Today in New York

Today on another 9/11 anniversary we may be seeing a significant shift in New York City politics. You’ve probably heard that Democrat Bill de Blasio came in first in yesterday’s mayoral primary. We’re waiting for all the absentee ballots to be counted to see if he got 40 percent of the vote, which would relieve us all of the need for a runoff with the second-highest vote earner, William Thompson.

De Blasio has been called an “unapologetic tax-the-rich liberal” who has vowed to end the city’s racist “stop and frisk” policy. The establishment candidate, the one all the newspapers and Mayor Bloomberg endorsed and who had the backing of whatever Powers That Be run the city, was Christine Quinn. She came in a distant third.

For months I kept hearing that Quinn had the nomination sewed up, and the only rival who might give her a serious challenge was Anthony Weiner. You can see how that turned out. This is one reason why I keep tuning out people who have already conceded the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton. As an old saying goes, there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.

Another interesting aspect of the race is that Quinn, who is openly gay, got a lot of early liberal support because she would have been the first woman, never mind lesbian, mayor of New York City. But Quinn turned out to be a squishy moderate, politically, and there was a late surge for de Blasio, who said all the right stuff for many people.

The financial elites of New York City are in a panic, because de Blasio has pledged to raise taxes by half a percent on incomes of over half a million dollars and use the money to fund universal pre-k. Oh, the horror!

I agree with Steve M

Of course, the rich aren’t really “terrified.” They’re insulted. They’ve been the kings and queens of the last decade or two. They’ve come out of the economic downturn smelling like a rose; we now have levels of inequality not seen since the 1920s. And they feel entitled to more of the same. They think they deserve an exemption from criticism.

I expect the Republican nominee, Joseph Lhota — a relic of the Guiliani administration — to get a big boost in campaign funds for the general election. The Powers That Be are going to throw everything at their disposal to knock down de Blasio.

12 thoughts on “Today in New York

  1. Not that I can vote for NYC mayor.. but if I could, I’d vote for DeBlasio just for his position to end the Stop and Frisk policy.. Nothing says freedom like living in a police state.

  2. What do the polls say about a matchup? Does the democrat in NYC have an inside track or does big money dominate to the point that a true liberal has no chance?

  3. “The Powers That Be are going to throw everything at their disposal to knock down de Blasio.”

    Right, and considering the reason he won, it’s only going to help him.

  4. 1/2 a percent?
    0.05 percent!!!
    Taxed Enough Already!!!!!
    OH, THE HUMANITIES!!!

    Cue the NY Time front page and Living Section!
    Prepare yourselves for the articles on the yuppie couples with two kids who, on a $500,000+salary, now find it 1/2 a percent harder to buy a new luxury car or two every other year, eat dinner 3 or 4 times a week at highly-rated restaurants, shop for new clothes at high-priced boutiques, pay for private schools and tutors and au pairs for their kids, keep the condo AND a summer home either on the shore and/or in the hills, go on expensive vacations, go regularly to the opera/ballet/Broadway/Off-Broadway/concerts/clubs, AND pay for a maid and other help!!!
    Weep bitter and salty tears for these poor, poor souls.

    Now, having said that, NY City is a hell of an expensive place to live. But somehow or other, there are lot of people who live there on a hell of a lot less, and still get to enjoy some of what living in a city as great and NY City has to offer – just not every day, and every evening.
    If they really don’t like that teeny-tiny new tax, no one’s stopping them from moving to another city. I doubt their companies and condo’s will have a hard time finding new couples with children, who will be happy to take their place.

    If they want to stay, then STFU, and suck-it-up! It’s 1/2 a percent, fer christsake!!!

    But if they decide to stay and keep whining and bitching, someone needs to remind these fairly well-off couples, and the really rich who live in/around NY City if they decide to join in that chorus, that tumbrels today will move a lot more quickly over paved streets – potholes and all – than they did over the cobblestone streets of Paris, back in the day.

  5. There’s also some interesting stuff happening in your old home state. I heard that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D, would you believe it?) successfully vetoed the Republican legislature’s tax cuts that would have gutted education funds.

    If New York can elect an “unapologetic tax-the-rich liberal” mayor, and Missouri can have a keep-taxing-the-rich-at-least-a-little Democratic governor, maybe there’s hope.

  6. A half per cent on 500k is $50 a week. Not only will they need to lay off the maid, they may in some cases, be forced to eat the butler.

  7. Let’s hope the best for Bill de Blasio.

    OT, if you’re ask sick of Miley Cyrus as I am (I didn’t think anything could top the relentless media focus on the Kardashians), there’s a free Chrome plug-in that will zap any mention of her in any web page you might download. As one commenter put it: “This is literally the most important technological advance since the invention of the wheel. Thank you! Installed.”

  8. I didn’t think anything could top the relentless media focus on the Kardashians

    Well, maybe because it preceded it it might not qualify as topping it, but the question of Britney Spears virginity held the top spot in media focus for the longest time. The Bieb has also gotten an abundance media attention..

    I’m from the old school… The Tiny Tim and Miss Vicky wedding era.

  9. Yargh, Tiny Tim and Miss Vicky were Nobel laureates compared to Britney, Miley, the Bieb, the Kardashians.

    (I too am old school.)

    Cheers to the inventor of that Chrome plug-in!

  10. Actually Sluggo, it’s not even that. It’s only on that part of income over $500,000, and taxable income at that. You have to have one hell of a lot income before the taxable portion is over $500,000. So for your $500,000 earners the increase is $0. Business Insider calculates that for a married couple earning $700,000/year the increase would be $897/year. And the tax is only for 5 years.

    You’d have to climb past a million in gross income before you pay as much as that extra $50/week.

  11. @anthrosciguy
    Thanks for pointing that out. I usually don’t mistake gross income with taxable income.

    I suspect that my mistake will not in any way stop the rich from throwing the butler in the Crock Pot.

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