Scary: Giuliani's Candidacy Demonstrates How He Might Have Run the Presidency

by Anita S. Lane

Rudy Giuliani lost the Republican primary in Florida. But is it really any surprise? He bet all his odds on Florida. He spent sixty days campaigning in Florida and over 30 million dollars. Yet he still managed to lose. Why? He assumed.

Giuliani assumed that his name recognition and popularity among many would automatically make him a front-runner. He assumed he'd rank high in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan. He assumed Florida would be a big win for him and so he campaigned in Florida and practically no where else.

What Giuliani did not assume, however, is that a relatively unknown newcomer--Mike Huckabee would "steal" the election in Iowa, or that Mitt Romney would gain momentum by winning the Michigan primary. And no, Giuliani did not assume McCain would become the "Comeback kid."

Is Giuliani politically numb? Naive? Giuliani demonstrated by the way he ran his candidacy that either he really didn't want to win, or that he simply does not understand the nature of true leadership or American politics. And if the truth is either of the latter, it's scary.

Did not Giuliani have the foresight to know that politics is an "active" sport? You cannot be passive and expect to win in politics. If you want to win, you have to set the tone, drive the agenda and push the momentum in your direction. The Republican candidates who have won primaries in the race so far have done just that.

It's basic. Leaders lead by influencing people. But to influence people you must meet them, i.e., campaign in their state. A true leader is also proactive. If you want something to happen, you must make it happen. You have to take the bull by the horns and go after it with all your political might. Doesn't Giuliani know that?

Or, did the real Giuliani show himself through this campaign? Perhaps now, we all know that Giuliani is the type of person who only truly leads when crisis comes, and doesn't know how to proactively set the agenda and blaze a trail for progress and change--like the procrastinator who only starts moving with expediency once the warning bell rings.

So is the real Giuliani a passive procrastinator who can only rise to the occasion when crisis demands it? I hope not. But if Giuliani's presidential candidacy is any barometer, I think it's safe to say that it is good for America that Giuliani's candidacy did not lead to the presidency.