New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) “is making moves toward a possible run for president, soliciting City Hall staffers with national political experience and preparing to travel to the early primary state of New Hampshire this week,” Politico reports.
Inside One of America’s Ugliest Political Feuds
New York Times: “The idea of Mr. de Blasio and Mr. Cuomo ever collaborating on anything seems almost unfathomable nearly 16 years later. The two Democrats are now engaged in a feud so nasty, petty and prolonged that even in the cutthroat politics of New York, few can remember ever seeing anything quite like it. The two men have sparred over substance, silliness and everything in between: public housing and private workout routines, homelessness and topless women in Times Square, taxing millionaires and euthanizing a deer, a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak and state troop deployments, schools, snowstorms and the subways — even naps.”
De Blasio Seeks to Define National Role
Politico: “De Blasio, whose unfulfilled national ambitions have never been far from the surface, will be in Des Moines in early December preaching the progressive message as the best means for Democrats to win control of statehouses nationwide and, the biggest prize, the U.S. House of Representatives. He will also be trying to define a new role for himself in the party.”
“More to the point, he’s diverging from the Clinton brand of Democratic politics from whence he came and fully embracing the Sen. Bernie Sanders wing of the party — a seemingly more natural fit for a man who won his first mayoral term on the message of income inequality.”
De Blasio Rival Blasts Mayor for Being a Red Sox Fan
New York City mayoral contender Nicole Malliotakis (R) said she finds it “unconscionable” that Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) won’t root for the New York Yankees, the New York Daily News reports.
Said Malliotakis: “I believe that you’ll have two underdogs winning this year — the New York Yankees and Nicole Malliotakis.”
“The candidate said she’s a Yankee fan who’s excited by their post-season run — unlike Hizzoner, a Red Sox fan who told the Daily News this week it’s ‘constitutionally impossible’ for him to root for the Bronx Bombers, and said it’d be just “too weird” to go to a game at Yankee Stadium.”
De Blasio May Run for President
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio “is putting out feelers to run for president, spreading whispers that Bernie Sanders, 75, and Elizabeth Warren, 68, are too old,” the New York Post reports.
“De Blasio, 56, will claim he’s the rightful standard bearer for the progressive wing of the Democratic party.”
Said one Democratic insider: “He thinks he’s going to coast to re-election victory. His people are sending out overtures asking where he should go next and whom he should meet on a national level.”
De Blasio Regularly Threatens Staffers
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio “is an imperious bully of a boss who threatens his underlings with dire punishment if they fail to meet his demands,” emails obtained by the New York Post reveal.
“‘What do I need to get you guys to follow a direct order? Do you need to experience consequences?’ he threatened in one 2015 diatribe. ‘I’m not raising this again: fix it, or I will [have] no choice but to find a way to penalize people. Not my preference, but I won’t have my instructions ignored.’”
“The emails show de Blasio blowing his top at nearly a dozen aides for failing to make sure phonetic versions of challenging words were included in his speeches and talking points.”
De Blasio Still Has No Challenger
New York Times: “With just over six months until the Democratic primary, no credible challenger — a person with some combination of name recognition, a political base, governmental experience and the funding to wage a knockdown campaign — has emerged.”
“In an era when political neophytes have captured offices as high as the White House, the lack of challengers to Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, may seem mystifying.”
“His administration is mired in a series of overlapping fund-raising investigations, including some by the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, that could result in indictments of Mr. de Blasio or top officials in the coming weeks.”
Clinton Would Crush de Blasio If She Ran
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that in “a very hypothetical race” for New York City Mayor, Hillary Clinton, running as an independent, would beat incumbent Bill de Blasio (D) handily, 49% to 30%.
Said pollster Tim Malloy: “New Yorkers aren’t in love with Mayor Bill de Blasio, but they seem to like him better than other possible choices – except Hillary Clinton, who probably is an impossible choice.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’ll tell you something, somebody’s making a mistake because that would be an active primary.”
— Former New York Gov. David Patterson (D), quoted by the New York Daily News, on the lack of a primary challenger for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D).
A Serious Candidate Could Beat De Blasio
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) “could be beatable — if anyone has the guts to run against him” next year, the New York Daily News reports.
“No serious candidates have even signaled their intentions to run. … De Blasio has some serious achievements — universal pre-K, record-low crime, an ambitious affordable-housing plan — but also vulnerabilities, like sky-high homelessness and numerous investigations into his fund-raising.”
DeBlasio Social Media Director Quits with Scathing Post
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new social media director has quit — saying in a scathing Facebook post that he had to do it to save his own “health and sanity” from an office full of “political hacks plus a boss who just couldn’t get it,” according to DNA Info.
Investigations Cloud de Blasio’s Future
“It was not even a month ago that Mayor Bill de Blasio led a boisterous rally in Foley Square to celebrate the passage of key elements of his affordable housing plan. It was meant to be a pivotal moment in Mr. de Blasio’s tenure, a victory that would position him to better attend to New York City’s nuts-and-bolts needs — something of a requisite as he approaches re-election next year,” the New York Times reports.
“In the past two weeks, though, the mayor’s fortunes have swung wildly in the opposite direction. His ability and style as a manager have come under excruciating scrutiny, as four separate investigative agencies pursue inquiries into possible wrongdoing on the part of his administration.”
Feds Looking at De Blasio’s Fundraising
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is investigating New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) “campaign fund-raising activities as part of a widening probe into NYPD corruption,” the New York Post reports.
“The feds are looking at how the mayor solicits campaign cash from members of the real-estate industry — and the fund-raising activities of his former campaign treasurer, Ross Offinger.”
De Blasio Loses Support of White Voters
A new New York Times/Siena College poll finds just 28% of white New Yorkers approve of the Democratic mayor’s performance, and 59% now disapprove, up sharply from the start of his term.
“Nearly half say that the city is a worse place to live under his watch — only 9% say it is better — and 51% say New York is now less safe, even as crime statistics reach historic lows.”
De Blasio Threatens Not to Talk to Reporters Again
“Accused of ducking the press, Mayor de Blasio opened himself to an unprecedented 54 minutes of grilling from reporters on Friday — but warned not to expect a repeat,” the New York Post reports.
“Instead, the mayor said he’d continue with a recent shift from fielding questions from reporters on any topic toward more radio, TV and town-hall appearances where he can speak directly to the public.”
Voters Very Unhappy with De Blasio
A new Quinnipiac poll finds a majority of New York City voters — including registered Democrats — disapprove of how Mayor Bill de Blasio is handling crime, relations between police and local residents, the police department and poverty and homelessness.
DeBlasio Moves Towards Endorsing Clinton
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), asked to respond to reports that an endorsement was pending, the New York Times notes he replied: “When we have something to say on the political front, we’ll say it. I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Some Democrats say they are now watching for a subtle sign: whether Mr. de Blasio is allowed to make his endorsement alongside Mrs. Clinton, or if the announcement comes via news release, the type of distinction that can speak volumes in political circles.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“He chose to publicly vent his frustration. We all have our own styles and our own comportment and we all see our roles in a certain way. My father had one style, Koch had one style … that’s the mayor’s style, it’s not my style. … I try to bite my tongue once in a while.”
— New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), quoted by the New York Observer, on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D).
