The police profession tends to draw a lot of people who have a need to inflict pain on others. In my days working at a bar in Ocean City Maryland, I can't tell you how many times I saw cops arresting someone who had been over served, or had been in a scuffle, and they would just beat the crap out of someone. The scene that I'll never forget is 3 cops on top of one guy, with the civilian having both arms wrenched way up behind their back, and they were writhing in pain, and one cop just kept delivering knee strikes to the ribs, yelling at the guy to stop resisting. They beat the shit out of him for no reason.
Ocean City is Maryland's cousin that only appears once or twice a year for special occasions. When you're young, they're pretty cool and fun! But as you grow up, you realize they're kind of embarrassing and need to just take some time to relax and get themselves right, but you know they never will because they live in a shitty part of town with bad neighbors and worse friends.
This is an honest question, as someone who’s never lived north of the mason dixon. How is it that NYC continually elects the weirdest/most incompetent/corrupt politicians to lead such a diverse city? I don’t expect them to choose out and out socialists but how is is that bill de blasio is the most liberal nyc mayor in my lifetime? Is it truly down to the political machines? Because I genuinely cannot understand how someone as bad at politicking as Adams climbed to the top of the heap.
I believe Jack referencing " a city turning its back on all but its most privileged and well-connected residents" pretty well explains how most NYC mayors get where they are. An AOC-type breakthrough is almost more impossible for the mayor's office than it is for congressional representative. Joe Crowley was tough enough to get through, but that was only one district; the amount of muck a genuinely not-insane person would have to wade through to break the Dem Machine hold on the entire city would be akin to a landslide.
That's not exactly it. It's a few factors. For one thing Staten Island and parts of South Brooklyn are as right wing as anywhere in the Deep South and those parts of the city vote in disproportionate numbers. Those voters are enough to force a fascist cop mayor on the rest of the city a la Adams and Giuliani. Bloomberg was a one off weird situation where a billionaire literally buys himself the mayoralty. That's definitely an "only in New York" kind of thing in that no other city is deemed to be important or valuable enough for that to happen. I don't remember too well but it was a real surprise that Adams won and I think had a lot to do with the peculiarities of how nYC citywide elections work. The liberals/progressives couldn't unite behind a candidate and I think maybe even the first time ever use of ranked choice voting had something to do with it?
I think this is closer to the correct answer. There were good candidates--2, I think--but with two progressive choices to split that vote and one dude banging the I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE drum (and plenty of people not paying close enough attention to the bananapants things he said and the fact that he very obviously lived in NJ) was enough to win him the seat.
All the answers you got Jack are correct. I would add that there's quite the anomaly with the office of Mayor in NYC in that it is a hard dead-end for a political career. The tight Tammany Hall machine crumbled when Mayor LaGuardia was elected. Since then we have had 11 more freely-elected mayors. I would argue the best of the lot was David Dinkins. But for the most part, these 12 modern mayors were center-right and far right wing guys. Dinkins and de Blasio stick out as being center-left. And none of them went on to another elected office after being mayor. Most of them didn't stick around government after their terms. One went completely bonkers and did crimes! Knowing the job is tough, a political dead end, and by default a job that has to kneel to the NYPD, most progressives don't want to pursue the job. The NYPD is not manageable. It cannot be controlled by us civilians. It's our biggest expense and we just have had to accept it. If we question it, we invite the wrath of police brass and cop unions on social media. The 8.5 or so million New Yorkers who aren't cops are just bloodbags to feed law enforcement budgets. And yet I stay, 29 years, because jetting to Europe (AKA civilization) is easy, and every day is fun and exciting. As Mayor Adams has said, you could wake up one morning, get to the office early, and have a 767 fly into your tower. That was fun! Been there done that! What else do you have for me, NYC? I have about 30 years to go before death takes me.
I want the office of NYC mayor abolished. Just have the City Council run this town and appoint a manager like a soccer club. If no one wants to run, then appoint a sucker to be the executive for a little while and have the suckers go through a revolving door.
You hit the nail on the head: "Is it truly down to the political machines?". Answer: yes. That's one reason the cities are so dark blue and so dysfunctional.
Yup, and since barely anyone shows up to vote (seriously, Adams won the general with about 750k votes!) it's very easy for the machine to keep it's grip on power. It's just so unbelievably depressing all around.
The police profession tends to draw a lot of people who have a need to inflict pain on others. In my days working at a bar in Ocean City Maryland, I can't tell you how many times I saw cops arresting someone who had been over served, or had been in a scuffle, and they would just beat the crap out of someone. The scene that I'll never forget is 3 cops on top of one guy, with the civilian having both arms wrenched way up behind their back, and they were writhing in pain, and one cop just kept delivering knee strikes to the ribs, yelling at the guy to stop resisting. They beat the shit out of him for no reason.
