"Here’s something that should make progressive-minded voters cheer, as it validates a bedrock belief of the practical American left: that if voters actually hear our ideas clearly and consistently articulated by a credible candidate, they like what they hear. The Platform 1. De Blasio’s “Tale of Two Cities” has found a very receptive audience – the specter of a city where middle class slides further down the economic ladder, unemployment stays high, and a very small number of people reap the benefits--while banks and corporations squeeze the population—and a feeble economic recovery produces mostly low wage job. This is a powerful and accurate analysis put in play during Occupy Protests and still rings true to many. 2. De Blasio’s vision is strong. “Without a dramatic change of direction—an economic policy that combats inequality and rebuilds our middle class—generations to come will see New York as little more than a playground for the rich...a gilded city where the privileged few prosper, and millions upon millions of New Yorkers struggle each and every day to keep their heads above water." Still, de Blasio is a savvy politician. While he has staked out the fertile ground of race and class, he also readily acknowledges that Bloomberg has a lot in the plus column: strong on the environment, on health issues, transportation, and especially bike lanes. De Blasio can’t wait to expand more of the Bike Share program -- which is perhaps Bloomberg’s signature success -- to other boroughs, doubling the number of bicycles to 10,000 or more. One of Mr. de Blasio’s ideas includes a municipal identification card that would serve as proof of residence and allow illegal immigrants to access services. He would like to add more bus routes, especially to the Rockaways. He wants to create 20 primary health care clinics for city workers, near their offices, and to open 16 new community health clinics in the city’s neediest neighborhoods. And of course he wants to support early childhood education via some increased taxes on the super wealthy. These are but a few of the many ideas in his detailed policy book One New York, Rising Together.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 17:51:57 +0000
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