By Brian Lockhart
Campaigning for a U.S. Senate race that he has not formally entered, Mayor Rudy Giuliani stopped in Flushing for a little more than an hour last Thursday to meet and greet a host of Korean-Americans who braved the snows to attend a $500-a-plate fund-raiser for hizzoner.
“I really respect the fact you came here tonight on such a difficult night,” Giuliani told the dozens of diners gathered at Kum Gang San Restaurant on Northern Boulevard as he concluded a speech that focused heavily on how the city has improved under his administration and criticized the Clinton White House's military and foreign policies.
For months, Giuliani and First Lady Hillary Clinton have done everything to indicate they are fierce opponents in the race for the seat held by retiring U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan – everything except actually declare they are candidates.
The dinner was organized by a number of prominent Asian-American doctors and businessman who live or work in Flushing, including Daniel Kim, Dr. Alan Pahng, Jay Oh, Yong Hoon Kim, Charles Khym, Alex Kim, Elizabeth Se Nam, Jefferey Kim and Paul Hwang.
The dinner raised more than $65,000 for Giuliani's campaign.
The evening, which began with Giuliani's arrival around 6:45 p.m., was kicked off with a performance of a traditional Korean dance, followed by speakers Pahng and Dr. Dov Berkowitz, another dinner organizer.
“In Korea, if it rains or snows at such events it is considered good luck,” said Pahng, noting Giuliani's tactics are criticized but that he gets things done.
“Look at his record, look at his accomplishments,” said Berkowitz, who recommended that Giuliani be called “the turnaround mayor” for improving the city's quality of life after succeeding David Dinkins in 1994.
Berkowitz also took the opportunity to remind the audience of the controversy that resulted from Hillary Clinton's kissing Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat's wife on the cheek after she made anti-Semitic comments.
“Hillary Clinton is busy pandering to the likes of Al Sharpton,” Berkowitz said. “Need I say more?”
The mayor did not acknowledge Berkowitz's comments about the first lady in his speech but agreed that New York City “was a very different place seven or eight years ago.” He said that fact was most recently noted by Time magazine, which in 1990 had a cover story about “the Rotting Apple” and earlier this month, featured New York as the millennium city.
“We're leading the United States not only in crime and welfare reduction but in job production,” he said.
The mayor lauded the city's immigrant communities, and Flushing's Korean-Americans in particular, as a key to the city's success.
He said the city is constantly renewed by hardworking immigrants who sometimes understand better than longtime residents that America is a country “that does not entitle you to anything but fairness and gives you nothing but opportunity.”
Giuliani said Flushing's Korean Americans “have accomplished a tremendous amount” and will continue to do so.
“I believe in you, I believe in people, I believe in private enterprise,” Giuliani said.
He attacked President Clinton's military and foreign policies, saying they had been weakened by the current administration.
Giuliani also said “this administration is guided very much by public opinion polls and not leadership.”
The mayor said he had an advantage over Hillary Clinton, who he contended supported “large, large government agencies to control health care and the economy,” not only because he is a New York native but mainly because of his record.
“People know what I'm going to do if I become a U.S. senator,” Giuliani said.
John Liu, a Flushing civic leader and City Council candidate, said it was important for Giuliani and political candidates in general to visit the area and court its Asian American community because it is a vital part of the city and one of New York's great success stories.
“Fifteen to 20 years ago, Flushing was a ghost town and now with all the new immigrants bringing investment and capital and energy into the area, the place is completely revitalized,” Liu said.
“Where else outside of Manhattan do you see such a concentration of banks, insurance companies, brokerages as well as the mom-and-pop stores, groceries and restaurants.”
Liu said in particular many Korean Americans in the area are registered as Republicans because in the past three years Korean-American City Council candidates have run on the Republican line.
