Play of the Week:
Bloomberg unveils affordable-housing plan—and the Ferrer camp spins it into a day’s worth of headlines saying he stole Freddy’s idea. Still, since Bloomie’s got the money for TV ads, most voters will think it’s his.

Fumble:
Ferrer was hoping Bill Clinton’s “Comeback Kid” glow would rub off on him at last week’s endorsement rally, but instead he got doused in Clinton chaos. Clinton’s aides argued with Ferrer’s, then disconnected the amps and all the TV mikes. Clinton and Ferrer were left to shout over hundreds of chattering schoolchildren, antagonizing the broadcast media.

Rumor:
Clinton unplugged himself at the Bronx endorsement rally to make it more difficult for the Ferrer campaign to turn the event into a TV commercial.

Backlash Watch:
Why is Bloomberg, way ahead in the polls, still sending hecklers to Ferrer’s events?

Trounce-O-Meter
(Likelihood of a come-from-behind victory for Ferrer vs. a Bloomberg blowout.)
Landslide.

Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Table of Contents: Oct 31, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!