I can predict with confidence that Mayor Bill de Blasio will not alienate any more prominent NY Democrats this year.
He’s already alienated them all.
The latest supposed ally to lash out against the mayor is City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Complaining that he tried to take credit for an agreement on the ride-sharing service Uber last week, an angry Mark-Viverito said “I’m not going to allow anyone to save face at the expense of this council. This was a process that had nothing to do with the mayor.”
She then took a stroll off the deep end, saying: “I find this offensive as a woman and as a Latina who is leading this legislative body . . .”
Huh? What does that have to do with anything? Whatever you think of our mayor, he is an equal-opportunity offender. Just ask Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Last month, de Blasio lashed out at Cuomo, saying he lacks leadership and that he carries out “vendettas.” I’m sure our governor will be much more cooperative with him now.
Meanwhile, de Blasio had an unpleasant surprise for former boss Hillary Clinton, who he failed to endorse on the day she announced her presidential campaign. The mayor first demanded to see her progressive “vision.”
Wait, I’m sure we can find at least one prominent NY Democrat who gets along splendidly with our mayor. What about NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer?
Stringer complained last week that de Blasio’s effort to cap the growth of Uber “made no sense” and that his proposal was “backwards.”
Let’s not give up hope yet. What about our freaky friend Anthony Weiner? After the mayor’s non-Clinton endorsement, Weiner fumed to The Wall Street Journal. “She was working on a progressive vision of health care when Bill de Blasio was still smoking pot at NYU, or wherever he went,” he said. Ok, scratch Carlos Danger.
De Blasio has been on the road a lot lately for both business and pleasure — jetting off to California, Iowa, New Mexico and Italy, among other places.
When he runs for re-election in 2017 and seeks a top Democrat to campaign with him, he shouldn’t be surprised to find Clinton, Cuomo and Mark-Viverito out of town as well.
Playwright Mike Vogel blogs at newyorkgritty.net.
