Campaign Finance Redux

The Times' editorial post-mortem on the election was curiously subdued. In fact, rather than focusing on the paper's belief that Bloomberg could become a great mayor the Times returns to its campaign finance theme, stating clearly that the mayor's potential greatness, get this!, will depend on his ability to reform the campaign system.

The Times has to be kidding. After doing all it could to pave the way for the mayor's overwhelming victory it now wants Bloomberg to be a campaign finance reformer. Talk about chutzpah! When Sam Jones, the great backcourt shooter, played for the Celtics in the 60's the team's announcer Johnny Most had a patented expression every time the ball left the hand of the deadeye Celtic shooter--"Too late!"

One would think that after the mayor had made a complete mockery of the system, and after the Times had ignored what was going on enough to lay the mantle of potential greatness on Bloomberg, it would have the decency to keep quiet on this issue in the aftermath of the utter evisceration of campaign reform by the free-spending billionaire.

The Times simply doesn't see that it is not only the "special interests" that pose a threat to democracy, but it is equally threatened by an individual who is able to, through the employment of unlimited wealth, shut out dissonant voices and define the terms of the campaign reality. Watch how the Times treats the mayor from now on. It promises to be a very interesting manifestation of buyer's remorse.