Horse: 1. Give a speech... 2. Draw a crowd... 3. Even give some of the money earned to the cause. How could anyone with a conscience find fault with that?

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#10)
    by glanton on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 06:35:21 PM EST
    Doctor Ace is all over it tonight. Just lighting up the board. On the subject of this thread, to me the real story here is that there are so many people so utterly without something worthwhile to do that they find it an appetizing option to go to these events and pay huge money to hear Rudy Guliani speak. I mean, please. How much per person is it at one of these functions, exactly, to go and hear Guliani refer to 9/11 a thousand times over the course of the evening?

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 06:44:27 PM EST
    Most people don't understand that charity is big business. It is standard procedure to pay huge fees to famous people, liberal and conservative, who are pros at tugging on the heartstrings (& purse strings) of the emotional masses.
    Paying $100 for a bracelet though...

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 07:00:51 PM EST
    are you serious ace? you are defending the fact that he charged 80,000 for a benefit gig despite the fact that TL proved in paragraph he is worth millions? Why not try to cite some examples of other politicans doing the same thing it would add alot to not only our discussion but your response, use some evidence rather than just ranting and raving as usual.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimcee on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 07:27:38 PM EST
    Hey if Rudy gave them twenty grand that's OK by me afterall it is better than naught. What this really appears to be is a preemptive attack against trying to limit his future political aspiritions. Really rather sad. Did the NYO look into his private contributions to charity? I must admit that I'm a bit prejudiced towards the man having met him in rather unusual circumstances at my hometown tobacconist's shop. We not only shared a cigar and conversation he joined me for a beer at the local blue collar bar across the street much to his security detail's consternation. He was a gentleman in the first degree and was open to all who wanted to meet him. This was before 9/11 by a year but I was surprised by his openess and genuine friendliness after all he was mayor of NYC. I am a working class smuck but he seemed to genuinely enjoy himself so who knows but it didn't seem to be an act. This is a small upstate NY town and he was here for a Repub meet and greet. Uhm and I'm not a Republican. The NYO has always been a place for hatchet jobs and it continues in that tradition to this day. Guiliani has been a friend to Gays and is pro abortion so I don't really understand why the Left has such a heart-on against him unless they are worried that he might be an obstactle in Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. Overall this seems rather petty to me.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 07:35:52 PM EST
    jimcee I guess I missed it when they made the rule that only the behavior of potential candidates on the left can be examined. The issue of the amount of money Guiliani has made since 9/11 burnished his image and made him a Republican god is of interest and the fact that he turns out to be kind of stingy is interesting. The exaggerator is also prochoice and claimed to be gay friendly but it turns out he still a Repubublican and a really really bad governor. He might have spoiled it for Rudy. What good is it to be pro choice if you don't speak up.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 07:54:41 PM EST
    I think Sentor Kerry's various donations were widely discussed last year as were his those of his wife. George Soros is not a candidate for pesident.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#16)
    by john horse on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:00:07 PM EST
    Ace, You forgot step #4. Put $80,000 (the majority of money Guiliani got for his speaking fees) into your own pocket. I think it is immoral to profit off the suffering of others. You apparently don't. You are entitled to your opinion. Somehow I just can't view such tragedies as the tsunami or what is currently happening in Dharfur as money making opportunities.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#17)
    by jimcee on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:10:38 PM EST
    To the appropriately named "What a load", I never said that his record shouldn't be examined because he is a Republican just that this article was petty. I won't go into a diatribe about Mrs Clinton but I think her record should be examined as well but somehow I don't believe the NYO or most media will be as willing to bash her as they are Guiliani. I lived in NYC under Dinkins and it was becoming a cess-pit but I won't bore you with the gory details. When Guiliani became mayor the city eventually became more livable and now is slipping slowly but surely back the other way under Nurse Bloomberg. Guiliani was a great mayor, possibly the the best since LaGuardia and the city is the better for it. If you never experienced the change you could never know. By the way Guiliani is not a Right winger but a moderate Republican which probably makes him unelectable outside of NYS but I guess you wouldn't know that because you're just being snarky and really have no first hand knowledge of NYC/NYS politics, somehow I imagine that you were in jr. high when the NYC transition happened.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:34:30 PM EST
    I moved to NYC when Lindsay was mayor and I was already working. What about you snarky boy I thinbk I understand what goes on in NYC --although I no longer live there now.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:42:10 PM EST
    ps if it hadn't been for 9/11 Guiliani would have left office with very low ratings. In fact when he tried to remain as Mayor the voters said no they didn't want that. Seems you are practicing revisionist history

