Chancellor Black Speaks

Cathie Black finally granted an interview to a reporter who doesn't work as gossip columnist at the Murdoch Post.

She spoke to Channel 7 on Friday and said she's not out of touch with ordinary New Yorkers:

"I did not grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. It's as simple that. I've been working steadily, supporting myself for 40 years," the media exec told Channel 7.

"I've had a successful career. It didn't land in my lap like a gift from God," she added. "Do I live well yes? But am I an empathetic person? Absolutely yes."

That's funny, because anybody who defends herself against criticism about her lack of credentials with the following quote really does seem OUT OF TOUCH:

"I feel fantastic," said Black in the Upper East Side. "I just went to a couple of parties and people said, "How wonderful. Thank you for doing this for the city.' And I feel great."

Yeah, that sounds pretty out of touch to me.

But you know, maybe she is in touch with ordinary New Yorkers.

I bet they clean her three houses, her cars, and her clothes for her.

That's kinda like being in touch, right?

Meanwhile Cathie with an "i" defends herself as an "empathetic" person while saying she's ready to make the "hard decisions" that are going to be necessary in the system now that Mayor Moneybags is calling for all these budget cuts and layoffs.

What she means is, she'll STILL going to be closing 56 schools across the city and laying off 8,000 teachers in June, but she's going to put a very sad face on when she makes those announcements.

How nice.

Save me the condescending jive, Cathie.

The only thing worse than having a dour Dickensian villain like Joel Klein laying off thousands of teachers and closing 50+ schools is having Cathie Black doing the same, only with some jive-ass empathetic look on her face that belies the cutthroat corporate predator she is on the inside.

Believe me, she didn't survive 40 years in the publishing business shutting down magazines and laying off people by being "empathetic."

She survived by being cold, calculated and ruthless.

We'll see more of the same from her as chancellor.