“Congestion” Seems To Make Mayors Do Crazy Things; Maybe They Spend Too Much Time In Cars?

In any case, the progressive century will apparently come down to explaining why we need to care about Uber:

A top de Blasio ally said City Hall also expects the city’s organized left — the labor movement and its outgrowths — will help organize opposition to Uber. They are the closest thing around to natural supporters for the mayor’s side, because it’s hard to imagine de Blasio rallying much of anyone to the yellow cab industry. And that may be a stretch: His own progressive supporters have always scratched their heads at his allegiance to the cab owners, who run what some see as rolling sweatshops.

Honor: Given; Balance: Stricken

And by which I mean, I “want” to give honor — not sure if I can or I’m able but to I will, if pressed, at least attempt to do so.

On Tuesday night, the mayor took pains to reach several constituencies. Mr. de Blasio, who does not regularly attend church, began by saying, “I want to give honor to God.”

Dude, I Forgot To Get Someone To Fill My Shift This Saturday; Have A Great Weekend!

Nothing like shitting the bed and immediately heading out of town:

The mayor summoned journalists to his City Hall office for a pair of interviews on Tuesday afternoon, only hours before he was to leave New York for a weeklong family vacation to the Southwest. He said he had finally run out of patience with Mr. Cuomo, who has been widely viewed as being an obstacle to the mayor’s agenda since Mr. de Blasio took office in 2014.

“We will not play these games,” Mr. de Blasio said, adding that Mr. Cuomo’s behavior was “not anything like acceptable government practice, and I think people all over the state are coming to the same conclusion.”

The governor’s office responded with a two-sentence statement that carried its own subtle sting.

“For those new to the process, it takes coalition-building and compromise to get things done in government,” the governor’s spokeswoman, Melissa DeRosa, wrote in an email.

She added: “We wish the mayor well on his vacation.”

[. . .]

Rarely do politicians openly express the animus that is an unavoidable component of high-stakes governing. But Mr. de Blasio — who typically seeks consensus, not conflict — relishes flouting perceived rules, often pointing to the success of his long-shot mayoral candidacy as proof that holding true to his beliefs is a successful strategy.

In fact, during Tuesday’s interview, Mr. de Blasio seemed to be enjoying himself: When his press secretary tried to end the session, the mayor overruled her, and took several more questions.

Still, Mr. de Blasio was well aware of the unusual and potentially controversial nature of his remarks. At one point, he acknowledged the risk that his relationship with the governor could be further strained.

“I’m not going to be surprised if these statements lead to some attempts at revenge,” Mr. de Blasio said, his voice even. “And we’ll just call them right out. Because we are just not going to play that way.”

Doubtless a winning strategy. Also, it’s really fucking hot in the Southwest this time of year.

Like Pistachios, Pringles Or Scabs, Some Things Are Impossible To Resist

“How Bill de Blasio earned this week’s epic flogging”:

A single one of those losses would represent a failed legislative session for any mayor. To lose all four represents a flogging of a unique sort; no mayor in memory has had to absorb anything like it.

De Blasio blamed it on Albany dysfunction, and he has a superficial point — US Attorney Preet Bharara indicted two of the most powerful pols in the Capitol, and Cuomo’s off chasing squirrels of his own.

The other side of that coin, though, is that Bharara has created a power vacuum in Albany — one that an astute mayor, competently working the New York City legislative delegation, could turn to his advantage.

Bill de Blasio is not that mayor.

“What we’re dealing with is a mayor who is universally acknowledged to be bumbling and incompetent,” a Cuomo lieutenant told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday.

Anonymous sniping from political enemies should be taken in context — which in this case is that “bumbling” has been one of the more charitable behind-the-scenes descriptions of de Blasio since the day he took office.

His political judgment is seen as atrocious — did he really think attacking Republican state senators in October would have no consequences in June?

His staff work is viewed as even worse — he has ideologues assigned tasks better delegated to political pros.

He’s long on silly rhetoric, short on substantive follow-through and thinks Iowa is more important than Albany — or the City Council.

Some Remarkably Brilliant Unicorns Can Do No Wrong; Others Find The Opposite To Be The Case

That said, give these folks credit for hanging around until after ten on a work night:

City Hall was initially at a loss for words when The [Daily] News emailed at 4 p.m. asking why the POW/MIA flag wasn’t flying. Three hours later, at 7:10 p.m., a spokesman emailed a bland response.

“We will review flag protocol and ensure the POW flag is displayed appropriately at City Hall,” the de Blasio spokesman said .

But when darkness fell, a worker skulked out around 10:10 p.m. and was spotted hoisting the dissed flag.

[. . .]

“Voters in Iowa seem to be more of a priority for the mayor than veterans in New York,” [a veterans’ advocate] scoffed. “And I think it’s especially egregious less than a week from Memorial Day.”