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:44:55 PM EST
    What a Load, If you lived under Lindsay, Beam, Dinkins, et al you know what I'm talking about but are just in denial. I'm sorry that I thought you were younger than you are as posts show a certain immaturity. My apologies. By the way the NYO is not completely devoid of good writing as they do carry columns by Richard Brookhiser. Again my apologies for misjudging your age by your level of writing. Good night as there is a Laurel and Hardy marathon on TCM now and they are much more enteraining than this thread. Best, jim.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 09:08:13 PM EST
    Jimcee, Of course crime was reduced under Giuliani. As I wrote here, he put everyone in jail. Civil liberties disappeared and police brutality and the "blue wall of silence" ran rampant under his watch. Not to mention, the credit for the reduced crime rate should have gone to his police commissioner, Bill Bratton (of whose policies I generally approve.)

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#22)
    by cp on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 04:16:31 AM EST
    people actually pay to hear rudy speak? my god, i can only take him in teeny tiny doses! he would have to pay me, a lot, to listen to him. at least gw can be entertaining, there's always the possibility of some mind numbing mangling of language. rudy is just plain boring, and arrogant, a combination almost guaranteed to render any reasonably intelligent individual brain dead, if not impotent, in short order. pay to hear him speak? i think not!

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:56:17 AM EST
    We not only shared a cigar and conversation he joined me for a beer at the local blue collar bar jimcee yes the mature person makes decisions based on a cigar and a beer --but only if it's in a "blue collar bar" I guess you must be very lonely if your vote goes to whomever would buy you a beer

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 07:48:20 AM EST
    Some are numerate. Some are not.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#25)
    by john horse on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 07:57:47 AM EST
    Lets talk about how generous Rudy Guiliani is. First of all, because of Guiliani's high speaking fees the sponsor of this event said that "she was not even sure whether the benefit’s total take had exceeded Mr. Giuliani’s fee." In another fundraiser, Guiliani took in $230,000 while the foundation took in only $15,000. This guy is a real humanitarian. The article notes that this is an "example of how small a role his political ambitions have apparently played in his personal calculations." As one Republican political consultant noted "If you want to be President, you have to make some sacrifices, and one sacrifice would be giving it up for free to the good people of South Carolina and the tsunami victims." Either 1.Guiliani has given up on his quest for the Presidency and now just wants to make money, 2.is such a poor politician that he has forgotten how to play the game, 3. or believes that it doesn't matter what you do because the American people can always be suckered (once again) by clever PR.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 09:50:39 AM EST
    4. Horse lacks numerate common sense.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 10:55:13 AM EST
    Rudy Guiliani: President of the United States, 2009-2017. Count on it.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#29)
    by Sailor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 12:57:32 PM EST
    The benefit only raised $60k, including what rudy kicked back. He made $80k. Standard bushco accounting, screw the poor and reward the rich.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 01:01:47 PM EST
    Apparently Talk Left finds my comments dangerous enough to require censorship. The paragraph that in my last post that was censored merely stated that Rudy is being bashed because he's conservative. His crime was to not donate his entire $100K fee to tsunami aid. (He apparently only donated $20k) Ironically, if he had not shown up to speak at all, he would have donated nothing. And he wouldn't have been criticized by Talk Left. Weird. [Ed. You are a chatterer and your comments are a predictable distraction. That's why you have been limited to four comments a day.]

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 04:35:12 PM EST
    also via Atrios COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ A South Carolina lawmaker has asked Rudy Giuliani to pay back all of a $100,000 fee he was given by a hospital group for a speech at a tsunami relief fund-raiser two months ago. Giuliani donated $20,000 of the fee and kept the rest after the Feb. 9 event in Columbia. The sponsor of the event, the South Carolina Hospital Association, said Giuliani gave back twice what they asked for and the group has no problem with him keeping the other $80,000. But Rep. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach, said he is upset because the speech was widely publicized as a charity event. "Nowhere was it disclosed that Mayor Giuliani was being paid for his appearance," said Edge, who wants the former New York mayor to repay the entire amount

