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Anybody but Billy D.
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Mayoral candidate, Bill de Blasio is a used car salesman and the car he is selling is the Back to the Future of the 1970's and 80's. -- The "good old days" when NYC tottered on bankruptcy and was known as mugger's paradise.
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I am "old" and remember the 70's and 80's well.
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I was mugged three times during this era -- all three times coming home from work. On two of the occasions, I was viciously hit over the head and knocked to the ground sustaining minor injuries. Still, I considered myself "lucky" for not ending up in a hospital or being raped.
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Perhaps young people or those living in doorman buildings take protection from crime for granted.
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But, it is one of a mayor's prime responsibilities -- along with keeping the trains running on time.
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I haven't been a fan of Mayor Michael Bloomberg for numerous reasons, primarily his signing on to goose killing contracts with USDA WS and attempting to "nanny care" his constituency. (One doesn't need a mayor to legislate how much soda to drink or not drink.)
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But, under Bloomberg's leadership streets are safer and one can even dare to walk in Central Park at night --- something that would have been akin to a death wish back in the 1970's.
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Throughout this campaign we have listened to "used car salesman" and former David Dinkins aide, Bill de Blasio virtually and constantly demonize the police as "racists" and thugs.
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While there are legitimate criticisms and concerns with NYC's "Stop and Frisk" program, this doesn't mean the entire program should be ditched as one would throw out the baby with the dirty bath water. Probable cause needs to be established before such stop, question and frisks occur and "quotas" should cease.
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Newark, New Jersey has a stop and frisk program and Newark has an excellent African American mayor in Cory Booker. The trick is to prevent and address abuses, not to issue invitation to muggers, robbers, rapists and murderers to have a field day which de Blasio appears to be doing.
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For me, the most disturbing part of last night's mayoral debate was when minor candidate, Sal Albanese asked de Blasio why he didn't fire two campaign staffers who, according to Albabese tweeted, "Police should be killed."
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Although looking piqued and insulted, instead of directly denying or answering the question, de Blasio proceeded to talk about how much he "respects" the police force.
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That was like Joy Behar saying she "respects" Glenn Beck.
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One can debate who won or lost last night's mayoral debate, televised on NY 1.
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Wiener appeared to have the clearest vision and smartest answers. He also got the most laughs when admitting he has "texted while driving." But, Wiener self destructed earlier on when demonstrating he took -- and acted on his name both, literally and seemingly obsessively. Now he's trying to put the "genie" back in the bottle (or pants).
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Bill Thompson had the best line of the night when asking, "Will the real Bill de Blasio please stand up?" Thompson was indeed fired up last night, prompting one to wonder if he had several cups of coffee before coming on stage?
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And Christine Quinn finally ditched that saccharine sweet, Pollyanna impersonation in favor of her real, "fighting Irish" self. Quinn will never make it in Hollywood, but could actually be a decent and centrist mayor. It was good to see her have the gumption to finally go after de Blasio for some of his underhanded campaign tactics and slurs -- particularly the latest one by his wife.
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But, I still think de Blasio supporter, Susan Sarandan's statement that, "You just can't vote your vagina" to be the greatest slur of all -- not just to Quinn, but all women.
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Next month, I plan not only to "vote my vagina," but also my head, which doesn't feel good when knocked to the pavement.
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I like walking in Central Park at night and don't seek "Back to the Future" return to the bad old days of The Out of Towners.
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Come to think of it, the 70's weren't that good for New Yorkers either. -- PCA
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