Double Standards

In Saturday's NY Times the paper reports on the efforts of Mayor Bloomberg to prop up the sagging fortunes of the Republican-controlled state senate. So much for the faux non-partisanship that was animating the make believe ballroom campaign of the mayor. As Liz commented: "The implications of this are mind-boggling. Bloomberg, who has quit both the Democratic and Republican parties, is risking his already strained relationship with Gov. Eliot Spitzer, whom the Senate GOP has been encouraging the mayor to challenge in 2010 (so far to no avail), to help the struggling majority in their fight-to-the death against Spitzer and his fellow Democrats."

But why would he do this? Liz puts her finger on the reason: "Or is he merely doing this out of loyalty for Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and his GOP conference, who have carried the mayor's water on numerous occasions in Albany? (That list is too long to tally in full, but just remember who sided with Bloomberg during the congestion pricing battle). Fixed." Remember Malcom Smith abandoned Bloomberg on the congestion tax issue.

Which is basically what we've been arguing all along: the mayor uses his own money to promote that uniquely special interest-his own. Remember Juan Gonzales' famous line: "But, as Juan Gonzales pointed out a while ago: "Our mayor claims he is a leader who can't be bought. Of course not-he's the one doing the buying."

Say what you want about congestion pricing, the one thing about the issue that's incontravertible is that it's wildly unpopular-supported mainly by special interest environmental elitists; and of course the mayor who knows best. The bottom line here? The mayor wants to restrict the ability of candidates to fund campaigns, and he wants to limit the power of lobbyists, money, and special interests. The only thing that remains unlimited is Mike Bloomberg's ability to do whatever he wants and spend whatever he wants. Which reminds us of the Giuliani slogan, "One city, one standard," a slogan which lead to the rejoinder-yeah, "the double standard."