New York, NY – Bill Thompson yesterday failed to challenge an anti-Semitic statement by a caller on a radio show who slammed Mayor Bloomberg as caring only about “the Jewish people of his persuasion.”
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The Democratic mayoral hopeful was appearing as a guest on KISS-FM’s “Open Line” during the final 48 hours before the general election when a caller who identified himself as “Carl from Harlem” greeted him.
11 a.m. – Bill Thompson on KISS FM’s “Open Line”
HOST: All right, speaking of Harlem, let’s go to Line No. 8. We got Carl from Harlem. Carl, good morning, how are you?
CALLER: Good morning, brother, I just wanted, I was the brother that spoke with you on City Hall about Dr. Cutty. You need to speak to him, brother, because that’s not true what you feel.
This thing I want to say is that I believe that you will be a good mayor, Billy. Because I believe that you are for the people, for all the people.
And I believe that Bloomberg is divisive, right? He’s divisional, and he doesn’t have all the people’s worth at hand. He just think about helping the rich, the rich contractors and the Jewish people of his persuasion.
And I think that it’s time for that type of thinking and that type of people to be moved out of office.
All the people in the city need the same type of help. And not just the rich. And they need to do something. I’m going to be campaigning for you, brother, and God bless you, and I thank the panel for having you.
HOST: Thanks, caller, very much.
As the host thanked Carl before moving on to two other callers, Thompson replied to a policy question but never referred back to the earlier call.
Thompson later told The Post that he would have denounced Carl had he stayed on the line and said, “I didn’t hear the full comment that the guy had . . . If you go back and look, everyone ignored him. I think they basically just kind of cut him off.”
Thompson’s campaign issued a statement from the candidate, saying, “I received a lot of calls from New Yorkers today, and I did not hear anyone say anything anti-Semitic.
“Obviously, if I had, I would have immediately denounced it or any other statement offensive towards any New Yorkers.”
The Post reported this summer that Thompson was similarly silent when the host of a campaign-sponsored small-business roundtable referred to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a “whore.”
Two weeks ago, Thompson and other Democrats blasted comments former Mayor Rudy Giuliani made to a group of Hasidic Jews about the city’s crime rate before he took office. Many viewed them as racially coded.
Sources close to Thompson privately noted yesterday that Bloomberg never repudiated his predecessor’s remarks.
is this payed for by Bloomberg for Mayor 2009?
I’m telling u a jew does not belong in office. Just like we were supposed to vote for Steve Levin and not Isaac Abraham as explained by our community leaders. It can bring anti semitism.
This is another way to attack Thompson. Ask Chaim Dovd Zweibel from Aguda or other askonim and they’ll tell you how much of a mensch Bill Thompson is. This story has BLOOMY written all over it.
A jew does not belong in office i agrea with #2 100 percent. A jew being any where in the goverment or in office causes to many problems for us. Let other people get blamed for the problems. I dont see what was so anti semetic about what the caller said he was just voicing his opinion. Its not like he said death to the jews or something or jews are ruining everything. He just feels bloomberg only cares about rich people and jewish people. I dont think theres much truth to that but he is entitled to his own opinion
Ahhh… what the NY Post will do to get some attention
why would he say something? He doesn’t like us
Jews shouldn’t be in a goyish government? Maybe you forgot Mordechai, Daniel, the Rambam.
I was at the weekly link and Bill was shmoozing with Ben Barber and Issac Abraham and alot of the chevra. This is such a nice guy, he and his father speaks yiddish it was so nice to see him a week before the campaign. This story disgusts me escpecially from the post… What can you do? You can’t please everybody!
What do you say now Dov?!?
People open your eyes! a mensh would have responded ! take a note from how mccain responded when supporters when they accused obama of being a muslim.
paid for by bloomberg (or his cronies trying to get close with this bum) Fact: those people harasing us with phone calls, in person surveys, etc. don’t do it for free. They’ll say they don’t get payed by bloomberg even though it still comes from his dirty campaign.
he deserves to be thrown out of office just for trampling on our voice, limiting him to 2 terms. (let that be our sign at what were up against)
Mr Bloomber,
You ignored our voice
TERM LIMITS
Scary, I’m voting for Bloomberg and so should all of you who have a head on your shoulders. Yeh Thompson talks nice to your askonim and your “chevra” but hasn’t and won’t stand up to his black “brothers”. This reminds me of Crown Heights during the ’91 riots, then too you had a black mayor Dinkins who had no backbone to stand up to his fellow black New Yorkers. Yeh, I’m sure all the yidelach working in the Democratic party loved the guy and he spoke so nice and he was one of us etc. etc. BUT when the time came he showed his true colors. Crown Heights had no police protection for few days because mayor Dinkins wanted to let them (black hooligans) vent their anger! He directed the police to standby and observe! Moral of the story:
KEEP THE CITY SAFE, VOTE FOR BLOOMBERG!
Vote Thompson!!
Where is the anti semitsm in this call? All he said was that Bloomberg cared only for Jews which is not true, he cares nothing about us. No anti semitsm here just a bunch of ramble against Bloomberg.
Vote Thompson!
THE FACT IS!!! Thompson’s father was a civil judge, a jew could’nt wish for anything better but to have his case heard by Thompson’s father. he was a VERY BIG OIHAIV YISROEL!!!! THATS A FACT!!!!
Why don’t any of the media pay attention to other candidates? Stephen Christopher, running as a conservative, seems like a real mentch and is in favor of traditional marriage.He wants to reduce taxes and wasteful spending. Thompson wants to increase taxes and Bloomberg shows how he wastes money by the mailings he bombards citizens with and by over-ticketing citizens.