Empire State Building lights up in blue to lure Democratic convention to New York

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Democratic National Committee's 2016 convention site selection committee is in NYC and the light-up stunt is meant to curry favor
Other cities on the DNC's short list are Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio
The building's spire lit up red and yellow for Communist China's 60th anniversary in 2009
Skyscraper's website says it doesn't award honorary lightings for political causes
Parents of children who died of cancer are seeing their request for a one-night cancer-research acknowledgement fall on deaf ears

By David Martosko, U.S. Political Editor, MailOnline

Published: 14:18 EST, 12 August 2014 | Updated: 14:33 EST, 12 August 2014

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Playing favorites: The Empire State Building is flying Mayor Bill de Blasio's colors to curry favor with the Democratic Party in advance of a decision about where its 2016 convention will take place

New York City's famed Empire State Building was lit up in blue on Monday night – and will be again on Tuesday – to honor the Democratic National Committee in the hope of luring the party's quadrennial convention and its hundreds of millions of revenue dollars to the Big Apple.

The partisan political stunt has passed with little controversy in the heavily Democratic city, although the rules on the building's website declare that the building 'does not light for political figures and campaigns.'

The 1931 skyscraper is owned by a private real estate trust that floods its top spire with colored lights about every three days to celebrate holidays, honor sports victories and observe milestone anniversaries for American institutions.

Forty such lightings punctuated the Manhattan skyline between May and July, including the national colors of World Cup finalists Germany and Argentina; red, white and blue to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of Little League baseball; bright green to mark the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr; and blue and yellow to honor 'E.U. Day.'

But last week the building's website added two last-minute observances as the Democrats tasked with choosing a 2016 convention city prepared to visit New York and hear Mayor Bill de Blasio's pitch.

Republicans are not amused, but also not surprised.

'Welcome to de Blasio’s New York, where being a liberal Democrat is the top priority,' Republican National Committee Press Secretary Kirsten Kukowski told MailOnline.

Communist China's 60th anniversary (pictured)? Check. Democratic National Committee? Check. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? Not so much

Monday and Tuesday night's skyscraper-lighting is part of a push to bring the DNC's 2016 convention to the Big Apple, despite rules prohibiting the use of the spire for political gain

The RNC chose Cleveland as its host city in July, likely in a bid to curry favor with voters in the must-win presidential swing state of Ohio.

The Democrats have included Columbus, Ohio's capital, among their final three contender cities, along with Philadelphia and New York.

De Blasio reportedly pressured the Empire State Building's controlling trust to bend its rules against political flattery with a display of 'blue and light blue for the DNC Site Selection Committee visit,' as the building's website describes it.

While Democrats had an easy path to seeing their colors 1,453 feet in the air, Fox New York reported that a father whose five-year-old son died of brain cancer was denied the chance to honor Childhood Cancer Awareness month with a gold light-up in September.

Shortly before he died, tiny Cole Stoddard told his father, 'I'm not going to grow up to do anything.' Now his father Tony is facing a stone wall in the form of building managers who refuse to honor his request.

They cite a policy against agreeing to requests based on 'petitions and/or social media campaigns,' according to the Political Insider blog.

In June the building went rainbow for the Gay Pride Week observance in New York City

Bending the rules: Mayor Bill de Blasio aims to outgun Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio and is pulling out all the stops, including the politicization of a timeless landmark

The building's owners are silent on the effectiveness of requests from the mayor's office, but insist that 'we are unable to light for all who apply.'

They famously refused to honor Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the sainted nun, after her death in 2010, but participated in a PR campaign for the 25th anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise a year earlier.

The building also glowed in special hues to launch pop music albums by Alicia Keys in 2012 and Mariah Carey in 2008.

Its lighted spire went dark in 2005 when Pope John Paul II died. It also turned bright red to mark the 60th anniversary of Communist China in 2009.

Neither Mayor de Blasio's office nor the DNC responded to requests for comment.