Does Rudy think he's talking to a junior high school?

Ya Know that's just the way this fellow is. I've never really heard him speak intellectually. As a matter of fact I really haven't heard any Republican Presidential candidate talk as if they were educated beyond high school ....never.

USA is not the best country in the world, not anymore. Too many things have gone wrong in the last years. I travel a lot in other countries and we have become " lazy" about being the best country so " young people" wake up and vote and take a closer look at all the candidates and find out if they really stand for something.

I would really like to hear from more students. The junior high school comment is wonderful. This country is in a mess. Not because of Republicans but because of a Republican... Bush. The religious-right is wrong. So are hand-wringing earth-mothers. We need students to change things like they did in the 60's.

Not sure what the big deal is here. I'm not a big Guiliani fan, but isn't he basically right in this case?

LOL when Rudy told them to travel abroad to see how good they have it, I hope he made sure to specify NOT to travel to Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, or South Korea. Because if they do happen to go there, they'll realize how good other people have it and wonder why people still insist the US is "greatest country in the world." Sure, we have a military bigger than all the militaries on earth combined, but we can't give poor kids health insurance, take care of our veterans, or provide free or at least more affordable college.

I'm an American citizen who was lived in London for four decades. I haven't been back since just before 9/11 and every passing year makes me less inclined to return. For one thing, I haven't paid a penny here for medical attention; for another, I don't want to find out the hard way whether I happened to be on a no-fly list. Long ago I had my FBI experience and it did not inspire confidence: http://www.whitings-writings.com/diatribes/hoovering.htm

What is truly discouraging to me is the quality of the responses by the university students. "I dunno" is particularly distressing, and this sort of rudimentary vocabulary and lack of conviction seems widespread. Giuliani is not the problem confronting America; it is the self-centered, intellectually apathetic youth who graduate en masse from our institutions of higher learning who are the real threat.
Now, before any who read this jump to defend the younger sector, know that I work with high school age people, and there are many who have great ambition to help those in the local and global communities. These wonderful spirits are a minority, however. We need to produce more young people with vision and hope, and not just myopic self-interest. Then, people can challenge Mr. Giulianai with more than "I dunno."

I have been voting since 1966 (the year I went to Vietnam). If the system does not change for the better, 2008 will be the first time I have refused to vote out of protest. I have listed the following reasons for my change in attitude:

1. No third party candidates or independents stand a chance of getting on the ballots in all 50 states the way the system is rigged against them by the two parties (remember Ralph Nader’s bid for the presidency?).

2. A person who does not have the finances to run for president cannot do so without the support from major corporations who are willing to bankroll his campaign. Unfortunately, corporate CEO’s do this with the expectation that any legislation passed will be in their favor.

3. People who are in favor of corporate profits over people’s rights are controlling the mainstream media, which has been consolidated and concentrated into fewer hands such as Rupert Murdock. The mainstream “liberal” media no longer exists, and in its place are talking heads like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, and Pat Robertson. This same media does “polls” which are supposed to reflect the sentiment of the voting public. Unfortunately, these polls have a tendency to make the voting public think that the candidate of their choice does not stand a chance, and therefore they should vote for the one the polls show to be the favorite (i.e. Hillary Clinton). Independents such as myself, will vote against her by voting for whoever is on the Republican ticket (unless there is a serious independent contender).

4. The convention system no longer elects a candidate for the party being represented. The candidate is chosen beforehand, and the convention is nothing more than a show. I remember as a kid watching the Democratic convention in 1956 selecting Adlai Stevenson as their candidate. The states could throw their vote either way at the convention. Now it amounts to nothing more than a mutual admiration society for the candidate who has been pre-selected by those in power.

5. In the end, the two party system is flawed into being more like mirror images of each other, both of which represent corporate America, and not the voting public at large. They have been in the pockets of the rich since day one as can be seen by the legislation passed that favors corporations over the people. It seems that in order for any legislation to be passed that is beneficial to the public, the people must march and force the issue down the throats of a congress that is supposed to represent them. Corporations in effect now have more rights than the average citizen, and in fact can even avoid paying taxes by re-locating off shore. The CEOs of Enron, Worldcom, and Tyco have conducted business as if it was an organized criminal activity instead of a legitimate enterprise. There is more “welfare” for corporations than for the people who are in desperate need of affordable medical care. Instead, congress ends up passing prescription legislation that is favorable to drug companies.

