CPAC Interview: Bill Simon, Rudy, & The Judges
Bill Simon paid a visit to Blogger's Row here at CPAC in his new role as missionary for the Rudy Giuliani campaign. Simon once ran for governor in California, losing to Gray Davis, which helped set the stage for the historic case of buyer's remorse that resulted in Davis' recall and the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He struck me as a warm and friendly person who has focused on his new mission to win the nomination for Giuliani.
I had not been aware of his professional connection between Simon and Giuliani, but the two worked together in the US Attorney's office in New York 22 years ago. I asked him what he learned about Rudy in the time the two worked together, and he said that he found teamwork, leadership, and accountability. Simon found Rudy to be a loyal but tough leader in the civil and criminal casework that his office handled.
Given the conservative skepticism towards Rudy, I asked Simon what he felt might make conservatives most comfortable with Giuliani. He spoke about Rudy's commitment to fiscal discipline and focus on freedom. In the years that Giuliani ran New York City, crime went down and people began to feel as though the Big Apple could be a livable city. Social issues will come in second to security and leadership, Simon believes.
I asked Simon about the recent issue with judges. The Politico posted an article on Rudy's track record on judicial nominations, and reported that Giuliani appointed more Democrats than Republicans to the bench as Mayor. Hower, Simon called this misleading. The mayor does not have a free hand in judicial appointments in New York City. An independent panel gives the mayor a choice of three candidates for each open seat, and the mayor has to select from those three. Rudy did not choose the candidates; he had to select one of three locked-in choices.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on March 1, 2007 3:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)
