All that was missing from John Liu’s campaign-style “state of the city” lollapalooza at John Jay College yesterday were fireworks and a balloon drop — prompting this thought:
What the hell is wrong with that guy?
We get that he wants to be mayor.
We get that he has bent his current office to that purpose since the day he took it.
But, really, are there no limits?
Liu laid himself bare onstage: part Master of the Revels, part piteously pandering pol, part Bozo the Clown — even if he did leave off the big red nose.
There was a mostly Asian public-school choir, a mostly black dance troupe and a trio of Mexican violin-playing brothers. No knock on the performers, but all that was missing was a partridge in a pear tree.
And none of it had anything to do with the job New Yorkers are (over)-paying Liu to do for them — to keep a prudent eye on the municipal fisc.
Leadership means more than pointing out New York’s rainbow of skin colors. And it means more than giving nutty speeches; this was actually Liu’s second State of the City address in just 10 months. (His opening acts in February included a black choir and dancers in Chinese lion costumes.)
Liu probably wanted to get his speech in before next February, when the felony trial of his former campaign treasurer and a top moneyman begins.
The feds have charged Liu’s close pals with wire fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice for a wild scheme to dump illegal campaign cash into Liu’s coffers.
They allegedly sought to exceed contribution limits by laundering checks using “straw donors” who were reimbursed for giving donations in their own names.
That didn’t work — the feds caught on.
And who knows where they’re headed?
So maybe all this has unhinged Liu.
Whatever.
He needs to just go away, and to stage his circuses on his own dime.