Damn! Someone could have beaten Bloomberg!

[JackRiddler]

Incumbent. Billionaire. Owner of a huge and profitable media company with perfect positioning for exercising quiet influence. Business partner to all of the other major media. Biggest buyer of ad time on New York regional media in 2009 to date. Far more than $100 million in campaign spending, the final numbers have yet to be revealed. Celebrated falsely, but nearly unanimously by the media as the most competent, wonderful, green and really totally non-Republican mayor possible, savior of the schools, blah blah. Double-endorsed by pretty much the whole political establishment, including my lousy DINO City Councilman.

And he only won by 4 points.

I was thinking there could be a backlash, after New Yorkers got 20 pieces of Bloomberg campaign mail each (minimum). After we were forced to watch several hours of his commercials dating back to February (and that's assuming you're very fast on the remote control). After hearing 1,000 times that the eight-year incumbent was the new jazz and his challenger was only "politics as usual." After the blanket Bloomberg coverage on Internet ads for all of the last month. I got at least 20 Bloomberg calls, from robots and hired hands alike. The paid minions were all over the streets. (When they called, when I saw them passing out leaflets, I always made sure to tell them: "Hope you're being paid for this! Because you deserve a slice of that $100 million." And they would say, yes, of course.)

But I hadn't imagined 46 percent would actually vote against our new King, Slayer of the Term Limits. Not for the lifeless, listless Bill Thompson!

Clearly, Bloomberg could have been beaten, if only someone with better name recognition and marginal charisma had dared to give it a shot, had gotten over the paper tiger threat of being on the King's bad side.

Little Anthony Weiner must be kicking himself in the pants right now.

(Thanks to DU's DeSwiss for the great graphic!)

[fujiyama]

1. Surprisingly small win for him

Expected a bigger margin and easier victory. But I'm not familiar with how NYers view him.

[JackRiddler]

2. I think his campaign educated at least 46 percent into hating his billionaire guts.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. OTOH, small return for such a big investment.

He won, but it's really keeping status quo for $100 million.

[JackRiddler]

10. I think it only looks big to us.

Bloomberg's probably not looking at it as a business investment but as his artwork and ideal pursuit. He made his billions and wants to run the city as a canvas for his idea of utopia.

[JackRiddler]

11. But perhaps I am sorely mistaken, given how his wealth mushroomed in the last 10 years

Here is an excellent overview of Bloomberg's wealth and "philanthropy" ($235 million last year in gifts to groups, some of which he asked to endorse him)!

http://noticingnewyork.blogspot.com/2009/02/good-news-is-bad-news-thanks-lot-for.html

While Bloomberg’s giving seems to proportionately relate to his political goals, it is not necessarily proportionate to his wealth. It seems that giving up managerial control of your company (ostensibly), accepting a new job (mayor) at a salary of $1 per year and giving away money can be very beneficial to one’s wealth. Ten years ago Bloomberg began talking about being mayor and he has actually been mayor for the past 7 years. During that time his wealth has multiplied many times over, by about a factor of 10.

Ten years ago, in 1999, when Bloomberg was publicly toying with the idea of being mayor his net worth was reportedly $2 billion (See: Coming of Age At Bloomberg L.P.). While in office and receiving a nominal $1 a year salary he has become the richest resident of New York and the eighth richest American with an estimated wealth of $20 billion according to Forbes. In comparison, according to the same Forbes 2008 list, Donald Trump is reported to be dawdling along with a mere $3 billion net worth. (See: Bloomberg Shoots Up List Of Richest; Greenberg Off, by Jay Akasie, Special to the Sun September 18, 2008.)

Figures about Bloomberg’s Phenomenally Growing Wealth: As Mayor He Became the Richest New Yorker

The figures for Mr. Bloomberg’s increases in wealth are perhaps just a little bit fuzzy, mainly with respect to recent very substantial increases, and it also looks as if there may have been some misinformation that retroactively inflated statements of Bloomberg’s wealth pertaining to the time he first took office (which would make recent increases in his wealth while in office seem less dramatic).

Just months before the Forbes 2008 list was out, Bloomberg was putting his substantially increased wealth in a lower ballpark: $16.2 billion. (See: July 17, 2008, Bloomberg Stays Modest on His $16.2 Billion Worth, by Austin Bogues.) The Wall Street Journal was willing to quibble with the Forbes’ list estimation of Bloomberg’s wealth, speculating that Bloomberg may have paid a premium on the acquisition of Bloomberg stock from Merrill Lynch. (See: September 22, 2008, Why Mike Bloomberg Is (or Isn’t) Worth $20 Billion, Mayor Mike has soared to the No. 8 spot on the Forbes list of richest Americans.) The interesting political events of 2008 ought to provide fertile ground to speculate about how Bloomberg was valuing any “premium” he might have paid on acquiring all of the Bloomberg stock.

The New York Times has recently referred to Bloomberg’s wealth as being north of the $20 billion figure: “upward of $20 billion, according to the latest unofficial estimates of the value of the financial data and news business he founded.” (See: Rich as Mayor Is, New Yorkers Feel He Cares, by Sam Roberts, August 6, 2008.)

SNIP!

[aquart]

3. No shit, Sherlock.

That's EXACTLY what I want the New York State Democrats to feel.

But please don't mind if I keep Weiner exactly where he is right now. But my state party? I want them to feel sick in the gut. I know a placeholder taking-one-for-the-team candidate when I see one. How dare they not put up a fight for NEW YORK CITY??? No contest for mayor, no primary for senator, some democracy we got in New York all right.

[JackRiddler]

4. I have a feeling there won't be a primary for governor either...

Maybe someone will step up to take a whole 14% away from Cuomo after Paterson is forced to drop out.

To Democracy - we'll always remember her!

[JackRiddler]

5. kick - you'd think this would be of interest on election night?

[Raineyb]

6. I would have voted for the fucking village idiot before voting for Bloomberg.

I hate him. And he shouldn't be able to buy himself a third term especially after the votes twice voted for term limits.

Did mention that I hate that fucking prick?

[Hannah Bell]

7. fix is in.

[JackRiddler]

9. Yup.

[laylah]

12. Very stupid question time...

be gentle :evilgrin: how did he manage 3 terms? Just wondering. I know my deceased MIL is rolling in her grave at the bastardization of the rules (she was AFSCME for 40 years). Someone please educate me. Thanks in advance. :hug:

[JackRiddler]

13. He arranged to overturn the referenda results by way of a City Council vote.

This although he had been a big advocate of term limits, saying an attempt to overturn them would be disgraceful. He was right about the last part. It was easy to get, because they overturned their own term limits in the process! A whole bunch of Council members who had supported term limits suddenly saw the light. Someone should have mounted a legal challenge, I suppose, but no one did. Four of those who voted for the measure were primaried (in New York, only primaries seem to give any chance to unseat a Democratic incumbent). One fellow had already announced his candidacy for public advocate, so he got replaced too (and failed in the public advocate election). So at least there's some new blood on the council, for what it's worth.

[ddeclue]

14. Mayor Bill Clinton?

:rofl:

[JackRiddler]

15. I'll say it once more!

Damn! Someone could have and should have beaten Bloomberg! And contenders who had a better shot at it than Thompson declined to even try, intimidated by Bloomberg's money although his (predictable) overkill of spending (predictably) backfired, and scared of what he'd do to them if he won. Why are we stuck with such a useless herd of "viable" politicians?