Bloomberg wins second term

Billionaire Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg stormed to a second term Tuesday with an overpowering victory over Democrat Fernando Ferrer -- the culmination of a campaign that will go down as the most expensive mayoral re-election in history.

With 32 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg had 216,223 votes, or 56 percent, compared with Ferrer's 160,423 votes, or 41 percent.
"We're all looking forward to another four years," supporter Richard Fogal said at Bloomberg's election night celebration.

Ferrer gathered his supporters at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, where his grandmother once earned a living working in the kitchen. He strode through the kitchen to meet the workers on Tuesday night, and said he felt "very close" to the people there. "Now it's time for the people to speak, and their verdict is always something that you accept," he said.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/politics/nyc-camp1108,0,5066156.story?coll=nyc-homepage-breakingheadlines

better than Fernando Ferrer.

Bloomberg as "man of the people" is sickeningly off the mark.

You know Bloombervg was a dem till 2001...he only switched so he can run.

Theres not much Republican about Bloomberg.

and the War and a thousand other Repuke values.

Republican rich are that way.

That's more than enough 'republican' in my book.

He's also donated over $300,000 to the GOP over the past 5 years. Again, that's plenty Republican and should be viewed as such.

It IS a pity, tho'.

He's a Big improvement over Guiliani, Dinkins, Koch. I don't know about Abe Beam.

He's pro-choice, pro gay rights.

If they talk a good game about personal choice and then promote fascists, as far as I'm concerned, they're fascists imho.

What are his economic views? Does he discourage corporatism? Is he in favor of unions? Does he believe in a fair living wage? I am genuinely asking these questions because I don't know his record.

If the answer to the above questions are no, then he is not a Democrat but a liberal Republican.

He's VERY pro-business, and doesn't do much more than lip-service for the lower classes. Pro-landlord (which means anti-tenant's rights), did nothing to stop the MTA from screwing the pooch, and tried (but fortunately failed) to let the NY Jets build a new stadium in Manhattan's west side, at taxpayer's expense. He's also trying the same thing in Brooklyn with the NJ Nets and a developer, Bruce Ratner (see http://www.developdontdestroy.org/). HUGE eminent domain issue.

Don't get me wrong - Bloomy is a good businessman, and knows how to keep a budget. He's socially liberal (like Giuliani - pro-choice, pro-gay rights) and not on the fascist side when it comes to crime and race relations (unlike Giuliani), but too pro-business/rich NYers for my tastes. As an example, to help shore up the city's deficit after 9/11, He levyed a WHOPPING property tax increase. That, of course, "trickled down" and the landlords passed the increase on to the renters (like myself). Then, once the budget was in better shape, earlier this (election) year, he gives the owners a rebate on the property tax....But do the renters get a rollback on their increased rent???

:rofl:

ummmm...no.

So, while Bloomberg is not a Republican in the Lott/Delay/Hastert mode, he still didn't get my vote. But when you spend $118 per person in advertising, canvassing, voter-awareness and PR spin, you can buy yourself just about any office you want.

I love the way Bloomberg has four cops on every corner searching ordinary citizens, rifling the contents of their shopping bags with their donut encrusted fingers, before being allowed to board a bus or train (of course the wealthy can take cabs or car services and not suffer the police patrol).

I love the way Bloomberg has allowed thousands of apartments to fall off the rent control rolls rather than ammending the law to help tenants.

I love the way Bloomberg is building a massive garbage dump at 91st St (taxpayer boondoggle too) in order to cut off Spanish Harlem from the rest of the city and pollute the projects at 94th St - and he claims it's social justice and is buying off environmentalists - a sick bastard he is. Just Love Him.

And I really loved being glared at by cops during the Republican Convention while strolling through Central Park.

And those fat check Bloomberg writes to the Republican Party, yeah I love them too.

He's just awful. But he has enough money to convince people that he's not awful. This simply makes him worse.

Bloomberg S U C K S.

Rich people like money. That's all I can figure.

You don't have to be rich but you have to be willing to accept a much lower standard of living.

He may be a liberal, but he's still a Rethug Bush supporter :boring:

I lived in NYC until earlier this year. For the first 3+ years of Bloomberg's term as mayor, everyone in the city loathed the man. There was not enough bad stuff that could be said about him. Then, when election year rolls around and the campaign ads start, the venom turns into love.

Idiots.

really low at one point? I thought they were in the high twenties....

Sounds like the Dems haven't really fielded any good candidates for mayor in recent years. Green seemed ok, but somewhat incapable of dealing with people. He didn't seem like a good politician. I recall watching a documentary on his campaign by his son on IFC (interesting film btw).

I love NYC and find the city's politics amusing, but I didn't really follow this election so I know nothing about Ferrer..

He had to spend $140 PER VOTE to beat a relatively unpopular Democrat whom many in his party didn't even support. I think the Shrub factor hurt Bloomberg big time! This was supposed to be a landslide but it was NOT!

But of course, we don't have e-voting in NYC....yet.

He won by the biggest margin of victory in the history of the city.