Bloomberg Calls Reporter "A Disgrace" For Questioning Why He's Running For Third Term (VIDEO)

UPDATE: Azi Paybarah, the reporter scolded by Mayor Bloomberg, writes that mayoral spokesman Stu Loeser called "to relay an apology" from Bloomberg.

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is known for sometimes having a short temper with pesky reporters.

On Thursday, the mayor lost his cool when asked about his rationale for running for a third term as mayor, calling the inquiring reporter "a disgrace."

Since Bloomberg has been recently claiming that the city had turned the corner on the recession after citing the economic slump as his rationale for running again, the New York Observer's Azi Paybarah wanted to know how the mayor could justify his current campaign.

Bloomberg interrupted Paybarah: "Why don't you just get serious questions here?"

Then, he interrupted once more to add, "The rationale for extending term limits is the City Council voted it and the public's going to have a chance on Nov. 3 to say what they want."

"I don't think we have to keep coming back to that... If you have a serious question about the economy, I will be happy to answer it."

After ending the news conference, Bloomberg thanked everyone and stared at Paybarah, saying "You're a disgrace."

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Watch the video:

Paybarah's editor at the Observer, Josh Benson, told the NY Daily News:

"It was a reasonable question," Benson said.

"We're comfortable leaving it to everyone else to judge the quality of the response."

Earlier in the year, Bloomberg made headlines at another news conference when he lost his temper with a wheelchair-bound reporter whose tape recorder accidentally started playing after he was bumped by a photographer.

The mayor halted his speech, refusing to continue for 1 minute and 36 seconds, until the reporter, Michael Harris, fixed his recorder.

When legally-blind New York Governor David Paterson told a joke and New York City Council speaker Christine Quinn told the mayor, "He's disabled," Bloomberg snapped: "OK, I understand that - he can still turn it off."

The mayor later apologized to Harris.

Watch the video of the earlier encounter:

Comments

[rainbowrecruiter]

o

[Hedgehogging]

A disgrace?

First, the reporter got bullied and that is sad.

Second, this is what the media has turned into, the lap dogs of these people. Whether we're talking about Bloomberg, Bush, or Obama no one but alternative media is asking tough questions. And the funny thing is, these people run from real reporting. Check out Bloomberg and We Are Change on Youtube to see real questions and reporting.

[noreast77]

How did Bloomberg justify his campaing for king of New York and ruler of the universe? I must have missed that whole thing.

[Xav7]

Looks like Bloomy's arrogance runnith over....

[themainpoint]

Perhaps Bloomberg and the New Yorkers who supported this extension of term limits should read up on their American history and remember what made this country one that so many wished to come to in the first place.

We got rid of the King of England for a reason.

George Washington turned down a crown (a third presidential term he was offered) for a reason.

I am surprised that so many in New York just don't seem to get the implications of handing a crown and endless power to any mayor.

[UnknownSoldier]

Its a town full of Immigrants and their descendents, and they all think their homelands are better than America, thusly the Hyphenated-American monikers.

[jp5472]

That's a pretty asinine statement. I'm an Italian-American whose grandfathers both came here and fought in WWII (and a grand-uncle, another Italian-American immigrant who was a "doughboy" in WWI). I don't go around saying that Italy is better than the US. My wife's family can be traced back here into the mid 1600's, but she knows her heritage as well. Your family came here as well, unless you are Native American (sorry, no "Hyphenated" for you in that designation) ...but even they came here from somewhere else numerous centuries before the Europeans. So "descendant", forget what country your ancestors came here from and why they did?

[Goefel]

John Rocker Lives.

[cincity]

He didn't give us the opportunity to vote on it. He had the city council vote to extend term limits for him and themselves. Which is why he isn't getting my vote.

[Goefel]

You think we wanted this? They cited some polls during his epiphany that He
was the only one who will solve the financial crisis.
He'll overwhelm the re-election with his overabundance of cash, people will vote for him
because they don't 'know much' about the other candidate.

His appeal was never great and now he is starting to look like a slimy politician. He is probably waiting for a presidential run, and did not want to disappear into the shadows.

When people vote in New York, many will vote against him because of this issue.

[NyPrincess]

I've had more than enough of Bloomberg. I really wish a formidable challenger would step up and knock him off his throne.

[jp5472]

This just pretty much shows the casual observer - the man is just power hungry...flipping parties, changing charters, not wanting to answer legitimate questions.

