Wayne Barrett (a man no one can accuse of being a GOP Hatchet Man) has a disturbing piece in this Week's Village Voice on the disgusting relationship between Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor David Paterson, Princess Caroline, the NYC Dept. of Education, and the Democrat Party.
I was trying to find one money quote from this article and it's just chock full of them. Lowlights include:
- Michael Bloomberg as Monopolist; this one is funny because it's 1000% true:
Bloomberg made his fortune as the founder of a monopoly supplier of computerized corporate data. It should come as no surprise that he believes in monopoly politics as well—with him, of course, as the CEO, a post usually reserved for governors in New York's hierarchy. Should Paterson choose Kennedy, he is said to be considering signing up with Knickerbocker SKD, the political consultants already tied to Bloomberg, Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, and [NYC City Council Speaker] Christine Quinn, all of whom are up for re-election this year or next.
- The fact that Paterson caved to Michael Bloomberg's third term power grab to avoid facing Michael Bloomberg in the 2010 Governor's race:
The mayor announced his decision to introduce a City Council bill overturning term limits—scuttling the votes of 1.2 million New Yorkers in two plebiscites—on October 2, the morning after a largely unnoticed dinner at a Bronx restaurant attended by the mayor; his girlfriend, Diana Taylor; Paterson; and the governor's wife, Michelle....[I]f Paterson rejected Bloomberg's third-term ambitions, he ran the risk of facing Bloomberg himself in 2010, an implied threat that hung like a dark cloud over the governor during the term limits debate. No wonder Paterson told reporters that he would "love to have the mayor around" for four more years, though he was officially neutral on the Council bill.
- Michael Bloomberg's naked political opportunism:
The success of the mayor's coup has led, predictably, to an attempt at a second one—the installation of a Bloomberg-friendly U.S. Senator. Although Bloomberg had just spent the recent election season trying—in vain—to hold on to a GOP state senate majority, he and his advisers saw no reason why he couldn't insert himself almost immediately into the selection of the state's next Democratic senator....Bloomberg's ballyhooed switch to Independent in 2007 for a contemplated presidential run could prove a precursor to a 2009 reversion to the Democrat he was before he entered politics. His term limits play and the Kennedy campaign, if successful, will solidify his position for the 2009 election so much that it could force the two major Democratic contenders, Thompson and Congressman Anthony Weiner, out of the race.
- The fact that appointing Princess Caroline is Paterson's act of absolute submission to Michael Bloomberg:
Paterson's acquiescence on term limits convinced the Bloomberg camp to use Kennedy to seal their growing alliance with the governor as well....[T]hen, when Paterson delivered his State of the State address last week, there was Bloomberg sitting next to Paterson's wife and father, with the governor going on and on about obesity, trans fats, and junk foods—all Bloomberg hobbyhorses.
- Michael Bloomberg's Whore of a Top Political Consultant:
his consigliere, Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey—who shamelessly intends to draw his $196,574 public salary in [post Wall Street Collapse] 2009 even as he continues to act as the mayor's chief political adviser....The architect of Bloomberg's two-year presidential operation, Sheekey went on to take to task "the entire New York political establishment" for supporting Clinton and opposing Obama....Sheekey's attack on New York Democrats who supported Hillary Clinton (similarly, every Illinois Democrat backed Obama) is the sort of slapstick that would boomerang on any political operative measured by the wisdom of his words, rather than the depth of his candidate's wallet. But Sheekey, like Bloomberg, still gets master-of-the-universe stroking in the media.
- The degree to which Princess Caroline has prostituted herself to the Bloomberg Education Myth:
Because Kennedy's 22-month stint between 2002 and 2004 as [NYC Schools Chancellor Joel] Klein's chief executive of the newly created Office of Strategic Partnerships is the only job she's ever held—a (very) part-time, $1-a-year position—the chancellor is literally the only employer she can turn to for a recommendation letter....Both Klein and Kennedy also tried to hype her role at the Fund for Public Schools, a nonprofit set up to receive private donations to the system that is chaired by Klein. Kennedy has stretched her less-than-two-year DOE "job" into six years in her recent media interviews, without mentioning that she's counting the four years since she left the department only because she's continued to serve as one of two vice chairs of the Fund. The other vice chair, Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman, made a $1.5 million grant to the Fund, but Lara Holliday, the Fund's director, told the Voice that Kennedy, personally worth at least $100 million, "has not contributed financially" at all to the city schools.
In the words of my favorite good government organization in New York:
New York has an appointed State Comptroller, and an appointed Governor, both candidates for election. Do we need an appointed United States Senator seeking re-election, so that three unelected state-wide officials will be competing as incumbents?
Now what, prey tell, are my own thoughts on this topic?
1) Absolute Disgust - As I have mentioned before, all this politcal backscratching adds dramatically to cost of living. Seeing these politicians pull this stuff really makes my blood boil.
2) The Residual Power of the Drive By's - The only reason any of this is possible is because Michael Bloomberg, Joel Klein, and Princess Caroline are social friends with the drive by's. While I am also social friends with the drive by's, the difference is that they don't listen to me.
3) Michael Bloomberg as Monopolist - I'd never seen it expressed this way. It's completely true. Michael Bloomberg's entire career has been built on obtaining monopoly power and intimidating potential competitors.
4) Princess Caroline as A Golden Opportunity - This slime might provide us with a Joesph Cao Moment. After all, it's not like we have a known corruption fighter running for Governor or anything.
5) The Dems Aren't Ready to Govern - Governing is harder than being in the minority. The Dems are about to learn this.
Thoughts/Suggestions?
