Mr. November

by Anthony J. Romeo

When Reggie Jackson hit three homeruns in the 1977 World Series, he was going against great odds, but was still able to overcome and stand out from all the rest. Hence, he was nicknamed Mr. October.

There are many great candidates in the 2008 Presidential race, but I believe Rudy Giuliani will stand out from the rest. Hopefully, if all goes well next year at this time, we can refer to him as not only the President, but as Mr. November for Republicans.

Once I heard Mr. Giuliani was going to be in the presidential race for 2008, I knew he was going to get my first vote ever. I missed my first two chances to vote because of my own youth and ignorance.

But after all my travels and experiences abroad in the Navy, I now see, as an American, how important it is to vote. As a native New Yorker, I am convinced that Mr. Giuliani will have no problem facing our nation’s issues and executing an effective plan of action. America is the greatest nation in the world to me, as I am sure it is to all of you. That is why, back in December of 2004, I enlisted in the Navy. While traveling to many countries, I have seen first hand why our voting system should not be taken for granted.

I also know how vital it is to know the history of the candidate whom you are supporting.
Growing up in New York, I can remember Mr. Giuliani serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York City. If you did not know, he secured over 4,000 criminal convictions. I also remember how he changed the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, where he made the emissions test more stringent for the thousands of cabs that roam through New York City each day. This was a great achievement because if you were living in the city during the late 80’s and early 90’s, you would recall too many of those taxi cabs breaking down on the side of the road or polluting the air with abandon when they were up and running.

If you look at Times Square now, compared to 20 years ago, it has made a complete 180-degree turn around for the better. I can remember walking through Times Square as a boy in broad day light, seeing all the peep shows, smut shops and prostitutes right on the street. It was down right disgusting for a young boy to see. Then Mayor Giuliani forced out the smut shops and increased the manpower of the New York City Police Department and the NY/NJ Port Authority to enforce the law. This led to a number of big corporations like Planet Hollywood, ESPN Zone, Olive Garden, The W Hotel, MTV's TRL, Toys R' Us and many others to set up shop in Times Square. This is just one of many reasons tourism has grown in New York City since Giuliani’s administration. Now, I look at Times Square in a completely different light.

I am sure he has not done everything right throughout his career, but what President has not made mistakes in office? Problems will always occur throughout time, but instead of avoiding an issue, Mr. Giuliani has and, I believe, will continue to face the issues head on.

On top of that, Mr. Giuliani is glorified for his actions during September 11th, as he rightfully should. Because of his cool, calm, collective thoughts and quick planning, he and his admirable staff were able to organize rescue crews, security units, as well as clean up crews for the after effects in less than a day.

I’m sure a lot of people might say or think that he just did his job. If you could remember the one-day black out in New York City in the late 70's, killings, riots, and chaos took over the city. All this lunacy erupted from a temporary loss of electrical power on that particular night!

You may think that this is an outdated example of the worst-case scenario, but then think about what happened after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. Remember all the unfortunate riots, lootings, and killings in the aftermath? I understand that September 11th was horrific, but the aftermath could have been so much worse.

In my opinion, if Mr. Giuliani were not there to take the proper actions that he did, there would have been a much greater disaster after September 11th. To me, he was a great attorney and a fabulous Mayor, so I have absolutely no doubt he would make an outstanding President for our great nation.

Anthony John Romeo is a sailor in the U.S. Navy who plans to get more active with the YRs and the Republican presidential campaign when he returns to New York.