6. As can be seen by the 2000 election in Florida, and 2004 in Ohio, the system is flawed at the voting booth. We all know that the Supreme Court decided the 2000 election in Bush’s favor. Florida was riddled with voter fraud, and the “hanging chads” issue was nothing more than a diversion from the real issue of each vote being counted. Minorities seemed to have been systematically turned away from the polling places, and votes not counted. The Democrats won the popular vote, but the Republicans got George Bush elected because of the Supreme Court, the Electoral College, and the refusal of Al Gore to challenge the results and ask for a re-count! LET US FINALLY DO AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, AND ALLOW THE POPULAR VOTE TO ELECT OUR CANDIDATES! However, accountability and accurate records must be assured at the voting booth whether it is electronic or manual, for the process to have any validity!

7. “Gerrymandering” is alive and well in most voting districts, with lines of demarcation drawn according to the party in power. Look at what happened in Texas due to Tom Delay! The Abramoff scandal showed that many of our elected representatives are corrupt. And all this time we thought Tammany Hall and the Teapot Dome scandals of the past was over. It is still graft, greed, and corruption that seems to be the dark underbelly of politics making it a dirty name. Earmarks, and the throwing away of tax dollars paid to the government by the voting public indicates a total disregard for what the public thinks, wants, or expects from it’s “democratically elected government!”

8. Even if the person I voted for gets “elected,” I doubt that person will represent me over corporations. The fact is that a CEO of a major corporation gets my representative’s ear more often than I do in the form of lobbyists who ply the halls of congress. The money our “representatives” receive from lobbyists and corporate contributors is nothing more than influence peddling which seems to permeate our government institutions. Many in congress who voted for the prescription drug bill that benifited the drug companies ended up going to work for them later as lobbyist. My opinion counts for nothing compared to the rich and powerful in this country.

9. Finally, the media must allow equal airtime to those candidates who are independent and who are marginalized by the media and poll numbers. A system must be established where money (with no strings attached) can be accessed by candidates who are not members of the rich elite, ensuring that they maintain their integrity. The Line Item Veto must be given and used by the Executive branch. Earmarked “Pork Barrel” expenditures that have nothing to do with the bill they are attached to, must be done away with. A third party must be introduced and accepted by congress to represent independent Americans who are more “Middle Of The Road” than those of the extreme Right or Left. An Independent Convention should be held and publicized to elect an Independent candidate to appose the Democratic and Republican parties. Major needed legislation fails to get past due to gridlock by the two party system.

as with a couple other posters, i don't see that this is so horrible. god forbid voters should have to become active, do some research, do some damn thing to become informed. and if giuliani is elected and does nothing for young people whose fault do you suppose that will be? how about the "i dunno" kid that's practically stupid with apathy. most of what guiliani says couldn't mean less to me, but "wake up!" is pretty damn good advice.

Ghouliani has learned from his new friend Pat Robertson that most of the American people are stupid and that with a combination of jingoism, paranoia, elitism, smoke and mirrors you can win, perhaps with a little help from pliant state elections officials and the Supreme Court.

Blaming someone for a problem isn't the way to get them on board with you. So, if Rudy or any of the other neocons points his finger at students, he's really pointing his finger at himself. If he gave us something to rally behind, then maybe we would go out and vote in larger numbers. He should take a page from Obama, Clinton, or Edwards' book.

There's a group of students at the Roosevelt Institution thinking of ways to improve policy problems, but the biggest challenge is getting policy makers and other "leaders" to listen to us. Unfortunately, the corruption, greed, interest group lobbies, and broken promises have left so many students in a disillusioned state. We see how the political world revolves around money and power (two things students don't have!), so who is opening their arms to bring us into the political fold?

Right on Ron. Good ideas.

One student whose mother is dying because she has no health insurance, and his father is unemployed, and is deeply in debt because of his student loan, is joining the Army in the hopes he will become disabled. Legs, not arms, he wants to be able to clap his hands.

That's a pretty ridiculous thing for Giuliani to say. I don't know if he simply hasn't thought about analyzing the reasons for the lack of youth voting or if he is disinterested in the entire topic, but obviously there are reasons. Reasons that the Democratic candidates have considered and addressed.