Bill de Blasio is a loser. No question about it. He won twice, so from that perspective, he’s a winner. But he’s still a loser. You can’t convince the guy that he’s done. There is a lot of speculation, backed by some hints, that he will run for governor against Kathy Hochul, the competent first female governor of New York, as well as a few others who are not convinced that she is a sure winner. But de Blasio suffers from a winner’s complex, meaning that having succeeded as a politician, he thinks he can win anything, no matter what anyone says about him. The truth is, a lot of people really detest him.
We all remember the verbal fisticuffs that were the hallmark of de Blasio’s histrionic battles with Andrew Cuomo, both of whom were looking at the American presidency. One can only wonder what they are thinking about each other now. If I had to guess which of them has more political life left in him, I would go out on a limb and say “The Dark Prince” Andrew would win out in a mano a mano political contest. I think Andrew is the tougher guy. So, right now de Blasio looks as if he has nowhere to go. Traditionally, New York City mayors do not do well in upstate New York. Remember Ed Koch? Since the city people don’t like de Blasio, it’s hard to believe he would prevail once the upstaters get involved. I really don’t see how an unpopular outgoing mayor can turn things around.
Then, of course, there is Andrew Cuomo. If I didn’t label him a loser, I’d get some unhappy letters. Facing an assured impeachment, he was forced to resign. He alienated almost everyone. His own Democrats ended up hating him. In all my years, I have never seen this kind of disaffection. That makes him a loser, but still, a little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that he’s not through. I say this because we keep getting letters from people who love the guy. Things are going his way as various county district attorneys say they will not bring sexual harassment charges against him. There is also the constant drumbeat of those who still respect his work during the pandemic, in contrast with that of Donald Trump. I keep telling you that Andrew is still in it, not because I like the guy but because I know how he thinks.
How about Kirsten Gillibrand? She is a United States Senator, but she is not known for passing legislation or leading the way on political causes. She has played a central role on issues of women in the military. She has been elected twice but she will certainly be primaried by someone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or another progressive. I suspect that the powerful in the Democratic Party put her where she is because they didn’t think she would give them a hard time and they weren’t wrong. She is alone because she is not popular. Most in the political class know it and they are licking their chops at a chance to run against her or kick her out.
On the national level, we should look at Vice President Kamala Harris. She came in like a ball of fire. Everyone was sure she would be the first woman of color to achieve the presidency. Then some indefinable thing happened; her popularity has taken a nose dive and no matter how they try to fix it, nothing changes. Even if Biden were to step aside, Harris would definitely face a primary. From where I’m sitting, that makes her a loser, at least for now.
Politics is a rough game. There are enough loser spots to go around.
