More Bloomberg Blather

Yeterday, the NY Daily News' Adam Lisberg highlighted Mike Bloomberg's rhetorical flourishes-something that used to be called talkng out of both sides of your mouth until Mike bought the domain name and, in self service, retired the phrase from public use: "Mayor Bloomberg built his political reputation as the guy who speaks uncomfortable truths, but what happens to that reputation when the truth gets muddled? The issue arises after last week's closed-door meeting with the five Republican county chairs who could let him onto the party's ballot - or not>

The real confusion surrounded two fairly easy words to understand-support, and vote: "All five chairs told the Daily News that when Bloomberg talked about Republicans he supported, he brought up John McCain. (And a top McCain source tells the Daily News' Tom DeFrank that Bloomberg personally assured him he was a supporter, despite being publicly neutral.) Yet when the mayor walked outside, he told reporters they talked about President Obama. And the next day, he denied ever saying he supported McCain. "I didn't say that at all. I've never said who I voted for," Bloomberg responded. "I did say that John McCain is a friend of mine. He campaigned for me in 2001, and I've always respected him. ... But I certainly did not say who I supported, nor will I."

Now it takes a well-paid campaign guru to demystify this: "But his public walk-back soured some of those good feelings - since he was the only one who ever mentioned Obama.
"He hurt himself more with the Obama issue," a third chair said. "Why would we have waited all that time to meet with him, and then talked about Obama?" Bloomberg's campaign spokesman, Howard Wolfson, said the mayor never misled the chairs about McCain. "He has supported John McCain. That's a little different than him saying he supported him for President," Wolfson said. "He is a Republican that Mike Bloomberg supported."

So, once again, the mayor's allegiance to the straight talk express has gotten derailed; and his support and vote for George Bush is exiled-in 1984 fashion-to the refuse bin of expurgated history. And the man for all reasons emerges to face the voters; born again in newly purchased garb.