Last month, Fran Lebowitz psychoanalyzed Mayor Bloomberg for the NY Times, noting that Bloomberg's height has something to do with the man he is today. Lebowitz, who hates Bloomberg, explained:
I think it's very important that we don't ever have a mayor this rich or this short. The richness comes from the shortness, this is what I believe. I believe every single person suffers for what happens to boys on playgrounds. So I really believe that a short boy gets bullied by taller boys, or ignored by them, or doesn't have the same status as they do, they grow up, they get very rich, to kind of get back at these tall boys, and then everyone suffers for this. I like de Blasio for many reasons, but his height is very important.
Jon Stewart also noted that if de Blasio wins, there will be the "greatest incumbent-successor size discrepancy in the history of swearing-in ceremonies" and provided this visual:
So how much taller is de Blasio than Bloomberg? Well, de Blasio is 6'5" and the NY Times has reported, "Mr. Bloomberg’s height has been reported as being anywhere from 5-feet-6 (in news articles) to 5-feet-10 (on his driver’s license)." We haven't been able to locate any photographs of Bloomberg and de Blasio standing next to each other, so we found two images from the 2010 swearing-in ceremony and created the image at top for an approximation of the differential. The original images are below.
Bill de Blasio at the 2010 inauguration (Getty Images)
Mayor Bloomberg at the 2010 inauguration (Getty Images)
Now we just need to know how de Blasio looks in a pair of pleated khaki shorts and loafers with white socks!