Ocean City is Maryland's cousin that only appears once or twice a year for special occasions. When you're young, they're pretty cool and fun! But as you grow up, you realize they're kind of embarrassing and need to just take some time to relax and get themselves right, but you know they never will because they live in a shitty part of town with bad neighbors and worse friends.
This is an honest question, as someone who’s never lived north of the mason dixon. How is it that NYC continually elects the weirdest/most incompetent/corrupt politicians to lead such a diverse city? I don’t expect them to choose out and out socialists but how is is that bill de blasio is the most liberal nyc mayor in my lifetime? Is it truly down to the political machines? Because I genuinely cannot understand how someone as bad at politicking as Adams climbed to the top of the heap.
I believe Jack referencing " a city turning its back on all but its most privileged and well-connected residents" pretty well explains how most NYC mayors get where they are. An AOC-type breakthrough is almost more impossible for the mayor's office than it is for congressional representative. Joe Crowley was tough enough to get through, but that was only one district; the amount of muck a genuinely not-insane person would have to wade through to break the Dem Machine hold on the entire city would be akin to a landslide.
A depressing summation.
That's not exactly it. It's a few factors. For one thing Staten Island and parts of South Brooklyn are as right wing as anywhere in the Deep South and those parts of the city vote in disproportionate numbers. Those voters are enough to force a fascist cop mayor on the rest of the city a la Adams and Giuliani. Bloomberg was a one off weird situation where a billionaire literally buys himself the mayoralty. That's definitely an "only in New York" kind of thing in that no other city is deemed to be important or valuable enough for that to happen. I don't remember too well but it was a real surprise that Adams won and I think had a lot to do with the peculiarities of how nYC citywide elections work. The liberals/progressives couldn't unite behind a candidate and I think maybe even the first time ever use of ranked choice voting had something to do with it?
I think this is closer to the correct answer. There were good candidates--2, I think--but with two progressive choices to split that vote and one dude banging the I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE drum (and plenty of people not paying close enough attention to the bananapants things he said and the fact that he very obviously lived in NJ) was enough to win him the seat.
All the answers you got Jack are correct. I would add that there's quite the anomaly with the office of Mayor in NYC in that it is a hard dead-end for a political career. The tight Tammany Hall machine crumbled when Mayor LaGuardia was elected. Since then we have had 11 more freely-elected mayors. I would argue the best of the lot was David Dinkins. But for the most part, these 12 modern mayors were center-right and far right wing guys. Dinkins and de Blasio stick out as being center-left. And none of them went on to another elected office after being mayor. Most of them didn't stick around government after their terms. One went completely bonkers and did crimes! Knowing the job is tough, a political dead end, and by default a job that has to kneel to the NYPD, most progressives don't want to pursue the job. The NYPD is not manageable. It cannot be controlled by us civilians. It's our biggest expense and we just have had to accept it. If we question it, we invite the wrath of police brass and cop unions on social media. The 8.5 or so million New Yorkers who aren't cops are just bloodbags to feed law enforcement budgets. And yet I stay, 29 years, because jetting to Europe (AKA civilization) is easy, and every day is fun and exciting. As Mayor Adams has said, you could wake up one morning, get to the office early, and have a 767 fly into your tower. That was fun! Been there done that! What else do you have for me, NYC? I have about 30 years to go before death takes me.
I want the office of NYC mayor abolished. Just have the City Council run this town and appoint a manager like a soccer club. If no one wants to run, then appoint a sucker to be the executive for a little while and have the suckers go through a revolving door.
https://www.modifiedlimitedhangout.com/blog/2014/12/21/new-york-is-a-right-wing-city
“Europe (AKA civilization)”
🙄
Ireland, Iceland, Denmark. I meant those.
Oh hell no! It's like Hizzoner heard me:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/21/eric-adams-charter-revision-committee-00159306
You hit the nail on the head: "Is it truly down to the political machines?". Answer: yes. That's one reason the cities are so dark blue and so dysfunctional.
Yup, and since barely anyone shows up to vote (seriously, Adams won the general with about 750k votes!) it's very easy for the machine to keep it's grip on power. It's just so unbelievably depressing all around.
The machine set up those off year June primaries. It's disgusting.
Adams is an asshole a kin to the GOP garbge🤬
He really sucks, like on such a level that, at least to me, he makes DeBlasio look...not as bad.
And that takes talent. Lol.
Indeed!
DeBlas had an actual accomplishment, one that Adams is busy dismantling.
Forgive my ignorance as a non-New Yorker - which accomplishment is that?
universal pre-k.
Hamas is responsible for the deaths in Gaza.