Rudy was undoubtedly catapulted into nearly universal favor immediately following 9/11 and like someone said, if he just chilled quietly in the background a lot of the country would still remember him as "America's Mayor"

Time named his Person of the Year in 2001. This dude was doing *something* right, whether it was deserved or whether he was pulling the wool over people's eyes, the point still stands, his reputation has taken a DRASTIC nosedive, especially this last decade.