Billionaire Mayor Listens to Billionaire Citizen's Demands
Michael Bloomberg is very popular, has billions of dollars, and wants to change the city's term-limits law. Ron Lauder is not as well known, has billions of dollars and (basically) wants to preserve term limits.
So, why does Bloomberg to court Lauder, and acquiesce to Lauder's demands for a bizarre one-time-only change in the term limits law?
Some argue that the billionaire mayor is afraid of facing, for once, a well-financed challenge.
“I assume he went to Lauder because Lauder had enough money to launch a public campaign against him,” said ad man Jimmy Siegel. Lauder theoretically could “flood the airwaves and say ‘term limits are term limits.’”
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said the mayor’s courting of Lauder is expected.
“Billionaires talk to billionaires in a common language that you and I don’t understand,” Sheinkopf said. “Lauder could fund a challenge." And, he added, "By removing Lauder, you remove the potential source of money."
The level of sleaze, corruption by absolute power, and the unreal nature of campaign finance refor when dealing with the mega wealthy is all coming together in one ugly ball of gross waste product that Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and a bunch of her mutts, joined with the idiot savant, Holocaust era art stealer, not dealer, Ron Lauder are creating.
Mr. Mayor what a tangled web you are creating...promising Lauder first veto power then a seat (how many in total?) on the next charter revision commission to safeguard his two-term limit for city officials. Bloomberg is now saying he is only considering it because of the finanacial crisis - aha, gotcha, he was doing this months before Wall Street imploded and if that were his motivation, the place to help New York and America is from Washington, DC perhaps as the next Treasury Secretary or Czr of the bailout.
Quinn is looking for self-preservation. She can barely hold onto her speakership and Bloomberg is lobbying county leaders to protect her. Is that good government, Mr Lauder?
And Mr. Lauder...loses the primary to Giuiliani in 1989 and gets even by funding the term limits ballot initiative. That would be bad enough but then outfunds the 2nd time with $20 million versus less than $300,000 for the other side. It's the Bloomberg-Lauder style of democracy- outspend your opponents by a hundred fold.
That is democracy folks!!!