Matthew P. Maljevec – 9/20/07

This page was last updated on September 22, 2007.

Giuliani is no bargain; Matthew P. Maljevec; Beaver County Times; September 20, 2007.

Since September 2005, Mr. Maljevec treated us with three letters (here, here, and here) with “Impeach Bush” in their titles, merely bashed President Bush in a fourth letter, in a fifth letter Mr. Maljevec asserted, “Rendell is one of the best governors Pennsylvania has ever had,” in a sixth referred to Lynn Swann as a “wannabe” and to President Bush as “loser Bush,” and in a seventh sang the praises of Jimmy Carter while expressing displeasure that more politician children weren’t serving in Iraq, and I assume Afghanistan though Mr. Maljevec didn’t mention it.

This letter is similar in quality to Mr. Maljevec’s previous letters.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Rudy Giuliani for president. Heaven forbid.

“This individual is nothing but a hypocrite and a liar. What really ticked me off was the lie he was telling the world about how he spent more time at the 9-11 site than the New York City firefighters.”

[RWC] Not exactly. What really ticked off Mr. Maljevec is Mr. Giuliani isn’t liberal enough.

FYI, though I still believe it was incorrect, Mr. Giuliani’s comment said nothing specifically about firefighters. Mr. Giuliani said, “I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I’m one of them.”

What actions make Mr. Giuliani a “hypocrite,” Mr. Maljevec?

“Ask any of the firefighters and see what they will tell you.”

[RWC] Not exactly. While many in firefighter labor union management don’t like Mr. Giuliani, many firefighters do. It’s important not to confuse labor union management with the firefighters themselves.

“If it were not for Sept. 11, 2001, no one would know who Giuliani was. Now, he has the nerve to attack our next president, Hillary Clinton.”

[RWC] I hope Mr. Maljevec doesn’t believe this paragraph makes any sense. If Mr. Maljevec didn’t know who Mr. Giuliani was before 9/11/01, I’d like to know where Mr. Maljevec got/gets his news.

Anyway, let’s run with the celebrity angle to humor Mr. Maljevec. Did anyone outside of Arkansas know who Bill Clinton was before he ran for president in 1992? I lived in an adjoining state (Texas) at the time and I don’t believe Mr. Clinton “hit my radar screen” until he decided to run for president. If she were not Bill Clinton’s wife, would any of us know who Mrs. Clinton is? Mr. Giuliani was mayor of the country’s largest city for eight years (1994-2001). What is Mrs. Clinton’s experience at running anything? Oops, I’m sorry; did I just “attack our next president, Hillary Clinton?”

Finally, is criticism of Mrs. Clinton’s policies off limits?

“If you take a good look at Giuliani and the stupid look on his face, I sure do not want him running this great country of ours. He did not make a good mayor, let alone take over as commander-in-chief of our armed forces.”

[RWC] Who cares what a candidate looks like? Does Mr. Maljevec believe we’re selecting Mr./Mrs. America?

Was Mr. Maljevec a resident of NYC? Remember, NYC is a very liberal city and since at least the 1940s, NYC has elected liberal mayors. Mr. Maljevec should like Mr. Giuliani.

“Look at Bush, a big blunder as president since day one. He really tees me off when I have to listen to his own personal description calling himself commander-in-chief. How disgusting.”

[RWC] Mr. Maljevec, “commander-in-chief” is not President Bush’s “personal description,” it is the Constitution’s description. Article II, Section 2 says, “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States …”

“Back to Giuliani. He will attempt to be dictator, just like Bush. It has to be his way or nothing. I can see it in his actions. It is better to be forewarned than suffering. We do not need it.”

[RWC] What evidence does Mr. Maljevec have that President Bush has attempted “to be dictator?” If Mr. Maljevec really believes this, he’s claiming President Bush is a closet liberal.

“I suggest Giuliani step out of the race and save his face. He is a poor example of who we want for president of the United States. Remember this at the polls at election time.”

[RWC] If Mr. Giuliani is so obviously bad, what is Mr. Maljevec worried about? Methinks Mr. Maljevec doth protest too much. I believe Mr. Maljevec fears Mr. Giuliani would defeat Mrs. Clinton, especially in NYC.

Mr. Maljevec used a lot of words telling us why Rudy Giuliani would be a bad president, but never told us why his own apparent choice – Hillary Clinton – would be a good president. Let’s hope Mr. Maljevec follows up this letter with one describing Mrs. Clinton’s qualifications and why she would be the best choice relative to the other candidates – both Democrat and Republican.

Finally, this letter reminds me of the anti-Hart and/or Santorum letters we read during the 2006 campaign. While all the letters told us how horrible Ms. Hart and Mr. Santorum were, not one told us why we should vote for the opposing candidate.