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Cockburn has the good fortune to be invited to all the right places. And one of the rightest of places on Palm Beach Island is the home of Beth Ailes, widow of the man that was the “I” in the masterclass book of persuasion, You Are the Message.
On occasion, an invitation to a good liberal party comes Cockburn’s way. But they are getting few and further apart. He’ll be going to the Coachella of mainstream moralism, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend. (A subject for another missive). But for now let’s get back to Palm Beach, Florida, where the girls are pretty and the streets not gritty.
The occasion for the party was Andrew Giuliani — son of America’s Mayor, Rudy — who was in town doing the political rounds.
Cockburn enjoys himself in functional cities, as opposed to dysfunctional urban climes, where the pursuit of fun is not interrupted with frequent Bonfire of the Vanities outbreaks of violence and its attendant, compounding squalor.
He wonders, therefore, if New York City and State might benefit from a man like Rudy Giuliani again: a mayor who ushered in an All in the Family New York paradise, who “Didn’t need much welfare state / where everybody pulled their weight / Guys and girls like us, we had it made / Those were the days.”
On the city level, Cockburn prays every night for Mayor Eric Adams’s success. But for the New York governorship: does Andrew have the right stuff — and is there a pathway to victory?
To find out, it’s certainly worth a visit to one the best views and most gracious host’s homes in America — on whom’s guest list Cockburn was blessed to find himself. Kudos to Beth. The bar was particularly excellent, carrying in an abundance Cockburn’s liver’s favorite brands.
Rudy — who did the intro — still has the rhetorical mojo, and is not an easy act to follow. But Andrew has it as well.
The son of America’s Mayor showed himself to be more than pretty good at retail politics. Rhetorically, he is a giant compared to the current incumbent, who will go unnamed because she is — after eight months as governor — still polling as an unknown name.
Like father, son Andrew was completely at ease and natural. His read of the moment and what it needs was solid and popularly sold. In short, he may have the required talent that deserves “against the odds” consideration.
Rudy would not have been elected on a Republican ticket, were it not for the fact, that New Yorkers who had not yet fled — many of them Democrats — sent a message and messenger that benefited all. Down in Florida, Cockburn is left pondering the prospect of a repeat performance.
