Bloomberg plans to seek re-election by rewriting term limit law.
Bloomberg plans to seek re-election by rewriting term limit law.
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly plans to announce that he will be seeking a third term, arguing that “the financial crisis unfolding in New York City demands his steady hand and proven business acumen.” The New York Times reports:
The move represents an about-face for Mr. Bloomberg, who has repeatedly said he supports term limits and once called an effort to revise the law “disgusting.” He will apparently try to do so through legislation in the City Council, rather than the ballot box.
Mr. Bloomberg’s gambit carries significant political risk. The city’s term limits law was passed twice by voters, in 1993 and 1996, and several polls show widespread popular support for keeping it in place. Under the plan Mr. Bloomberg has outlined to associates, those voters will have no say in the matter, raising the possibility of a backlash.
After 9/11, Rudy Giuliani also considered running for a third term, citing national security concerns. The Albany Project has more.
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It was scummy when Giuliani tried it, and it’s scummy now.
Be graceful, Bloomberg.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:43 pmGiuliani also wanted to postpone the election. It was much slimier. I’m a New Yorker, and I can tell you everyone will vote for Mike if we can.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:45 pmNo veep selection, Bloomy seeks title dictator for life of NY…
September 30th, 2008 at 3:45 pmGiulini didn’t want to run for a third term, he wanted to stay in office even after Bloomberg was inaugurated. At least Bloomberg is asking the voters to decide.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:45 pmIs Bloomberg suggesting that out of the millions of New York City residents, nobody else has a “steady hand and proven business acumen”?
Michael, you’ve done a good job cleaning up the mess that Rudy left. Go out with your head held high. Trying to change the rules so you can stick around looks pathetic and desperate, not statesmanlike. NYC will survive with the next mayor — it really will.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pmBush asked about doing the same thing, but his handlers just gave him another shot of tequila and put his binkie back in his mouth.
PEACE
September 30th, 2008 at 3:50 pmI’m still pissed at him for letting the GOP have their disgusting convention here in ‘04. Enough is enough.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:50 pmcynicalgirl Says:
At least Bloomberg is asking the voters to decide.
No he isn’t.
From the article above:
“He will apparently try to do so through legislation in the City Council, rather than the ballot box.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pmMr. Bloomberg’s gambit carries significant political risk. The city’s term limits law was passed twice by voters, in 1993 and 1996, and several polls show widespread popular support for keeping it in place.Under the plan Mr. Bloomberg has outlined to associates, those voters will have no say in the matter, raising the possibility of a backlash.”
Bloomberg and insider to the GOP knows what is happening and getting as much taxpayers money as possible, while waiting to us the new Democratic Administration to get more. It’s called Greed and Bloomberg is good at it. Notice how many times he’s jumped from Party to Party. Like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are part of the White House plan so is Bloodberg. The crooks are positioning themselves to get as much as possible while Americans are chasing their tails. Henry aka Hank Paulson was put in charge to carry out the plan of stealing as much as possible so when Obama took office he would be faced with a 15 Trillion dollar Debt. Yes while Americans were busy yelling about the bailout plan, Bush quickly gave 630 billion taxpayers dollars to the Federal Reserve even before the House vote took place. The plan is working as well as it has for the pass 7 years.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pmDisgustingly self-important!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:56 pmI’m a bit surprised. I wonder if he’s getting pressured by his Rethuglicans cronies to do this.
Even when he’s not mayor anymore, I’m sure he can still help with the financial mess in some other capacity.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:00 pmSpreading democracy over there so we can strangle it over here.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pmSounds like someone’s thinking they may need a steady paycheck for the next few years.
How’s that for “enlightened self-interes?”
September 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pmIsn’t that what tin-pot dictators do in Third World countries?
September 30th, 2008 at 4:11 pmTrump Duck ~ good news, for sure, but have you actually posted ANYTHING on topic today?
September 30th, 2008 at 4:11 pmSorry, my outrage level has been dangerously depleted over the last few weeks and I have to reserve what’s left for the presidental race.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:14 pmLook like I picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pmBobwurst Says:
Sorry, my outrage level has been dangerously depleted over the last few weeks and I have to reserve what’s left for the presidental race.
My outrage level peaked when Pelosi took Impeachment off the table, I have been running on pure cynicism since.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:20 pmPelosi works for the same people Cheney works for.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pmRepublicans, who need to change the election laws, are the luckiest Republicans in the world…
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pmPower hungry jerk, whiney and demanding.
The people decided (twice no less). Bloomberg, respect the the term limit law!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pmFirst off, he isn’t a republican anymore, he’s an Independent. And prior to 2000, he was a democrat. Second off, he only takes $1 a year in salary. I really don’t mind having him for another term. And I find term limits to be inherently undemocratic.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:27 pmMichael Bloomberg. Jude.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:29 pmI have to say, I think term limits are stupid and undemocratic, and do absolutely nothing to prevent corruption. They are nothing but a diversion from real campaign finance reform.
