[LINK BELOW OF PHOTOS TAKEN BY SHIMON GIFTER FOR YWN AT THOMPSON HEADQUARTERS]
The most nagging question among Bill Thompson’s supporters on Wednesday is this: What if fellow Democrats had actually backed – rather than abandoned – him?
In the end, despite polls showing him trailing by 18 points in the final days of the campaign, Thompson lost to Mayor Bloomberg and his $100 million campaign by a mere 5 points.
So what if?
What if President Obama – instead of delivering a squishy, nonendorsement-endorsement of Thompson, after his press secretary couldn’t even come up with Thompson’s name – had stumped for the man?
“There are a number of people around Bill who felt that he was let down and that, yes, it could have helped if President Obama had campaigned with him,” one senior Thompson adviser said last night. “But that’s not who Bill Thompson is. He has not been bitter.”
Bitter or not, the question remains.
What if Vice President Biden, in town Monday to raise money for other Democrats, had taken 10 minutes to say something nice about the controller?
What if City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, instead of sitting on her hands for months, used the power of her purse strings to rustle up some support for Thompson?
What if the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was happy to stand onstage last night at Thompson’s concession speech, had stood a little closer during the campaign?
What if the more powerful city unions like the United Federation of Teachers and SEIU Local 1199, Democratic check writers or for-hire strategists had stayed true?
“A lot of Democratic donors who sat on their wallets are kicking themselves tonight,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner, who bowed out of the race for mayor early on, but did what he could for Thompson down the stretch.
One senior campaign official conceded no one thought “we could come that close.”
“Could we have gotten more support, from people who endorsed and the party itself? Yes,” said the official. “We won’t know what would [have] put us over the top, but it would have helped – extremely.”
Others were not sure anything could have saved Thompson, who never exuded the passion voters want in a mayor.
“It wouldn’t have done a thing, just like Bloomberg’s money didn’t make a difference,” said Hunter College’s political Prof. Ken Sherrill. “People who have lived in New York know what their lives are like and whether they are satisfied with Bloomberg.”
YWN PHOTO LINK: Click HERE for photos by Shimon Gifter taken on election night at Thompson headquarters.
(Source: NY Daily News)
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8 Responses
The position is comptroller not controller. If you are copying the text as it is in the Daily News and you know that the spelling is incorrect, then you should just put [sic] after controller so that people know you didn’t misspell the word, but that’s how your source had it written.
Given Pres. Obama’s favorability polls, I doubt it would have helped. Although, New York is “very blue.”
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The problem is that people put much to much belief in the accuracy of the pollsters!
The polls have been so wrong so often. And sometimes the results are influenced by the polls (as in this case) instead of the other way around.
Too bad there’s no way to regulate or even just ban them.
It seems that Thompson had no message other than “eight years is enough”! That’s not enough reason for me to vote for HIM.
If he had only campaigned pro small business, he could have won.
this picture says it all.
we have to be crazy to vote for someone who lets
al sharpton be in his inner circle.
this is no different then president obama telling us that i was not listening to jermiya wright .
#1: I think the confusion is because it is spelled “comptroller” but pronounced “controller.” What are you going to do? I’ve been trying to educate people about the English language for years.
I hardly saw any Thompson ads this election! I did see Thompson’s name alot…on Bloomberg’s ads! I think Thompson did not campaign enough to match Bloomberg (not that I wanted Thompson to win. Just stating my opinion.)
haifagirl: did I spell everything write?!?!?
The article asks: “What if the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was happy to stand onstage, last night at Thompson’s concession speech, had stood a little closer during the campaign?”
Then I wouldn’t have voted for him, because as is I had a hard time deciding to vote for Thompson to show my dismay with Bloomberg. It bothered me greatly as is, to vote for a guy endorsed and supported by Sharpton. What’s good for Sharpton is not good for me.
what IF my grandma had wheels on her feet?? She would be a chu-chu train….
but guess what, she is just my good old grandma that i love!!!
what is all this “What Iffing”??? the people had their say and they said what they did!!!
they didnt want Thompson and they wanted bloomberg and that is what was!!!!
what if’s are only good when a few people get together and have nothing to say and so they start discussing what if!!!
all ofthe above is on a practical down to earth view…
but from a Hashkafa point of view this is what Hashem wanted and all the “what if” in the world would never have helped!!!!