Howard Dean Backs Bloomberg Challenger

[cal04]

The national leader of the Democratic party threw his weight behind the underdog candidate hoping to oust Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Howard Deanand Fernando Ferrer campaigned together Tuesday in Manhattan, greeting passersby during evening rush hour. The one-time presidential candidate is the latest prominent Democrat to back Ferrer's attempt to unseat Bloomberg, whose $5 billion personal fortune funds his re-election bid. Others include former presidential candidate John Kerry, his running mate John Edwards, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, and Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), one of the city's most influential black politicians.

Dean said the Democratic National Committeewill do "whatever we have to do" to help Ferrer win. "Mayor Bloomberg is fortunate enough to be a billionaire, which puts him well out of touch with New Yorkers," Dean said. "Freddy's going to do this the old-fashioned way." A Marist College poll released Tuesday found that nearly 80 percent of respondents believe the mayor will win a second term. It also finds Bloomberg with a comfortable double-digit lead — 53 percent to 38 percent over Ferrer — even though Democrats in New York City outnumber Republicans five-to-one.

The Marist survey questioned 721 registered voters last week and has a 4 percent margin of error. It also shows the mayor's highest approval rating: 61 percent of voters believe Bloomberg is doing either an excellent or good job.
"Republicans have shown they can't run the country and Bloomberg is one of the largest supporters of Bush," Dean said. "I think the Democrats are going to come home."

The mayor on Tuesday dismissed the strategy to tie him to Bush as a desperate ploy because his accomplishments — lowering crime and improving schools — are impossible to attack. "If you're trying to run against that record, it's very hard to do, so maybe you would want to go out and look for something that has absolutely nothing to do with this election," he said

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBQKB4W4EE.html

[DLnyc]

1. What Bloomberg has done for me (NOT!)

Not hard to attack at all:

Some things Bloomberg has done:

During the buildup to the Iraq war, at a key time for Americans (along with others around the world) to express their opposition to BushCo's insane plans, Bloomberg (presumably under pressure from BushCo) inexplicably allowed the NY Police Department to deny permits, move the march away from the UN ("terrorist concerns"), change the march to a standing 'rally' and then insist that all 'rallyers' must be inside steel barricade 'pens' set up by police.

In 2004, invited the Repugnicans to have their convention in NYC (despite NY typically voting 70%-30% against Bush), and donated a large amount of cash to help pay for it. During the convention, Bloomberg's police illegally arrested large numbers of protestors and intentionally, and even more illegally, kept them incarcerated until after the convention was over.

Tried to rip off New Yorkers to the tune of a billion dollars to build a stadium for some politically connected friends (we stopped him on that one).

Decimated rent control and rent stabilization laws to the benefit of his landlord friends, at the expense of fixed-income and poor tenants.

Allowed mass transit to deteriorate while fares skyrocketed.

Generally watched out for the interests of the super-rich, at everyone else's expense.

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Another point: Mike Bloomberg owns Bloomberg Information Systems (outright), which is worth somewhere around $3 billion and includes a fairly powerful media outlet. Is it really healthy to mix private and public power in this way (see, for instance, Italy's Berlusconi). Also check out: BIS ties to Merril Lynch, implicated in Enron scandals.

Also, through BIS, Mike Bloomberg could probably trace quite easily and accurately any unusual options and/or futures trading right before 9/11. I wonder if he's ever done this? (Just curious)

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. You're far too analytical. Leave me alone. I intend....

to base my vote on the cozy image of Bloomberg fostered by his buds in the tabloid $$$ media and by his moronic 15 second TV spots.

You're making this far too difficult for me and , frankly, I resent it.