Rudy and Newt: Politicians in name only

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Rudy Giuliani is never going to run for office again. Neither is Newt Gingrich. Yet today, both men, artifacts of the 1990’s, are in the news, discussed as possible future contenders for political office. New York scribe Fred Dicker reports that Giuliani has been told by representatives of Andrew Cuomo that Cuomo is planning to seek the New York Governor’s mansion in 2010. And Newt is once again sounding off about a prospective presidential candidacy.

But–again–Rudy won’t run, and neither will Newt. How do I know this? Well, the logic of self-interest, for one thing. Both men’s careers are far better served tap-dancing around campaigns than actually engaging in them. They maintain lucrative businesses which traffic on their reputations, and losing campaigns tend to damage those reputations; I’ve heard that Giuliani’s consulting business took a serious hit after his disastrous presidential bid. For him, a campaign against Cuomo–while winnable–would further damage his allure, not to mention his future earnings prospects. A presidential run by Newt would likely fare no better than Rudy’s did: he’d have some diehard loyalists, but would be seen as too quirky to run on a national ticket.

For both men, the upside of today is the appearance of power generated by the speculation over their futures. The longer they’re seen as potential national office holders, the longer they can bank on that status, and the media appearances and influence that comes with it (influence, after all, is a self-perpetuating beast; the more you have, the more you’ll get). I’d go so far as to assume that Rudy’s team leaked the news of the Cuomo overture; more than anyone else, he benefits from today’s revelations. And Newt and his green room friends have been playing footsie on this subject for a long time.

These men are not public servants anymore. They have no aim of representing anyone other than themselves. And so they are Politicians In Name Only. As leading lights of the “conservative movement,” they soak up money and attention, and live off the celebrity which became theirs many years ago. In effect, they are on a permanent pension plan, funded by fellow travelers who would rather stagnate comfortably than undertake the complicated job of ideological overhaul.

Their continuing prominence–and their refusal to cede the spotlight–speaks volumes about both men, as well as the exhausted state of the Republican Party. Newt hasn’t held office in more than ten years, Giuliani in eight. Yet the party and its adherents cling to them as faded emblems of a better time. As a Democrat, I’m happy when the opposition party is led by two clearly-past-their-prime geezers. But as an American who wishes for a sane two party system, I’d rather the GOP inject something new into the conversation.