NYP: UNGRATEFUL GOTHAM (New Yorkers bite the hand that has 'fed' them)

New York Post ^ | November 14, 2004 | Editorial

[OESY]

Thirty-eight billion bucks.

That's how much cash went to victims of 9/11, mostly in the New York area....

Some 92 percent was, or will be, paid by government (the feds, mostly) and through claims.

In return, New Yorkers expressed their enormous gratitude to insurers, saluting their role in the city's rebound and in greasing the economy generally.

And they thanked President Bush, backing him in huge numbers on Election Day.

Not.

The truth? New Yorkers skewered Bush. And the state's attorney general won press and popular acclaim when he went after "Big Insurance" like it was al Qaeda.

There's no nice way to put this: New Yorkers' pitiful treatment of their two main post-9/11 benefactors is one of best examples of Gotham's shameful political culture....

Consider:

* Some $23.3 billion of the payouts, or 61 percent, went to businesses, largely in New York.

* Another $10.6 billion, or 28 percent, went to the estates of the deceased or those seriously injured. Again, most were New York-area recipients.

* Local residents and workers got nearly $3 billion — for property damage, lost income, environmental exposure and the like....

Yet voters in the tri-state area opposed the president 56 percent to 43 percent; in New York, 58-40. And state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer led a crusade to vilify insurers.

No, Dubya doesn't deserve all the credit for government's good deed. But he should be thanked, at least, for getting Washington to allot $21 billion in cleanup and reconstruction costs — much of it on top of the $38 billion.

Oh, yeah: Bush also protected the city, a prime terror target, from more attacks after 9/11.

Were New Yorkers at all grateful?

Not a lick....

But to New Yorkers, the tens of billions they got were no more than automatic entitlements....

[OESY]

As a NYC resident, I believe Brodsky is right on this issue. Last night my wife and I saw a Broadway show. As in many such shows, a plug for Democrats received spontaneous applause from those who take on faith as True Believers that Bush is evil. Despite a new sense of civility post-9/11, my fellow citizens are often blind to what Bush has done for the city. Hillary Clinton and Chuckie Schumer had little to do with it, but New Yorkers cling to their illusions like a comfort blanket.

[freedumb2003]

ping to a sad state of affairs.

[Kiss Me Hardy]

What was the show? I'll make a point to avoid it. New Yorkers should thank God for Rudy, who gets all the credit for turning this place around.

[finnman69]

---

NEW YORK IN A BUSH STATE OF MIND: THE CITY IS A LITTLE MORE RED THAN YOU THINK 

New York turned a shade of red in last week's election




New Yorkers are depressed right now. You've read in the newspapers how they are upset about President Bush's re-election. I've seen the looks on people's faces as they trudge around the City with a collective frown. Wednesday morning was a surreal one for John Kerry's voters. Upper West Side liberals spat out their coffee when they saw the New York Times banner headline announcing Bush's big night - it wasn't a nightmare, after all. Downtown, the professional protesters, embittered artists, satirists, art gallery owners, and cartoonists didn't know what to do with their collections of Bush photos laced with Hitler mustaches. Saddam Hussein can not be set free for at least another four years, you know. That's the New York we've been hearing about the last week. I've seen it for myself, it's definitely there.

However, New York City possesses a sinister, deep and dark secret. There is something else lurking in shadows scattered throughout the 5 boroughs. If you listen closely, you can hear the whispers and sometimes it even sounds like restrained glee. Tourists do not know anything about this secret because the locals have done a good job of shielding the bad and seedy side of this crystal-blue city. I am going to let you in on the secret because New York has to face its demons whether or not it is wallowing in a collective Gotham funk.

There are Republicans in New York. Shhh, not so loud! Okay, not close to a majority, but the GOP is not an endangered species like the do-do bird is in Central Park. The fact is that 544,359 votes were cast for President Bush in New York City. That is more than votes cast for Bush in the entire states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming. Those 10 states accounted for 39 electoral votes.

