La Guardia’s Heir
Bill de Blasio has put forward some progressive policies as New York City mayor. But he's also primed the pump for real estate and finance.
What are we to make of New York City’s 109th mayor, Bill de Blasio? Is he a progressive Democrat? A secret socialist? A neoliberal apologist?
What kind of person lauds Syriza and the Sandinistas, then gives secret speeches to AIPAC and pals around with the Clintons? What kind of politician labels himself a “progressive activist fiscal conservative”? Is there any consistency, or is this just a tale of two mayors?
In the first book published on de Blasio, Inequality and One City: Bill de Blasio and the New York Experiment, Year One, Eric Alterman attempts to provide some answers. Largely sidestepping matters of biography or psychology, Alterman focuses instead on policy — what de Blasio has tried to do, what he has accomplished, and what he hopes for the future. The result is a resounding endorsement, with nary a word of criticism for City Hall.
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