Gillibrand Still Trying to Win Over Bloomberg

NY Times ^ | March 12, 2010 | RAYMOND HERNANDEZ and MICHAEL BARBARO

[neverdem]

WASHINGTON — He gripes about her in private conversations with his aides and her colleagues on Capitol Hill. He has yet to take up her invitation to sit down for dinner. And his political team is constantly shopping for potential candidates to oust her.

As New York experiences a tumultuous election season, one question is captivating political insiders: Why does Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg so dislike Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand?

It is more than a passing concern for Ms. Gillibrand, who is still working to win over New York voters, especially downstate. The mayor’s top political advisers, with Mr. Bloomberg’s tacit support, worked behind the scenes to assist her biggest potential Democratic rival, Harold E. Ford Jr., as he considered challenging her in the Democratic primary.

If that were not provocative enough, the mayor met with one possible Republican opponent, the billionaire Mortimer B. Zuckerman, to discuss his running, and his top political strategist sat down with another, Dan Senor, to talk about his potential campaign.

After Mr. Ford and Mr. Zuckerman decided not to run, Mr. Bloomberg — as if to taunt Ms. Gillibrand — declared that they both could probably have beaten her.

Such behavior has puzzled Ms. Gillibrand and...

--SNIP--

The mayor went to Ms. Gillibrand’s Washington office, prepared for a robust debate on gun issues. After all, Ms. Gillibrand, who had represented an upstate Congressional district, had long opposed gun restrictions, and the mayor was a leading advocate of them.

Instead, she offered to introduce an antigun bill, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting.

But rather than reassuring him, the offer aroused suspicion that Ms. Gillibrand lacked conviction, a grievous flaw in the eyes of a man who prides himself on his willingness to stand up for principles, whatever the political cost...

[Tex-Con-Man]

That's gotta be kinda awkward for Bloomberg and Gillibrand to have their tense relationship openly discussed in the New York Times.

[no dems]

she offered to introduce an antigun bill....But rather than reassuring him, the offer aroused suspicion that Ms. Gillibrand lacked conviction...

Really? A slime-ball Democrat lacking conviction? Who'd a thought it?

[campaignPete R-CT]

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjNjNmVkN2ZlODYzODQzNzExZmQ5YWVmNGM3MmMyYjU=

I hope somebody decides to get movin’ .... like real soon. If Pataki ain’t startin’, then with Dan Senor, I’m departin’.

[psjones]

But rather than reassuring him, the offer aroused suspicion that Ms. Gillibrand lacked conviction, a grievous flaw in the eyes of a man who prides himself on his willingness to stand up for principles, whatever the political cost... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> How many times has the mayor switched parties?

[JohnG45]

...that Ms. Gillibrand lacked conviction, a grievous flaw in the eyes of a man who prides himself on his willingness to stand up for principles, whatever the political cost...

What? Didn't Bloomberg switch political parties not once, but twice in order to further his own ambition?

And what about paying off the New York City Council to overturn the will of the people with respect to term limits so he could run again for Mayor?

It was reported in the New York Post that Bloomberg's girlfriend is now considering a run for the U.S. Senate.

[neverdem]

"It was reported in the New York Post that Bloomberg's girlfriend is now considering a run for the U.S. Senate."

Further in the article:

And in a development sure to rankle Ms. Gillibrand, Mr. Bloomberg’s longtime companion, Diana L. Taylor, a banking regulator, is said to have spoken to Republicans about running for Senate herself.

On Saturday morning, Ms. Taylor said in a statement that she was flattered by the speculation, "but I have no intention of running for the U.S. Senate."

[JohnLongIsland]

Kirsten Gillibrand = Van Jone’s lapdog

[9YearLurker]

We least like in others those flaws we have in ourselves.

[lowtaxsmallgov]

“It is more than a passing concern for Ms. Gillibrand, who is still working to win over New York voters, especially downstate.”

“especially downstate”? That’s a strange comment! She has problems statewide. Gillibrand has failed to convince downstaters she is liberal enough, but in the process of trying she has lost all credibility with more conservative upstaters. Now she is toxic to both. I really wish a legitimate candidate would come forward for the GOP (like Pataki) this seat is here for the taking.

It is unfortunate that David Paterson self-imploded, that eliminated Andrew Cuomo’s use for Harold Ford to take on Gillibrand in a primary.

(As a side note, I live in NY14 & NY20 - I worked on Sandy Treadwell’s NY20 campaign against Gillibrand in ‘08 and still have a Treadwell bumper sticker on my car. I’m lining up for Chris Gibson to blow out Scott Murphy in November)

NY20 Let’s support Col. Chris Gibson http://www.chrisgibsonforcongress.com/

[VampireStateNY]

Why does Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg so dislike Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand?
Autocrats like Nanny Bloomberg hate unpredictability - even from people who are working for the same goals. Had she acted the way he expected her to on the gun issue, things would have been quite different.