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Fernando Ferrer gleefully accepted the Local 1199 (the biggest health care union) endorsement and invoked the tale of David and Goliath. Meaning Mayor Bloomberg is Goliath, a Goliath built of money. Ferrer also asked Bloomberg to not spend so much and "Come on out and go mano a mano with me." Gothamist is unsure whether or not Bloomberg would know what mano a mano is; Bloomberg seems to be all about the minions. The Times reports that the Mayor working on his Democrats-for-Bloomberg theme by distancing himself from the President in order to fight the surprisingly united Democratic party. Well, remember that Bloomberg was trailing Ferrer in earlier polls; in 2003, two-thirds of New Yorkers wanted another Mayor, when his approval rating was at 32%.
In post-primary matters, the Observer looks at the issue of City Council term limits; City Council Speaker and fourth-place primary finisher Gifford Miller might have been pushed to run for Mayor since he was finishing up his second term. Pros: You get new blood - it's not just powerful incumbents. Cons: It may take some Council Members eight years to figure out how to navigate the tricky NYC political waters.
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The healthcare workers union (1199) endorsing a Democrat is about as much news as the sun coming up in the morning and the sky being blue. They'll endorse any Democrat that runs, and they'll do so joyfully no matter what.
Also Ferrer needn't worry about money... All the union cronies will be out campaigning for him, "directing" voters, and so on, and they won't charge him a single nickel.
Bet on it.
Mano a mano, eh? Freddy wants a fistfight with the mayor?
vinny, do you think union efforts are 'directing voters' any more than a billionaire's highly polished ad campaign? do you think bloomberg's 'cronies' will be charging him?
i think bloomberg's billions actually make him much less beholden to special interest groups than other nyc politicians.
anyone? am i hallucinating?
also--though i vote democratic, and am mexican, ferrer strikes me as pompous and somewhat willing to bully people with the fact that he is latino. he does not strike me as a particularly strong leader, though he does seem to be an opportunistic one.
ferrer may be an convenient choice for democrats outside nyc, but i'm not sure he is the best choice for residents of nyc itself.
Hijiki:
Are you saying people who don't like Bloomberg are so stupid that they'll fall for a pretty picture even though they don't agree with him?
Last time Bloomberg was elected, I didn't see ANY "Bloomberg cronies" running around, but I bumped into plenty Green and Ferrer cronies scouring the city like roaches.
And for the last Gubernatorial election, everyone and their brother was out in force from every union campaigning against Pataki while I didn't see any Pataki cronies.
Democrats ALWAYS have the unions out hitting the pavement for them, particularly in this city.
As for ad campaigns deciding candidates, I think deep down people vote on issues or on parties, not on ad campaigns. Go back and re-read my comment, though. I wasn't talking about comparing money to ads, I was saying Ferrer wouldn't need as much of it because he'll get all the free manpower he can handle just like every other Democrat in this city gets.
"Are you saying people who don't like Bloomberg are so stupid that they'll fall for a pretty picture even though they don't agree with him?"
gee, was i saying that? or are you saying people who dislike ferrer are so stupid that they'll fall for union propaganda? i'm aware of who unions back and why. and who millionaires back and why. it's no secret that people look out for what they believe is their best interest. but it seems only your interests are valid?
re-read yourself, i was responding directly to your comment. let me spell it out. bloomberg has more money and he'll spend it on his ads (which i agree makes him less beholden to special interests). to get his message out, bloomberg can use mountains of money and the people. ferrer can use a little money and the people. there is equal access to people, but not to money. ferrer is asking for an even match.
you're a fool if you think ad campaigns don't have a massive effect on people's decision-making. there's a lot more than pretty pictures there.