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#31)
    by jimcee on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 04:45:39 PM EST
    Actually I didn't say that I would vote for him because we shared a beer and a cigar just that it made me see him as a person and not the one that is being represented on this thread. Guiliani is not a conservative and that plus being of Italian heritage probably reduces his chance of being elected president to about zero. Red states would reject him on both counts. As far as police tactics and their results are concerned and who should take credit for them I'll give Bratton credit. I'll also give credit to Guiliani for hiring him and listening to the guy that he had hired. By the time he left office the murder rate in NYC had dropped to almost one-third of what it was under Dinkins and his predecessors. Were there problems with some cops? Sure there were. Were most of those with complaints against the cops minorities? Yes and the Diallo case stands above all as a tragic, avoidable situation. Were most of the lives "saved", in other words those who were not murdered, minorities? Yes. As I said eariler he did a good job running a city that was considered ungovernable prior to his election and he proved it wasn't. It became a safer, better city under his watch and that is quite an accomplishment. If you think he's cheap, that's fine. If you think he was a tough guy mayor in a tough city I agree with you, NYC could of done alot worse. All in all it seems that most of the ire that has been raised on this thread against Guiliani is because he is a Republican and for some here that is a sin worse than all others. Best, Jim.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#32)
    by jimcee on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:05:13 PM EST
    What a Load, The Newsday artical that Atrios paraphrases from makes it clear that the people that hired Guiliani had done it as a paid speach event and decided to turn it into a fund raiser later on and that they have no problem with him keeping his speaker's fee that he would have got either way. That he chose to give $20,000 dollars of it to tsunami relief is a pretty cool thing. So either way the tsunami relief effort is $60,000 richer because of it. Guiliani's fee was paid by corporate sponsors and they felt they got their money's worth pulse raised $60,000 to boot. So again, why is this a story in the NYO and on TL except that it gives some folks here a chance to bash a Republican? Seems rather pathetic to me.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:21:31 PM EST
    The Newsday story is a story because the legislator asking for the return of the money is a Republican. He must be from the Talkleft wing of the Republican Party.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#34)
    by jimcee on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:57:50 PM EST
    No, just an ankle biting politician trying to get his name in the news. It doesn't matter which party they belong to they are still politicians and they are nothing without their name in the news. So attack Guiliani and people write about it and his name is in the news. Seems like it worked for him afterall we're writing about him but I'm not sure it is a good tack to take in politics. Attack a celebrity, get press...not necessarily good press but press just the same. I really think being negative is not a good selling point but hey who knows, he seems to have you convinced.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#35)
    by Sailor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 06:10:04 PM EST
    So someone who points out that saint rudy made more than twice what the charity event did is an ankle biter. Do you have a problem with the concept of 'charity'? golly, I hope you're not a 'christain'!

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#36)
    by jimcee on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 06:43:29 PM EST
    Sailor, St. Rudy? Hardly. Read the Newsday piece and do the math. The original event was going to take place anyway, not as a fund raiser but as a privately sponsered event. It evolved into a charity event and raised $60,000 for Tsunami relief even though the event was going to happen either way. It just seems to me that the Tsunami relief fund made the money, people that are silly enough to pay money to listen to anyone speak is....well honestly I'm not sure why anyone would. But hey if the event incidently raised money where it wasn't oringinally even aimed at charity what's wrong with that? Everyone wins, Guiliani, the folks that paid to gawk, all the people in the kitchen and wait staff got paid, the person that thought getting Rudy was a coup is smiling, the Tsunami relief fund is unexpectedly $60,000 the richer and some light-weight politician gets his name in the news. Everyone wins! $60,000 is better than naught but if it isn't enough for you too bad. I guess that "small" amount of charity is an insult. I know it seemed that way back in 1979 when NYC was homeless town USA. Agressive begging is unappealing. I am sure the money will be well used although it is a paltry sum. IOW, Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#37)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 06:58:43 PM EST
    "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" - Anonymous Snarker

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#38)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 08:03:19 AM EST
    If a willing person is willing to pay another person huge amounts of money to perform a task, what business is it of a third party?

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#39)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 08:59:58 AM EST
    It is a matter of character how one handles issues of charity. Of course moral stinginess and a meaness of spirit are some people's idea of a good thing

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#40)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 11:08:34 AM EST
    Load - And who defines it? 10%, 20%, all? Lest ye be not judged is often a good rule to live by.

    Re: Rudy Rakes it In (none / 0) (#41)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 12:23:11 PM EST
    rudy guiliani donating twenty grand is like you or i donating twenty bucks. come on, wingers, do some g*dammned math and start praising those paycheckers to paycheckers who donated small amounts that actually had a DIRECT affect on their lives, and not rudy g, who didn't give enough to cause the slightest bit of sacrifice. thanks, rudy, but you don't get a medal for being no more generous than your average working stiff. Out.

    Rudy Rakes it In | 41 comments (41 topical)