It’s time for the Clintons to tap out.
If the rumors are true and Hillary Clinton is thinking about running against the unpopular incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio, Secretary Clinton should strongly reconsider — or risk traversing the dark and lonely path like Rahm Emanuel.
Apparently, the Clintons are not done with American politics. At the end of her failed bid for the presidency, rumors began floating that Hillary Clinton was setting her eyes on running for mayor in New York City. According to a live Fox TV report, the buzz has restarted as supporters and fellow Democrats are supposedly pressuring former Secretary Clinton to run against the unpopular incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Newsmax wrote that Clinton is being “urged” to run against de Blasio, ironically, her campaign manager during her first term as a New York senator. An unnamed former elected official in the city said Hillary, while silent on the rumors, has not dismissed the idea. “She’s talking about it,” the source said.
Hillary Clinton is being discussed as a candidate for Mayor of New York. https://t.co/IJRWSfE9s3 pic.twitter.com/Awg0Ecd6wj
— The FADER (@thefader) January 6, 2017
De Blasio has been under fire almost from the start over his comments in the wake of several police-involved shootings and deaths of African-American males. At the funeral for a fallen NYPD officer, fellow comrades were photographed turning their backs on the troubled left-of-center mayor for his alleged divisive comments that “undermined” officers.
Clinton can take advantage of the apathy created during the mayor’s administration and use it to her advantage. Another source close to the Clinton camp spoke about any eventual outcome should she enter the mayoral race.
“If she ran, she’d win.”
Hank Sheinkopf is a Democratic consultant with close ties to Clinton. He said if Hillary challenged de Blasio and won, she “would be a terrific candidate for mayor.” He then reminded us of Clinton’s popularity among the city’s electorate.
“She is wildly popular among New Yorkers — so much so that were she to file, de Blasio would have to file his retirement papers on the same day.”
Although Clinton and de Blasio have been “friendly” in the past, insiders say their relationship is strained; apparently, Clinton has a problem with the mayor’s raucous progressivism. Perhaps, it has something to do with the mayor’s 11th hour endorsement of Clinton and his friendly ties at times to her then-challenger, Senator Bernie Sanders? Just don’t rule out the latter angle.
Bill De Blasio draws just 40 people at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Ohio https://t.co/BNHI2D52gd pic.twitter.com/ICXcBcM7Gw
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 18, 2016
During de Blasio’s administration, the mayor has been under additional fire for — lack of a better phrase — muddying up the Big Apple. It’s a harsh criticism, but I tend to agree with the New York Post editorial board’s take on the appearance of the Big Apple under his watch.
“Well, vagrancy is way up, along with aggressive panhandling and related intrusions into public spaces. Plus, streets seem dirtier, graffiti is out of control, traffic is a nightmare, and the subways are crowded beyond belief.”
All Hillary has to do is use her established power networks put in place during the election and leverage her donor base to her advantage. I’d imagine she’d raise enough funds in short order to stymie any counter campaign de Blasio wages against her.
Make no mistake: Hillary Clinton is still a formidable candidate and would offer a substantial challenge to any candidate. Recall that in the general election, she carried the state she once represented by trouncing Trump with 79 percent of the vote. Proponents suggest Hillary could use her experience, the state’s impact on the national tarmac, her likability, and the popularity of her husband — who still maintains offices in the state — to expose the weaknesses of a Trump presidency.
As grandiose as the idea sounds, I’d caution those dusting off the party favors and popping bottles to take a close look at what’s happened to another Obama appointee: Rahm Emanuel. As the president’s former White House chief of staff during his first term, the pair held close ties, even predating Obama’s time in Washington; their friendship dates back to Chicago.
By all practical purposes, when Obama gave Emanuel his blessings to run for mayor of the beleaguered city, good things were ahead for the Windy City, once rocked by mafia rule. Instead, in the spirit of Charlie Brown on Halloween, all Chicago got was a rock.
Trump blasts Rahm Emanuel after Chicago records 762 homicides in 2016 https://t.co/FjZmqoF9X8 via @MailOnline .Black/Black murders? Unmatters
— plantation escapee (@antiplantation1) January 3, 2017
During Rahm Emanuel’s time as mayor, the city has seen scandals and lawsuits, as the New Yorker outlines.
“Since then, there have been so many scandals in Emanuel’s administration that have failed to gain traction that it’s hard to single them out. One signature idea was lengthening Chicago’s school day by thirty per cent—controversial because he proposed compensating teachers only two per cent more for the extra work. The Chicago public-schools inspector general was soon investigating allegations that a local pastor linked to Emanuel was arranging buses to pack public hearings with supporters of the idea, paying at least two “protesters” twenty-five to fifty dollars each.”
Perhaps, Mayor Emanuel’s largest challenge that remains is to regain control of his city — the third largest in the country. According to the CPD via CNN , the city logged 762 murders in 2016. The total homicides represent a 50 percent spike from the previous year and were the highest recorded in nearly 20 years.
As mayor of New York, Hillary Clinton would need to find a way to coexist with Trump. The good news is that the president-elect has a vested interest in keeping his hometown scandal-free and economically viable — while keeping New Yorkers safe.
But so did Obama with Chi-Town.
[Featured Image by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images]