Posted on 10/21/2005 6:11:37 PM PDT by chet_in_ny
NEW YORK (AP) Former President Clinton threw his political heft Thursday behind the Democrat running against Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but it was far from a seamless campaign stop.
Fernando Ferrer and the former president walked down Charlotte Street in the South Bronx, which they visited together during Clinton's second term in 1997, when Ferrer was borough president. Clinton credited Ferrer with "trying to help the people of the Bronx reach their full potential.''
"I saw the progress made here on these streets, through his leadership,'' Clinton said.
Ferrer's underdog campaign has struggled to make a dent in Bloomberg's lead, which was nearly 30 points in the latest opinion polls. The billionaire mayor also is blessed with sky-high approval ratings and an endless supply of campaign funds from his $5 billion personal fortune.
Observers have been predicting for weeks that Ferrer might get a nice push from an appearance with Clinton, who is popular in New York City, where Democrats outnumber Republicans five-to-one.
But it seemed on Thursday that Ferrer's golden opportunity might be nearly wasted as miscommunication between Clinton's office and Ferrer's campaign caused some snags and disarray.
Less than an hour before the event began, people from Clinton's team and the Ferrer campaign stood shouting at each other in the middle of the blocked-off street, arguing about logistics like where the men would stand and whether to have amplified sound.
An area reserved for press was moved, reconfigured and pushed back several times, angering photographers to the point that some threatened to walk off without covering the event.
Representatives from Clinton's office quickly vetoed the use of speakers and a small stage. Left without any way to hear Clinton and Ferrer as they spoke, many reporters handed their tape recorders and microphones to children who were standing closer.
Several hundred people showed up, but many of them shouted "we can't hear you'' as Clinton and Ferrer addressed the crowd.
Representatives of Clinton and Ferrer acknowledged that there was confusion at the site but proclaimed the event a success because of the large turnout.
"The crowd was so big that it made it hard for folks to hear, and we're sorry about that,'' Ferrer spokeswoman Jen Bluestein said.
In 1977, President Carter toured the same neighborhood, then littered with broken bottles and trash, and vowed to look for ways to clean up what he called the worst slum in America. Reagan was there in 1980 as a presidential candidate and said it was an example of inner city decay and Carter's failures.
Fourth paragraph.
Sorry, the title was too long to post with my commentary. If you click on the link, the title of the article is:
"Did Fear of Bloomberg Weaken Clinton's Endorsement of Ferrer?"
I see no mention of fear of Bloomberg in the article.
"Damien Thorne"
...and you know Fred may be smiling on the outside, but that on some level, he's got to be going, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
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