New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani declared he is not yet a candidate for president at a speech yesterday before a standing-room-only crowd in Collis Common Ground and a press conference in Morrison Commons.
Despite repeated questions about his political future and the purpose of his visit to New Hampshire, Giuliani said he is not thinking about running as the Republican candidate in the year 2000. "Right now I'm thinking about the World Series," he said.
He said he is visiting New Hampshire, along with several other states this week to support Republican candidates in this year's election and to rally party support for holding the 2000 Republican National Convention in New York City.
Giuliani said he is speaking to Republican leaders about a party message in 2000. He said the Republicans should create as broad a spectrum of support as possible and let debate about candidates and policy be open to all party voices.
Although he dismissed his candidacy for national office now, Giuliani said changes and improvements made in New York City itself can be applied on a national level. The country should stop thinking about problems sectionally, he said.
"Improving the quality of life is something all Americans want to see happen," he said.
Giuliani discussed economic and social changes made in New York City and their effects on the city and its population.
He said he was able to implement changes because his thoughts about urban problems were different than his predecessors. Instead of focusing on city problems, he highlighted positive city characteristics.
"There's no place in the world with more talent than in a city," Giuliani said. Those talented people can help solve city problems, he said.
Giuliani cited reducing government influence over private sector businesses as one key to his success in New York. For example, high taxes on crucial industries, like hotels, were crushing the private economy of the city, he said.
"The government can't employ all the people who live in the city," he said. "You need the private sector."
Welfare reform and crime prevention have also been crucial elements in Giuliani's plan to revitalize New York.
He praised "workfare," New York's policy of providing people with jobs instead of just a welfare check, as giving citizens back their sense of independence.
He said workfare is putting the value of the importance of work back in New York City culture and reiterating on a grassroots level the social contract that makes democracies work.
"A democracy works when more people are giving back to it than are taking from it," he said.
Giuliani said living in a crowded city creates tension between absolute freedom and responsibility. Citizens are not free to do whatever they want whenever they would like to, and they must realize their actions affect others.
Criminals must realize their illegal actions affect the whole population, and they will be punished for them, he said.
Giuliani drew laughs by mentioning protesters outside the speech who were criticizing his stance on urban development. He said he was used to protesters in New York, and mentioned New Yorkers all seemed to have taken classes like Protesting 101 and Seminars on Protesting.
The audience also laughed at a question about the date of the Yankee victory parade, should they win the World Series. He declined to set an exact date, not wanting to jinx the team.
Giuliani's speech was sponsored by the Rockefeller Public Issues Forum and the Conservative Union at Dartmouth.
