Giuliani Campaign Press Release - Giuliani Ad Facts: "Some"

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Some say we don't need a national catastrophe fund. That FEMA can handle disasters."

BACKGROUND:

John McCain Said He Opposes National Catastrophe Fund And That FEMA Was "That Insurance Policy." "A national insurance pool has lingered on Florida's wish list due to opposition from disaster-free states. Asked about the proposal, McCain called for improving the Federal Emergency Management Agency, widely panned for its shoddy response after Hurricane Katrina. 'I do not support a national catastrophic insurance policy,' McCain said. 'That insurance policy is there and it's called FEMA and it's called national disaster preparedness. . . . I still do not have confidence that FEMA is capable of handling all of those responsibilities.' Responding to the criticism from the Giuliani camp, a McCain spokeswoman said proposed legislation failed to 'include private insurance reforms to broaden markets and protect against cherry-picking of individual states.' Romney has not endorsed an insurance pool but said he would consider it." (Beth Reinhard, "GOP Courting Florida's Cubans," The Miami Herald, 1/22/08)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Others say they haven't looked at it yet and want to sit down with insurance companies first."

BACKGROUND:

Huckabee "Said He'd Have To See The Details" And Questioned Need For Fund. "Asked about a national catastrophe fund to ease the property insurance crisis in Florida and other states, [Huckabee] was receptive but said he'd have to see the details. Rebuilding people's beach homes doesn't appeal to him, but, 'I come from a state that's prone to tornadoes and floods. I understand how devastating it can be, so I'm very sympathetic.'" ("State Is Gaining Clout, GOP Told," St. Petersburg Times, 5/20/07)

"Asked About Creating A National Catastrophic Insurance Fund – A Big Priority For Many Politicians In Hurricane-Prone Florida – Romney Was Noncommittal: 'I Can't Imagine Taking A Position Of That Nature Until It's Been Thoroughly Studied And Evaluated.'" (Adam C. Smith, "Romney Well-Received At The Villages," St. Petersburg Times, 2/17/07)

Romney Wants To Check In With Insurers Before Weighing In On National Catastrophic Insurance Fund. "Mitt Romney is seeking to emphasize his Florida-friendly stands on issues, including oil drilling and a national catastrophe fund, after a couple of public appearances here by Thompson in which he didn't always say what Floridians wanted to hear. … On the cat fund, one of the most important issues to Florida political leaders, Romney didn't say he was for it, but said he's open to the idea. He said it 'would be a high priority in my administration' to talk to insurers and determine whether it's needed." ("From The Blog," Tampa Tribune, 9/22/07)

Romney Said He Wanted To Sit Down With The Insurance Industry About Catastrophic Fund. Romney: "I haven't endorsed a specific bill. As I have indicated before as well, I'm willing to sit down with the governor and with leaders of the insurance industry and others, and talk about the options for providing for home insurance for individuals that are finding it difficult to find that insurance, and to deal with the gap that exists between what is available privately and what needs to be available for people to have confidence in their economic future." ("Romney Endorses A National Cat Fund…Sort Of," The Orlando Sentinel's "Central Florida Political Pulse" Blog, http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/01/romney-endorses.html, 1/21/08, Accessed 1/22/08)

AD FACT

Voice Over: "Only one Republican candidate has proven experience dealing with disaster."

BACKGROUND:

September 11 Was Worst Terrorist Attack In American History. "Rescuers combed mountains of rubble at what had been the World Trade Center yesterday in a grim search for survivors among the thousands presumed dead in its collapse. Investigators meantime cast a worldwide net for those behind the hijackers who slammed jetliners into the twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia in the worst terrorist attack in American history." (Robert McFadden, "Stunned Rescuers Comb Attack Sites, But Thousands Are Presumed Dead," The New York Times, 9/13/01)

St. Petersburg Times: "Few New Yorkers Will Forget The Way Giuliani's Natural Leadership Made Him A Whirlwind Of Instant Decision Making And Crisis Management While So Poignantly Expressing The Collective Grief Of A City And A Nation." (Editorial, "Giuliani Won Many Hearts," St. Petersburg Times, 12/29/01)

Time's Eric Pooley: "With The President Out Of Sight For Most Of That Day, Giuliani Became The Voice Of America. Every Time He Spoke, Millions Of People Felt A Little Better. His Words Were Full Of Grief And Iron, Inspiring New York To Inspire The Nation." (Eric Pooley, "Mayor Of The World," Time, 12/31/01)

