Woody Johnson (Illustration by, Dale Stephanos)

The New York Jets suffered an embarrassing 34-0 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers Sunday that has many observers wondering if the team is doomed this season, however Jets owner Woody Johnson is apparently more concerned about Mitt Romney defeating President Barack Obama than he is about his team's prospects. Mr. Johnson, who is the chairman of Mr. Romney's campaign in New York, discussed his priorities this morning in an appearance on Bloomberg TV's Market Makers.

"I think you always have to put country first so I think it's very, very important that for--not only for us but for in particular our kids and grandkids that this election come off with Mitt Romney and Ryan as president and vice president," Mr. Johnson said when the show's hosts asked him whether he'd prefer a winning season for the Jets or a victory for the Republican ticket.

Though Mr. Johnson, who is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson family fortune, clearly cares more about politics, he's obviously not pleased about the performance of the Jets. In the same interview, Mr. Johnson described the team's beating at the hands of the 49ers as an "unacceptable" disappointment to fans.

Watch a video of Mr. Johnson on Market Matters below via the Washington Free Beacon.

RNC Deputy Communications Director Tim Miller tried to make a Cory Booker meme.

End you day with the @CoryBooker Kitteh, my most clicked twitter link of the month by 7-fold -- goo.gl/kJWcb

—
Tim Miller (@Timodc) May 21, 2012

The Atlantic's Associate Editor Matt O'Brien tried to rank the Cory Booker flap among this year's other campaign controversies.

Where does this Cory Booker flap rank on things that will affect voters? I put it somewhere between Hilary Rosen and Etch-A-Sketch.

—
Matt O'Brien (@ObsoleteDogma) May 21, 2012

The Drudge Report had an especially articulate response to the Bain brouhaha.

OOOOOOO NOOOOOO drudge.tw/LvQjoG

—
Drudge Report (@Drudge_Report) May 21, 2012

The White House showed off President Obama's football skills.

Photo of the Day: President Obama throws a football @soldierfield after the @NATO dinner in Chicago: http://t.co/tFyihpKx

—
The White House (@whitehouse) May 21, 2012

Salon's Alex Pareene parsed the latest bit of D.C. media news.

Frank Foer back at TNR is like Randy Moss back on the Vikings for people who care about weird things

—
Alex Pareene (@pareene) May 21, 2012

Mayor Bloomberg with Giants players Justin Tuck and Eli Manning at yesterday's parade.

At a press conference this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent some time discussing the Giants' Super Bowl victory last Sunday. Mayor Bloomberg started things off by saying he tried to invite his predecessor, Rudy Giuliani, to the victory parade, but "Rudy was traveling."

"I don't know that he was ever a big football fan. Rudy is a very big baseball--a very big Yankees, not baseball fan," Mayor Bloomberg said.

He went on to reveal he used to feel self conscious because Mayor Giuliani reigned during the World Series between the Yankees and Mets in 2000.

"Deep down inside, I've always felt a little bit inferior because he delivered a Subway Series and I have not, but I have delivered, and I have a lot to do with this, two Super Bowl champions."

Mayor Bloomberg went on to explain why he was instrumental in the Giants' championship.

"What did I do? I clearly got good weather for yesterday," he said, adding he hoped Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch were pleased with the sunshine during the victory parade.

However, Mayor Bloomberg said his most important contribution to the Giants was not trying to take quarterback Eli Manning's job this year or during the team's championship run in 2008.

"The most important thing is I didn't call either of them and try to get myself the quarterback's job four years ago or now, so you know, I let Eli do it," Mayor Bloomberg said.

All jokes aside, Mayor Bloomberg said the city helped make the parade possible with smart planning.

"The reason that we were so able quickly on two days notice to produce the event … we saved the plans from last time, from four years ago. We had lots of notes on things that we could have done better, we used all of those," Mayor Bloomberg said. "We took a look earlier, you know, a month ago when it looked like they might have a chance, no matter how remote--at that time nobody thought they would be winning the Super Bowl, to look to see what things required long lead times."

