Ed Koch, iconic NYC mayor, dies at 88

[DonViejo]

He made the city look governable. A documentary on his life opens today

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Mayor Ed Koch, the combative, acid-tongued politician who rescued the city from near-financial ruin during a three-term City Hall run in which he embodied New York chutzpah for the rest of the world, died Friday. He was 88.

Koch died at 2 a.m., spokesman George Arzt said. The funeral will be Monday at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.

After leaving City Hall in January 1990, Koch battled assorted health problems and heart disease.

The larger-than-life Koch, who breezed through the streets of New York flashing his signature thumbs-up sign, won a national reputation with his feisty style. “How’m I doing?” was his trademark question to constituents, although the answer mattered little to Koch. The mayor always thought he was doing wonderfully.

Bald and bombastic, paunchy and pretentious, the city’s 105th mayor was quick with a friendly quip and equally fast with a cutting remark for his political enemies.

-snip-

http://www.salon.com/2013/02/01/ed_koch_iconic_nyc_mayor_dies_at_88/

[monmouth3]

1. The NY Daily News has a wonderful gallery of Koch photos from '62 on. There's also one with Rudy

when Rudy had hair....

[WI_DEM]

2. RIP, but he flirted with republicans too often for my taste.

[yellowcanine]

3. Unfortunately Koch tarnished his legacy with borderline racism at times and buying into the Bush

"war on terra."

[Trascoli]

7. Yep he sided with Israel

That tarnished it

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. Great public relations guy...terrible fucking Mayor

Ed Koch mishandled nearly every crisis the city faced during his entire tenure. He left the city in a virtual chaos - I know because I was there. Here's a little test: when was NYC highest number of murders?

Most people assume it must have been in the wild, wild 1970's, the Taxi Driver New York.

Nope, it was 1990, the year after Koch left office. Then 1989, then 1988.

[One of the 99]

6. Agreed,

I'm a lifelong New Yorker and proud to say I never once voted for Koch. He ran the city into the ground and balanced he budget on the backs of the poor and minorities. He was a puppet of Rupert Murdoch. I've been sickened today at all the praise he's getting in the media. He was one of the worst mayors New York ever had. Unfortunately David Dinkins never gets the credit he deserves for cleaning up Koch's mess.

[question everything]

5. In 1980 he considered running for governor

But at some point he realized that he would have to visit "rural" NY and he said: rural means driving a pickup and wearing gingham shirt.

RIP Ed Koch.

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Oh, he ran for governor in 1982

He made fun of the suburbs and rural Upstate. Cuomo cruised.

Of course. Cuomo's people also had a nasty homophobic tone to their campaign, especially with the Outer Boros working class: Fuck the h*mo, vote for Cuomo. Pretty much par for the course in political campaigns back then. Giuliani's people later started "Fuck the moolie, vote for Goolie" during the first Dinkins-Giuliani campaign.

[question everything]

9. Thanks. Yes, it was 1982

Still amazing with what politicians could get away with those years.