NYC Public Advocate Bill De Blasio has surged to the lead in polls for the Democratic primary for NYC Mayor, over Anthony Weiner, Bill Thompson, and Christine Quinn, and it is clear that he would be the best hope for a progressive mayor, who would work to end economic inequality, and promote education and health care, and seek to limit Wall Street power, so evident under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Mayor with a mixed record.
And the fact that he has been against “Stop and Frisk”, the policy just declared unconstitutional by a federal judge, the only candidate to be against it all along, helps De Blasio, who is married to an African American woman, and has a 15 year old son, who, with his African American appearance and age, would be a prime candidate for being stopped by the police, based on racial profiling.
New York City has not had a true progressive Mayor since John Lindsay (1966-1973), who had many shortcomings, and really, the last truly progressive mayor and success as Mayor goes back to Fiorello La Guardia (1934-1945).
Democratic voters are either going to have to fess up to not being particularly liberal or, for those who claim they are, will have to learn more about the candidates with a “D” following their name regarding who are and are not in their best interests on policies. For example, the good people of New Jersey should have familiarized themselves more with Newark mayor Cory Booker and not automatically nominate for the Democratic ticket with the special U.S. Senate election come October. (He LOVES Wall Street and Bain Capital.) New York City residents should wise up to Christine Quinn … or they will have more an extension of corporatist incumbent mayor Michael Bloomberg in the form of Quinn. These are reasons why I have my issues over today’s Democratic Party. It’s too bad ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y. #09) is self-destructive.
D, interesting comments, and I must say that in many ways, Eliot Spitzer would have been the best mayoral candidate with his record of fighting Wall Street as NYS Attorney General. Of course, his sex scandal, which kicked him out of the Governorship, destroyed his potential, and, at least, he was not as arrogant and cocky as Anthony Weiner, and decided to rehabilitate himself by running for a lower level publicity position, City Comptroller, but in actuality, he can play an important role on the city finances and holding Wall Street to account from that position, if he is elected. Down the road, he might be able to run for Mayor after proving himself and behaving in his private life. He has the potential to redeem himself, assuming he does not act like Weiner has done after being caught in his misbehavior!