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RedditIt's bad enough that Mike Bloomberg jerry-rigged a third term for himself via the hapless city council--a maneuver not even Rudy Giuliani could pull off after 9/11--and has already spent $19 million in the middle of a recession on an re-election campaign where he's facing only nominal resistance from city comptroller Bill Thompson.
But now anybody who has the audacity to question the mayor's decision to handicap democracy is called a "disgrace." That's what happened to the New York Observer's Azi Paybarah at a press conference in Queens yesterday. Bloomberg mentioned how the New York economy was improving, which prompted Paybarah to ask Bloomberg if such a turnaround undermined his supposed rationale for running for mayor again--that only Bloomberg could handle the city's finances during an economic calamity. Watch the response:
This is not the first time that Bloomberg has jumped on a reporter for asking a perfectly legitimate question. Quite frankly, he's behaving more like an emperor or an autocrat than the humble public servant he claims to be.
I don't think Bloomberg's been a bad mayor. He's been good on some things and poor on others. The city has, by and large, flourished on his watch. A majority of New Yorkers remain satisfied with the job he's done. Yet the city feels a little like Singapore these days, well-run but ultimately sterile. The way Bloomberg's been buying elections contributes to that.
During the presidential election, it seemed as if New York, more than any other place, embodied the spirit of Obama. "Obamaism" was its own kind of religion here, New York's Kurt Andersen wrote. So it's a little sad how, just a few months later, we're witnessing a decline in democracy right in our own backyard.
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Doesn't the city council of NYC represents the city in which "A majority of New Yorkers remain satisfied with the job he's done."?
So, a reporter asked a pointed question, probably meant to perturb the mayor, and the mayor responds in kind.....little deal!
The best politician is usually the one that don't kiss ass to campaign donors......and free to do as HE thinks best, within the limits of a democracy and, in the present case, the leash the city council will give him/her!
Posted by Happy at 05/29/2009 @ 1:07pm
"A majority of New Yorkers remain satisfied with the job he's done."
Gotta go with HAPP on this one. That IS the primary qualifier for an elected official being re-elected.
Posted by Mask at 05/29/2009 @ 1:39pm
Multibillionaire Bloomberg has only one reason for buying an illegal 3rd NYC mayoral term ... and changing his registration back to GOP (his 3rd change of party in 9 years) ... he wants to buy the GOP presidential nomination in '12 & then the White House.
Watch out, Obama, the multibillionaire may be your biggest threat. He's certainly no one's ally but his own.
Posted by sloper at 05/29/2009 @ 2:25pm
Posted by sloper at 05/29/2009 @ 2:25pm
As usual, slope, your "analysis" is all wet.
NO WAY the Repub base, even if Bloomberg gave them $1000 a piece, is going to give him the nomination. They're chomping at the bit for a "real Reagan conservative"....Gingrich, Palin, etc.....and Bloomberg's history makes Giuliani look like Pat Robertson or Duncan Hunter.
Posted by Mask at 05/29/2009 @ 2:30pm
Like Ross Perot, Bloomberg believes his personal financial success ENTITLES him to rule over other people.
The obvious problem with this point of view is that it is entirely incompatible with the democratic ideals of this country that ENTITLE the public to rule over themselves by choosing leaders that do what the public demands.
Bloomberg has been great for those who share his real estate developer vision for the city; but what about the rest of the city - or does that even matter in Bloomberg's world?
Posted by Metteyya at 05/29/2009 @ 3:05pm
via the hapless city council...
the council was bought and paid for in this instance.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/29/2009 @ 3:07pm
While generally Bloomberg gets a positive rating, the two shocking things none of us will forget is (1) His outrageous support for a stadium in MNAHATTAN, and (2) His outrageous abandonement of NYC to go to support Israel during its genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. We will never forgive or forget that. The man is a barbarian.
Posted by mystic at 05/29/2009 @ 3:35pm
Anytime an article against Bloomberg surfaces, I just have to laugh.
Here we have a lifetime liberal Democrat who changed to liberal Republican simply to become Mayor of NY. He has never changed who he is and yet, liberals still find a way to criticize him as if he was a conservative.
Posted by antisocialist at 05/29/2009 @ 4:53pm
Why do voters always prefer the candidate most intelligent?
Ability to acquire wealth being in direct proportion to intelligence, and excessive wealth being absolute proof of a man void of integrity, comes now our gullible public to cook with anxiety over a crises of their own making and life to be stranger then fiction.
