When Gina Bellefante, queen of liberal reporting, questions deblasio's effectiveness, it's time for the mayor to start looking for a new line of work. The one common thread throughout the comments is deblasio's arrogance. It started at his inauguration and has continued ever since. Thank goodness he'll soon be gone.
3
When will the NY Times start asking the NYC Republicans whom they will offer as candidate for Mayor in 2017?
The NYT is so left, it cannot even imagine that so many of us are desperate for a non-left candidate.
DeBlasio exemplifies everything the NYT and most of its readership loves, and he is an awful, lousy excuse for a Mayor.
The NYT is so left, it cannot even imagine that so many of us are desperate for a non-left candidate.
DeBlasio exemplifies everything the NYT and most of its readership loves, and he is an awful, lousy excuse for a Mayor.
5
How revealing that the author, noting only 27% of whites approve of de Blasio's performance, addresses only liberal whites' possible objections to him. Why do conservative and moderate whites not register as people with the author?
This is the sort of thinking which has driven so many such voters to frauds like Trump and Fox News, whose fake concern for their well-being is more than they receive elsewhere.
Sadly, de Blasio's low approval ratings have less to do with anything the author mentions, than with his patently greater interest in achieving national fame than solving the city's problems and his utter lack of skill at either.
This is the sort of thinking which has driven so many such voters to frauds like Trump and Fox News, whose fake concern for their well-being is more than they receive elsewhere.
Sadly, de Blasio's low approval ratings have less to do with anything the author mentions, than with his patently greater interest in achieving national fame than solving the city's problems and his utter lack of skill at either.
6
I voted for him, had such high hopes for his administration, following in the footsteps of Bloomberg's all-development-is-good terms. But I soured on de Blasio after the LICH controversies (which I see are being investigated on a Federal level now) and so many other lead-footed decisions. What can he be thinking?
6
Arrogance, incompetence? Let's not get too carried away with our expectations here...on the heels of a center right three term Bloomberg Admin and Rudy's unabashed turn right folks expect Mayor Bill to turn the boat around and head left while weighing in as a nationally recognized progressive? First off, it's a city in a state; Dillion's Rule says New York State runs NYC with the exception of land and budget priorities. He's hemmed in terribly - and the governor isn't willing to help him one bit. That might be Bill's biggest failing; knowing how to work the state to the benefit of the city (and the Mayor's Office). Finally, the power of the NYPD to shape public opinion, scare NY'ers and act like an autonomous branch of government has to be a massive headache for any Mayor who tries to talk about community policing issues. (It took threats of Federal action to get Bloomberg to get behind curtailing Stop and Frisk). Give the Mayor a little time, more than a classic NY minute at least before judging too harshly.
4
The gang that couldn't shoot straight would apply to deblasios administration..
6
Mayor Bloomberg took the subway. Mayor de Blasio has a motorcade take him to a gym in Brooklyn. Not good for the environment
10
A few month ago , I was in a yellow cab from midtown to downtown and the driver was still complaining about the plaza in Times Square, I said you should be used to it by now , he said never . And the conversation went to the mayor de blasio that didn't keep his promise . He said it didn't matter because he is one term mayor anyway. I said isn't too early to predict ? And he said no :
He is a one term mayor !
And I see few people here say the same thing.
Well well de blasio !
He is a one term mayor !
And I see few people here say the same thing.
Well well de blasio !
4
The face of incompetence
6
I'm a New Yorker and I can tell a con when I see one.
Well Bill de Blasio is a con.
He's unprofessional in his demeanor has surrounded himself with cronies who are untrustworthy -- some of them didn't even live in New York City what was that public relations person's name who lived in New Jersey whose husband was a criminal and whose son was arrested?) and many of his administration are being investigated for corruption.
Goodbye Bill.
Well Bill de Blasio is a con.
He's unprofessional in his demeanor has surrounded himself with cronies who are untrustworthy -- some of them didn't even live in New York City what was that public relations person's name who lived in New Jersey whose husband was a criminal and whose son was arrested?) and many of his administration are being investigated for corruption.
Goodbye Bill.
