Rudy Giuliani is in full damage control mode after suggesting that President Obama doesn’t love this country.
Politico’s Darren Samuelsohn caught Giuliani making these remarks at a fundraiser for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker held last night at Manhattan’s exclusive 21 Club. Giuliani was attacking Obama’s recent foreign policy decisions, as well as some of his remarks on how to confront terror. They have to be reproduced in full to be believed.
“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”
Wow. What does it say about the state of our discourse when you know you’re about to stick your foot deep in your mouth, and you say something stupid anyway?
Giuliani clarified his remarks when Samuelsohn collared him after the dinner. He said that Obama “sees our weaknesses as footnotes to the great things we’ve done”–an attitude that contrasts with every other president in his lifetime, “including ones I disagreed with.”
Apparently Giuliani was already feeling the heat this morning, because he felt the need to explain them further. Tellingly, he did it on “Fox & Friends.” Watch here.
Giuliani denied he was questioning Obama’s patriotism. Rather, he doesn’t think Obama speaks of his love for America as much as he criticizes it–in contrast to the likes of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Come on, Rudy. You really expect us to believe you weren’t questioning Obama’s patriotism when you say that “I do not believe that the president loves America”?
Democrats didn’t take long to pounce. Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz called for Republican leaders–especially Walker and several other presidential hopefuls–to “stop this kind of nonsense.” Walker didn’t take that advice. In an interview with CNBC, Walker hedged, saying that Giuliani “can speak for himself”–and so can Obama. Andrew Ross Sorkin wasn’t letting Walker off that easily. He directly asked Walker what he thought of those comments. Walker’s response? He was “used to people saying things that are aggressive” in New York. That says a lot about Walker’s fiber–and it isn’t good. During today’s press gaggle, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that while it was up to the attendees to determine if Giuliani was out of line, he did agree that “it was a horrible thing to say.” Later that day, the White House social media team used the designation of three new national monuments to troll Giuliani on Twitter.
Obama: ?I’m using my powers as President to announce America’s 3 newest National Monuments.” #ObamaLovesAmerica pic.twitter.com/ckIlTQgVdP ? The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 19, 2015
Frankly, I’m surprised that the tag “#ObamaLovesAmerica” hasn’t gone viral yet.
If there is any sanity in this world, this should go down as the moment that Giuliani definitively jumped the shark. While he has long since exhausted any goodwill he had after 9-11, it would be sheer foolishness to take him seriously after this.
