Thus spake Garance: The most damaging part of the Rudy weird-billing- and-security-arrangements scandal
is not that it reminds voters of his affair — already common knowledge — but that it transforms his image from that of a solid working-class-made-good white ethnic New Yorker into the kind of effete, obnoxious, Hamptons-vacationing, limousine-riding toxic power-player popularized in the novels of Candace Bushnell
Okay, maybe it's not the most damaging part of the scandal. But these dual elements of Rudy's identity will certainly continue to be in fascinating conflict. And don't forget Rudy's comically demanding guest-appearance rider, which required transport not only by private plane but added that "the private aircraft MUST BE a Gulfstream IV or bigger."
Also, I see that the Village Latch Inn, where Rudy skipped off for his weekends with Judith, dedicates an entire web page to its past celebrity guests. Oh to have seen Rudy lounging around the pool with Pat Benatar and Andy Rooney....
P.S. Yes, that's an actual magazine cover up there! Here's the highly entertaining story:
The couple has made a point of golfing on many of their international trips. “I will tell you how fanatical we are. We flew to an event in Singapore and arrived early in the morning. We left the plane in golf clothes, played the course, then showered at the club and changed into black tie for the event we were attending. After that we headed back to the plane.”
P.P.S. The guy's allowed to live well--I might demand a Gulfstream if I could! And I don't think Mitt, Hillary, or John Edwards eat Ramen and sleep in Econo Lodges. But it does complicate Rudy's salt-of-the-earth narrative...
--Michael Crowley