It's pretty clear to everyone, regardless of ideology, that he is a buffoon, and that venality is his only priority. It is amusing how much he is able to forestall and repel woke left flak just by being black. The ranked choice dimension might make things interesting at least.
Inre: thin skin. This is too conspiratorial for me to actually believe but I have harbored a suspicion that Adams had some, perhaps tangential, involvement when Chris Redd was punched in the street. It just feels like something he would do. Redd was his impressionist on SNL, he suddenly left in the middle of Adams’ Mayoralty - even though he was clearly eager to have a character of his own, SNL took down their Adams cold opens from YouTube, then he gets assaulted in the street. Not robbed, not accosted, just punched - without motive or explanation. Call me crazy.
Also, is Zelnor-Diane’s marriage like one of those 18th century monarchical power ones, where you’re also combining their “power bases”?
Because Zelnor codes multicultural progressive (white). Doesn’t code as Latino despite literally being Latino (unlike non-Latino Antonio Delgado, who only gets shit for not being definitionally Latino, when he’s perceived as intruding on NYC existing Puerto Rican or Dominican power bases). He isn’t a product of any Latino power bases (to my knowledge)?
Then you’re got Diane - who - idk - just exudes that corrupt and crazy Brooklyn Dems energy - that traditionally does quite well with Eric Adams black middle class power base.
I am not in any respect suggesting anything improper/illegitimate about their marriage (like I would towards a certain bachelor senator from NJ). I sincerely believe they’re married for love. I’m just observing that their politics and style of politics are very different.
I appreciate this at multiple levels - makes me very glad to support your work.
"If there’s one way to understand his mayoralty, it’s that he’s treated it like a borough presidency." and the sentences that follow are very insightful. Damn, you're good.
I've never lived in a large city with offices quite like borough president as you describe it: I've lived in Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco - city council in Los Angeles is from my experience pretty weak compared to the same role in San Francisco, but LA also has the interesting structural difference that the five LA County Supervisors, each a queen in one district, have quite substantial power that the mayor must reckon with (interestingly, even though only 40% of the county's population lives in the city, all five country supervisoral districts take in a slice of the city, substantial slices in the case of three out of five - I don't know the back history there).
I'm not a New Yorker, but local politics and metapolitical (including but not only :) media) conditions in New York matter to the country (and world) as a whole in ways that not only no _one_ city comes close to matching - I would argue that in a lot of ways more than all the other cities put together.
Washington obviously matters a lot for politics and a bit for media, but I strongly suspect that local Washington politics matters far far less to Washington-based politicians, operatives, and media types than New York local politics does to their New York counterparts.
Also Washington local governance structures and political incentives are even weirder than those of NYC; plus I again strongly suspect that a far far greater fraction of NYC national-profile media types, such as the superb Ross Barkan, live in the city than their Washington counterparts do.
Thank you! The NYC mayor is a relatively strong position - it's a "strong" mayoral system, with a weaker Council that can override vetoes and battle on the budget but not a ton else. A lot of focus lands on the mayor, and for good reason. While no NYC mayor has ever gone on to higher office - many have tried - the city's political system itself is so large and diverse, it becomes its own universe in a way no other city's can be. 51 city council members, plus an elected comptroller, public advocate, and a lot of state legislative reps within NYC. People forget 1 state senator covers all of San Francisco, basically. The Senate delegation out of NYC alone numbers well over a dozen, and the assembly is bigger. It's also, racially and class-wise, pretty wide-ranging, with a fairly interesting four-way split among white, Black, Asian, Latino. The white is mostly liberal/progressive now but includes some Orthodox Jews and a remaining white ethnic that used to be much bigger.
It's pretty clear to everyone, regardless of ideology, that he is a buffoon, and that venality is his only priority. It is amusing how much he is able to forestall and repel woke left flak just by being black. The ranked choice dimension might make things interesting at least.
