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Giuliani: Nasty Man

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Giuliani: Nasty Man is a collection of articles that Democrat and former New York City mayor Ed Koch wrote about Rudy Giuliani in the late 90's. When Koch first assembled Giuliani: Nasty Man, Rudy was considering running for Senator against Hillary Clinton; now that Rudy has presidential ambitions, Giuliani: Nasty Man is in a new edition revealing Giuliani's darker side. Koch does not shy from acknowledging Giuliani's successes, notably his role in a drastic reversal of the downward crime spiral that took place under Mayor Dinkins' inept watch and his strong leadership in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Yet Giuliani: Nasty Man reveals the side of Giuliani's politics and attitude that is not so photogenic - from his less-than-stellar response to incidents of police killing unarmed immigrant Diallo or sadistically torturing a detainee, to his questionable crackdowns on peaceful dissent, to his hubris in dismissing the positive labors of his predecessors while relentlessly extolling his own. A keen-minded examination of flaws that deserve inspection, especially in a presidential candidate.

Ed nails the Fuhrer! From his earliest heinous misteps, this lisping loser of a mayor has proven that New York is still home to aliens! Koch has nailed him in print like so many others have done from the op-ed pages to talk radio. It's funny Rudy labels Hillary Clinton a carpetbagger, when he understands so little about the heart & soul of the greatest city in the country. From trying to arrest jaywalkers, to driving all the old New York cabbies out of business, to trying to regulate picnics in Central Park, and now wanting to censor the art at the Brooklyn Museum, Giuliani has proven how far removed he is from the essence of this city. Hitler "cleaned up" Germany, too. Thank God he's leaving, and woe be the nation if this monster gets a vote in the U.S. Senate! Way to go, Ed! You're doin' great! Keep at it so we don't all have to be embarassed by this baffoon!

Excellent work by Ed Koch describing Rudy "Fascist" Guiliani. A friend lend me his copy , but I now intend to purchase this fine book. Critical analysis of a mayor who not only "disneyfied" New York but practically made it unrecognizable to the point where I , a native New Yorker, born and raised, no longer feel like I'm living in my beloved city!! His successor, Mike "$$$ Man" Bloomberg, who should have never been mayor, period (there should be restrictions for mayoral candidates: NO businessmen or millionaires need apply!!!)for he appears to be out of touch with reality and the entire working/middle class. Guiliani was a dictator in his own right, unleashing the NYPD like a bunch of irrepressible DOGS to commit atrocious acts of abuse and brutality on innocent citizens, attempting to bust unions wide open, and infringing on the civil liberties of the average citizen..all NON-NEW YORKER BEHAVIOUR!!! Mr. Koch, I congratulate you on a job WELL DONE!!!!

For those of you readers who do not agree with Ed Koch's opinions in this courageous book, I suggest you read a 1987 publication " THE PROSECUTORS" by James B. Stewart WSJ. The damage done by Giuliani to the careers of his former associates reveals the true nature of his ambitions.

As a NYC resident I found this book to be a necessary read for those who plan on voting in the senate race! Congratulations Mr. Koch on an honest and critical critique of the man who has disneyfied NYC.

Giuliani Nasty Man, is a compilation of newspaper columns by former Mayor Ed Koch about Giuliani. The book is not indexed, there is no table of contents, and it is sometimes hard to follow.

I suggest reading this book in conjunction with Prince of the City, by Fred Siegel, a much more flattering (and better written) book about the Giuliani years. It is interesting to read the two books together and see how two different authors write about the same events.

Jim Fiorentini, Mayor, Haverhill, Massachusetts

When Ed Koch's book Mayor came out, it was an exhilarating read. The unstated theme of the book was that the City of New York was going to Hell, that no one could prevent it from doing so, that the mayor of New York had no power to do anything and that therefore, the only thing that he, Ed Koch, could do is make Canute-like angry blasts against the onrushing tide. This theme appealed to the pessimist and the slothfulness in all of us. Let's rant and rave because there is nothing we can do! No sense fighting the inevitable! There is no doubt that this idea is deeply ingrained in the psyche of most New Yorkers, which is why Koch was a popular mayor.

Alas for Ed Koch's reputation, two things happened. First, his Administration was shown to be one of the most corrupt in the history of New York. Far from fighting the forces that were dragging the city down, his diatribes were mere diversions, attacking the small time crooks while the big time criminals were raiding the City's treasury. While apparently honest himself, Ed Koch has always shown a preference for the ethically challenged, as can be seen by his enthusiastic endorsement of Mrs. Clinton, while letting far more worthy and honorable Democrats like Mario Cuomo sink without lending a hand.

The second misfortune for Koch's reputation was the accession of Rudolph Giuliani so soon after Koch left office. Lacking the common touch, presiding over a city hostile to him, sharing power with an obstructionist City Council of the opposite party, Giuliani single handedly turned the city around, making it safer, cleaner and fiscally sounder. The only city service still going downhill is the school system, which is, not coincidentally, the only service in which the City Council has prevented Giuliani from taking action.

This book, therefore, must be seen in light of this background. It is an angry, bitter, worthless book. The prose is poor and the jokes are flat. I'm sure there are things to criticize about Mayor Giuliani, but Koch misses them. He replaces facts and analysis with vitriol and warmed over sarcasm.

Still, one can understand Ed Koch's plight. His ego forced him to think of himself as a great mayor. Now here's Rudy Giuliani to show that Ed was only a stand-up comedian and an unfunny one at that.

As someone who saw how Ed Koch pushed New York to the very brink (and how David Dinkins pushed it over), I find it ironic that the famously prickly Koch could attack Giuliani the way he does. Yelling "How'm I doin'?" doesn't constitute real leadership. Cleaning up the streets and making New York livable again, as Giuliani has done, is what being Mayor is all about.

Maybe some people are nostalgic for the Koch days -- record crime rates, a city in deep debt, Boss Tweed-style graft and corruption, and a Mayor too indifferent to take on real problems -- but reading this book left me wondering just whom they might be.

There are occasional moments of ironic humor -- Koch seems to think that he could have done everything Giuliani has done, only with more grace and style. It begs the question: if Koch was such a great Mayor, why didn't he get the job done like Giuliani has?

This book is a bitter, angry little screed. Don't waste your time.

Those who repeatedly label Giuliani 'nasty' fail to understand him. It's true that he's a tough mayor, but his toughness has actually been an asset in governing New York City--and he's also genuinely a good man who cares about people. Just listen to his radio show or watch his press conferences (in full--not the media's 10-second excerpts).

With crime in New York City cut in half over the last six years, homicides down 70 percent, and something like 350,000 private sector jobs created, Koch's criticism comes off sounding like sour grapes. I like Koch as a man and as a mayor, and am disappointed that he resorts so freely to petty assaults on Giuliani's character. This is a tired drum for Giuliani's critics to continue beating.

First off, this book doesn't get 1 star simply because I disagree with his opinions. I give it that because it's poorly written with underdeveloped arguements that would lead me or anyone who reads this book to think poorly of Rudy. Notice WHY Guiliani was elected: it was because the City was in need of a good right Wing mayor to set the city straight from all of the horrible democratic mayors' screw ups.