Wednesday, November 4, 2009

They talk about a Republican civil war

but . . .

"Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s stunningly narrow re-election in New York was a moral defeat for the billionaire incumbent, and a profound embarrassment for a Democratic establishment – from the White House on down — that abandoned his rival, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, as a hopeless loser. Bloomberg’s meager five-point win left Democrats pondering what might have been if New York’s Democratic donors hadn’t turned their back on Thompson, if its politicians had worked for him, and most of all if President Barack Obama had offered anything more than the lamest words of praise. “Maybe one of those Corzine trips could have been better spent in New York. Who knows?" remarked New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, who weighed his own run for mayor, referring to the White House’s devout attention to the New Jersey contest. “Maybe Anthony Weiner should have manned-up and run against Michael Bloomberg,” shot back a White House official, who attributed the night’s results across the board to anti-incumbent fervor. The New York race deepened the impression that a White House that prides itself on resisting conventional political analysis had badly misjudged the key contests Tuesday — committing itself most heavily to a New Jersey election that Republican Chris Christie won handily, studiously avoiding a referendum to preserve same-sex marriage that was defeated in Maine and giving up too early in New York City."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29113.html

In one night, the White House managed to seriously embarrass the president in New Jersey, alienate New York progressives and tick off gay marriage equality advocates.

By the way, imagine the accusations of sexism and homophobia if a Republican "White House official" angrily told a leading New York progressive congressman that he should have "manned-up"? Is the White House accusing Weiner of being a woman (because the White House thinks women are weak and have no guts) or of being gay (ditto)?

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