Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a humble civil servant famous for his regular Joe lifestyle and folksy demeanor, simply doesn't cotton to big shot D.C. politicians who look down their noses on small-town mayors. So it's no surprise that Bloomberg did not hit it off with that uppity Obama when they played golf on Martha's Vineyard in August. That no 'count Obama didn't even let Bloomberg drive the golf cart! So you can see why the mayor would tell Rupert Murdoch (another paragon of modesty), "I've never met in my life such an arrogant man."
During an interview with The Age (paywall), Murdoch recalled the story of Bloomberg's golf outing with Obama, and says Bloomberg told him "it was a pleasant day. In conversation he put a few ideas … He said it was like verbal ping pong." Can you believe the nerve of Obama, talking back to Bloomberg about his policy ideas instead of rushing back to Washington to implement them immediately? What a disgrace.
Bloomberg isn't exactly walking back his opinion of Obama. In a statement sent to City Room, City Hall said the mayor "remembers the conversation differently — as he has said many times, he believes all Americans should be rooting for the president to succeed." Even if he is an arrogant egomaniac who doesn't know his place? We're indeed a long way from the self-effacing leadership of George W. Bush.