Democrats have said that since New York City was hit hardest by 9/11 that Americans should notice how New York voted for President. Indeed, by looking at the election results from 2000 and 2004 you will notice that Bush INCREASED his vote percentage in New York City and the New York suburbs that are in immediate proximity to the city.

Dubya's popular vote improvement in the New York City area must not be ignored. Trying as hard as they can, New Yorkers can no longer hide their shameful secret.

NEW YORK CITY
Bronx
Gore 86.3% 265,801
Bush 11.8% 36,245

Kerry 82.3% 260,438
Bush 16.7% 52,752

Brooklyn
Gore 80.6% 497,468
Bush 15.7% 96,605

Kerry 74.1% 468,403
Bush 24.8% 156,612

Manhattan
Gore 79.8% 449,300
Bush 14.2% 79,921

Kerry 81.7% 468,841
Bush 16.6% 95,362

Queens
Gore 75.0% 416,967
Bush 22.0% 122,052

Kerry 70.8% 393,482
Bush 28.0% 155,363

Staten Island
Gore 51.9% 73,828
Bush 45.0% 63,903

Kerry 42.1% 62,603
Bush 56.7% 84,270


SUBURBS
Nassau
Gore 57.9% 341,610
Bush 38.5% 226,954

Kerry 52.2% 312,388
Bush 46.6% 278,727

Suffolk
Gore 53.4% 306,306
Bush 42.0% 240,992

Kerry 49.0% 303,375
Bush 48.7% 301,710

Westchester
Gore 58.6% 218,010
Bush 37.5% 139,278

Kerry 57.8% 199,649
Bush 40.6% 140,282

BUSH
New York City 2000: 398,726
New York City 2004: 544,359
Difference: +145,633

NY Suburbs 2000: 607,224
NY Suburbs 2004: 720,719
Difference: +113,495

GORE/KERRY
New York City 2000: 1,703,364
New York City 2004: 1,653,767
Difference: -49,597

NY Suburbs 2000: 865,926
NY Suburbs 2004: 815,412
Difference: -50,514

Bush dramatically increased his vote total in the New York metropolitan area. John Kerry did not even garner as many votes that Al Gore did despite the diminished presence of Ralph Nader. Bush increased his vote total in all 8 counties. Kerry suffered a net loss from 2000 in all 8 counties except for Manhattan (Ralph Nader got 5.5% of the Manhattan vote in 2000 but about 1% in 2004, helping Kerry get a slight bump).

Conventional wisdom was that Bush would lose the New York vote by an even wider margin than he did in 2000 because New Yorkers feel that they are less safe due to the president's foreign policy. The perception is that Bush alienated our allies and emboldened terrorists. Thus, liberals claim Bush made New York City an even richer target for a devastating attack.

But, the numbers don't lie. Bush increased his support in New York City and its suburbs. These are the voters who live, work and raise their families in New York. The fact is that Bush is more popular in the area that was hardest hit by the September 11 attacks.

Liberal New Yorkers like to blame the red states, evangelical Christians, and "dumb hicks" for helping Bush retain the White House. But, it was Americans of all stripes, from Alaska to Kansas to Brooklyn, who supported President Bush in larger numbers than they did 4 years ago. The truth is that the chattering class liberals are not only out of touch with America's heartland but they are just as clueless about their own neighbors in New York City and its suburbs.


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PERMALINK posted by Thomas @ 6:29 PM

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[Brainhose]

It would be interesting to see a red/blue map of manhattan broken down by precinct.
What do you think it would look like?

Sign me:
Living in a red county in New Hampshire.

[Darksheare]

Pretty much.
I live near teh Wallkill NY PD, the guys who were listed as a danger to teh community, and Elliot Spitzer pretty much slapped their wrists rather than do anything approaching REAL work to rectify their behavior.
(Deep massive firings and punishments should have been done. The force should have been gutted and rebuilt. It wasn't.)

Spitzy backed Kerry.
Hillary has done absolutely zip for NY, but she has done stuff to NY like run down a Police Officer at a security check point soon after 9/11 and then act shocked at the 'allegation'.
Schumer likewise hasn't done anything worth bragging about.
They've both been rather.. obstructionist(?) in their dealings.

