'09 Crowd Quiet on Lauder, Bloomberg
Two top mayoral contenders, Bill Thompson and Christine Quinn, were not available to comment this morning on the interview Ron Lauder just did with the Post. A spokesman for Thompson declined to comment, and a spokesman for Quinn said she was unavailable for comment [clarified].
Lauder told the paper he would support a one-time extension of term limits so Michael Bloomberg can be mayor again. Lauder, who nearly single-handedly brought term limits around, was considered a potential obstacle if Bloomberg did decide to run again.
I’m still waiting to hear back from a spokesman to Anthony Weiner; his campaign has previously said he’d run for mayor even if Bloomberg joined the race.
UPDATE: Weiner's spokesman John Collins emails to say, "Anthony is celebrating Rosh Hashanah but has said he is running for Mayor. He wants to offer a vision of how to fight for the middle class and those struggling to make it. Currently, Anthony is fighting for a congressional recovery plan that will help our City, our middle class, and our country in the midst of an economic battle. It is important we put that effort first for the City we all love."
Sure, let's extend terms limits one time because Mayor Mike has done a great job.
Apparently the institution is worthless but the man who runs it is priceless.
People just can't see that this isn't about limits and whether they should be three terms, two terms, whatever the right number is.
This is all about a PARTICULAR person, Bloomberg, who needs a political office to occupy before he takes another shot at national office.
So now that Lauder is on board, nothing is going to stop the elimination of term limits.
People just can't see that the institution itself is greater than the man who occupies it.
And who cares if it's two terms or three terms we're debating.
The whole issue is that Bloomberg needs a political office to occupy before taking another shot at national office four years from now.
This city suffered through 9/11 and we didn't repeal term limits because Rudy was the only one who could lead us out of that tragedy.
This country suffered through undeniable depression yet you didn't see elected leaders claim they were the only ones able to lead the country towards a brighter future.
WHY should we presume that Mike, with all of his financial abilities, is the ONLY ONE who can do the right job? The best job? The only acceptable job?
This is putting the person above the integrity of the institution. It's like saying you should have a shot at participating in the Olympics even if you don't meet age requirements because you're the best competitor out there to win the medal.
If one person is exempt from following the rules because only he can benefit the rest of us, what exactly has this country come to? Suspend rules, tradition and referendums, let's move straight to oligarchy. Serves the People of New York right.