[therblig]

i like mike and i think term limits are stupid, but he was dead wrong having the city council overturn the people's will. the term limits came in via referendum, they should go out the same way. sorry, bloomie, in this case you're the disgrace.

[annie g]

If I remember correctly when 9/11 happened and Giuliani thought about extending his time as Mayor for just several months, Bloomberg would have none of it. Yet now he wants the people of New York to give him the vote to stay as long as wants. He really thinks highly of himself that he is the only one that can run New York. I hope the people of New York vote NO. He needs to step aside.

[denisew]

Bloomberg is a great mayor, so what if he gets testy once in a while.

[guch33]

Testy over a challenge to his illegal, unethical, and anti Democratic usurping of the voting process?
Guess u still have that Wall Street job buddy........He is a great mayor for the pigs of Wall Street .

[Imhotep40]

Complacency and PR spin allow regimes to become entrenched/corrupt in our various governmental structures . . . . Term Limits are the anti-virus against this sickness.

"Bloomberg is great mayor" during his allotted (2) terms, couldn't he just exit gracefully on a "high note" and leave it at that?

[democles]

He doesn't like the question?! Huh?

Bloomberg has NEVER met a real estate developer he doesn't love, or a banker he would entertain. He is turning New York into a wasteland of empty condo buildings, and wealthy developers. He provides abatements and variances to these blood suckers so they can rape tenants and then raises taxes on everyone else so the developers can build, build, build. Everyone else, well we're just not 'serious' because we don't have billions to buy his attentions. He has so much money he buys his way out of an opposition candidate. Now we New Yorkers have no choice in November. He paid City Council to illegally extend his term and has spent upwards of 100M to saturate the media. Personally even if it is a subway rat on the slate in November that's who I'll vote for: I'd rather have it scurrying around than this scabrous and scurrilous bully.

GO AWAY MIKE!

[apark559]

You are absolutely correct! Bloomberg has been all about the developers who are building luxury condos that most NY'ers can't afford and running alot of small business owners out. He has bought this run for a third term. There was a point in time when I was sure I would vote for him. But his arrogance and sense of entitlement have totally turned me off. But most importantly, he's not doing right by the average citizens of NY. It's like he's trying to run the average working person out so the city can become a utopia for the wealthy.

.We New Yorkers need to send him a message loud and clear, your money may have bought the City Council, but we residents still have the final say. He has DEFINTELY lost my vote

[democles]

We have had to close the doors to our company because we can't afford his real estate developer taxes. When I called the city and explained that we employ people and need a break, Bloomberg's response: Too bad. Honestly he and the entitled in this country make me sick. As they say: Eat the rich! And in the mean time, vote for anyone but Bloomberg.

[nycboy]

I agree 1000 times so what are we gonna do about it?

I see his commercials already on TV and I must have received 4 of his mailers already and it's only May. His $$$$ is gonna cruise him into office...

[dukesman]

Bloomberg's going to buy the company he works for and then fire him.

[CraziesAreRunningTheShow]

SO... Rude is OK with you guys?

[slugworth]

Sure, as a role model for the rest of NYC.

[Bozwellian]

(hey, we've been so conditioned by RUDE an dCrude in general and most especially by the far righteous righties in their slithering coarse discoursing during the bushelrized years, MB comes off as one of the more reasonable GOPheads but hink even he claims Independent for his poli tag...So tired of the eexptremes blathering THEY are victims and others are rude, crude , etc....Have NEVER encountered such nastiness and whimperings which was uber refined during the Bush/Cheney ROVE era to the estreme with large doses fro Newtie , Delay, Buchnans and other similars. I KNOW there are actually "good" conservatives, good GOPers but the fools that presently parae and that includes the uber religous ranters are beyond boorishness and certainly abused civility to the point of many just tuning them all off !!!

[shivadas]

Respecting term limits would be the polite thing to do.

[ProfessorDuh]

Never, never question the King.

[bikerdude]

Hey Bloomie, if I got caught trying to pull another fast one I'd be testy too.
How dare they question the great Bloomie!!!
Little freakin' Napoleon.....

[westreal]

I just watched the second video. I was disturbed by how easily annoyed he was by something so innocent as a ringing audio recorder. His whole demeanor reminds me very much of Dick Cheney and it's clear to me that this man has no business being mayor. I hope he doesn't make it to the White House. Because he has the personal finance to buy the presidency like he bought his mayor-ship.