Mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned in Hampton, NH, Sunday afternoon and ONE’s Marine Michael Castaldo made it to the town hall to make sure that he heard and saw the ONE Campaign.
Although Michael did not get a chance to ask his question, he told me that many people at the event were already aware of the ONE Campaign and our efforts to save lives around the world. Some even signed up for ONE from the ONE literature he passed out. In fact, one of Rudy’s top campaign advisors told me at the Winter Stroll that he had just talked with ONE advisor Jack Oliver and said how Jack is a great advocate for such a great organization.
Michael told me that after the event, it was very hard to get close to Rudy, but he saw Michael and made sure to go over and speak with him and take a photo with Michael in his ONE shirt.
In this election season, Republicans and Democrats are divided by party lines, and sometimes even divided by candidate campaigns…but no matter who you are, no matter who you support, everyone can agree that the ONE Campaign crosses all lines to make sure that the next president of the United States is a leader in the fight against global disease and extreme poverty.
Saturday night, the city of Nashua, NH, held a Winter Holiday Stroll that attracted many of the city’s residents (and a few presidential candidates) to the downtown area.
ONE member Brandon Laws hit Main Street just as Mayor Rudy Giuliani made his was down the stroll. Brandon was able to briefly talk with the mayor and let him know that as a member of the ONE Campaign, he thought it was very important for our nation to do everything we can to help save lives in Africa and end extreme poverty. Rudy thanked him and even posed for a quick picture.
Later, as we walked down the street, I was able to talk with Rudy and thank him for the answer he gave me a few weeks ago at a town hall meeting when he told the crowd that as we have the richest economy in the world the US must be a global leader in fighting malaria and AIDS in Africa, and said that we need to encourage more trade with Africa. Rudy told me that he really believes in our work and that the ONE Campaign “gets it.”
Rudy ran into a few more ONE members as he made his way that night. Even in cold New Hampshire, people are realizing that we can save lives in the poorest nations on earth, when we drop our party differences and unite as ONE.
Rudy Giuliani came to speak to Iowa State students on campus last week and was greeted by a crowd of over 400 – including several ONE supporters. Mr. Giuliani spoke for a while and then took questions from the audience. When I asked him what a Giuliani Administration would do to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, he said, “I would work very hard to continue the programs that President Bush has supported and increasing them.” Seeing my ONE T-shirt, he added, “You do great work!”
After the event, I got the chance to shake Mr. Giuliani’s hand and offered him a ONE wristband which he wore as he posed for a photo and continued to shake hands with the crowd!
Giuliani was questioned on whether he would renew PEPFAR, or the President’s Plan for Emergency AIDS Relief, which is due to expire in 2008….
“I would continue that and if necessary expand it and am very open to it,” Giuliani said. “I talked to the president about it a long time back. That is something I would very much support.”
“I would try to increase dramatically trade with Africa,” Giuliani said. “Because what we’re really trying to do is help Africa get to the point where the African countries can take care of this problem themselves.”
“There’s nothing better than to help to make people self-sufficient, and aid helps them get through crisis, but then trade helps them to self-sufficiency.”
Mayor Rudy Giuliani held a town hall meeting at St. Anselm’s college today in Manchester, so I caught up with a few ONE members sporting ONE shirts and ONE bands and headed over.
After a brief speech, Rudy opened it up to questions from the crowd and I was able to use my voice for the poorest people in the world. After noting the U.S.’s historic AIDS and Malaria initiative, I said that I think our nation is the greatest nation in the world, and that when we save lives, it proves it to the world. I then talked about how Bill Gates had recently asked all of the presidential candidates to support and expand the President’s Malaria Initiative and asked Rudy if he would continue that effort.
Even before I could finish my question, Rudy started by saying empathically “Of course! Of course!”, and was very anxious to tell me how he strongly supports US efforts in Africa!
He took his glasses off and said that everyone should realize what this administration has done to save lives in Africa, and the entire crowd clapped. Rudy complimented ONE for our work bringing Republicans and Democrats together as Americans, and went on to say that the US needs to be the number one leader in these global efforts, like fighting AIDS, because we are the richest economy in the world!
Then he said that the United States does a lot of trade with Europe, and that we are starting to do more trade with Latin America, but told the crowd that we need look to Africa and encourage more trade with African countries too.
After the event I tried to snap a few photos of ONE members with the Mayor but we were unable, so I got a great shot of ONE member and St. Anselm’s student Rachel in her Edun shirt!
Rudy Giuliani was at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct 17, holding a town hall meeting with more than 400 students and community members. Rudy spoke about his plans for healthcare and the economy and took questions from the crowd.
I was able to ask: “There are over 38 million people in the world living with HIV/AIDS, what is your plan to fight this global epidemic?”
Giuliani expressed interest in increasing funding to foreign nations for this battle. He then proceeded to mention the ONE Campaign, put on his glasses to see all the ONE shirts in the crowd, and recognized the ONE Campaign for doing good work and for having the power to bring Democrats and Republicans together to support a great common cause.
Saturday was a successful day for the ONE Campaign in Charleston, South Carolina where the Giuliani held an event at the Double Tree Hotel in the historic downtown district.
Within the 100-person audience, ONE members were present proudly displaying their ONE T-shirts. I was able to personally speak with Mayor Giuliani who stated “This is a great campaign. You are doing great work. Keep it up.” He also readily and eagerly accepted and put on a ONE band.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