To summarise the jumbled thoughts in my head, since I'm kinda in a hurry, I second your statement -spot on.
Thanks!

[digger48]

Whoa!! that kinda puts a whole different light on things!!!!

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for this breakdown.

When the great blue areas are looked at closely, GW improved his numbers and % over 2000. I think that we will see the same in most so called blue states like California, Oregon and Washington..

BUSH
New York City 2000: 398,726
New York City 2004: 544,359
Difference: +145,633

NY Suburbs 2000: 607,224
NY Suburbs 2004: 720,719
Difference: +113,495

GORE/KERRY
New York City 2000: 1,703,364
New York City 2004: 1,653,767
Difference: -49,597

NY Suburbs 2000: 865,926
NY Suburbs 2004: 815,412
Difference: -50,514

[nothingnew]

They should have gotten nothing except what their own insurance payed.

FMCDH(BITS)

[steplock]

The BIG LIE:

"...Some 92 percent was, or will be, paid by government..."


100% will be paid for by the AMERICAN TAXPAYER!

[Chgogal]

Let me just say, the next time I meet a New Yorker they are going to get an earful.

[jd777]

Freepers get upset about the 38 billion for 9/11. But when Bush puts a 300 BILLION dollar Perscription drug benefit through (which apparently is a joke of a progam) - nobody even mentions it....

[longfellow]

As a NYker I am appalled that hitlary was even elected to this state. Don't we know it was the klinton presidency that lost those Towers. They should turn Manhatten into a prison.

[fastattacksailor]

My family knew the somw of families of the firefighters and Police (PAPD and NYPD that were killed in the WTC.

Most(about 90%) voted for Bush....

The people that denigrate the folks that gave so much for them are the people that usually do all the whining here in NY anyway. People like Breitweiser (one of the notorious 'Jersey Girls')come quickly to mind. The people we know mourned their losses---and shunned publicity. They are trying to get their lives together (hard, no doubt---but they are moving on with their lives)

There were plenty of Bush supporters amongst the 9/11 victims that weren't given the MSM coverage that Bretiweiser and here ilk were given. In fact, they were all but ignored (no surprise there, right?)


I just ask that everyone be careful about judging all by the actions of a vocal few....there are a lot of Bush supporters here, and we're becoming stronger.


One last: Many of the FD and PD people that died had lived in the outer boroughs (Eastern Queens, in parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island) or they lived in Nassau or Suffolk counties. There are also a fair amount that live in Westchester.

Take my word for it---THEY know who will protect them from future attacks---and the majority of them voted for Bush.

[penowa]

"They should have gotten nothing except what their own insurance payed."

At first I felt so sorry for the families who suffered, I thought it was a good idea; then I realized that someone whose husband was killed in an auto accident on 9/11 and never came home received nothing, so what made these people entitled to my tax $ but the other guy not.

I wonder if this is factored into the red state's sucking up tax $ / blue state's paying all the bills (Geraldine Ferraro argument)?

[conservative in nyc]

It would be interesting to see a red/blue map of manhattan broken down by precinct. What do you think it would look like?

My guess is all red, except maybe for a precinct or two on the Upper East Side.

[Alberta's Child]

Don't look for any good news in those numbers. To get an idea as to just how poor the GOP's prospects are in the New York City area, you have to understand that the three suburban counties that used to be solid Republican strongholds (Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester) were all firmly in Kerry's camp this year.

The Republican Party would do well to write off the entire New York metropolitan area.

[PianoMan]

Queens beats Brooklyn by a hair and Manhattan and the Bronx easily. Right on!

Of course we could never take Staten Island...maybe someday...

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks.

Like we should write off the immediate SF Bay Area counties.

[nothingnew]

...then I realized that someone whose husband was killed in an auto accident on 9/11 and never came home received nothing...

Exactly my point. Private insurance and charitable giving is what they were entitled to...not federal money. In the case of the businesses affected, disaster loss of property, as in hurricanes etc. there is room for some gov assistance, but not to private individuals.

FMCDH(BITS)