American Way: Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio Is NO CLINTON KID

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After all, De Blasio is, in many ways, a Clinton kid. He worked in the Clinton administration as a top deputy to then-HUD Secretary and now New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He was selected to manage Hillary Clinton's New York State Senate campaign in 2000. The Clintons now benefit from one of their own at the helm of America's largest city while some say association with de Blasio might help Hillary fend off a left-wing primary challenge in 2016. But if you looked past the symbolism and actually listened to the inaugural speeches, de Blasio's swearing-in ceremony was a persistent rebuke to the centrist spirit of Clintonism. And that says a lot about the growing divisions inside the Democratic Party.


Bill Clinton brought Democrats back to power after they lost three consecutive Presidential elections by more than 40 states by re‑centering the Democratic Party. As a southern governor, he was determined to distance them from the excesses of the liberal left which alienated the moderate majority of Americans. Bill Clinton offered a pragmatic third way of governing, pledging to move the country “not left or right but forward.” Bill de Blasio's political approach is dramatically different. In his inauguration speech, the first Democratic mayor in 20 years committed to implementing an explicitly ideological agenda, continuing his campaign strategy of running to the left of all other candidates in the Democratic primary.


“When I said we would take dead aim at the Tale of Two Cities, I meant it,” de Blasio thundered. “We are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities” – a perhaps admirable but starkly utopian goal. He cast himself in a line of liberal leaders from the New Deal to the Great Society, “who took on the elite.” This activist impulse means seeing business as an adversary rather than an ally – “We will require big developers to build more affordable housing.” Raising taxes on the rich is an immediate policy priority to fund Pre-K, along with a nanny state ban on Central Park carriage horses.



- Make no mistake: De Blasio is a talented politician – an affable, engaging, intelligent man with a beautiful bi-racial family. He was among the first modern Democrats to seize upon the increasingly urgent issue of inequality and win executive office with it, harnessing the frustrations of the Occupy movement. But when Bill Clinton endorsed de Blasio’s agenda, he framed it in very different terms, as one of “shared opportunities, shared prosperity, shared responsibilities.” “This inequality problem bedevils the entire country,” Clinton said. “It is not just a moral outrage it is a horrible constraint on economic growth…we cannot go forward if we don’t do it together.” Clinton’s characteristic emphasis on unity and a growing economy was missing from the de Blasio articulation – and that reflects differences deeper than rhetoric.



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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/10550816/American-Way-Democrat-mayor-Bill-de-Blasio-is-no-Clinton-kid.html

[cherokeeprogressive]

1. Alert fail 5-1. n/t

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3. LOL!

Thanks for the update!

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2. "...The left wing of the Democratic Party has been roaring back to life..

...in the last year or two. The most obvious symbols are the election of Elizabeth Warren to the U.S. Senate and of Bill de Blasio to the office of mayor of New York. Centrist Democrats — the politicians who might better be described as ‘Republican-lite’ — are getting worried. So much so that they are going on the attack against the ‘populist liberalism’ of the two elected officials.


Progressive Democrats see Warren as a champion of the people

Many Democrats have cheered Warren as a champion of the people. However, a centrist Democratic think tank, Third Way, issued a broadside against her in the Wall Street Journal. Warren wants to expand Social Security and strengthen the social safety net. By contrast, the Third Way wants to cut most forms of social spending, including Social Security, as an accommodation to the Republican Party.

Many Americans are sick and tired of watching the politics of accommodation. They realize their rights and protections are being whittled away. That’s a big reason both Warren and de Blasio won their elections by large margins — a fact that Third Way seems to have conveniently forgotten. In spite of these signals from the voters, two members of Third Way, Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, entitled “Economic Populism Is a Dead End for Democrats”. The article specifically points the finger at Warren and De Blasio, with the heaviest emphasis on Warren.

The authors hit the senator for supporting a laundry list of progressive causes: higher taxes on the wealthy, breaking up the big banks, expanding Social Security and Medicare, investing in education, infrastructure, healthcare, clean energy, etc. In other words, Third Way has come out against everything that might get this country moving again. They warn that following the lead of Warren and de Blasio will take Democrats right over “the populist cliff” in the next election.


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http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/12/08/third-way-attacks-elizabeth-warren/

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4. "...Hillary Clinton is a centrist candidate whom liberals have not embraced...

...She’s considered by many to be a friend of Wall Street. Third Way has a huge interest in helping her secure the nomination as well as to facilitate the election of other centrists. Progressive organizations, however, are providing a counter punch. On Thursday, the liberal blog Daily Kos announced that it would neither endorse nor raise funds for Democrats who are members of Third Way.

In addition, a coalition of liberal organizations is asking their members to contact Congressmen who are members of Third Way and voice their objections to the attack on progressives...."

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/12/08/third-way-attacks-elizabeth-warren/