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Bloomberg Squeaker Embarrasses Obama, Dems
Many bemoan tepid support of Thompson
By Kevin Spak
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Posted Nov 4, 09 9:56 AM CST
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(Newser)
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No one thought Bill Thompson had a prayer against Michael Bloomberg—no one, that is, except voters. Bloomberg did indeed win yesterday, but it was a moral defeat for the mayor, who spent $90 million and won by just 5%. And it’s an even bigger embarrassment for Democrats, who are kicking themselves for writing Thompson off, reports Ben Smith. Obama, for example, offered an exceedingly tepid endorsement through a spokesman, who didn’t even mention Thompson’s name.
Backing Bloomberg, a popular nonpartisan figure, rather than a fellow black Democrat may have seemed like a smart political calculation, but it didn’t play well in New York. “Maybe one of those Corzine trips could have been better spent in New York. Who knows?” said New York Rep. Anthony Weiner. To which the White House responded, “Maybe Anthony Weiner should have manned-up and run against Michael Bloomberg.”