Mayor Bloomberg, who attended the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, also praised Giants fans for not beating the crap out of supporters of the rival New England Patriots and for behaving themselves at yesterday's parade.

"I thought New York fans conducted themselves in an exemplary manner. I watched in Indianapolis, it looked to be an overwhelmingly pro-Giant crowd compared to the Patriot crowd, but I heard of no problems, people getting into fights," Mayor Bloomberg said. "And then, yesterday you saw, I think, how people came together and it was nothing but smiles on their faces."

Mayor Bloomberg made a Super Bowl bet with Boston Mayor Tom Menino that will send a family from New York on a free trip to Beantown. One reporter at the presser asked the mayor whether he really thinks "people are going to want to visit Boston."

"Keep in mind, I come from Boston, it's a wonderful town," Mayor Bloomberg said. "It gets better all the time and I think that whoever goes up there will have a good time."

Though he refrained from mocking Boston, Mayor Bloomberg couldn't resist gloating about the Giants performance.

"If they want a rematch, the Giants are going to be in the Super Bowl next year," he said. "It's up to the Patriots, if they want to come, we'll see what happens."

Congressman Turner (Photo: Facebook)

Congressman Bob Turner got up on the House floor today to congratulate the Giants and tell his fellow representatives they could learn a thing or two about bipartisanship from Big Blue. Mr. Turner began by saying the Giants' upset victory "showed true New York resilience:"

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Fellow colleagues, it is a distinct pleasure to stand before you right now, not only as a representative, but as a fan. I would like to take a few moments and acknowledge the New York Giants for defeating the New England Patriots Sunday night, 21-17, in Super Bowl XLVI. Some believed them to be the underdog, but our beloved G-men didn’t let peoples’ lack of faith or doubts distract them from their end goal."

Mr. Turner continued by sharing a few words of wisdom from the Giants' coach.

“As Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin stated after the game, ‘All things are possible for those who believe, and these guys believed, and they came together and trusted each other and believed in one another,’” Mr. Turner said.

According to Mr. Turner, Coach Coughlin's words are an important lesson for the members of the House in this age of partisan gridlock.

“I think this is a terrific message for everyone to think about, especially those of us who hold the distinct honor of being members of the House of Representatives. There is still a great deal of work to be done on behalf of the American people," Mr. Turner said. "We must come together with a joint purpose. We must give our constituents a reason to believe that we can work together on their behalf. Just as the members of the Giants team played hard for the people of New York, we must work hard for our constituents."

Mr. Turner concluded his remarks by congratulating "my New York Giants," Coach Coughlin, Eli Manning "and all the great fans in New York."

Mayors Bloomberg and Menino in their Super Bowl appearance. (Photo: YouTube)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino are starring in a Super Bowl ad to promote their Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign. The ad features both men clad in the jerseys of their city's respective teams talking about how they "don't agree" on sports or local cuisine.

"But we both support the second amendment," Mayor Menino says in the ad.

"And believe America must do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals," Mayor Bloomberg adds.

Mayor Bloomberg and Mayor Menino are the co-chairs of the campaign, which began in 2006 at a Gracie Mansion summit hosted by both mayors. Since then, the coalition has grown from an initial group of 15 mayors to include over 600 mayors.

Watch Mayor Bloomberg's Super Bowl ad below.

The New York Giants logo, a beautiful symbol of excellence.

More New England lawmakers are making ill-fated bets with their New York counterparts that the loathsome and karmically-challenged New England Patriots will beat our beloved Giants in this weekend's Super Bowl. Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg made his "friendly wager" with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. Today, the governors and two senators joined the fray. 