8
Many New Yorkers are fed up by the arrogance of Bill de Blasio on a subject that affects everyone in NYC: traffic and transportation. Under his watch, traffic in Manhattan has virtually come to a standstill, and if people and goods can't get where they need to go, the economy slowly grinds to a halt. The sidewalks have increasingly become more impassable, due to vendors, tourists, construction, and the completion of new buildings with nowhere to put the workers/residents at street level. Buses are tied up on the same streets as cars going nowhere quickly, and bicycles seem to aim at pedestrians just trying to walk somewhere. The mayor's solution is more bike lanes, more pedestrian plazas (where people stand, not walk or travel), fewer traffic lanes, fewer parking garages (which get parked cars off the street), and more building construction. It stands to reason he doesn't care about punctuality.
No one is going to be able to travel to the voting booth to vote for him for a second term.
No one is going to be able to travel to the voting booth to vote for him for a second term.
8
chandlerny - you nailed it!
The big intersection in Manhattan at West 65th Street, Columbus Ave and Broadway is a clotted mess EVERY morning, with trucks stuck in the intersection light after light. This is dangerous to the neighborhood because the traffic blocks the Fire Dept trucks at 65th and Amsterdam. Traffic is backed up for blocks going north on Columbus and Broadway. And it has been made 100% worse by the idiotic NYC decision to ban very easy left turns from downtown Columbus Ave onto downtown Broadway (at 45 degrees, not 90 degrees, and onto three open lanes)!
Small scale maybe, but this is still typical, blind DeBlasio ur-progressive nonsense that hurts the City and its citizens.
I've called 311 many times to ask that Brownies be stationed to keep the intersection clear in the mornings. 311 absolutely refuses to forward me to the Dept of Transportation to make this request.
One of the nice things about Mayor Bloomberg was that 311 actually worked most of the time. Not under DeB. The City employees at 311 have gone back to their old, lazy, unknowledgeable ways.
For this and many other reasons, I can't wait to vote against DeBlasio in 2017.
The big intersection in Manhattan at West 65th Street, Columbus Ave and Broadway is a clotted mess EVERY morning, with trucks stuck in the intersection light after light. This is dangerous to the neighborhood because the traffic blocks the Fire Dept trucks at 65th and Amsterdam. Traffic is backed up for blocks going north on Columbus and Broadway. And it has been made 100% worse by the idiotic NYC decision to ban very easy left turns from downtown Columbus Ave onto downtown Broadway (at 45 degrees, not 90 degrees, and onto three open lanes)!
Small scale maybe, but this is still typical, blind DeBlasio ur-progressive nonsense that hurts the City and its citizens.
I've called 311 many times to ask that Brownies be stationed to keep the intersection clear in the mornings. 311 absolutely refuses to forward me to the Dept of Transportation to make this request.
One of the nice things about Mayor Bloomberg was that 311 actually worked most of the time. Not under DeB. The City employees at 311 have gone back to their old, lazy, unknowledgeable ways.
For this and many other reasons, I can't wait to vote against DeBlasio in 2017.
4
Sadly, people no longer respect rules or their neighbors. There was respect for both under Mayors Bloomberg and Guiliani. I blame DeBlasio for this and can't wait to get rid of him. He's corrupt and a waste of time.
2
DeBlasio = damaged goods ! Return to sender !!
6
Amateur hour and everyone knows it.
Hopefully it will be only one term.
It's not our collective inability to picture Bill digging his hands into a swath of famous cotton candy that we resent. It's the cotton candy dripping down the side of his mouth every time he opens his mouth to tell us no more sweet-heart deals that we find distasteful.
Hopefully it will be only one term.
It's not our collective inability to picture Bill digging his hands into a swath of famous cotton candy that we resent. It's the cotton candy dripping down the side of his mouth every time he opens his mouth to tell us no more sweet-heart deals that we find distasteful.
6
Quite frankly, I'm surprised that they let him near the podium, even at a time when no one was looking at it. He doesn't possess an ounce of humility and everyone knows it, except for him.
5
Bill hasn't given the best impression. The people of NYC feel that he hasn't tried too hard. He is nothing less than ARROGANT. Shows up late for functions and EVEN at a breakfast at Gracie Mansion! DeBlasio hasn't been forthcoming about things like the lease flip of Rivington nursing home.
Sorry Bill, the second term ain't happening!
Sorry Bill, the second term ain't happening!
10
One Term Bill!
Just like One Term David.
Just not very good at their job and NYers catch on to that REALLY fast!
Just like One Term David.
Just not very good at their job and NYers catch on to that REALLY fast!
