American Politics Journal -- Giuliani On Carpetbagging



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Carpetbagging -- In Rudy's Own Words
by The Editors

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000 -- NEW YORK (AmpolNS) -- Take Rudy's word for it -- the carpetbagging issue is of little importance.

As Bill and Hillary Clinton move their belongings into their new home in Chappaqua, we thought it would be timely to reprint an article written in October 1964 by Rudy Giuliani for the Manhattan College student newspaper. His commentary on the New York Senate race between Kenneth Keating and Robert Kennedy will be of interest to those following what may well be the highest-profile Senate race in over a decade.

Need we say more?

ARS POLITICA
by Rudy Giuliani

The political climate is alive in New York and for the first time since 1954 New York has a two party race for a major state-wide office. Former Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy is running and running strong on the Democrat slate for United States Senator, and the incumbent Kenneth Keating, with the help of Governor Rockefeller, Nixon, Brownell and Dwight Eisenhower, is trying to hold on to his seat in the United States Senate.

The issues in the campaign are hard to find. Senator Keating claims he is running on his record; but his only real issue has been that Robert Kennedy is an intruder in New York State politics. Sen. Keating and his many helpers raise three main questions. First, they wonder whether or not it is right for a man to run for the Senate from New York when he has only recently established residence here. Then they maintain that Kennedy is a cynical, power-hungry politician moving into New York and using it as a spring-board to higher office. Finally, they tell us that Sen. Keating (with a batting average of 600 proposed bills, 3 passed) has maintained a very good record in Congress and should be re-elected. Before we approach the main issue of: which man would more effectively represent New York, let us look more closely at the three questions presented by the Keating partisans.

The Carpetbagger Issue

The "carpetbagger" issue, which has so far been the only issue Sen. Keating has gotten any response on, is a truly ridiculous reason for not voting for a man in the year 1964. Without doubt, the Kennedy candidacy in New York is perfectly in accord with the Constitutional stipulation that a senator must be a resident of the state he represents on the day he is elected. Presently, Kennedy and his very large family reside in Glen Cove, Long Island, and so he will fulfill the Constitutional limitation. Also, it must be mentioned that the nomination of a man from one state to serve another in the United States is not without precedent. Rufus King, the first United States Senator from New York, was a Massachusetts native who moved into New York immediately before his election to the Senate. Rufus King had, only shortly before his election, served as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Constitutional Convention.

Actually, the main question is whether or not we in New York are going to make our decisions on a candidate by the standards parochialism which were outdated even in 1792, when New Yorkers chose a Massachusetts man because they felt he could best serve New York. Let us hope that cosmopolitan New Yorkers can rise above the ridiculous, time-worn provincial attitude that has so disunified our nation. A Kennedy victory will bring about the assertion of a most valuable precedent; that a representative from a particular state must be able to think and vote in the light of national needs and not to be tied only to local and sectional pressures.

In Great Britain, members of Parliament usually are not natives of the constituencies they represent; but certainly they must, of necessity, both represent the needs of their district and the needs of the nation as a whole. At the present moment there is too much emphasis on sectional divisions and it would be a healthy thing if our local representatives would be able to rise above pork-barrel legislation, to have a conception of their duty to the nation at large.

The Power Grab

The charge that Robert Kennedy has come to New York to use this state for some kind of sinister, cynical power grab in order to move into higher office is another example of a screen put up by Sen. Keating and his friends to avoid discussing the real issue: which man could better serve New York.

On Wednesday of last week, the Democratic candidate answered these charges. He admitted that he might very well seek higher office in the future. However, at the present moment he is offering himself as a candidate for Senator from New York and if elected he will serve out his full term of six years. Then, if he does aspire to higher office (who can hold this against any public servant) he must, of necessity, gain the support of constituents in New York. The only effective way to accomplish this is to serve them well in the next six years, or more probably, the next twelve years. Robert Kennedy is a realist; he knows and has said that the present tenant of the White House has no intentions of being evicted until he serves his full two terms. In the meantime, if Kennedy wishes to gain the Democratic Party's highest nomination in 8, 12 or 16 years, the only effective way he can do it is by amassing a brilliant record in the Senate. How can this possibly hurt New Yorkers? On the contrary, Kennedy will bring to the Empire State the distinction it so deserves, but has been denied under Republican leadership; he can bring it more industry and more defense contracts for the idle defense plants on Long Island; he can give New Yorkers a stronger voice in the national government.

Keating's Record

Keating's record, in all fairness, must be called mediocre. He is far from an initiator or leader in the Senate. True, he has voted usually as a liberal; however, it would be difficult to find an important piece of legislation initiated and managed through the Senate by Kenneth Keating.

He is best remembered for his attacks on the Kennedy Administration concerning Cuba. After the Bay of Pigs, Keating, seeking to make political hay, issued communiqué after communiqué, giving us information concerning Cuba that he represented as his own. Actually, his information was a hodge-podge of various press releases put together in such a way as to make it seem that Keating had some private spy system in Cuba. When the late President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense McNamara demanded he reveal to the United States government his sources and give all this private information he was supposed to have to the President of the United States, Keating suddenly ceased his harangues about Cuba.

His conduct during this period was irresponsible and opportunistic. Sen. Keating was using a delicate area, which the government had to be very careful about, to gain publicity and recognition; which he had failed to gain throughout his entire career.

The Real Issues

Finally, after weeding through all the garbage set up to camouflage the real issue, we can direct ourselves to the main question New Yorkers should ask themselves: Which man can best serve this state as its Senator?

In this area it is helpful to look at what Keating, sitting with the Senate minority, has been able to do in six years:

1. Did he bring industry into New York?

2. Was he able to induce the Administration in Washington to give New York defense plants new contracts?

3. Was he able to use his authority to speak to the Negro youth in New York City to give them some hope of a better tomorrow and in this manner prevent them from becoming victims of agitators?

4. Has he been instrumental in passing legislation to alleviate the problem of narcotics in our city?

In all these areas Sen. Keating has been grossly deficient. To sum it up, Sen. Keating has only a voting record; he has no record of initiative.

On the other hand, Robert Kennedy has proven himself to be a very active initiator. In all the important areas listed above, Robert Kennedy would get the job started and done. As his brother, Sen. Ted Kennedy brought industry and defense contracts to Massachusetts, Robert Kennedy would do this for New York. As Attorney-General he has been most active in his fight on organized crime, particularly the narcotics cartels. Certainly, we need someone who will go after organized crime, and in this department Bob Kennedy excels.

The candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy brings to the people of this state a youthful man, but a man who has shared the highest echelon decisions of the Kennedy-Johnson Administration. He understands our government. During his fourteen years of public service he has been deeply involved in all three branches of our national government. New York State has a crying need for political leadership and vigorous representation. Both of these needs can be filled by Robert F. Kennedy, Democratic-Liberal candidate for the United States Senate.