Ya really gotta love this piece! Straight out of the best crime novel ever written. The hard core prosecutor goes after a bunch of wise guys. All playing out right before our eyes today.
During the 1980s—the heyday of the flamboyant, headline-grabbing New York mafioso, including Carmine “The Snake” Persico, Tony “Ducks” Corallo, and Vinny “The Chin” Gigante—an ambitious federal prosecutor named Rudy Giuliani made his bones sending wise guys to lock-up on Rikers Island, and sometimes (when the witnesses survived and didn’t lose their memories) federal prison.
While everything seems dire, it can all be summed up with this:
Trump’s age, his impulsiveness, and the virulence and tenacity of his enemies (who still hold enormous power) all make the future precarious. But we may be encouraged by a line from The Godfather’s Don Corleone: “Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.” Trump still seems to be having fun, while his adversaries are becoming increasingly unhinged as their grip on power becomes more desperate. This is dangerous, in the same way that trapped yet vicious animal is a danger; and yet it’s also encouraging. The side that keeps its humor will most likely keep its wits.
Every little bit matters, because . . . it’s gonna be close.
From The Wise Guy Wisdom of the Trump Revolution - American Greatness