WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2007

Giuliani Rips Republican Spending

"Shame On Us," Says GOP White House Contender As He Knocks His Party For '06 Losses

  • Republican Presidential hopeful, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani addresses the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in Washington, Friday, Oct. 5, 2007

    Republican Presidential hopeful, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani addresses the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in Washington, Friday, Oct. 5, 2007  (AP)

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(AP)  Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani on Friday blamed his party for losing control of Congress in last year's election, saying "shame on us" for extravagant spending of taxpayer dollars.

Giuliani drew applause dozens of times as he told the anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity how he cut income and business taxes, slashed welfare rolls and trimmed employees from his city's payroll as mayor of New York.

"We lost control of Congress because we were just like the Democrats as far as spending is concerned - shame on us," Giuliani said. But he added, "Republicans are amateur spenders, and Democrats are professional spenders."

His record on taxes is an advantage for Giuliani, who is at odds with social conservatives who typically hold sway over Republican primary elections.

Yet fellow GOP hopeful Mitt Romney argues Giuliani is vulnerable on taxes because the former mayor fought to eliminate a line-item veto, which a president can use to reject spending, and because Giuliani maintained a commuter tax in New York.

The issue sparked a pointed exchange Thursday, as Giuliani's campaign responded that Romney offered no tax cuts during his four years as Massachusetts governor.

Romney started running a new radio ad Friday in New Hampshire telling voters he has signed a pledge not to raise taxes. He was scheduled to address the anti-tax group Friday evening, as was former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.

Other GOP hopefuls - former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Texas Rep. Ron Paul - also addressed the group.

Brownback argued for fixing Social Security with private savings accounts, saying, "if the money is in personal accounts, the government can't spend it."

Giuliani, who leads the GOP presidential field in most national polls, spent most of his 25-minute speech ridiculing Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Democratic candidates. Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards would pay for their more costly proposals by repealing tax cuts.

Clinton's idea of giving a $5,000 savings bond to every U.S.-born baby drew laughter from the group's members, who wore name tags with Ronald Reagan's picture on them. Giuliani said the price tag would be more than $20 billion and joked about the cost of printing bonds with Clinton's picture on them.

"This costs money - it doesn't come from trees; it doesn't come from heaven," Giuliani said.

Giuliani argued for indexing the alternative minimum tax to inflation and repealing the estate tax, saying the tax reductions would actually generate tax revenues and not cost money because they would stimulate the economy.

By the time he left office as mayor, Giuliani said, "we were collecting 41 percent more revenue from the low taxes than we were collecting from high taxes."


© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Add a Comment See all 65 Comments
by signof4 October 8, 2007 4:22 PM EDT
An observation: Has anyone but me noticed that ALL campaign related stories about democrats are mostly positive, and those related to republicans are mostly negative?

Just check for youself. My unofficial, unscientific results show 80% of the stories involving republican candidates are spun negatively.

That''s just un American. It''s really not right, nor is it fair. Thank God for alternative media. I shudder to think what shape we''d be in if we didn''t have them.

Reply to this comment
by brettrix October 8, 2007 12:36 PM EDT
I say - Buy American - VOTE RON PAUL. Rudy raised taxes on us Yankees from Connecticut when he was in office. We had to pay fees ato use their infrastructure - like that money didn''t come from the FED INCOME TAX in the first place!

Who Is Paying For Your Vote To Keep Control Of You And To Keep This War Going? Remember The Bankers Hold The Stock In Companies That Are Getting Billions In War Contracts!

Obama''''s Contributers: Bankers / Special interest!
http://tinyurl.com/2nd4f8

Hillary Clinton''''s Contributers Lawyers / RealEstate:
http://tinyurl.com/2ontpq

Rudy GIULIANI Contributors: Bankers / Hedge Funds!
http://tinyurl.com/2m2c4n

Ron Pauls Money Is From the People! We have someone who is NOT Paid Off By Special Interest or Bankers Money!!!
http://tinyurl.com/2q8vr3

If you ever want this War to End Vote Ron Paul 2008, No One Else Is Going To End It!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues

Ron Paul Will:

** Stop Iraq War Immediately
** Eliminate IRS
** Eliminate Federal Reserve
** Eliminate Government Wasteful Spending
** Restore America''''s Work Force & Values
** Restore America''''s Freedom!