15
His problems are entirely of his own making. Consider that the very first issue he addressed upon taking office was the attempt to rid the city of it's carriage horses. How many failed attempts did he make on this issue? Folks, horses who meander gingerly through Central Park are not high on my radar of major issues facing the city. He admitted not being aware of the disaster that is Riker's Island UNTIL the federal lawsuit was instigated. We saw homeless numbers rise and again, his response was late. He even went on television to brag about repaving the FDR Drive in record time and under budget but, excuse me folks, THE DAMNED ROAD IS STILL TORN UP and I wonder if it will ever be construction-free. Perhaps worst of all, he allowed the police officers of this city to turn their backs on him in public, a disgraceful show of arrogance and disrespect to the mayor AND the public that voted him into office. That was the last straw for me. The mayor of this city needs to be tough and razor smart. He's smart enough but his toughness is constantly being misdirected. I can never imagine those officers turning their backs on Bloomberg because one way or another they would have paid a price for such blatant disrespect, and deservedly so too. So what do we expect now? His endorsement of Clinton meant NOTHING, coming so late. His rapport with Cuomo is a disaster and the mayor is NOT going to win that battle in the public's mind. Christine Quinn, where are you?
22
Smart enough! Really?
3
As Governor Cuomo has said (many times), I come to praise Bill de Blasio not to bury him. ha ha ha. (with apologies for the Spear.)
6
Nothing is worse than the marriage of arrogance and incompetence - which is what Bill de Blasio is.
21
A couple of thoughts. The article starts off saying that something that is incorrect. Bill de Blasio was not, after he was elected, and certainly not now, the face of progressive politics in America. What he had done was win an election. He had yet to really do anything. He thought that winning an election automatically elevated into something he had yet to earn. But what he did have then and does to this day, is have an enormous ego. His refusal to endorse Hillary from the beginning of her campaign was a slap in her face and he fully deserved to be put in his place by the Clinton folks and during this convention he was.
25
I do not think there is a single person who lives or works in NYC who would say things are better under his leadership than they were before he took office, and very few would say it is just as good. The streets and the trains are dirtier, crime is up and the police are hamstrung to do anything about it and schools are falling apart. All de Blasio seems to care about locally though is doing whatever he can to help the pay-to-play special interests who donated to his slush funds (see, e.g., carriage horses, Rivington House and even mint-x garbage bags).
If NYC under de Blasio's administration even managed to maintain the quality of life we had under Bloomberg there's a very good chance he'd be welcomed on the national stage.
If NYC under de Blasio's administration even managed to maintain the quality of life we had under Bloomberg there's a very good chance he'd be welcomed on the national stage.
20
Why in the world should the DNC have given a prime time spot to de Blasio? He is the subject of multiple criminal investigations and has a high likelihood of being indicted by the end of the year.
18
So why did Cuomo get a more prime speaking slot?? He's been at dirty politics a lot longer than DeBlasio. Take a gander at the slew of bills passed this past Friday. If the NYTimes had bothered to cover the most recent bills passed this past Friday with out public review or comment, especially the pathetic Ethics reform, it would have actually been doing its job to inform its readership.
4
Could it be because he is a one-note sleep-in BUREAUCRAT presiding over a massive decline in New York City quality of life? He is a bum and recognized as such here. Hillary must know by now that NYC cops are engaged in a work slowdown, targeting a political takedown of this Mayor. He's poison.
14
No matter what your feelings on DeBlasio’s policies, by any measure his Administration has been shockingly incompetent. From the Carriage Horse issue, to Rachel Noerdlinger, to the nursing home sale it has become painfully obvious that the only thing he is capable of running is his mouth.
Despite spending a lifetime in politics, he has consistently swung and missed on just about every major political issue since taking office. How different would his relationship be with the rank and file of the NYPD (and many middle class voters) be if his reaction to the Eric Garner/Black Lives Matter protest been “ I completely understand the feelings of anger and bitterness in our community when a life is taken unjustly. My administration will protect the rights of those who seek to peacefully protest, but it is absolutely wrong to accuse every person wearing a uniform of being racist and the actions of a small number of protesters have been violent and despicable.”
The entire tone of his administration would have changed.
