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What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Why No One Takes Bill de Blasio Seriously

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Slate

News, Daily News, News Commentary, Politics

4.62.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2019

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he would run for president, the mockery was swift. City tabloids were typically disdainful (New York Post: “Everyone Hates Bill!”). New York’s attorney general quipped, “Why?” Even de Blasio’s former staffers have declined to voice support for their old boss’s presidential bid. Here, now, an explanation for why New Yorkers are so sure their mayor would be a bad fit for the White House. Guest: Henry Grabar, Slate staff writer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

So how many people are running for president now? Is he 24?

0:08.6

I think we're 23 or 24. Who can keep track?

0:12.0

Henry Grubbar writes for slate. But more importantly, he's a New Yorker.

0:16.4

That's why I dragged him into the studio to try to make the best argument for why our mayor,

0:21.6

Bill DeBlasio, should be running for president.

0:25.1

It's like it's like one of those premium cable channels packages where you're you're just never gonna watch those other things.

0:32.1

They've been throwing in there. You're like, oh channel 44 that a Blasio channel like, did I?

0:37.6

Is I watching this last night when I came home from the party?

0:41.0

Okay, here's my best argument. He's tall. Like that's it. He's like really tall. He will tower over

0:49.7

anyone in a debate pretty much unless James Comey runs and like the tallest guy usually wins, right?

0:56.2

Donald Trump was probably the tallest guy running for president in 2016, right?

1:00.0

That's what I'm saying. The data supports your hypothesis.

1:04.2

Bill DeBlasio was a dark horse candidate when you ran from air back in 2013. His platform was

1:10.6

uncompromisingly liberal and his family helped him craft his image, his wife and kids are black

1:16.3

and they argued DeBlasio was serious about raining and police abuse.

1:20.5

After a couple of other top tier candidates flamed out, he won. And yeah, Bill DeBlasio is really tall,

1:27.2

like six foot five. It's part of what can make him seem a little goofy.

1:31.7

Okay, but seriously, we have to put our cards on the table, which is that we're New Yorkers.

1:37.0

And so we're biased because we've had to deal with the mayor's, you know,

1:43.1

foibles, foibles, small time scandals, like, you know, killing the groundhog and showing up late

1:50.0

everywhere and driving to the gym. He forgot about the groundhog. He literally picked up a

1:53.7

groundhog on Groundhog's day in Staten Island, dropped it and it died. It died and there was a bit

...

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