Posted by Alabama.John at 05/29/2009 @ 5:19pm
Yeah, a lifetime liberal who was the single largest contributor to the New York State Republican Party in the most recent elections, and donated the maximum possible as an individual to each and every of the NY State Republican campaigns. A man who personally brought the RNC to NYC in 2004 (he was pro Bush! in 2004!) and voted for John McCain in 2008.
He's liberal on some social issues like gun control and abortion rights, yet consistently favors privatizing social welfare and has allowed the economic interests of the city to be completely dominated by his peers and friends, the heads of the Finance, Investment and Real Estate industries that brought us the current mess.
He gets a pass by most of the city because those who vote in New York are predominantly white upper-middle class liberals to whom he caters his image toward and for whom he emphasizes quality-of-life issues while building more luxury condos for them to live in.
He is Giuliani with a friendlier face and he has gutted the working class of our city.
Posted by EH at 05/29/2009 @ 5:27pm
and has allowed the economic interests of the city to be completely dominated by his peers and friends, the heads of the Finance, Investment and Real Estate industries that brought us the current mess.
this was always so. check NYs history.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/29/2009 @ 6:09pm
"He has never changed who he is and yet, liberals still find a way to criticize him as if he was a conservative"
whenever antisocialist surfaces, i always have to laugh. another day, another brainless comment.
if you actually read the article, larry, you'd notice that, the writer approves overall of the mayor's performance.
what he actually was criticizing was something very specific.
are you opposed to people questioning the "liberal" mayor?
Posted by darladoon at 05/29/2009 @ 7:16pm
I don't live in NYC, and so I haven't paid much attention to NYC. I have always regarded Bloomberg's holding of the Mayor's office there as an example of how screwed up that city is - the office was simply bought by a billionaire mogul. It appears to be being bought by the mogul again. This is what you get with a city that is ridiculously over-present in American media and culture unimaginably wealthy moguls want to buy the city and/or its offices as trophies for their private collections.
I suspect NYC is way passed its heydey and its probably time for media and culture to pay attention to other American cities. It's a big country with a lot going on in it. Focusing on this admittedly large but otherwise random city as if it is the beginning and end of the entire universe is a bit silly.
Posted by syfriendly at 05/29/2009 @ 10:21pm
totally runs this city for the moneyed class and thinks that these are the only folks that matter... but like all the multimillion dollar execs who seemed like geniuses before the crash, his timing was just lucky and he happened to be at the wheel during flushest times in the cities history. those bonuses meant higher tax income, and cycle went round. completely out of touch with the street however, and lives in a bubble. attended a high priced benefit event for city organization and the man enters a room full of high level donors, totally exclusive, yet still surrounded by a cadre bodyguards so large that no one can see he is even there. they move with him, around him, like a single organism. one or two enter the circle for a few moments to exchange greetings as surrounding folks are boxed out like shaq grabbing a rebound against aron williams (that one's for the net fans).
Posted by manager910 at 05/29/2009 @ 10:43pm
......allowed the economic interests of the city to be completely dominated by his peers and friends, the heads of the Finance, Investment and Real Estate industries that brought us the current mess.
Posted by EH at 05/29/2009 @ 5:27pm
Excuse me, but what exactly is NYC known for, and for a darn long time? And where did its accumulated wealth came from? The energy industry, like Houston? Plane-making like Seattle? Transport hubs, like St. Louis or New Orleans? Music, like Memphis? Gambling, like Vegas?
Posted by Happy at 05/29/2009 @ 10:44pm
Posted by Happy at 05/29/2009 @ 10:44pm | ignore this person | warn this person
It's a playground for a handful of film celebrities, and otherwise a center of banking and finance Old Money and modern operations. Otherwise, NYC doesn't do much production economically. FYI, Seattle's "accumulated wealth" started in forest products, long before Boeing came to town. Boeing is in decline now, and the new money in Seattle accumulating is software money. At this point Seattle is probably better known for software than planes.
NYC, on the other hand, has Wall Street and "Saturday Night Live".
Posted by syfriendly at 05/29/2009 @ 10:51pm
For my part, I'd really like to see media and culture focus much more on the West Coast of the US, where the cities have been defining the future of the country both economically in terms of new economically huge technologies as well as culturally for quite some time. NYC doesn't actually do anything at all new. It has banking and finance and stock operations, and Saturday Night Live. The cutting edge of the country is on the other coast, a coast which is largely ignored. Everything from the large-scale internet through Pacific Rim cuisine emerged in the US from the West Coast. Wall Street didn't even have a large-scale internet IT backbone until Google was already becoming a household name.
