Key Clinton Backer Rips Giuliani's Personal Life

[Psephos]

Source: ABC News

Key Clinton Backer Rips Giuliani's Personal Life
Rep. Charles Rangel Apparently Refers to Giuliani as a 'Cheating Goddamn Husband'

By JAKE TAPPER
Oct. 20, 2007

Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., the dean of the New York congressional delegation, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, longtime political booster of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and a member of the steering committee for "Veterans and Military Retirees For Hillary" has joined another co-chair of the Clinton campaign, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, in attacking the personal life of Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

In a cover story on Giuliani in this week's New York Observer, Rangel went after Giuliani in unusually personal ways, expressing confidence that Giuliani's frontrunning status will fade either because of the former mayor's liberal positions on social issues or the operatic drama of his personal life.

"Referring to Andrew Giuliani's reportedly distant relationship with his father since the ugly bust-up of Mr. Giuliani's marriage with Donna Hanover," the article says, "Mr. Rangel said it was because 'sons respect and admire their fathers, but they love their mothers against cheating goddamn husbands.' ... Rangel said he regretted that all the personal problems surfaced so soon in the electoral process. 'I'm sorry this damned thing turned out so early because, really, just like Kerik, it would have bombed his ass out.'" The Giuliani campaign declined to comment to ABC News about the attack, referring a reporter to comments made in the story by Randy Mastro, a former Giuliani deputy mayor, who said of Rangel's remarks, "Comments like that are not worthy of a response."

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A Clinton campaign spokesman, Phil Singer, later told ABC News of Rangel's remarks, "These kinds of comments have no place in the campaign."

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3755283&page=1

[tularetom]

1. I hope this is just Clinton's attempt to maintain deniability

And not the true feelings of her campaign spokesman. Because once she becomes the nominee she is going to be targeted with so much nasty shit from the repubs it makes these comments look like kindergarten teasing by comparison. Besides, the crap they throw at her will be mostly lies and innuendo as opposed to Rangel speaking the truth.

[JDPriestly]

4. Limbaugh resorted to a much worse personal attack against

Hillary either yesterday or today. To paraphrase Michelle Obama, if you can't manage your own home, how can you manage the country. Famous last words. We are all vulnerable. But Giuliani's family problems and repeated divorces put his attitude toward commitment and his ability to love others in question. He didn't just cheat on his second wife, he humiliated her. That's pretty awful. It shows a lack of sensitivity and a self-centeredness that is just appalling.

[Kahuna]

5. Not to mention bringing his mistress (now his wife) into the home

where his wife and children resided. Not to mention having a public relationship with her while still married. And not to mention announcing his intention to divorce his wife (to hook up with his mistress) in a press conference instead of telling his wife first. What a slug.

[KingFlorez]

2. Why not?

The Republicans have used personal affairs for political gain, it's time the Democrats did the same.

[Evergreen Emerald]

3. "Key Clinton Backer." Really? Why not just say "Representative

Charlie Rangel." They tried to connect his statement to Clinton--they created this story.

And of course Rangel is right.