Bloomberg Shops Tape of Man Calling Christine Quinn a "Whore" in Front of Bill Thompson

We see Mayor Bloomberg is getting serious about his election campaign. The Post says his operatives sent them a tape of Bill Thompson not reacting when the co-owner of the delightful West Village Brit boite Tea and Sympathy called Christine Quinn a "whore." Restauranteur Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett also said Quinn could "kiss my ass." We speculate that Thompson was distracted by the finger sandwiches.

PolitickerNY has the tape, which reveals the source of Kavanagh-Dowsett's rage: the tripling of Tea & Sympathy's rent, and a perceived lack of support for small business owners by Quinn. You have to listen really hard at the end to hear, amid the chatter, the "whore" and "ass" parts...

Later on a Thompson spokesman, noting at the event at T&S was "a forum open to the public," said the candidate nonetheless found the comments "inappropriate and offensive." It's Barack Obama and Reverend Wright all over again! (Does this mean Thompson wins?)

You don't want to get caught talking smack around Quinn. In 2007 Quinn orchestrated the blockage of a proposal to rename a street after activist Sonny Carson, leading a council aide, Viola Plummer, to threaten to "assassinate" councilmember Leroy Comrie. Quinn had her fired. Plummer is now suing Quinn, claiming her firing was racially motivated.