In light of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement that he wanted to lift the ban on ferret ownership in the city, talk show host Joe Scarborough said it rekindled memories of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his stance on the subject.
In an article Wednesday in
The New York Times, de Blasio said he was breaking with his predecessors and proposed ending a ban on owning ferrets as pets in the city.
The move would reverse a policy instituted in 1999 by former Republican New York City Mayor
Rudy Giuliani, who caused a stir on his radio program when a pro-ferret caller challenged his stand on the issue. He told the caller his "excessive concern" for ferrets was something he should "examine with a therapist."
"I'm not insulting you. I'm being honest with you. Maybe nobody in your life has ever been honest with you. You should go consult a psychologist or a psychiatrist and have him help you with this excessive concern, how you are devoting your life to weasels," Giuliani said.
"Should I vote for Giuliani again next time? We need Rudy to run," Scarborough, a former Florida Republican congressman, told the panel on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday. "How great is Rudy Giuliani?"
The ban was originally initiated over concerns about the possibility of rabies and attacks on children, according to The Times. Another mammal, the rat, may not hold as great a sway with city officials. De Blasio's budget calls for $611,000 to target "rat reservoirs" in Brooklyn and Manhattan, according to the
New York Daily News.
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