Backtalk (Continued from page 90)
would support Israel. It was now becoming clear to Koch that he had lost the bet. Shortly after the election, Koch wrote me a letter with
a note that said: “Romney lost because voters saw the Republican Party as the party representing the interests of the very wealthy in this country. They saw the Democratic Party as defender of the middle class and the poor.”
An Unlikely Best Friend Back in the hospital room, the election is about two
months past, and Koch still has regrets. “The Republicans should have cleaned Obama’s clock,” he laments. But soon we are having an argument over tax policy and whether taxing the rich really works. The feisty Ed Koch I knew was returning, looking for
a good partner to spar with. At this point I’m thinking to myself, Is it wise for me to argue with an 88-year-old man recuperating in the hospital? Fortunately, the nurse comes over with Koch’s dinner and interrupted us. He waves to her. “Give me the chocolate milk right away.” “Chocolate milk, Ed?” I say quizzically, as he takes the
large glass with both hands. “You drink it regularly?” Slurping it down in gulps, he came up for air. “Yes, I do.
Every single day. How do you think I made it to 88!” Koch flashed his trademark smile, and we both laugh. I knew Ed Koch as a friend and confidante for more
than two decades. But I was not his best friend. Many Americans think of Koch as a quintessential
New Yorker and a proud Jewish-American. Koch was quite proud of his Jewish faith. He said he wanted his tombstone to read “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish,” the last words of journalist Daniel Pearl before he was beheaded by militants in Pakistan. In many ways, Koch’s political views probably had
more in common with those of a blue-collar Ohio Democrat than a West Side liberal. And Koch simply loved the Catholic Church. Koch had many friends. But his best friend, as far as I
could tell, was the late Cardinal John O’Connor. O’Connor, named Archbishop of New York, received
his “red hat” soon after Koch became mayor. The two hit it off, beginning a friendship that lasted until O’Connor’s death in 2000. At first glance, the two came from totally different
worlds. In private, O’Connor was somewhat retiring among people, but he was also known as an outspoken traditionalist when using his St. Patrick’s pulpit to excoriate the country’s lurch leftward on social issues like abortion and gay rights.
Koch was an extrovert and staunchly pro-choice and
pro-gay rights. Yet this unlikely duo remained best of pals even after Koch left Gracie Mansion. Each year, Koch would attend Christmas Eve Vigil
Mass and sit in the front row. Cardinal O’Connor would comment before the mass began, “For those of you Catholics who are returning to church and have forgotten when to stand and kneel, just watch Monsignor Koch, he knows what to do.” Everyone would roar. Koch told me about a year ago that he wasn’t sure when
he had open-heart surgery if he would survive as he lay in the hospital for weeks. So he put a picture of Cardinal O’Connor on his chest and kept it there during his entire hospital stay. Koch said that not only did he survive, when he left the
hospital he was completely cured of a debilitating stenosis of his spine that had made it difficult for him to walk. He later told me that he informed Cardinal Egan, O’Connor’s successor, that he was willing to testify to a miracle for O’Connor’s proposed sainthood.
“How’m I doin?” In my mind Koch was an archetype. He was a model
of how a public servant and a good citizen can make a significant difference in the lives of others, in a real and positive way. In many ways he became more influential after
leaving the mayoralty. His political endorsements helped make Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg mayor; not to mention, they helped re-elect leading New York Republicans like Gov. George Pataki and Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and Connecticut’s independent Democrat, Joe Lieberman. But that was what the public liked — his courage to overcome party labels to bring people together and argue for causes larger than any party. Koch urged me to do the same and reach out to former President Bill Clinton, despite having been a longtime critic of him. “You can disagree but still be friends,” he said, suggesting a meeting with Clinton. As a result of Koch’s introduction, I have become friends with the former president. Koch was right. We can disagree. It’s actually good to
disagree. But at the end of the day, it’s also good to work for the common good. I have no doubt Koch is in a better place for playing
such a positive role in the lives of so many people. And I am sure somewhere he’s asking, “How’m I doin?” You’re doing just fine Mayor, but don’t stop now.
MARCH 2013 | NEWSMAX 89
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