Having said that:
Bloomberg is now the rich man’s Hugo Chavez
September 30th, 2008 at 4:46 pmmiatch,
September 30th, 2008 at 4:50 pmTerm limits were put into place specifically because people could gain seats of power over a long period of time and by sheer influence, retain that seat of power… aka, a monarchy! Term limits were put into place to assist democracy.
miatch Says:
First off, he isn’t a republican anymore, he’s an Independent. And prior to 2000, he was a democrat. Second off, he only takes $1 a year in salary. I really don’t mind having him for another term. And I find term limits to be inherently undemocratic.
I left NY during Bloomberg’s second term, but I like him better than the other mayors I remember in my lifetime. I still have nightmares of Ed Koch and — even moreso – David Dinkins!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:55 pmIt’s good to be the king!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pmLooks like a game plan for King George He already has the law to use in place As I don my tinfoil hat and wonder “If didn’t plan on using it why bother slipping it in there at all”
September 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pmAnd this is the guy people were calling for to run for President?! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD idea folks.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pmCurious that he doesn’t want to go through the voters. Think they might revolt? Seriously, Bloomberg is ok…as far as you can throw his money…but what part of respect for the laws doesn’t he understand? And to use back-door channels to do it? Seems less independent and more of a Rovian Republican playbook type of play that I care to imagine.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:11 pmDemocrat, Independent, Republican. I guess whatever it takes to keep him OUT THERE. He’s got a fine political mind – for shifting his chameleon skin – before shit hits the fan. Good thing he doesn’t belong to the Republican Party anymore. Because this Captain of Industry with a lebbenty-gazillion dollars might be the focus of a lot of anger here in New York what with the stock market tanking and all…
September 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pmGeeDubs,
September 30th, 2008 at 5:14 pmI trust him as far as I can throw his money INTO the wind.
I don’t know much about him but, I always figured he was smart enough to realize that displaying contempt for the law is losing it’s popularity with voters.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:19 pmAs the old saying goes, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It hardly matters if Bloomberg is waiving his salary…when you have as much money as he has, power is far more alluring. But power also leads to another idea which is quite dangerous….that is, “I am the indispensible man/woman.” Hugo Chavez is basically in the very same philosophical space, but he’s called a “dictator.” Since Bloomberg wants the city council to write legislation to allow a third term, but doesn’t want the people to vote on it, I think that’s another troublesome sign.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:31 pmI have to agree that term limits are inherently undemocratic and ought to be removed, even from the Constitution. True Democracy requires that the voters have the option of having a particular person remain in any given office another term.
Having said that…
As mentioned earlier, the real problem is campaign finance reform. Too many wealthy and well-connected people have too much influence over the choices voters are given by the two major political parties. I’m not saying that all third party canidates are clean as a whistle, but you;re less likely to see the influence on them from the same sources that you see influence the major parties.
It doesn’t stop there. Voter registration laws must be made to protect voters, not shut them out. To require anyone to produce a government-issued ID obtainable only by paying a fee (even for something unrelated, such as a driver’s license) amounts to making them pay a Poll Tax, and that is expressly prohibited by the Constitution. (Read it, you’ll like it.)
But perhaps the most important thing we need is an informed electorate. We need for people we know to spread the word about what’s really going on with the elections. Tell people about the voter caging strategies being employed in Michigan to challenge voters, all of whom have had their homes foreclosed, on residency grounds. (The Republican Party previously promised a judge they would not engage in any more caging practices like this.) The Republican Party is doing everything it can to suppress voter turnout, while simultaneously lying about voter fraud where none exists.
Friends don’t let friends vote Republican. I’ll go away now. Good night.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:49 pmAs a New Yorker, I’d love to vote for someone besides Giuliani Jr. Just because Bloomberg isn’t a sociopath or flaming incompetent doesn’t make him a political savior. As nearly as I can tell, all he’s accomplished in eight years is failing to bring a bunch of stadiums no one but he and his rich friends wanted (the West Side stadium and the Olympics venues) and successfully bringing stadiums that no one but he and his rich friends wanted (the new Shea and Yankee stadiums).
September 30th, 2008 at 11:43 pmOh, and really developing NYC as a police and surveillance state where the Constitution is ignored in favor of, yes, Bloomie and his rich (and Republican) friends.
And Bloomberg is a Republican, not an independent. He dropped his Democratic Party membership because it would be easier to win office as a Repub.
I think term limits do not solve the problem of bureaucratic incompetence. It seems like a shortsighted tactic to clean the halls of government every four years. It also denies voters the benefits that come from qualified, experienced public servants.
This has nothing to do with Bloomberg’s reversal on the topic. If that bothers you, just vote for his opponent in 2009.
October 1st, 2008 at 7:32 pmJust like the cold war when everyone who didn’t agree with the U.S. was either a communist or a communist sympathizer. toki This poor crazy guy spent half a decade being tortured because a bunch
of stupid politicians araç sorgulama were sure the NVA
was in bed with the Russians (minimal help) and/or the Chinese (ancient enemy of the vietnamese). ssk sorgulama You would think he would have learned from others’
mistakes. Guess not. Republicans need an enemy. key ödemeleri This
century it apparently will be all Muslims, health all of whom must
be alQaeda operatives.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:58 pm