Giuliani's popularity

Drum on Giuliani. It's not just the "sheen of 9/11..."

Actually, I suspect it's Rudy's other campaign plank that really explains his popularity. Sure, 9/11 is a big part of his persona, but his crime reduction record in New York City might be an even bigger one. Think about it: in the eye of the public, he's literally the only presidential candidate who's actually accomplished anything concrete. He made New York City livable. It doesn't matter whether this is true; it only matters that this is what people think. And no other candidate has anything close to it. All they can say is that they sponsored a bill or survived Vietnam or ran a company. Big deal. But Rudy, regardless of how he did it, can say that he actually governed a political entity and made it better. Considering the low opinion most people have of politicians, that's a helluva powerful asset.

I'd go one better. It's how Giuliani is perceived to have made NYC "livable (funny, I lived there pre and during Giuliani, and found the pre quite livable...fun, even)." Giuliani is perceived by the GOP base as having kicked some dark skinned ass and conquered the savages running amok through the five boroughs, something he's not so subtly telling them he'll do with Iran and the Islamowhatevers.