The As, Bs, Cs and Ds of this year’s mayoral race: talking about (Anthony) Weiner, (Anthony) Avella, (Anthony) Soprano, (Billy) Thompson, Michael (Bloomberg), (Barack) Obama, Hilary (Clinton), good old Charlie (Charles “Chucky Bee” Barron), and (Derek) Coleman.
Okay; it’s confession time: this column is dedicated to Norman Siegel -the ardent civil rights attorney and political activist. You see, I want Norman to scratch his head and figure out how I am going to write a column with a headline like this one (before he reads it). As they say in Espanol (Spanish): “vamos a ver (let’s see)”. Okay; so this is an inside joke meant for an esoteric group: go figure.
Anyway, as I watch this year’s mayoral race unfold I can’t help but feel that Anthony Weiner might have blown it. And if he doesn’t wake up on January 1st, 2010, as mayor of this naked city, then he has no one to blame but himself (and whoever the bonehead was that advised him to draw up that “punk play”: the one where he acted like he was afraid of tackling Michael Bloomberg in this year’s general election).
Okay; so let’s say Anthony Weiner was to miraculously (now) emerge as the standard bearer for the Democrats this November; and let’s say further, that he loses that race: so what. In the immortal words of former New York Nets basketball forward Derek Coleman: “whoop-dee-damn-doo”. Just give it your best shot and stop playing political-analyst extraordinaire. GEEZE. Enough already!
Many of us who want Mayor Bloomers gone – especially after his self serving term limits extension faux pas- believe that Anthony Weiner represented our best hopes of pulling off this feat. I say this despite the fact that I will vote for any of the democrats challenging for mayor: Bloomberg is not an option for me.
Let me go a lil further on this; about seventeen out of every twenty persons I have asked since October, say they are not voting for current mayor Michael Bloomberg. I must be traveling the wrong circuit, or hanging with the wrong crowds (according to most polls). Despite this prognostication more than half of them seem to think the mayor will win re-election. The media is programming them to reflexively say this with all these polls. I feel that Anthony Weiner blew the call on this one. Many new Yorkers see Michael Bloomberg as a ‘john’ who thinks he can buy all the “vajayjay” in the city (and that’s Mary Alice Miller’s word, not mine). Many New Yorkers don’t want to feel like a prostitute and/or a slave. They don’t want to feel like they could be bought and/or sold. Weiner’s political analysis neglected that fact. Michael Bloomberg’s candidacy is in serious trouble: ignore the polls.
Look; it has been quite a few weeks now since Anthony Weiner told us he would wait until the end of May, to announce whether or not he was going to be a candidate in this year’s mayoral race. As they say in politics: that’s yesterday’s news. But with each passing day, I get the feeling that something I wrote about (right here) before, is taking place in front of our disbelieving eyes. I get the feeling that the “Billy Thompson train” is leaving the station on its way to the democratic nomination. And even though I rarely find time now, to watch news reporter Dominic Carter -and his informative 7:00p.m. program “The Road to City Hall”- on the New York One cable television station; I am seeing enough daily endorsements for Billy, to make me feel like an anxious groom standing at the altar waiting for my bride (Tony) to show up. I don’t think she will be getting to the church on time folks; and I am expectedly disappointed.
Last Saturday, Congressman Charlie Rangel endorsed Billy Thompson for mayor; prior to this we had former mayor David Dinkins doing the same thing. Prior to that, we had Al Sharpton endorsing him. Add the Bronx Democratic Party machine to the mix, and see what I am saying. Look; Billy Thompson has many handlers, and one of them happen to be Bill Lynch Associates. I know those bad boys at BLA; they will trot out endorsement after endorsement on a daily basis. And they will do this all the way to the 15th of September. They will use them to milk mainstream-media’s tits like they were on a dairy cow. They are sitting on more endorsements from elected officials, unions and other prominent organizations folks; trust me on this one. Weiner’s possible candidacy is now in danger of being rendered DOA (dead on arrival).
From some obscure assembly member in the South Bronx, to some spineless council member in South Brooklyn, the BLA group and Billy’s other political consultants will take what they can get, and get what they shouldn’t take: all because both Tonys (Avella and Weiner) are letting them; all because Weiner gave them a big opening on the rail with his no-brainer.
And in the meantime, Anthony Weiner will be idly standing by watching the train roll on. In the meantime -the other Dem hopeful- Anthony Avella will be standing by, wondering why he can’t draw an inside card for a flush straight; knowing full well that the odds are way against his chances of doing that. In the meantime, Anthony Soprano (Gandolfini) will be standing on a Broadway stage, trying to win another Emmy; with that strange laugh/smile/grin on his face.
It’s May 19th folks; Anthony Weiner needs to put up or shut up: now. I watched him freeze up the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats a few weeks ago, but I knew his luck there wouldn’t last long. At that club’s endorsement meeting, they decided to put off endorsing a mayoral candidate. However, they did endorse Norman Siegel for Public Advocate. They also endorsed John Liu for City Comptroller that same night. Not too many political clubs would have postponed a decision on the mayoral race. Many of them are geting around to making hard decisions as to whom they will be endorsing, supporting and helping during prtition time. (BTW: I have special column on CBID that’s coming soon; so fasten your seatbelts folks).
