In an op-ed piece in The New York Times today, Rep. Anthony Weiner announced that he will not be running for mayor this year, in part because he wants to continue to work with Washington at a time when there’s a “potential for greater movement” and “ideas matter.” The other reason? Bloomberg’s enormous campaign spending will prevent a fair debate from occurring. Weiner writes:

The mayor is expected to spend $80 million of his own money in the race, more than 10 times what candidates who have not opted out of the city’s public campaign finance program, as Mr. Bloomberg has, can spend in a primary.

With spending like that, regular debates about real issues will probably take a back seat to advertising. As a native of Brooklyn, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t savor a good scrap. But I’m disappointed because I’m increasingly convinced a substantive debate simply isn’t likely right now.

The sad truth for a political candidate without deep pockets is that while money isn’t the only thing, it does matter. Campaign finance laws are vital, not just to keep special interests from dominating campaigns, but also because in this case they could help prevent vast disparities in spending.

When a candidate like Weiner exits an election because it’s already been bought by Bloomberg, that’s not democracy, it’s just opening a wallet.

(Source: The New York Times)