RON PAUL RAISES $5.1 MILLION 3RD Q!

It''''s Not About Democrat Or Republican. It Is About
the People And Ron Paul Is America''''s Last Hope! Vote For Ron Paul To Preserve The USA For Your Children & Grand Children!

********* VOTE RON PAUL 2008! *********

Join A ReVoLuTiOn Group In Your City:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/
Reply to this comment
by prinzowhales October 7, 2007 6:22 PM EDT
Giuliani waits till he''s running for president to ''rip Republican spending''...what he won''t tell you is that the big breaks that Wall Street gets in the form of "tax expenditures" are considered appropriations by the courts...and New York brought tax expenditures from the Feds by the supertanker load.

People think that the South gets more than its fair share of federal expenditures...but when you take the tax expenditures into account, it more than evens out...but the tax expenditures that New York gets goes primarily to the big boys...like farm subsidies in agricultural states.

Getting rid of the IRS and the nefarious tax code and instituting an equitable and honest system of taxation scares Corporate New York and when Corporate New York is frightened, Giuliani screams like a little girl.

If people are stupid enough to buy Giuliani''s mea culpa for waste as he pulls out the leathers and flagellates himself and his party, then they deserve this cross dressing mafiosi.
Reply to this comment
by antoniof123 October 6, 2007 10:50 PM EDT
perception5 your argument doesn''t hold water because in the 1909''s Bill Clinton was a Democrat and he balanced the budget or do you forget how he shut down congress and forced the Republican congress to remove the largest amount of pork in history. When Bill Clinton left office the Republicans were still in charge with a Republican President and look at what happened so that is how you are proved wrong facts speak louder then words as always the Republicans try to split hairs but now the Internet allows us to respond in an instance. So the next thing you would like to try to split hairs is what?
Reply to this comment
by abbe91 October 6, 2007 7:41 PM EDT
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003654541

Oh, lyingrick, muddyrose, larseneffect must be so happy. Their lies are now protected.
Reply to this comment
by satxfreedom October 6, 2007 7:39 PM EDT
www.TrueWorldHistory.info
Reply to this comment
by smirk5 October 6, 2007 6:07 PM EDT
Rudy''s plan for Iraq:

Stay on offense whatever that means.
He has no plan.

That''s his detailed plan for Iraq. And he says Clinton has none. She''s said way more about Iraq than he has.
Reply to this comment
by vote4paul October 6, 2007 3:43 PM EDT
*** STOP THE WAR & END CORPORATE CORRUPTION ***

Who Is Paying For Your Vote To Keep Control Of You And To Keep This War Going? Remember The Bankers Hold The Stock In Companies That Are Getting Billions In War Contracts!
Obama''s Contributers: Bankers / Special interest!
http://tinyurl.com/2nd4f8

Hillary Clinton''s Contributers Lawyers / RealEstate:
http://tinyurl.com/2ontpq

Rudy GIULIANI Contributors: Bankers / Hedge Funds!
http://tinyurl.com/2m2c4n

Ron Pauls Money Is From the People! We have someone who is NOT Paid Off By Special Interest or Bankers Money!!!
http://tinyurl.com/2q8vr3

If you ever want this War to End Vote Ron Paul 2008, No One Else Is Going To End It!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues

Ron Paul Will:

** Stop Iraq War Immediately
** Eliminate IRS
** Eliminate Federal Reserve
** Eliminate Government Wasteful Spending
** Restore America''s Work Force & Values
** Restore America''s Freedom!

RON PAUL RAISES $5.1 MILLION 3RD Q!

It''s Not About Democrat Or Republican. It Is About
the People And Ron Paul Is America''s Last Hope! Vote For Ron Paul To Preserve The USA For Your Children & Grand Children!

********* VOTE RON PAUL 2008! *********

Join A ReVoLuTiOn Group In Your City:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/
Reply to this comment
by prairiefox1 October 6, 2007 3:26 PM EDT
DO NOT VOTE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! IT WILL JUST BE A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE SAME OLD CRUD!
Reply to this comment
by dcbriefing October 6, 2007 3:19 PM EDT
I think I saw something like this on DC BRIEFING
Reply to this comment
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