Day By Day

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Case for Giuliani

I recently posted on the deterioration of living conditions in Hazelton, PA and how they were producing resentment against mostly Hispanic migrants moving into the area [here].

Now I hear from one of my readers:

Where our kids used to play and run the neighborhoods, they now have "play
dates" and "playground outings" with local PO-lice in attendance at the
playgrounds. Gated communities are springing up and the local Section-8
housing has iron fencing, vehicle curfews and rentacops at the gates trying
to control drug/gang activity by limiting access to residents and authorized
visitors. The local university sponsors "take back the night" marches to
bring awareness to campus of the rapes/robberies/assaults occuring on campus
even with twice as many campus police and golf-cart frat patrols. Pizza
delivery guys don't in certain neighborhoods instead meeting customers at
well-lit public places.
This is why, I have argued, a Giuliani candidacy that focuses on restoring order to our neighborhoods rather than immigration restriction can resonate with vast portions of the American people. Hizonner's mix of social liberalism and get-tough on crime was enormously popular in New York and, I suspect, in towns and cities around the country.

Now if they just could merge Giuliani's domestic agenda with McCain's foreign policy, the Republicans would have a winner.