Yo, Rudy

Rudy Giuliani made a campaign swing through my hometown of Philadelphia the other day, stopping for an obligatory cheesesteak at Geno’s Steaks in the spiritual heart of South Philly. Geno’s, you’ll remember, grabbed international headlines when owner Joey Vento put a sign out front declaring “This is AMERICA: When Ordering ‘PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH.'” Vento became an instant hero on the right, and the Giuliani campaign wisely chose to embrace the controversial cook:

It’s hard to accuse Giuliani of pandering here, as the local lefties are inclined to do. First, any candidate having lunch at 9th and Passyunk runs the risk of alienating half the city. Loyalties there are divided between Geno’s and Pat’s, which is right across the street, and happens to make a far superior steak. Also, Giuliani ordered his steak wit provolone. America’s mayor may be cannier than John Kerry, who in 2004 stuck his Brahmin finger in the city’s collective eye when he ordered a steak wit swiss, but by opting for provolone instead of the city’s trademark wiz, Giuliani didn’t do himself any favors. Still, you have to figure that Giuliani, the Italian Stallion of the ’08 race, is going to have a lot of support in South Philly. As Vento told the crowd: