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On politicians and Super Bowl wagers

February 2, 2012 6:13 AM By JOHN JEANSONNE john.jeansonne@newsday.com

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, left, and New York

Photo credit: AP | Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, left, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg record an advertisement to appear during the Super Bowl. While the mayors joke about the New England Patriots and New York Giants rivalry, they use the ad to publicize for the work of their coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. (Jan. 31, 2012)

John Jeansonne

Newsday columnist John Jeansonne. John Jeansonne

Jeansonne has been a reporter in Newsday’s sports department since

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In their unending quest to be populists, politicians can't seem to resist the notion that the Big Game is an exercise in provincialism -- Us against Them -- or that they should participate in Sunday's over-the-top event's lowest common denominator: gambling.

Thus have New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his Boston counterpart, Thomas Menino, announced a wager in which a family of four...

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