Posted by syfriendly at 05/29/2009 @ 11:00pm
Isn't it true that any NY City Council member in their second term can now run for a third term as well? As for the first term Council members, they will have an opportunity to run for two more terms. So, there's more to it than City Council simply voting to change the regulation.
Also, changing a term limit law is a serious matter and Bloomberg should've answered the question. He seemed really arrogant.
If I was his opponent in the election, I would create an tv spot with a clip of the "You're a disgrace" quote; make it run in slo-motion, so it distorts his voice.
Posted by koroviev at 05/30/2009 @ 01:48am
The right wing often seems fond of using the word 'smug' to describe those who they perceive as left wing politicians. There is no one more smug than Bloomberg. The fact is that he is NOT the only person capable of managing the city at this, or any other, time.
This is the biggest problem with this whole issue. Bloomberg needs to go down in this election. New Yorkers, no strangers to smugness themselves, need to do the right thing and vote Mister Bloomberg out of office.
Posted by erazma at 05/30/2009 @ 07:03am
And be assured that if this immensely arrogant multibillionaire ever succeeds in buying the presidency, he wouldn't hesitate for a blink of an eye to sacrifice 2,500,000 US lives if that might ensure 250,000 Israelis could continue to occupy Palestine land. A small price to pay.
Posted by sloper at 05/30/2009 @ 07:33am
Posted by sloper at 05/30/2009 @ 07:33am
Again, slope...how does Bloomberg "buy" guys like Larry/antisoc's vote????
Posted by Mask at 05/30/2009 @ 10:56am
syfriendly, "the cutting edge of the country is on the West Coast"? We should all hope you're wrong. I certainly hope California isn't "defining the future of this country" as it is about to go bankrupt. New York City is the financial capital of the country. You obviously "don't live in NYC, and so I haven't paid much attention to NYC". Pacific Rim cuisine? No one even knows what that is. If you want to say that new technology has developed and is prospering on the West Coast, that's fine. But when you write "I suspect NYC is way passed its heydey and its probably time for media and culture to pay attention to other American cities" you show the depth of your ignorance. What cities are you even talking about? Portland? Seattle? What makes these cities such heavyweight contenders? They're nice but New York City remains one of the most popular cities in the world and for good reason.
Posted by fable104 at 05/30/2009 @ 11:34am
"During the presidential election, it seemed as if New York, more than any other place, embodied the spirit of Obama. "Obamaism" was its own kind of religion here, New York's Kurt Andersen wrote."
Thats the left coast for you, but here there is a different view;
A man is sitting in a bar far from home when Barack Obama comes on TV. The man looks at the TV and says, "Obama is a horse's ass."
Out of nowhere, a local jumps up and punches him in the face, knocking the first guy off his bar stool, then stomps out.
He gets up, rubbing his cheek and orders another beer.
Shortly after, Michelle Obama appears on the TV. He looks at the TV and says, "She is a horse's ass too!"
Out of nowhere, another local punches him on the other side of the face, knocking him off his bar stool again.
He gets back up and looks at the bartender, "I take it this is Obama country?"
"Nope." replies the bartender, "Horse country."
Posted by BigPasture at 05/30/2009 @ 12:18pm
california might be going bankrupt, but hollywood isn't.
neither is google or apple.
Posted by darladoon at 05/30/2009 @ 12:27pm
It's a playground for a handful of film celebrities, and otherwise a center of banking and finance Old Money and modern operations. Otherwise, NYC doesn't do much production economically.....
Posted by syfriendly at 05/29/2009 @ 10:51pm
If NYC is so inconsequential, why the trillions in bailouts.....since "NYC doesn't do much production economically" and thus, can't possibly affect THAT many jobs on Main Streets everywhere? Why did some of that TARP money end up w/Chrysler and GM?
NYC is no longer the giant among finance centers but it is still a giant among many (globally) and THE giant in the US.....I'd personally be very HAPPY to see some other American city replaces it as numero uno, but by no means, does that mean it does not deserve respect while it still is, the champ!
Posted by Happy at 05/30/2009 @ 3:08pm
I'd really like to see media and culture focus much more on the West Coast of the US, where the cities have been defining the future of the country both economically in terms of new economically huge technologies as well as culturally for quite some time......
