The truth about Bill de Blasio: Ignore the Clinton “marriage” hype

[DonViejo]

The progressive new mayor worked for both Clintons. Their “embrace” just means they’re all good politicians

JOAN WALSH

It’s supposed to be a new year, 2014, but does anyone else feel like it’s 2007? The one big national political story that broke over the holiday, the inauguration of progressive New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, is mostly being hyped for what it tells us about Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes. Haven’t we done this already?

Seven years ago, the nation’s politics got pulled into a sinkhole of analyzing every political development and every political leader in terms of its relationship to Clinton’s candidacy. She was up, she was down; she can’t win; she’s invincible; she’s rallied major leaders behind her; major leaders are abandoning ship; she’s intimidating newbie Barack Obama; Obama has her on the ropes. That last story turned out to be true, eventually.

Now it’s de Blasio’s turn to see his innovative administration reflected in Clinton’s glory, almost three years before 2016 and before she’s even announced her candidacy. Politico covered “The Clinton-De Blasio political marriage” before the inauguration. The day after, the Washington Post’s Dan Balz asked: “Is New York’s De Blasio prompting a political repositioning by the Clintons?”

Balz summarized Hillary Clinton’s alleged dilemma thusly:

Will she be able to be true to the New Democrat ideals that brought her husband to power and also accommodate the energy pulsing through the party’s progressive wing?

:::snip:::

full article
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/02/the_truth_about_bill_de_blasio_ignore_the_clinton_%E2%80%9Cmarriage%E2%80%9D_hype/

[OKNancy]

1. Haven't the two families been political friends for some time?

I believe the Clintons supported him from the beginning, not just when he turned out to be the favorite.
He was her Senatorial campaign manager for heavens sake.

People are making out like she is just being "friends" for political reasons. Good article by Walsh

[Beacool]

2. Good assessment of the political realities.

Both the left and the right manage to caricature the Clintons as soulless political opportunists. I see them as good politicians with mostly progressive values who will run as far to the left as they think leaves them electable. That describes de Blasio, too. I’d have been more surprised if the Clintons hadn’t been center stage on the new mayor’s big day.

[grantcart]

3. TSFC

Too Sensible For Consideration

[DonViejo]

5. ++++1,000 ^^^^

[Beacool]

8. Yeah, although that's not the feeling around here.

At least Joan gets it.

[grantcart]

9. Well you have to take the good with the bad at DU, like anything else.

Me?

I am a Obama/Clinton/Warren Democrat and I am really only concerned about one other thing:

Getting the House back, getting rid of the filibuster.

The fact is that the Republicans in Congress faced a fork in the road, confront the Tea Party and endanger their own individual seats or compete with the Democrats on solving real problems. They took the latter and have basically made it impossible for them to get a victory in the electoral college. Texas, Florida and Arizona moves a little more blue every election year and the Republicans are DOA in New York, CA, etc. so they will have to spend more and more resources on defensive battles while we extend the front line.

If they don't take the Senate this year then they won't get it for 6 years because the next two elections they will be defending more seats by a lopsided margin.

It is ironic to read some DUers complain about how terrible a compromise the ACA is, and how we should have held out for single payer when in the last 3 months 4.3 million have been added to Medicaid, our single payer system, the largest single expansion since it started. But for some if you can't stomp your feet really loud and write disparagingly, preferably in a silly third person persona then you really aren't progressive, regardless how disconnected from the facts your rant is.

[dionysus]

6. Happy New Years Bea! i didn't get a chance to give you your Christmas present yet...

[Beacool]

7. That looks like a warm bankie.

I'll save him until I return to NJ. I'm still in sunny, and warm, Florida.

Thank you, sweets.

Happy New Year!!!

[dionysus]

10. aren't you miss fancy pants with your champagne flutes and high priced vacations!

aren't I a cad?

[Beacool]

11. No, you're a nice person.

[SunSeeker]

4. K & R

[Hippo_Tron]

12. I'm more interested in whether De Blasio actually plans to govern as a liberal like he campaigned

The difference between Democrats (even the well intentioned ones) and Republicans, is that as soon as Democrats get elected they think their job is to please everyone who didn't vote for them whereas Republicans think it it's their job to please everyone who did vote for them.

If I were De Blasio, I would've issued an order ending stop and frisk immediately following my swearing in ceremony. Last I checked, the mayor still controls the police force, right?