In New York They Just Hate Bush

Mind you, it was never about whether or not Michael Bloomberg would win, it was about how much he would win by.

From the Daily News.com:

It's one for the history books.

Mayor Bloomberg romped his way to a second term for mayor last night, crushing Democrat Fernando Ferrer 58.5% to 38.7% - the widest margin ever for a Republican mayor of New York.

With all precincts counted, Bloomberg had thrashed Ferrer by 19.8 percentage points - just eclipsing Fiorello LaGuardia's 1937 win and ensuring that a Republican holds the keys to City Hall for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term.

Before a cheering throng of supporters at Manhattan's Sheraton New York, Bloomberg declared not just a victory but a mandate for the results-oriented style he has used to drive down crime and improve city schools since 2001.

"I will continue to lead ... honestly and independently, by always putting people's interest ahead of the political interests and the special interests," said Bloomberg, who pays himself $1a year in salary. "That's why you hired me four years ago, andthat's why you rehired me tonight - and I'm not even asking for a raise."

Ferrer threw in the towel about an hour earlier in a brief phone call to the mayor.

"Thanks, Freddy. You're a gentleman to call," Bloomberg told the ex-Bronx borough president.

Soon after, Ferrer conceded at the nearby Waldorf-Astoria, telling supporters he was proud of a campaign that shined a light on the daily struggles faced by the city's poor.

But despite Ferrer's clarion call of "two cities" - a theme he used to convey the widening gap between rich and poor - voters clearly decided that Bloomberg had earned a second term.

Whatever.

Bloomberg won because he had way more loot to finance his campaign than Ferrer did, he's still living off the economic stability established by his predecessor Rudolph Giuliani and he was running against a boring candidate who has never really struck a chord with anyone outside his borough.

However, the size of Bloomberg's victory still displays the sanctimonious hatred New Yorkers have for President Bush. And the irony that NYC has now elected a Republican mayor for a 4th consecutive term speaks volume towards the hypocrisy of a city that the media keeps referring to as being largely Democratic.

In the last 2 presidential elections, New Yorkers overwhelmingly voted for, respectively, Al Gore and John Kerry . . . so much so that Bush didn't even bother to campaign here. And let's not forget the callous treatment Bush and the rest of the Republican bunch got from NYC when the Republicans held their national convention here last year.

Yet, when a desperate Democratic candidate who at very least had a valid platform needs their help, New Yorkers are nowhere to be found.