Posted on 11/06/2005 2:12:05 PM PST by neverdem
As Democrats pursue an uphill battle to recapture City Hall on Tuesday, this year's mayoral campaign has already exposed the long-term fracturing of Democratic power in the city, from splinters in the black and Hispanic vote to defections in liberal bastions like the West Side.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's popularity and his $66 million in campaign spending are two pressure points as the campaign winds into its final phase this weekend. Yet it is the permanent structural changes in New York politics - such as term limits, campaign finance reforms and evolving demographics - that are really shaking the once-dominant party and seem bound to hamper it for years to come, leading Democrats and political consultants say.
The Democrats have lost the last three mayoral elections, and if they lose Tuesday's it will be their longest stretch out of power since the consolidation of New York City in 1898. And the recent Republican successes have only empowered the mayor, whether in rooting out patronage in government or in pushing controversial priorities like the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. As for the impact on voters, Democratic leaders say a lack of unity weakens party efforts to build more affordable housing, rein in apartment rents, allow gay marriage and battle for more school aid from Albany.
Democrats complain that fund-raising caps and term limits have deprived the Democratic challenger, Fernando Ferrer, of a political machine to confront the vast resources of the Bloomberg campaign. And he has not been able to spread his message in even traditional hotbeds of party loyalty - a sign, some Democrats say...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The days of Party hacks like Freddie and Dinkins are over.
Freddie cannot win. He is losing in every single demographic except the Hispanic vote, and even there it is close.
It remains to be seen if this says anything about "a Democratic city" . It speaks more to the competence and experience of the Mayor versus an ineffectual nothing of a candidate like Freddie.
The two golden rules of American politics : "all politics is local" and "you can't beat something with nothing"
NYC is no where near as liberal as people think it is.
Very wise analysis Common Tator. I stand educated, especially with that part about the effect of an elected mayor over the population over time. Good job!
Bloomberg is one of the "New Democrats" that is our terms would be called a RINO.
You can take out Bloomberg, put in McCain and you would still have Democrat running for mayor. The thing is, outside of Conservative Republicans, the entire political structre has moved to the left. Traditional Southern Democrats became Republicans, and traditional NorthEast Democrats became Socialists.
Of course the case in mostly communist locales like NYC or MAssechusetts or san fran will be different.
I would beg to differ in this case.
Ferrer, of course, is a has been. When I was living in the Bronx, none of the Dominican neighbors I spoke with could stand the guy.
The GOP has a chance to actually get the votes of the Dominicans, and Hispanic Evangelicals of any stripe, but could you see guys like Bloomingidiot, Patakifeller, and Bruno at Iglesia Pentecostal de University Heights?
Paris Burning could impact the election.
They may have tried to make New Yorkers forget 9/11 but TROP is making them remember.
The whole premise of this article is silly, especially since there weren't even any Republican candidates on the ballot for the other city-wide races.
Remember Dr Martin Abend's political debates on channel 5? What would he say about nyc in the 21st century? :-)
I only vaguely remember those debates. I might have been watching Creature Feature or Million Dollar Movie when they were on...
I've never seen a great divide between Republicans and Democrats in the city. That's why there's so much jumping around between parties and cross-party endorsements. Pols are somewhat limited in what they can do.
Word on the street is that with the re-election of Markowitz in Brooklyn, the stadium goes through Robert Moses style.
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