Why does one of the great Democratic cities in America.........

[marmar]

...... keep producing such weak Democratic mayoral candidates?




from The Nation:



Dem Doldrums in Gotham
Comment

By Theodore Hamm
October 21, 2009


The unemployment rate in New York City is higher than 10 percent, exceeding the national average. Each week finds more families entering the city's homeless shelter system, and the city's once-mighty manufacturing sector has shrunk to a paltry 2 percent of the job market. Such indicators suggest that the future of the city's economy should be at the forefront of the mayor's race. Democrats should be troubled that it is not.

Whatever his party label, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's firmest loyalties are to Wall Street and the financial sector. Early in his first term he went to court to stop the City Council from cracking down on subprime lending. More recently, amid the uproar over the financial sector bailout, he positioned himself as Wall Street's champion, defending exorbitant bonuses and claiming that Timothy Geithner "walks on water." Throughout his two terms, Bloomberg has promoted development oriented around luxury condos as the middle class has been squeezed out of the city. Meanwhile the low-wage retail sector has become the main area of job growth for New York's working class.

That Bloomberg's Democratic challenger, Bill Thompson, has been the city's comptroller for the past eight years makes his unwillingness to challenge the mayor's economic blueprint all the more puzzling. Aside from hammering Bloomberg for overturning term limits, Thompson has other lines of attack, containing varying degrees of economic critique: he has gone after the mayor, the richest person in the city, for his self-financed campaign spending, which outpaces Thompson 16 to 1; and he has assailed the mayor's preference for raising sales taxes and city fees rather than income taxes on the wealthy. Yet none of these positions suggest a clear new direction for the city's economy. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/hamm

[itsrobert]

1. Religion and immigrants

Many Catholics and other religious group who have just recently immigrated or second Generation.

[SoCalDem]

2. maybe because it's such a thankless task?

and because really rich guys can buy the office. I also don;t understand why Calif & NY & Massachusetts keeps getting republican governors

[KharmaTrain]

3. Provincial Politics Trump Party Unity

A good friend in New York spelled it out not long ago when he said that Democrats end up representing neighborhoods and burroughs and if they rise in the ranks, they run up against other "bosses" from other areas that pit one against the other. I see a similar thing in Chicago...a one party city. Rushpublicans are able to exploit this by avoiding fighting in the trenches and just running for the top job...clean of any of the in-fighting. For the most part the rushpublicans in New York have been nothing more than a jumping point from the Democratic party without having to assume any responsibility (especially if they were former Democrats)...running strictly against the infighting and letting the Democrats beat each other up in the primaries. Having unlimited funds doesn't hurt either...and the GOOP always loves those who can fully fund themselves...as we see with Bloomberg his ego has no cash limit.

[marmar]

5. Makes sense. At least in Chicago a Democrat ends up getting elected....

..... even though I know there are questions about Hizzoner Daley's ethics.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Obama Really Wasn't A "Chicago Democrat"

It's an easy frame for the right wing hate spewers but really not the case. Daley operates unto a world of his own and his army are the alderman and party bosses. President Obama never served in the city council or headed any department...his rise came in the state legislature...250 miles away in Springfield. While he has the full support of the city party, his relations with it were distant. However, Rahm and David Axelrod had far greater ties to the modern "Daley machine" as does Arne Duncan. There's a lot of nuance involved. The city's neighborhood politics is played out on the county level more than in the city.

Cheers...

[edhopper]

4. Who did Giuliani beat?

Who is Bloomberg ahead of in this election?



Don't underestimate the racism among whites in NYC.

[itsrobert]

8. And

their isn't any racism from any other ethnic group?

[edhopper]

10. I'll clarify

Many think of NYC as this bastion of liberalism. It is in some respects, but there is a lot more of good ole racism than many would think.

[itsrobert]

11. This goes back to immigrants

and second generations. Where ever they come from, Russia, Poland, China, Pakistan, Cuba, Panama, Kenya, (Africa), etc, they are only use to people that look much like them and had no interaction into a melting pot like NYC. They bring their biases/racism with them. Plus many bring their religion, which is also effect their decisions.

[marmar]

12. NYC is more of an ethnic salad than a melting pot....Its ingredients are unique, as they should be.

nt

[stray cat]

6. Because some of the former democrats were a disaster and more corrupt than average?

and the city became a complete disaster under them?

[marmar]

9. Yeah. Heaven knows there was no corruption under Rudy/Bernie Kerik

nt