Pooley Said Mayor Giuliani Took On "Half A Dozen Critical Roles" And Performed Each One "Masterfully." "When the day of infamy came, Giuliani seized it as if he had been waiting for it all his life, taking on half a dozen critical roles and performing each masterfully. Improvising on the fly, he became America's homeland-security boss, giving calm, informative briefings about the attacks and the extraordinary response." (Eric Pooley, "Mayor Of The World," Time, 12/31/01)

San Francisco Chronicle Described Giuliani In The Wake Of 9/11 As "Calm, Soothing, And Omnipresent." "Calm, soothing and omnipresent, [Giuliani] gracefully embodies his city's power to endure. Dust-covered and soft-spoken, he traversed the Manhattan dead zone, congratulating exhausted firefighters, holding hands with grieving families and tracking rescue efforts. He became a stand-in leader for every corner of America dazed by the terrorist attacks." (Editorial, "Rudy To The Rescue," San Francisco Chronicle, 9/23/01)

Chicago Tribune Called Giuliani's Leadership In The Immediate Aftermath Of The Attack "Inspiring." "Giuliani deserves all the praise and then some. His instant leadership reflex immediately after the crisis--in an age when some politicians are afraid to come out on the street or in front of a microphone without professional prepping or prompting--was inspiring. He was able to bark orders one moment, console victims the next, empathize publicly to the point of sobbing in front of the television cameras, and preach optimism, all the while reassuring New Yorkers that everything was under control. Or at least as much under control as humanly possible." (Editorial, "Rudy, New York's Rock," Chicago Tribune, 9/24/01)

Washington Times Said That Giuliani Set A "Modern Benchmark for Leadership." "If it could be said that New York got any kind of a break on September 11, it came from the fact that Rudy Giuliani was mayor. His unbowed strength, steady calm and unstinting devotion to the city during this extraordinary crisis has set a modern benchmark for leadership – besides being of immeasurable comfort and aid to the citizens of New York and, indeed, the nation." (Editorial, "The Giuliani Effect," Washington Times, 11/9/01)

Daily News Called Giuliani "Our Tower" And "The Leader We Needed In Our Terrible Hour." "If ever a man had his destiny, Sept. 11 was Giuliani's. The twin towers lay in ruins, the mayor who had returned an "ungovernable" city to its rightful place as capital of the world had nearly perished. Yet here he was, our tower – solid, steady, the leader we needed in our terrible hour. Thank you, Rudy. We will never forget." (Editorial, "The Mayor's Finest Hour," Daily News, 12/27/01)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Only one will fight for a national catastrophe fund. And only one has a plan to lower rates and fix the insurance mess. Tested in crisis. Ready to lead. Rudy Giuliani. The only one for Florida."

Mayor Giuliani: "I'm Rudy Giuliani and I approve this message."

BACKGROUND:

MAYOR GIULIANI FULLY SUPPORTS THE NATIONAL CATASTROPHE FUND

Giuliani Supports Catastrophe Fund As A "Federal Backstop." "Giuliani supports one of the top priorities of Crist and other Florida leaders from both parties: creation of a national fund to help cover catastrophic loses from national disasters. The idea is to spread the risk and limit the liability of insurance companies so they can provide more affordable rates. 'You should have a federal backstop for once-in-a-century catastrophes, once-in-a-decade catastrophes, these horrible things that happen,' he said. He said beneficiaries and state and local governments need to absorb some risk. Noting New York's potential vulnerability to hurricanes and the West Coast's susceptibility to earthquakes, Giuliani said such a program would be good for other parts of the country as well as Florida." (Anthony Man, "Giuliani Visits Florida," South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/7/07)

Mayor Giuliani Fully Supports Creation Of National Catastrophic Insurance Fund. Mayor Giuliani: "Every community in America must be prepared for natural disasters and terrorist attacks, which is why I support the creation of a National Catastrophe Insurance Fund and why I have made ensuring that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters one of my 12 Commitments to the American People. … Right now, many people in states like Florida, California and Louisiana find it difficult to purchase insurance for catastrophic natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. It's right for the government to play a role in seeing that fair, equitable and affordable private insurance markets are open for all our citizens." (Rudy Giuliani For President, Press Release, 1/10/08)

"Former New York Mayor And GOP Presidential Hopeful Rudy Giuliani Stopped In Tallahassee On [4/4/07], Vowing To Support A National Catastrophe Fund …" (Joe Follick and Lloyd Dunkelberger, "Parliamentarianism Clogs Clarity Quest," The [Lakeland, FL] Ledger, 4/8/07)

