Bloomberg

Moskowitz, Frequent Bloomberg Critic, Endorses Him
Profile of the Incumbent: Bloomberg Lives By Statistics And Gives Aides A Free Hand
Ferrer Returns to "Two New Yorks" Theme as Bloomberg Picks up More Endorsements
Consultants Consider How Ferrer Can Rebound

My early blog entries have all been based on tribal instinct, and that is important. (Ferrer Can) Party loyalty is important. But I am capable of objectively looking at the other guy. For one, I did not know the longest time that Bloomberg did not inherit his fortune. He made it. I respect entrepreneurs. That new fact made me take a second look at the guy.

The lives-by-statistics article is a good one on Bloomberg. Some things in there that look good on him are: (1) the open house setup of his office that broke with 190 years of history, (2) his being driven by objectivity and numbers, (3) his delegation style, (4) his refreshing criticisms of the working of the political world ("too much horse trading"), (5) his respecting his own privacy: I admire his not telling the media where he goes for his weekends, and (6) his attempts to heal racial wounds.

That last one is key. Looks like all he had to do was shake Al Sharpton's hands early on! That is news to me. Guliani apparently would not have done such a thing. Looks like where politics touches race is kind of surface. But then that is whole another topic. Although Sharpton is an important man, and his hand has to be shaken, my idea of working on race relations goes way beyond shaking anyone's hand. It has to be policy talk. One that comes to my mind is community outreach programs by the police department so as to bridge the trust gap between the department and the immigrant communities.

So Bloomberg is a self-made billionaire who has a proven management style who pays for his own campaign and so is not beholden to interest groups, and he is largely socially progressive in his personal capacity. That last part really seems to work for him. The voters seem to feel a direct connection to him. I mean, if the guy is leading among blacks.

If I could vote, who would I vote for? That's easy. Ferrer. It is called party loyalty. I do think Ferrer still has a chance. But it is uphill. He needs to come fighting.

I think the biggest hole is he is not talking about his executive experience as Bronx Borough President. He has to be able to say his management style is better. Policy talk alone will not help. Some lines to say:

"Bloomberg lives by numbers. That is great. I want to live by numbers and people both."

"Bloomberg has an open house office for his senior staff. I want to have that and an open house approach to the people of New York. I will hold regular town hall meetings, one a month, for my entire term."

"Bloomberg is a self-made billionaire, and I admire that. But most people who worked for him and helped him make his fortune were products of public schools. Bloomberg should be ashamed of the dropout rate in the city's public schools."

"You want a mayor, not a CEO. What do people mean when they say Bloomberg is not beholden to any interest groups? You have to be beholden to the people of the city, as a whole and their many organized groups. You have to be responsive. I believe Bloomberg is distant."

"You don't see me on TV that often, because I don't have $100 million of my own to spend on ads. But if you get swayed by 30 second beauty ads that show you the city skyline and ask you to vote for Bloomberg, I am not your man. Do not vote for me. I am the message man. I invite you to intellgent conversations on issues."

"Crime rates are down. Good job, Bloomberg. But what are your plans for the next four years?"

"Do you promise not to revive the stadium plan?"

"Do you promise not to raise taxes, and to not break your promise to not raise taxes?"

"Where do you stand on Amadou Diallo?"

"Do you think George W. has been good or bad for posterity?"

Another big mismatch is it is Ferrer and his $1 million versus Bloomberg and $100 million, something of that sort. Bloomberg has basically blanketed the media. I tried suggesting countering that through email viral marketing techniques that would not cost a dime but would really reach voters if done right: you only get emails from people you personally know. But the idea has not been picked up.

For now it does feel like a Bloomberg shoo-in. But then the fun is in watching, in following the race, regardless of which way it goes. Unless Ferrer were to do something dramatic. Get more aggressive. It is possible for the race to tighten up over the next few weeks.

We will see how it goes. I mean, it does not look good that not even the Democrat President of Bronx has endorsed Ferrer. What's up with that?