Taking Note

More play for the weirdly ignored Alan Placa issue from Melinda Henneberger at Slate's newish XX Factor blog (I hope men read the site; it's very good but seems to have been branded in a way that may prevent people from checking it out). To try to put a little more substance behind the simple fact that it's odd that Rudy would choose to surround himself with a child molester, this seems to be part of a broader pattern of questionable personnel decisions in Giuliani's career, going all the way back to firing Bill Bratton for being too successful, the whole Bernard Kerik mess, etc.

One thing we've seen during the Bush years is that these kind of staffing decisions matter. What you want is a president who thinks to himself, "if I mostly populate the government with qualified people who know what they're doing, the government will be run well and that will reflect well on me in ways that serve my interests." What you don't want is someone who thinks that the ability to give out jobs is primarily about building a patronage network of loyalists who owe you big-time because nobody else would touch them with a ten foot pole.

Comments

"...Rudy would choose to surround himself with a child molester". How did he surround himself with a single child molester? Wouldn't he have needed several?

Posted by Jim Barnett | October 24, 2007 3:52 PM

Of course, starting with someone who doesn't have any significant executive or managerial experience, and only very limited governmental or political experience, isn't the best start. Even if that person was married to someone who did have lots of relevant experience.

Posted by y81 | October 24, 2007 4:29 PM

I wouldn't consider eight active years in the oval office and nearly two terms in the senate "limited governmental or political experience".

Posted by rickm | October 24, 2007 4:32 PM

I guess it depends on how big the molester is. Or maybe he's planning to dismember him and arrange the parts in a circle?

Posted by KCinDC | October 24, 2007 4:32 PM

It's funny. For some time I had been operating under the assumption that Slate was based in LA (no doubt because Day to Day is connected with that LA NPR station) and had formed this elaborate and largely negative opinion about Slate's east-coast-corridor-centricity (for an LA magazine).

But much as I think separating the executive and legislative branches of national government from the bureaucracy, lawyers, Ivy League, and decaying old economy and entitlement culture of the northeast and moving the capital to Denver is a good idea I think its about time for a national magazine based in the west, reflecting the more libertarian values of the west.

Posted by Linus | October 24, 2007 4:37 PM

Those libertarian values of course being huge agricultural subsidies and below market use of government land.

Posted by Rob | October 24, 2007 5:00 PM

Reason magazine is a libertarian publication based in LA.

Posted by Dragonfly | October 24, 2007 5:05 PM

I guess it depends on how big the molester is. Or maybe he's planning to dismember him and arrange the parts in a circle?

I certainly wouldn't get near that patronage network, not even with my handy ten-foot pole.

Posted by Jackmormon | October 24, 2007 6:11 PM

It should also be noted that while Governor, Bush was not particularly noted for appointing cronies and incompetents. But, I think most people would find it hard to believe that Bush was a MUCH better governor than president. The supporters of Bush here in Texas that I discuss this with also agree.

Posted by Ron | October 24, 2007 6:16 PM

A happily wedded Democrat who was married by a pedophile would have to get divorced.

Posted by Dan | October 24, 2007 6:36 PM

What I want is a President...

... who simply doesn't matter that much. You know, the President as described in the Constitution. If we can't have that, I don't see why it matters whether we have someone who is competent in the WH usurping the authority of Congress, as opposed to someone who isn't very good at being an elected dictator.

The buck can only stop one place. As long as it stops in the Oval Office, it can't stop in Congress, and the people's business will not be conducted in public by the people's representatives, for the people. The past seven years have taught me not to care whether we have a "good emperor" or a lousy one sitting in the Oval Office, because the former only put a good face on a system that will always give us the latter when it matters.

So here's to the next Caesar, Rudolph the Giuliani. I hope he names a race horse as his VP. May he prove so arrogant, so incompetent, and surround himself so with similar loathsome nonentities, that the travesty finally arouses a once great nation from its stupor, and we decide to go back to being a republic.

Posted by Glen Tomkins | October 24, 2007 9:21 PM

I'm not really tracking the issue, but at first blush, my guess would be a grown man could, at best, only cuddle with a child molester. Surrounding himself with one and only one is just not a workable option.

Posted by beowulf | October 25, 2007 1:30 AM

Wow, you mean Melinda Henneberger doesn't only peddle snarky "A real woman would sell out her slutty sisters to win pro-life votes" advice to Democrats? Glad to see it, I guess...

Posted by Chris | October 25, 2007 10:09 AM

I'll admit I'm a little surprised the press hasn't been more interested in the story, but not because I think its such an important story. Placa is accused of child molestation and Giuliani gave him a job (a job having nothing to do with kids). Are people accused of such crimes not supposed to be employable in any capacity?

Trying to beat up Giuliani over this seems Willy Horton-esque.

Posted by Joseph Hovsep | October 25, 2007 2:40 PM