NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio made quite the stir over the weekend when he wouldn't endorse Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. He makes a very strong point, and if she was smart, Hillary should seriously listen to what he's saying if she hopes to win in 2016.
Speaking on meet the press, when asked if the mayor would endorse Hillary, Bill Deblasio made this statement (which really shouldn't have been that much of a shock):
"I think like a lot of people in this country I want to see a vision. And, again, that would be true of candidates on all levels. It's time to see a clear, bold vision for progressive economic change".
and when asked if that means he wouldn't endorse her, he said
"No, not until I see -- and, again, I would say this about any candidate -- until I see an actual vision of where they want to go".
Much ado has been made about how the mayor, who reportedly is a good friend of the Clintons, would not instinctively come out automatically supporting her. Pundits say that the mayor is sticking to his progressive stance that just won't play in the rest of the country. But this isn't a case of being leftist or liberal or progressive. There's a huge segment of the country that wants certain policies which are just plain populist. Will she come out for a cleaner environment? Equal rights for women including women's health care? A plan for upgrading our infrastucture? A path for immigrants? How can she improve the Affordable Healthcare Act? And maybe most importantly, will she stand up for Frank - Dodd and Glass-Steagel and stand up to the banks?
She needs to come out swinging and clearly make her stance on these issues. Nothing will turn off voters than hearing it's the same ol same ol. She needs to excite the base and not take populists for granted. Kudos to the mayor for doing the right thing.