NYT: Even Among DemVoters, Poll Finds Ferrer Well Behind (Bloomberg)

[DeepModem Mom]

Even Among Democratic Voters, Poll Finds Ferrer Is Well Behind
By PATRICK D. HEALY
and MARJORIE CONNELLY
Published: October 28, 2005


Fernando Ferrer has failed to galvanize fellow Democrats behind his bid to unseat Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Nov. 8, and is trailing among liberals, blacks, women and most other demographic groups, according to the latest New York Times Poll.

More voters have an unfavorable impression of Mr. Ferrer than a favorable one, though 52 percent could not even offer an opinion of him, despite his decades in public life and two previous campaigns for mayor.

That stands in stark contrast to Mr. Bloomberg, the Republican incumbent, who enjoys his strongest approval rating ever in a Times poll, 67 percent, a gigantic shift upward from the 25 percent who approved of his handling of his job as mayor about two years ago.

By almost any measure, New Yorkers felt good about their mayor and his management of the city, with admirers citing his record on education and crime in particular. Sixty-three percent believe the city is heading in the right direction.

When the Times poll asked how registered voters would cast ballots if the election were held today, 52 percent supported Mr. Bloomberg and 29 percent favored Mr. Ferrer, with 15 percent undecided. Among likely voters, Mr. Bloomberg received 57 percent to 30 percent for Mr. Ferrer....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/28/nyregion/metrocampaigns/28york.html

[speedoo]

1. Ferrer has no shot.

Bloomberg has actually compiled a stronger mayoral performance than any NYC mayor in a long time. And Ferrer is a weak candidate.

[fearnobush]

2. Yes even this turn coat GOP mayer is more Liberal than the Dem.

As mayer, Bloomberg has endorsed Dem's. He was also Al Gore's # 1 corporate donor in 2000. That being said, he is still the Repuke candidate.

[KurtNYC]

6. Strong performance?!

Does NYC gets a fair share of anti-terror funding?
Is there not a hole in the ground still 4+ years after the WTC collapse?
Has Bloomberg addressed the outrageous MTA surplus? or the planned fare increases?
Didn't Bloomberg embarrass the Olympics Organizing committee with public offers of money and screw any chance he had of winning the (totally corrupt) Olympic Games?
Fire houses have been closed and response times are up.
Bloomberg panicked the city over a bogus threat 2 weeks ago.
Arrested 2600+ innocent people and held them without charges in a fire trap for 3 days while his RNC buddies were in town.
Continued the privatization of the city's park (take a look a Bryant Park this winter -- it is now an ad for Citibank)
Tried to sell $1 billion worth of public land to his buddies for only $100 million.
And now runs a racially divisive campaign pitting African Americans against hispanics.

Last week Bloomberg put his staffers into a restaurant that he used as a campaign stop. They gave interviews to the press without revealing that they work for Bloomie.

I guess I don't see what you do.

[calmblueocean]

3. I will never understand NYC.

They have such a strong Democratic base, and yet they keep electing these Republican mayors, which the RNC then trots out whenever it's convenient to pretend that they're an unbigoted big-tent party.

Both Giuliani and Bloomberg are RINOs, the majority of Republicans despise their position on the issues. If you believe that being gay is okay, if you're pro-choice, if you believe that taxes should be progressive instead of regressive, if you believe that all public schools should be well-funded... why would you want to align yourself with the Republican party? And why would you want to vote for someone who would?

[Hobarticus]

4. A NYC Republican is an odd creature, indeed...

Unfortunately, the national party doesn't want to hear what they have to say.

[WI_DEM]

5. Why can't the Dems elect a Mayor in the most democratic city

in the country (or one of them?) it's like MA always electing Rep. governors. Can't we come up with a decent candidate?

[AirAmFan]

7. IMO, Democrats past (eg Mark Green, Ed Koch) have tried to out-race-bait

Republicans, and succeeded! For all its veneer of sophistication, NYC is one of the most racist locations in the country. It's TOPS in police brutality against minorities. Was the NYPD realy shaken up after Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times for nothing? After the Abner Louima toilet-plunger incident in Brooklyn? Cops are still stopping tens of thousands of minority men for no reason, every year. "Terra" has tipped the city over into a police state for minority men.

Most of the city still consists of ethnic enclaves. Their residents are Democrats in name, but they are now hopelessly split along racial lines, into Hispanic Democrats, Black Democrats, and white ethnic Democrats. Many minorities may now think, better to have REAL Republicans than "Democrats" who are worse than Republicans. Maybe Republicans will keep the racist cops in check.