Inre: thin skin. This is too conspiratorial for me to actually believe but I have harbored a suspicion that Adams had some, perhaps tangential, involvement when Chris Redd was punched in the street. It just feels like something he would do. Redd was his impressionist on SNL, he suddenly left in the middle of Adams’ Mayoralty - even though he was clearly eager to have a character of his own, SNL took down their Adams cold opens from YouTube, then he gets assaulted in the street. Not robbed, not accosted, just punched - without motive or explanation. Call me crazy.
Stringer doesn’t have the juice. He looks like he’s incontinent.
Also, is Zelnor-Diane’s marriage like one of those 18th century monarchical power ones, where you’re also combining their “power bases”?
Because Zelnor codes multicultural progressive (white). Doesn’t code as Latino despite literally being Latino (unlike non-Latino Antonio Delgado, who only gets shit for not being definitionally Latino, when he’s perceived as intruding on NYC existing Puerto Rican or Dominican power bases). He isn’t a product of any Latino power bases (to my knowledge)?
Then you’re got Diane - who - idk - just exudes that corrupt and crazy Brooklyn Dems energy - that traditionally does quite well with Eric Adams black middle class power base.
I am not in any respect suggesting anything improper/illegitimate about their marriage (like I would towards a certain bachelor senator from NJ). I sincerely believe they’re married for love. I’m just observing that their politics and style of politics are very different.
Andrew Cuomo for mayor? I had no idea this was a thing!
It is, weirdly enough. Odds are I think he won't do it. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/21/cuomo-mayor-adams-00128380
I had some dealings with Garodnick when he was on the City Council. Very principled. He's a good egg.
I appreciate this at multiple levels - makes me very glad to support your work.
"If there’s one way to understand his mayoralty, it’s that he’s treated it like a borough presidency." and the sentences that follow are very insightful. Damn, you're good.
I've never lived in a large city with offices quite like borough president as you describe it: I've lived in Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco - city council in Los Angeles is from my experience pretty weak compared to the same role in San Francisco, but LA also has the interesting structural difference that the five LA County Supervisors, each a queen in one district, have quite substantial power that the mayor must reckon with (interestingly, even though only 40% of the county's population lives in the city, all five country supervisoral districts take in a slice of the city, substantial slices in the case of three out of five - I don't know the back history there).
I'm not a New Yorker, but local politics and metapolitical (including but not only :) media) conditions in New York matter to the country (and world) as a whole in ways that not only no _one_ city comes close to matching - I would argue that in a lot of ways more than all the other cities put together.
Washington obviously matters a lot for politics and a bit for media, but I strongly suspect that local Washington politics matters far far less to Washington-based politicians, operatives, and media types than New York local politics does to their New York counterparts.
Also Washington local governance structures and political incentives are even weirder than those of NYC; plus I again strongly suspect that a far far greater fraction of NYC national-profile media types, such as the superb Ross Barkan, live in the city than their Washington counterparts do.
Thank you! The NYC mayor is a relatively strong position - it's a "strong" mayoral system, with a weaker Council that can override vetoes and battle on the budget but not a ton else. A lot of focus lands on the mayor, and for good reason. While no NYC mayor has ever gone on to higher office - many have tried - the city's political system itself is so large and diverse, it becomes its own universe in a way no other city's can be. 51 city council members, plus an elected comptroller, public advocate, and a lot of state legislative reps within NYC. People forget 1 state senator covers all of San Francisco, basically. The Senate delegation out of NYC alone numbers well over a dozen, and the assembly is bigger. It's also, racially and class-wise, pretty wide-ranging, with a fairly interesting four-way split among white, Black, Asian, Latino. The white is mostly liberal/progressive now but includes some Orthodox Jews and a remaining white ethnic that used to be much bigger.
What about Brad Landers? He seems to have a following among progressive voters and support from Bernie and AOC.
Lander could mount a strong challenge but is doubtful because he'd have to risk his seat to run
Tisch is an outlier, that's a good point. She and Garodnick. I think she'd also like to run one day.