On the battle of the fact-sheets Mr. Bloomberg seemed to have fared better, although neither candidate seemed able to gain the upper hand attacking each other's record directly. The mayor defended his education and safety record forcefully and believably, while attacking Thompson with pay to play allegations so vicious he was only barely able to deflect them. However, the mayor seemed to waver when the discussion turned to gentrification - quite possibly the favorite boogeyman of city Dems - trying his best to dance around the issue. However, gentrification and race-relations are so intrinsically associated in New Yorker's minds it was next to impossible for the CEO Mayor to tackle the issue and not get his nose bloodied. And Mr. Thompson hit him hard with both those barrels.
Yet even if I am calling the debate for the comptroller, I am still not willing to bet Bill Thompson is the man to beat Bloomberg. As much as the Dems try to make hay of his record, Bloomberg's administration has affected change and much of it good. The question now is whether the people who have been pushed aside by Bloomberg's particular vision of a New York renaissance can convince the people disgusted by his term limits extension to join them in turning him out this November. It's not impossible, but much will hinge on Thompson's ability to organize and lead such a popular coalition. It will be a long haul to November, but if the controller continues to pull off performances like tonight, there's a slim chance he might just do it.
- Frog