Posted by syfriendly at 05/29/2009 @ 11:00pm
Let's look at what has the Left coast brought us in the recent past that are notable:
Starbucks - creator of tens of thousands of jobs for Barristas, great!
Google - Surely a useful tool for people doing REAL work based on need for information or expanding consumer knowledge; but, one can argue just as easily, it has quietly eliminated a hell of a lot of jobs to the point some, the MSM surely, consider it their mortal enemy.
Apple (its resurgence) - Makes great `toys' manufactured in China and some expensive computers, also in China.
DreamWorks Studio - Again, makes entertainment....useful but hardly a huge job generator or value-creators (except to its equity holders/owners).
Casinos (very, very fancy ones) - OK, they do created gobs of low-wage service jobs but unless you really think that more gambling revenues & profits to operators/owners are good things for the the country.....
The above is just a few things that popped up in my head.....tell me, is this the future you want to spread across the country? Can the whole country mimick what the Left Coast has brought us?
Posted by Happy at 05/30/2009 @ 3:23pm
And be assured that if this immensely arrogant multibillionaire ever succeeds in buying the presidency, he wouldn't hesitate for a blink of an eye to sacrifice 2,500,000 US lives if that might ensure 250,000 Israelis could continue to occupy Palestine land. A small price to pay. Posted by sloper at 05/30/2009 @ 07:33am | ignore this person | warn this person
this is complete bullshit. get a grip.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 5:00pm
This is the biggest problem with this whole issue. Bloomberg needs to go down in this election. New Yorkers, no strangers to smugness themselves, need to do the right thing and vote Mister Bloomberg out of office. Posted by erazma at 05/30/2009 @ 07:03am | ignore this person | warn this person
as much as I might wish for this, it ain't gonna happen, pal.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 5:02pm
where the cities have been defining the future of the country both economically in terms of new economically huge technologies as well as culturally for quite some time. NYC doesn't actually do anything at all new.
whatta crock. Sf and LA are provincial where art and culture are concerned. LA is merely a film company town, not much culture. Sf too offers a fraction of what NY does. you, Sir, are an ignoramus in this case.
yes, I have lived in NYC for over 40 years and have made my living in the culture biz.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 5:06pm
yes, I have lived in NYC for over 40 years and have made my living in the culture biz.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 5:06pm
NYC culture is vastly overrated.
Posted by antisocialist at 05/30/2009 @ 5:44pm
every politician "buys" the office he or she is seeking. the only difference is that Bloomberg uses his own money.
there is a misconception that because of this he is not beholden to other interests. nothing could be further from the truth. he is beholden to his class, and in this case to the financial community, in which he made his fortune.
it is worth noting that Bloomberg, the company, a media organization, did not see the bubble and the crash coming.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 5:47pm
one more, the world youth culture of hip hop and graffiti originated in NYC, and nowhere else.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 6:13pm
one more, the world youth culture of hip hop and graffiti originated in NYC, and nowhere else.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/30/2009 @ 6:13pm
And you're proud of that?
Posted by antisocialist at 05/30/2009 @ 6:17pm
"LA is merely a film company town, not much culture. "
Nonsense. For starters, most US TV production is centered in LA, as it began leaving NYC from the mid-fifties. Not much left in NY now.
Posted by sloper at 05/30/2009 @ 11:50pm
Posted by BigPasture at 05/30/2009 @ 12:18pm
When they have to start resurrecting old Clinton jokes...you know they've run out of material.
LOL
Posted by Mask at 05/31/2009 @ 07:16am
US TV production is the alpha and omega of culture? only in the mind of a ninculturni such as you.
culturally, LA is a vast wasteland.
don't write about what you don't know, OK?
Posted by emile duBois at 05/31/2009 @ 08:53am
TV production is a subcategory of the film industry. Many TV shows, for example are shot on film. the "talent" is the same, the technical people are the same.
you seem to wear your ignorance as a badge of distinction.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/31/2009 @ 08:56am
ok, Slope, here's where the rubber meets the road.
have you ever lived in NY, LA, SF? have you ever attended an opera in LA or a Shakespeare play in SF?
are there many books published in LA? how many museums in SF? NYC has at least 200 museums.
don't get me wrong, these are fine cities, even LA, which many people disparage.
Posted by emile duBois at 05/31/2009 @ 09:09am
duBois, don't be such an ass. I've lived & worked in all 3 cities, but mainly in NYC. your disparaging of CA CULTURAL CREATIVITY is ludicrous, seriously uninformed.