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced that he will give Governor Cuomo 46 Centerville Pies from “The Pie Ladies” in Centerville, Legal Sea Foods clam chowder and 46 cases of Food Should Taste Good chips in Needham Heights when the Giants inevitably emerge victorious. To keep up appearances, Governor Cuomo promised to give "46 cases of one of the State’s newest and hottest exports- New York made Greek yogurt," 46 dozen bagels from Ess-a-Bagel in Manhattan and 46 Junior's cheesecakes in the utterly impossible event the evil Patriots manage to win. Both governors promised to donate their winnings to local food banks.

Governor Cuomo clearly knows he's not going to lose.

"We all know what happened the last time the Giants and Patriots squared off in the Super Bowl, and there is no reason to believe the outcome will be any different this year," he said. "I look forward to congratulating the Giants on winning their fourth Super Bowl title and seeing Governor Patrick's generous wager offerings go to a food bank here in New York State."

Governor Patrick also said something about rooting against the Giants. We refuse to print that kind of incendiary and irresponsible language on this website.

Senator Chuck Schumer and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen bet beers on the game. When the Giants win, Senator Shaheen will have to supply every member of the Senate with local craft brews from New York. If the unthinkable happens and the disgusting Patriots pull off a victory, Senator Schumer will have to purchase craft beers from New Hampshire for his fellow Senators.

Senator Schumer is appropriately confident about his chances.

“I can’t wait for Senator Shaheen to participate in the ‘I Love New York Brew’ Campaign by buying the best craft brews in New York and supplying them to every member of the United States Senate,” he said. “When Big Blue brings Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to their knees, the entire U.S. Senate will understand why we love New York brew. Go Giants!”

Like Governor Patrick, Senator Shaheen also said something disparaging about the Giants that we refuse to print on this page.

Full Disclosure: This reporter is a native Brooklynite who roots for the Giants, the Yankees and, sadly, the Knicks. His love of the Yankees and four years spent at an undergraduate institution in Massachusetts have made him hate New England with a passion. Go Big Blue!

Mayor Bloomberg (Getty)

Mayor Bloomberg has a sports-filled weekend planned. He's going to watch the Giants go up against Jets and the Knicks playing his hometown Boston Celtics. However, the mayor refrained from publicly picking favorites during a press conference celebrating the new taxi bill today. 

Mayor Bloomberg gave a completely non-partisan answer to a reporter's question about the contest between New York's two football teams.

"One of the teams will win and the other one will not, and then we'll see whether, in the crazy NFL East, one of the teams--or whichever divisions they're in--they can still compete," he said.

Stu Loeser, the mayor's press secretary, interjected.

"Mayor. just a response to that for the people in the back of the room, can you tell them what color your tie is?"

Mayor Bloomberg's tie was green and blue, a nod to the colors of both football clubs that was probably mere coincidence since the mayor initially didn't realize his neckwear had a blue streak.

"My tie is green, but I don't know what that means," said Mayor Bloomberg. Someone in the front row pointed out the tie's indigo stripe to him.

Though he wasn't asked, the mayor, a Massachusetts native, couldn't resist weighing in on the weekend's basketball game too.

"My youngest daughter and I are going on Saturday to the Jets/Giants/Giants/Jets, and on Sunday, we're going to go to the Knicks/Celtics, which is what I thought you would ask about given that I grew up in Boston," Mayor Bloomberg said.

In spite of his apparent eagerness to discuss basketball, the mayor wouldn't take sides in that matchup either.

"When it comes to the Celtics and the Knicks, I have Knicks tickets, I bought Nets tickets--I like good basketball," Mayor Bloomberg said. "All the Celtics that I knew no longer play, they've all retired, but I do remember many good times at Boston Garden. I was a big basketball fan in those days."

Reminiscing about his Celtic memories prompted the mayor to note that his fandom only applied to basketball and not the hated Boston Red Sox.

"I don't remember ever going to Fenway Park, but eat your heart out, I went to day camp with Warren Spahn's daughter," Mayor Bloomberg said.