IAFF Sends Giuliani Packing

January 30, 2008 -- IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger issued this statement on the decision by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to drop out of the 2008 race for president:

“Rudy Giuliani’s decision to end his campaign for president of the United States is good news for our country and is a clear repudiation of his shameless effort to profit – politically and financially – from a national tragedy.

“The International Association of Fire Fighters sought to expose Giuliani for his unusually selfish motives since he launched his unlikely run for the nation’s highest office.

“The IAFF sought to expose Giuliani for using a trumped-up version of his role in the events before, during and after September 11, 2001.

“Last year, we began loudly making it clear that Giuliani’s bad judgment had proven to fire fighters that he was unqualified to be president.

“We produced a video chronicling Giuliani’s failures up to, during and after the tragedy that he shamefully used as the platform for his campaign. ‘Rudy Giuliani – Urban Legend’ has been viewed more than 400,000 times on the Internet.

“Then, in the last two weeks of the Florida primary, when a majority of voters traditionally make up their minds, and in the primary that Giuliani staked his campaign on, we dispatched retired New York fire fighters to Florida to continue chipping away at the Giuliani myth.

“Retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches and retired FDNY Deputy Chief Al Santora, who both worked during Giuliani’s administration, traveled across Florida to let people know that FDNY fire fighters don’t support Giuliani’s candidacy. We also sent campaign literature to more than 128,000 Florida voters outlining Giuliani’s shortcomings.

“Giuliani ran a campaign based on misinformation, portraying himself as a 9/11 hero. Our fire fighters countered with the real message – that Giuliani is a shameless self promoter – and our message is the one that resonated.

“We said from the beginning that using 9/11 as the foundation for his campaign put Giuliani on shaky ground. Now the ground beneath Giuliani has crumbled.

“While there are certainly many reasons the voters rejected Giuliani, the role our members played was significant and they should be applauded for standing up and telling the truth during the most important election that our country holds.

“Voters no longer have to listen to Giuliani brag about his perceived 9/11 accomplishments. September 11 was a national tragedy, not a political launching pad. Perhaps Giuliani will grasp that now.”