Posted by sloper at 05/31/2009 @ 09:55am
Bloomberg has lost sight of what democracy means. I can't believe anyone is naive enough to still believe the " he's too rich to be beholden to anyone" argument. He made a deal with his friend Jonathan N.Gray and gave him a no bid $75 million dollars to implement worthless standardized testing to quantify all of our kids instead of teaching him.Surprise, surprise Mr. Gray along with many other CEO's and real estate developers launched an expensive ad campaign in favor of a third term. It seems to me that he is beholden to all of them so we can just snip that ridiculous argument in the bud. The way he stamped down the reporter whose question was completely legitimate is an indication of how drunk on his own sh** he is. Bloomberg out in 09!1
Posted by max333 at 05/31/2009 @ 2:08pm
to Emile Dubois, I also want Bloomberg out of office , everyone I know does also, if we all believe we can't vote him out and decide not to vote he will have successfully bought his third term. At first people thought an Obama presidency was impossible but we made it happen just like we will unseat Bloomberg in 09
Posted by max333 at 05/31/2009 @ 2:12pm
At first people thought an Obama presidency was impossible but we made it happen just like we will unseat Bloomberg in 09 Posted by max333 at 05/31/2009 @ 2:12pm
Right on!
Because if too many of us stay home & the multibillionaire stays in, not only are average NYers screwed further, but we'll have to deal with him & his billions in '12 as well. His view of his entitlements knows no limits.
Posted by sloper at 05/31/2009 @ 3:30pm
NO WAY the Repub base ... is going to give him the nomination. They're chomping at the bit for a "real Reagan conservative"
Posted by Mask at 05/29/2009 @ 2:30pm
You got that right.
Posted by Darin_the_Big_Fat_Troll at 06/01/2009 @ 07:05am
Here we have a lifetime liberal Democrat who changed to liberal Republican simply to become Mayor of NY. He has never changed who he is and yet, liberals still find a way to criticize him as if he was a conservative.
Posted by antisocialist at 05/29/2009 @ 4:53pm
Another winner.
Posted by Darin_the_Big_Fat_Troll at 06/01/2009 @ 07:06am
Posted by sloper at 05/31/2009 @ 09:55am | ignore this person | warn this person
you are the ass, as it was you who disparaged NYC first. you have, as it is obvious, not a leg to stand on.
Posted by emile duBois at 06/01/2009 @ 08:14am
Posted by max333 at 05/31/2009 @ 2:12pm | ignore this person | warn this person
not gonna happen. remember,you cannot beat someone with no one. especially someone with very deep pockets.
Posted by emile duBois at 06/01/2009 @ 08:16am
It seems to me that arguments about what cities are culturally better would be more for the tourism business.
Once you actually live someplace, you don't go running out to the theater every night, or take in an opera or play, or go see a major league sports event.
Once in a while you might, but most of the time there aren't enough hours in the day. You have to go to work and if you have a family then you wind up doing the family oriented activities with the kids, etc.
Most places have plenty of culture for those that live there and only occasionally can partake of those activities, even a lot of small towns have theater groups and many people these days would rather go to a minor league ball game than spend over $100 to take a family to a major league game.
So I think arguments about where the better culture is are really moot - it all depends what you are interested in as far as what city or geographic area is better.
A city that has a lot going for it and hasn't been mentioned here is Minneapolis. There are a lot of parks and small lakes in the city and region for people to enjoy.
In defense of New York City, as a visitor I found that the people there are friendlier than the stereotype of them.
Posted by sjchermak at 06/01/2009 @ 10:42am
...as a visitor I found that the people there are friendlier than the stereotype of them.
Posted by sjchermak at 06/01/2009 @ 10:42am
Of course, just like you, when I visit, I don't find the folks catering to visitors, objectionable in the least. However, New Yorkers among themselves, aren't believed to be all that hospitable.....
A place that is heavy in black `culture', ethnic gangs, pursuit of money, closed liberal mindset.....can't possibly be the friendly `capital' of the country.
Posted by Happy at 06/01/2009 @ 11:05am
Happy,
I have to admit that someone else told me that too, that when you actually live there New Yorkers aren't friendly to each other.
So if I had to choose between the two, it seems Minneapolis would be the better choice.
Any city or town with a university of any size will have lots of liberals in the town, so one has to keep that in mind and be prepared to get into (and win) agruments with the local libs.
So I don't know where the ideal place would be, maybe Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or Charlotte, North Carolina.
Posted by sjchermak at 06/01/2009 @ 12:01pm