Bill De Blasio

The Most Pleasant Stories Of 2013 Vs. The Most Disturbing Stories Of 2013

Ronald 3 Comments

2013 is coming to an end, and as always, there are stories and events that are very pleasant, and also those which are very disturbing.

The most pleasant stories of the year include in no particular order the following:

The Rise of Pope Francis, invigorating and reforming the Catholic Church, with his message of inclusion, compassion for the poor, and condemnation of unbridled capitalism.

The victory of Bill DeBlasio as Mayor of New York City, promoting a change in policy in a city which has catered to the wealthy, and ignored the poor and middle class.

The doubling of states which permit same sex marriage from nine to eighteen, and the growing acceptance of the American people to tolerance on the topic.

Senate filibuster reform on Presidential appointments, which allows the President to gain the people he wants for executive and judicial appointments, a right of any President, but prevented by Senate Republican intransigence.

The most disturbing stories of the year include in no particular order the following:

The Congressional deadlock caused by the Tea Party Movement in the Republican Party, including the government shutdown and dearth of Congressional activity.

The growing inequality and deprivation of the middle class and the poor, caused by a massive redistribution of wealth by tax policy over the years from Reagan to Bush II.

The Supreme Court backtracking on the Voting Rights Act guarantees after a half century, and the damage that continues to be done due to the Citizens United Case.

The rise of mean spirited, aggressive leaders including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, both Tea Party favorites who work against compromise in any form.

Inspirational People Of 2013

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In any year, there is so much to be discouraged about, so much to be shocked about, so much to be unhappy about, as we see so many examples of selfishness, greed, hatred, and prejudice in the world, not just the United States.

The concept of fairness, compassion, justice, equality, freedom is always being fought against those individuals and forces that would deny all of these basic principles of human advancement.

So on Christmas Day, it is an appropriate time to point out who has inspired liberals and progressives in the year 2013. In no special order, they include the following:

The late South African President Nelson Mandela
Pope Francis, Vatican City
New York City Mayor-Elect Bill De Blasio
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy
Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Delaware Senator Chris Coons
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley
MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow
MNBC talk show host Lawrence O’Donnell

There are others who could make this list, but this is an even dozen, a great start to a list of principled, and inspiring, people who have changed our lives in a positive fashion!

New York City May Be Going Through Renaissance For Next Four Years With Bill De Blasio As Mayor!

Ronald 3 Comments

New York City looks ready to elect a progressive Mayor who really cares about the poor and the middle class, unlike Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Mayors Rudy Guiliani, Edward Koch, and Abraham Beame!

Bill De Blasio has, apparently, won slightly more than 40 percent of the Democratic Primary vote, and should be able, therefore, to avoid a runoff with the second place finisher, 2009 Mayoral nominee Bill Thompson, who lost the election to Bloomberg.

De Blasio has talked about the “Tale of Two Cities”, with 46 percent of the city being very poor, and the wealthy being so super wealthy that it is actually obscene, a result, partially, of the Great Recession of 2008, but also the result of billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who basically “bought” his three terms of office, being the wealthiest politician in America, but has shown no interest in the plight of the poor in the biggest city in America!

And the fact that De Blasio, who is white, has an African American wife, and two dark skinned, mixed race children, who are inspiring on their own, gives hope that something really significant will be done about education, health care, crime, and quality of life, taking into consideration the need to change the Bloomberg era policies!

This is a great moment, having now gone from a black President, whose mother was white, to a potential Mayor married to a black woman, and having mixed race son and daughter, who all form a loving family, just like the family of Barack Obama!

This is the future of America, as the nation moves from majority white to a majority minority population by 2040 or so, as it is already in New York City!

De Blasio has the potential to be the most inspiring Mayor of New York City since the great Fiorello La Guardia, who served three terms from 1934-1945!

Bill De Blasio Would Be First NYC Progressive Mayor Since John Lindsay And Fiorello La Guardia!

Ronald 2 Comments

NYC Public Advocate Bill De Blasio has surged to the lead in polls for the Democratic primary for NYC Mayor, over Anthony Weiner, Bill Thompson, and Christine Quinn, and it is clear that he would be the best hope for a progressive mayor, who would work to end economic inequality, and promote education and health care, and seek to limit Wall Street power, so evident under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Mayor with a mixed record.

And the fact that he has been against “Stop and Frisk”, the policy just declared unconstitutional by a federal judge, the only candidate to be against it all along, helps De Blasio, who is married to an African American woman, and has a 15 year old son, who, with his African American appearance and age, would be a prime candidate for being stopped by the police, based on racial profiling.

New York City has not had a true progressive Mayor since John Lindsay (1966-1973), who had many shortcomings, and really, the last truly progressive mayor and success as Mayor goes back to Fiorello La Guardia (1934-1945).

Top Three American Cities Now Have Jewish Mayors, A First, But Will New York City Elect Anthony Weiner To Succeed Michael Bloomberg In November?

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For the first time in American history, the top three cities in America will have Jewish Mayors.

We already had Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, and now we have Mayor Elect Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, who has a Jewish mother, and a fafher of Spanish, Italian, and Indigenous heritage, which is why his name does not sound Jewish! Garcetti will also be the youngest Mayor of Los Angeles, at age 42, in the past century.

However, Bloomberg is finishing up his third and last term, and the only Jewish candidate who could succeed him in the Mayoralty is former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who was forced to resign over his exposure of x rated pictures on the internet two years ago.

Weiner is attempting a comeback, and has $5 million in his bank account, plus name recognition, although a lot of it might be seen as negative, because of the sex scandal which brought him to resignation.

Is there redemption for Weiner, as there was for former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who won back the former Congressional seat he held before he was Governor, and in the wake of his pursuit of a lover in Argentina, while married and having three sons?

It is hard to know at this point, as New York City can be a forgiving place, and has already as an announced candidate the Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, a woman who is a declared lesbian and is married to her partner: and Bill De Blasio, the NYC Public Advocate, whose wife is African American, while De Blasio is white.

Certainly, there are some who would not like someone involved in a sex scandal; or a married lesbian; or a white guy married to a black woman! So there is plenty of room for outrage by people of different stripes, who do not like any or all of these situations.

But this is modern America, and NYC represents a microcosm of that America, and the issues of sex, sexual preference, and race will play out and, likely, elect one of these three individuals as the next Mayor of NYC, and if Weiner wins, again, we will have the top three cities in America with Jewish Mayors!