Mike Bloomberg Insults the "Inebriated Irish"; the Inebriated Irish Are Angry

Mayor Bloomberg has been putting his foot in his mouth all over the place lately. First, he calls Staten Island Chuck a "son of a bitch." Then he messes with the Irish. Via the New York Times City Room blog, Irish-American community leaders are pissed (in the mad way) because last night at the American Irish Historical Society Bloomberg "joked" that he was accustomed to the sight of "inebriated Irish hanging out the windows" at the society. Ooh. Not kosher.

The people in attendance apparently booed, and the chair of the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, John Dunleavy, asked the mayor to apologize. Even Christine Quinn is mad!

"In this day and age for the mayor of the city of New York to make comments like that is outrageous and totally uncalled for," Mr. Dunleavy said. "He wouldn't make a joke about any other ethnic group."

Bloomberg then tried to backpedal:

"It's traditional to hang out the window and yell and scream, and it's all in good fun," Mr. Bloomberg said. "I certainly didn't mean anything that anybody should take offense to."

True! We very much enjoy tossing back a few pints, hanging out of windows, and screaming and yelling...and we're only partially Irish! Frankly, the only thing really wrong with doing any of that is not owning it. And, of course, falling out of a window. That would be bad.

Irish Eyes Not Smiling Over Bloomberg Remark [NYT]

[JDoll]