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FORMER NYC MAYOR ED KOCH DIES

Posted on | February 1, 2013 | 20 Comments

The New York Times:

Edward I. Koch, the master showman of City Hall, who parlayed shrewd political instincts and plenty of chutzpah into three tumultuous terms as mayor of New York with all the tenacity, zest and combativeness that personified his city of golden dreams, died Friday morning at age 88.

More reaction at Memeorandum.

UPDATE: Koch is being remembered fondly, even though his tenure as mayor coincided with some of the worst years in New York’s history. What enhanced Koch’s reputation? The unmitigated disaster of the Dinkins era, which made the failures of liberalism so abundantly clear that New Yorkers voted for Rudy Giuliani.

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Comments

20 Responses to “FORMER NYC MAYOR ED KOCH DIES”

  1. benning
    February 1st, 2013 @ 8:48 am

    He always seemed quite good-natured, unlike so many Democrat leaders of the past few decades. But he was quite the Liberal, and thus often in error. But Koch will be missed.

  2. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    February 1st, 2013 @ 10:17 am

    He will always be Mayor Koch to me. RIP Ed. Say hi to Andrew Breitbart. I am sure those two will argue all the time and get along famously.

  3. rosalie
    February 1st, 2013 @ 10:34 am

    Just last night my husband was talking about Koch with a friend whose relative was his personal secretary for 43 years. So he was surprised this morning to hear that he had died. Unlike so many liberals in this country, he supported Israel and backed a Republican after Weiner’s resignation.

  4. Bob Belvedere
    February 1st, 2013 @ 10:51 am

    He was like a modern Al Smith – you couldn’t hate the guy.

  5. benning
    February 1st, 2013 @ 11:10 am

    Well, Progs weren’t exactly enamored of his pro-Israel stance. 😉

  6. richard mcenroe
    February 1st, 2013 @ 11:36 am

    You say that like it’s a bad thing. He was a typical east coast Dem, hell, east cost politician, in that he believed people had a right to state-funded transgressive performance art but not to self-defense. On the other hand, he had a pragmatic streak he just couldn’t ignore most of the time. Compared to Dinkins and Abe Beame, he was freaking Reaganesque.

  7. benning
    February 1st, 2013 @ 11:44 am

    No! Not a bad thing! I fully support Israel! Just noticing that Dems who support her are not at all popular with Progressives. Progs remain delusional. Support Pseudostinians rather than the only democracy in the Middle East? Makes sense if you are the offspring of the Socialists and Fabians. Koch wasn’t. As you mention, Mayor Koch was pragmatics. Progs ain’t! 😉

  8. Minn
    February 1st, 2013 @ 12:09 pm

    One less worthless piece of Democrat garbage polluting our country. Good riddance.

  9. Ed Koch RIP | Thinking Americanist
    February 1st, 2013 @ 12:13 pm

    […] Althouse, Discourse.net, Capitol Confidential, Conservatives4Palin,Runnin’ Scared, The Other McCain and Ricochet Conversations Feed,  If you like it, SHARE IT: This entry was posted in […]

  10. richard mcenroe
    February 1st, 2013 @ 2:42 pm

    Ed Koch is the rare (perhaps now extinct) Democrat of whom that’s really not fair.

  11. Adjoran
    February 1st, 2013 @ 2:49 pm

    I always respected him – he was always out on the streets and, when recognized, never failed to call back, “How’m I doing?”

    He is also the author of one of my favorite quotes: “I can explain it to you, but I cannot understand it for you.”

    RIP Mr. Mayor.

  12. Adjoran
    February 1st, 2013 @ 2:49 pm

    What a sick and depraved miscreant you are.

  13. Minn
    February 1st, 2013 @ 2:50 pm

    lol, wow, yeah, keep telling yourself that there are Democrats who are not enemies of this country.

  14. Bob Belvedere
    February 1st, 2013 @ 6:08 pm

    You’re acting like a dyed-in-the-wool Leftist, Clyde.

  15. Bob Belvedere
    February 1st, 2013 @ 6:10 pm

    That is a great quip.

    It reminds me of something Tom Snyder said a friend said to him one day…

    Friend: I don’t get your show…I see it, but I don’t get it.

  16. TC_LeatherPenguin
    February 1st, 2013 @ 6:16 pm

    You people who never lived here? Up a rope. Gimme one Koch against a dozen Gulianis, because there would never be a Rudy if there was not an Eddy.

  17. TC_LeatherPenguin
    February 1st, 2013 @ 6:22 pm

    Ditto ad infinity. He’s “my” mayor. Eddie saved my city. He took over a train wreck and put it back on the rails. Dinkins tried killing it and opened the door for Rudy, but Kochwas there first….

  18. TC_LeatherPenguin
    February 2nd, 2013 @ 5:52 am

    C’mon to NYC; we will show you where your Internet Tough Guy gets introduced to the curb.

  19. Minn
    February 2nd, 2013 @ 11:47 am

    Typical scumbag Democrat thuggery.

  20. TC_LeatherPenguin
    February 2nd, 2013 @ 1:32 pm

    Heh, “Democrat.” You gotta cute little ol way of showing your degree in dumbassery.