NYC's populist shift - and why it matters

[LiberalElite]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/new-york-citys-populist-s_b_3868930.html

For 12 years now they've been touting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a model for the politics of the future. Beltway pundits have pushed hard for his amalgam of economically conservative policies and social-issues liberalism.

They seized on Bloomberg's mayoralty as a vindication of their vision. They were eager to tell us that us his winning candidacy was the harbinger of a new political trend.

They have yet say the same about populist Bill de Blasio, who's leading the polls to replace Bloomberg. And yet, it could be argued that de Blasio is already a more significant political bellwether than Bloomberg ever was.

The race isn't over. But it's beginning to look as if de Blasio, not Bloomberg, is the shape of things to come.

[polichick]

1. Wonder what would happen if we had a populist party. k&r

[DavidDvorkin]

2. It didn't work that well, the last time we did

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Populist_Party