"Giuliani Told Legislators While In Tallahassee That He Backs A National Catastrophe Fund To Bail Out States Hit By Disasters, Including Hurricanes, One Of The Top Federal Government Priorities Of Florida Leaders." (William March, "Giuliani Puts Democrats On Defensive," Tampa Tribune, 4/5/07)

Giuliani Said He Thought National Catastrophic Insurance Was A "Very Good Idea." QUESTION: "Can you share your thoughts on a national catastrophic insurance program?" GIULIANI: "I just talked to your Governor about that. Talked to your Governor about it many times. He's explained it to me in great detail. The Attorney General, when he was a candidate, when I supported him, I think it is a very good idea. I think it's a very good idea not just for Florida, it's a very good idea for the whole country. We all need it. You need it for hurricanes, California needs it for earthquakes, somebody else needs it for tornadoes. New York needs it for ice storms and for hurricanes. During the time I was the mayor, my governor, Governor Pataki, had to deal with two really catastrophic ice storms in northern New York. We sent him some help, he did a great job of doing it, but we need that help. The parts of the country that think it only helps Florida, I think are missing all the other natural catastrophes and disasters and maybe they are not hurricanes, but they are all the other things I mentioned." (Mayor Giuliani, Remarks To Florida Legislators, Tallahassee, FL, 4/4/07)

INSURANCE RATES RISING

"Since Katrina, The Rising Cost Of (Re)Insurance In Areas With A High Concentration Of Natural Disasters Like Florida Has Led The Public And Their Elected Representatives To Accuse The Industry Of Making Money From People's Misery (See Last Year's Record Profits)." (Mairi MacDonald, "US Cat: State Vs Private – Fed Up?" Reinsurance Magazine, 12/19/07)

"At The Heart Of The Debate Lies The Sunshine State, A State So Badly Affected By Katrina And Wilma In 2005 … The Subsequent Withdrawal Of Insurers From The Market …" (Mairi MacDonald, "US Cat: State Vs Private – Fed Up?" Reinsurance Magazine, 12/19/07)

Florida Insurance Rates Are High Due To Potential For Devastating Storms. "The difference was that the two worst storms, Category 5 hurricanes, struck south of the U.S. this year. Had those two storms hit Florida, the insurance industry might have been faced with the long-expected — and dreaded — storm season with $100 billion in damages. The possibility of such devastating storms will keep Florida's homeowners-insurance rates high." (Anika Myers Palm, "State Still Seen As Catastrophe Magnet," Orlando Sentinel, 11/30/07)

Tightening Credit Market Hurts Insurance Market. "Tightening credit-market conditions also could have been a problem if Florida had been struck by a catastrophic storm. If the state and insurers had needed to borrow money, the cost to borrow $1 billion would have been 12 percent higher in August than it would have been in January, [Robert Hartwig, president and chief economist of the New York-based Insurance Information Institute] said." (Anika Myers Palm, "State Still Seen As Catastrophe Magnet," Orlando Sentinel, 11/30/07)

Insurance Rates In Florida Are Expected To Rise Well Above National Average. "When it comes to homeowner insurance rates, the news still isn't pretty for Florida consumers. Bob Hartwig, chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry trade group, said Florida remains the most catastrophe-prone state because of its exposure to hurricanes. For homeowners, that means insurance rates in Florida are well above the national average and they're likely to go higher." (Beatrice E. Garcia, "Expect Insurance Rates To Rise, Expert Warns," The Miami Herald, 11/29/07)

NATIONAL CATASTROPHE FUND WILL REDUCE INSURNACE RATES

Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL): "A National Catastrophe Fund Would Not Only Lower Insurance Rates For Our Citizens, It Would Also Use Taxpayers Dollars In The Most Efficient Manner." (Gov. Charlie Crist, Op-Ed, "National Catastrophe Fund Needed Now," [Fort Lauderdale] Sun-Sentinel, 5/14/07)

"[A] National Catastrophe Fund Could Go A Long Way Toward Providing Incentives For More Insurers To Write Policies In Florida, Bringing Competition And The Promise Of Lower Rates Without Putting The State's Finances Any Further On The Hook." (Editorial, "Crist Lobbies Congress," [Fort Lauderdale] Sun-Sentinel, 2/28/07)

National Catastrophe Fund Would Lower Rates By Boosting Competition. "Lastly, the Legislature should strongly back creation by Congress of a national catastrophe fund, to protect insurers from enormous losses and boost rate-lowering competition." (Editorial, "D-Day For The Legislature," Florida Today, 3/5/06)