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After a long day of campaigning and race-baiting with Rudy Giuliani yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg spent today trying to distance himself from his predecessor's incendiary comments, sorta. He didn't mention Rudy by name but he did talk about how much of a uniter he is: “I am phenomenally proud of our record of bringing people together from all neighborhoods and every community. And I think we’ve successfully resisted attempts to divide the city.”

Of course, prancing around with Rudy yesterday hardly helped unite the city. That's clear by the reaction from city Democrats. Bronx Democratic chairman Carl Heastie said Giuliani used "code words to try and strike fear in the hearts and minds of persons in the Jewish faith." State Sen. Eric Adams said Giuliani's remarks were "Willie Horton-style." And our own Chris Smith said a lot. So, will Bloomberg actually say anything?

Bloomberg Stresses His Efforts to Unite the City [NYT]
Democratic pols accuse Rudy Giuliani of fomenting racial tension while stumping for Mayor Bloomberg [NY Daily News]