Did Louis CK Call the Brian Lehrer Show to Defend the Mayor?
In a segment about the public’s perception of Mayor Bill de Blasio, listeners were encouraged to call the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC and voice their opinions, it just so happens that one such caller was comedian Louis CK.
CK presented his own view of the mayor, whom the comedian thinks has been the subject of a minor smear campaign orchestrated by a New York media core that’s more hungry for clicks than reporting real substance. CK pulled no punches in his substantial screed, which showed he’s a well-informed guy who genuinely thinks de Blasio is doing a good job.
He told Brian Lehrer:
It’s bothered me that there’s sort of a culture of click-bait in the news right now. Only little negative stories get attention. The idea that the criticism of this mayor is that, he doesn’t go out and hold rallies to prove how great he’s doing, and that he doesn’t exert a massive effort that our other mayors have to have the perception of how well he’s doing, to me, that’s a huge waste of time. I don’t want a mayor that spends his time bragging and taking victory laps. You want a guy or a woman who does good and then moves onto the next thing.
CK’s statement was buffeted by the fact that Brian Lehrer’s two guests, New York Times City Hall bureau chief Michael Grynbaum and Politico New York reporter Azi Paybarah, had explained that Mayor de Blasio doesn’t publicize his accomplishments at public ribbon cutting ceremonies like his predecessor Michael Bloomberg often did. The current mayor currently has a measly 44 percent approval rating; however, Lehrer noted this is the exact same rating that Bloomberg enjoyed a year and a half into his own term.
CK’s call was constructive, as were the calls of other Brian Lehrer show listeners, but it took a while for host Brian Lehrer and his guests to acknowledge that it was actually the comedian calling. Lehrer said that the particular Louis who phoned in “might be a certain Louis from the Village who people have heard of.”
did @LouisCK_news just call @BrianLehrer to defend @BilldeBlasio ?
— Azi (@Azi) August 18, 2015
CK’s mayoral support is no surprise. He was recently spotted following de Blasio and taking notes at a New York State Financial Control Board meeting earlier this month for an unspecified project.
His call starts at the segment’s 18:55 mark. You can listen to the whole discussion here.
Follow Sam Blum on Twitter @Blumnessmonster