The year it unfolded, 2008, brought two political shocks that altered the course of both of their careers. Mr. Bloomberg, after flirting with a presidential candidacy as an independent, realized that the White House would never be his and turned his gaze back to New York City. Ms. Quinn, a Democrat who was the first woman to be Council speaker and who was just building a name beyond her West Village district, faced a federal inquiry into her office’s oversight of millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money.Mr. Bloomberg’s needs drove what happened next. After the mayor decided he wanted another four years in City Hall, his aides expected Ms. Quinn to get it done, treating her almost as an afterthought. They assured Mr. Bloomberg, aides said in interviews, that she would abandon her own plan to run for mayor in 2009 and push through legislation allowing elected officials to serve 12 consecutive years, instead of 8.When the mayor first spoke with Ms. Quinn about his designs on a third term, during a phone call in the fall of 2008, it was to tell her of his decision to rewrite the law, not to seek her blessing beforehand, she said in an interview last week.Ms. Quinn did not object. Asked about her reply to the mayor, she said, “I didn’t have much of one.”
The rest of the article details how Quinn twisted arms and cajoled votes by threatening members or bribing them with committee assignments.
That LBJ stuff is quintessential Quinn, getting what she wants by being the old school Irish political boss she is.
But even with all that, the feeling I was left with after reading the article is, she had no choice to do anything other than what the mayor wanted her to do.
She was of no consequence to his decision to overturn term limits, even as he had kept her from overturning them a few years before when he had threatened a veto.
She's running as some powerful political figure, the can-do candidate who can get things done.
But this Times article makes her seem diminished and a doormat for Bloomberg.
Not exactly a great selling point in the Democratic primary.
Who could claim that this story surprises anyone. However, if the council speaker was really from the Irish political tradition, she would have told his honor to place his command where the sun does not shine.
ReplyDeleteOr gotten more for her sell-out from Hizzoner. She's a second rate Irish boss. A real one would have made the term limit betrayal worth it.
DeleteJust read the Times article on Quinn and term limits. Bloomberg appears even more despicable than ever before. The article exposes the reality of the unbridled power and use of his aides to crush any political opposition in his bid to over turn term limits and portrays the speaker as a lap dog who will do the mayor's bidding for her own needs. The final nail in the Quinn campaign?
ReplyDeleteDN has a term limits story out too - seems they've taken a break from their anti-de Blasio coverage.
DeleteYeah, I think she's done. Many people despise her - it's difficult for her to put together a coalition that gets her a wain in a runoff.
The great ed wonk Diane Ravitch has come out with an endorsement of Bill deBlasio.
ReplyDeletehttp://dianeravitch.net/2013/08/27/why-i-endorse-bill-de-blasio-for-mayor-of-new-york-city/
Yes, he's taken some buck$ from real estate. (& Quinn and Thompson are worse on these issues.) But on issues of fighting hospital closures (in face of real estate vultures) and making charter schools pay rent and being honest on stop and frisk before some other politicians found it was the popular thing to do,
I'll take Bill deBlasio over Tisch/Thompson or Quinn any day.
I agree, Geo. I agree.
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