Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is extremely bullish on progressive policies and he proudly defends his idea of wealth redistribution because he thinks money “is in the wrong hands.”
Mayor de Blasio wrote an op-ed titled, “Bill de Blasio: Yes, Democrats can deliver on big, progressive ideas,” for The Washington Post.
I won that race in 2013 because of the grass-roots power that pundits and pontificators cannot understand. We put forward a clear, populist message: New York City was a tale of two cities, with unacceptable levels of inequality that had to change. The voters agreed.
We took from the great example of Franklin Delano Roosevelt — that you must make change people can feel and must do so quickly. We implemented prekindergarten for all, we created an ambitious mental-health program called ThriveNYC, and we proposed the biggest affordable-housing plan in the city’s history. Meanwhile, crime fell to record lows when we ended the era of stop-and-frisk and created neighborhood policing.
Last week, I announced a similar policy in that same mold: We will deliver guaranteed health care for all New Yorkers. If one of our residents is insurable, we’re going to enroll her in New York City’s public option. If she can’t afford insurance or she’s ineligible, we’ve created a way for her to get guaranteed, quality care in a public hospital or clinic.
de Blasio believes progressive policies can help propel Democrats to victory in key presidential swing states such as Flordia, Michigan, and Missouri.
In addition to writing a commentary, de Blasio promoted his new health care plan and an attack on the wealthy on CNN.
It’s no accident that working people are taking home less money while the 1 percent are doing better than ever — it’s an agenda. pic.twitter.com/g22iVyluYU
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 14, 2019
A Wall Street Journal editorial criticized de Blasio.
“Here’s the truth. Brothers and sisters, there’s plenty of money in the world. There’s plenty of money in this city. It’s just in the wrong hands.”
It started with a quote from de Blasio:
—New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, State of the City address, Jan. 10, 2019
And…
Here’s the real truth, brothers and sisters. Without the “wrong hands” that Mr. de Blasio despises, there would be no wealth or income to redistribute. Without the fruits of capitalist invention and business success, there would be no philanthropists to preserve the parks, to rebuild crumbling public spaces, to donate to the museums that give the non-rich a glimpse of great art and history, or to provide an alternative to failing public schools that cheat poor children of opportunity.
As for Mr. de Blasio’s right hands, there are those failing schools. And don’t forget the New York City Housing Authority, which last year had to sign a consent decree with the federal government for lying about its failure to provide safe and sanitary conditions.
Progressive politicians are the rising stars in the Democrat party and the lure of free stuff is appealing and tempting for low- and middle-income voters.