Despite spending a lifetime in politics, he has consistently swung and missed on just about every major political issue since taking office. How different would his relationship be with the rank and file of the NYPD (and many middle class voters) be if his reaction to the Eric Garner/Black Lives Matter protest been “ I completely understand the feelings of anger and bitterness in our community when a life is taken unjustly. My administration will protect the rights of those who seek to peacefully protest, but it is absolutely wrong to accuse every person wearing a uniform of being racist and the actions of a small number of protesters have been violent and despicable.”
The entire tone of his administration would have changed.
26
I don't like DeBlasio or Clinton.
I'm told that I don't like Clinton because I an irrational sexist. After all, she's really just the bees knees.
Now I'm told that the reason I don't like DeBlasio is that he doesn't pal around with the 1 percenters... Clinton included.
But maybe it's deeper than that. Maybe I just don't like their records.
But who cares? Let's just blame voter preference on people being stupid, or uninformed, or shallow. That way, win or lose, we can maintain our smug superiority.
I'm told that I don't like Clinton because I an irrational sexist. After all, she's really just the bees knees.
Now I'm told that the reason I don't like DeBlasio is that he doesn't pal around with the 1 percenters... Clinton included.
But maybe it's deeper than that. Maybe I just don't like their records.
But who cares? Let's just blame voter preference on people being stupid, or uninformed, or shallow. That way, win or lose, we can maintain our smug superiority.
6
Ms. Bellafante dissed Occupy too. Waiting for a positive column on something progressive.
5
"What happened? Certainly it did not serve the mayor well that he was as slow to endorse Mrs. Clinton..."
NY Times Aug 23, 2013
In 2000, a War Room Didn’t Fit de Blasio’s Style
"In the middle of the 2000 Senate race, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s advisers found themselves on a conference call about what seemed a small-bore subject: campaign signs.
For 20 minutes it droned on. What color should their signs be for the Democratic National Convention that summer? And what about the font?
One person had the power to end the discussion — the campaign manager, Bill de Blasio. But he declined to intervene.
“Finally, someone said: ‘Seriously? Come on people, let’s go with blue!’ ” recalled a Clinton adviser, whose account was confirmed by two other people.
“It was amazing that Bill was more than willing to let this go on.”
An examination of Mr. de Blasio’s management of Mrs. Clinton’s first run for office, however, reveals that his inclinations...could be agonizingly inefficient in a high-pressure, ever-shifting situation. He was so deliberative, in fact, that he was eventually elbowed out during the final stretch of the campaign.
The campaign for an open Senate seat was a turning point in Mr. de Blasio’s life; it was the biggest and most high-profile political effort he had ever been put in charge of. And it turned out to be his last, as an operative."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/nyregion/in-2000-a-clinton-war-room-di...
NY Times Aug 23, 2013
In 2000, a War Room Didn’t Fit de Blasio’s Style
"In the middle of the 2000 Senate race, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s advisers found themselves on a conference call about what seemed a small-bore subject: campaign signs.
For 20 minutes it droned on. What color should their signs be for the Democratic National Convention that summer? And what about the font?
One person had the power to end the discussion — the campaign manager, Bill de Blasio. But he declined to intervene.
“Finally, someone said: ‘Seriously? Come on people, let’s go with blue!’ ” recalled a Clinton adviser, whose account was confirmed by two other people.
“It was amazing that Bill was more than willing to let this go on.”
An examination of Mr. de Blasio’s management of Mrs. Clinton’s first run for office, however, reveals that his inclinations...could be agonizingly inefficient in a high-pressure, ever-shifting situation. He was so deliberative, in fact, that he was eventually elbowed out during the final stretch of the campaign.
The campaign for an open Senate seat was a turning point in Mr. de Blasio’s life; it was the biggest and most high-profile political effort he had ever been put in charge of. And it turned out to be his last, as an operative."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/nyregion/in-2000-a-clinton-war-room-di...
18
DeBlasio has no one to blame but himself. He has governed like a loser and so is being treated accordingly. This election is about the future and he does not have one.
33
All the more reason I like DeBlasio.
6
And his dishonest, real estate-pandering horse carriage ban....
18
what happened?
Mr. de Blasio has proven to be a flawed and ineffectual leader for progressives.
Hillary's moderate republican branch of the party will continue to deliver for special interest.
Mr. de Blasio has proven to be a flawed and ineffectual leader for progressives.
Hillary's moderate republican branch of the party will continue to deliver for special interest.
15