It was foolish of Anthony Weiner to think that most elected officials all over these five boroughs would stand frozen while waiting for him to make his mind up. Most of these folks are very calculating. They are more pragmatic than idealistic, and Weiner has been in this game too long now, not to have figured that out.
So why am I so hard on Weiner? Well, I have felt for about four years now that he was the heir apparent to Fernando Ferrer. His performance in the last Dem mayoral primary (especially the debates), left me quite enthusiastic about the chance of having him become the first democratic mayor in sixteen years. Over the past four years, he has done very litle to change my mind on this estimation. He handled his congressional duties ably, and he spoke out on the term limits extension issue in such a passionate way that I envisioned him in the role as mayor.
Sure he made a few lil mistakes along the way, but that just proved that he was human; and I am not going to elaborate on those mistakes here for Bloomers (and his vultures) to pick on them. Weiner has a little bit of the Bronx in him: he is tough. He has a little bit of Queens in him: he is about middle class people. He has some Manhattan in him; he has a little style. He has a lil Staten Island in him: he could be snobbish, a lil arrogant sometimes, and he can piss you off too. He is definitely a Brooklynite: he is feisty like hell. In other words, he is a true native New Yorker. I think he will make a fine mayor.
Sure I wish Weiner had come aboard the Barack Obama train at the beginning of the primary season, but near every elected democrat in New York climbed aboard the Hilary Clinton bandwagon early; so I forgive him for that mistake. Do you remember that impressive press conference Hilary held in Albany? She must have had about 200 elected Dems stand up with her. Intimidation doesn’t always work folks; it doesn’t. And right now Michael Bloomberg is trying to intimidate his challengers, with all these television commercials flowing like a backed-up sewer.
That’s one of the many things that piss me off with NY electeds (and some ordinary citizens too): they tend to succumb to the herd-mentality syndrome. I am watching it happen as I run for the city council this year. I saw the avalanche of New York electeds falling down that Clinton slope, all believing that Hilary was going to steamroll her way to the nomination (and the presidency), and I knew they were just a bunch if cowards. Then when she was whipped, they all shamelessly came Barack way, as if they were always there and had never left. If they were paying closer attention to my columns they would have known better. Too many of them are disingenuous. Too many of them lack vision, imagination and creativity.
Look; I am sure that either Billy Thompson or Anthony Avella would make a fine mayor; it’s just that I think Weiner’s chances of defeating Bloomberg are much much better than either one: that’s all. And the main objective for democrats this year should be the defeat of the mayor of bloomers (at all costs). We have had too many back to back to back Republican mayors of this city, we need a change.
What wiener missed in his analysis was the extent to which the term limits reversal has hurt Bloomberg. I wrote a column about six months ago predicting that Bloomers will have a difficult time being re-elected. I still stand by that analysis. Why do you think he has spent 20 million dollars on his re-election effort so far: and it isn’t even Memorial Day? Why do you think he keeps mailing out to prime, double prime and triple prime voters on a regular basis? Why do you think he is already on the phones and even doing push-polling? It is all because his teams of high priced consultants know he is in mucho trouble; more than he personally wants to project.
Plus the Bloomberg-fatigue factor has set in. Why do you think he is running around so much lately? He has been in campaign mode for quite some time now. The problem for Bloomberg is buried in an economics theory called the law of diminishing returns. His potential for picking up new support diminishes with every new commercial; diminishes with every new dollar spent on advertising and the like. He has maxed out his name-recognition after a hard campaign, plus 71/2 years in office. His growth potential is almost zero now. Plus the recession doesn’t help. Look at his ads; see for yourself. It’s is a desperate team at work.
What’s contradictory about the ads on economic development is the fact that he has had the time -as mayor- to implement all these new ideas; why didn’t he? Do not think for one minute that his public relations machines are fooling hard core new Yorkers; they aren’t. Ask around; see how many people tell you they are voting for him. Sure, most are saying they think he will win, but many aren’t saying they will vote for him. So will it be a low turnout? I doubt it. I expect an Obama bounce: more than average turnout.
Look; there should be a law called political obscenity. And any politician who pollutes the air waves as frequently as Mr. Bloomers, should be prosecuted for political indecency. Once an opponent starts hitting back at his record etcetera (on the air waves) his poll numbers will drop precipitously. His wealth is the Viagra for his candidacy. It is a flaccid candidacy on aphrodisiacs. He is in big trouble and the Bloomberg team knows it. Don’t let the complicit New York Times, New York Post and Daily News fool you: this is a mayoralty that’s on its last legs. The newspapers are just aiding and abetting this affront to true democracy; this dishonest, illegal and immoral term extension. These editors should be ashamed of themselves.
You are probably wondering why I don’t think Billy Thompson’s chances of defeating Bloomberg are better than Anthony Wieners; right? Well it is because Billy lacks something that Charles Barron has: political charisma. Despite all of Barron’s warts (and there are many) he is an exciting speaker. He is also a candidate who stirs up passions (both good and bad). Billy Thompson is as exciting as a root canal appointment. A Bloomberg v. Thompson election will be as exciting as watching too very very obese people making love. Ugh!
Anthony Weiner needs to step to the damn plate. And he better hurry up.
Stay tuned in folks.