Even by the standards of New York City politics, Mark-Viverito stands on the left-wing fringe. During her first seven years on the council, she stood for, but did not recite, the Pledge of Allegiance. (Her spokesperson claimed that, having grown up in Puerto Rico, Mark-Viverito was “unfamiliar” with the one-sentence pledge.) In 2010, the future speaker circulated a petition calling for the release of Oscar López Rivera, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his leadership role in FALN, the Puerto Rican paramilitary group that bombed Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan, among other targets, in the 1970s. Mark-Viverito counts among her friends Evo Morales, the socialist president of Bolivia, whom she visited in 2008. She also participated in the protest movement to expel the U.S. Navy from Vieques in Puerto Rico, where she was arrested, along with other prominent progressives such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Al Sharpton. Mark-Viverito’s family owns a 12-acre estate abutting the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, from which the Naval Forces Southern Command oversaw the controversial bombing tests. Perhaps the council speaker enjoyed sunbathing in peace.
New York City Democratic politics are largely shaped by organized labor. Almost every liberal leader in New York City—including the mayor and city council speaker—owes some measure of allegiance to the radical-leftist Working Families Party, which grew out of an alliance between labor unions and activist groups, such as the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (Acorn), which applied the union-organizing model to public housing complexes. WFP-backed candidates (like Mark-Viverito) are usually endorsed by the city’s most powerful unions: 1199 SEIU, which represents health-care and hospital workers; 32BJ, a union for property-service workers; the Transit Workers Union Local 100; and the United Federation of Teachers, which represents New York City’s public school teachers. Mark-Viverito worked as an organizer for 1199, and the powerful union steered her to move to East Harlem to seek political office there.
The WFP runs pro-labor candidates with the goal of forcing mainstream Democrats and incumbents further left. Though it has national aspirations, the party thrives mainly in New York, where “fusion” voting rules allow candidates to seek office on multiple ballot lines. In 2010, a group of WFP-backed council members, led by Mark-Viverito and Brad Lander—who succeeded de Blasio in his Park Slope district after the future mayor became public advocate—formed the Progressive Caucus. Including Mark-Viverito as speaker, the caucus, with 18 seats, now makes up more than one-third of the 51-member council and dominates the council politically, holding all leadership posts and most key committee chairmanships. Its members are unremittingly left-wing.
The entire thing is worth a read to understand just what a bunch of loons are running city hall these days.
21 comments:
That is going to be the new dynasty, as more and more people rely on the government for their check, their health care, their everyday needs.
We argue about affordable housing and building over rail yards while the people who can afford to will leave the city in droves, leaving the masses who feed off the public teat.
As soon as we reach the technology peak where companies like the NY Stock Exchange can pull out of a hard site/building and do everything over the internet all of the hated one percent will leave NYC for good. They will come in by limousine to go to a show or eat, but live outside the city. The tax base will crack and the city will be done.
I hope to be long gone by then.
The article unfairly smears teachers. The UFT backed Bill Thompson in 2013, who was NOT a WFP backed candidate, and refused to back Andy Cuomo in 2014, who was the WFP candidate.
The entire thing is with a breed to understand just what a bunch of loons YOU VOTED INTO city hall these days.
Fixed.
MMV isn't that far left. Last week, she visited Israel, a country that is usually anathema to leftists.
"MMV isn't that far left. Last week, she visited Israel, a country that is usually anathema to leftists."
Translation: MMV took a taxpayer funded vacation to get away from the cold, snow and ice.
Bring back the pillory, dunking stool, the gibbet, the garrote, the noose. Khrushchev was right. "We will bury you". Our home grown commies will, indeed, bury NYC!
Not to worry, the NYC Republicans are riding to the rescue.
DiBozo and MMV are not homegrown. They both came from Cuba.
Even worse these radicals have billions in excess tax money to squander on their hare brained social justice schemes. A fountain of tax revenues from the soaring real estate valuations. Taking your tax money to buy votes. We need real estate tax reductions.
Corrupt politicians depend on a bought and paid angry electoric to maintain power with the ability to dole out cash stolen from the working man,NY is Finished,I moved out 13 years ago.
The greatest generation fought and died for a country that now villifies its sacrifice.
Press one for Spanish
Press 2 for all others.please hold.
Not sure I need to read an artyicle to know the city is run by lefty loons.
NY is a prison sentence and mine will be done soon. Hooray!
"Khrushchev was right. "We will bury you". Our home grown commies will, indeed, bury NYC"!
At least many Soviet commies eventually saw the light. What's the excuse for the US variety?
So after 8 years of DeBlasio, Viverto will be hands-on favorite to win the Democratic Primary to succeed the Mayor.
After we (not me, but most of us) voted for Obama AGAIN, I gave up. We're too stupid to revive ourselves. Get used to it.
If you have remained in NYC when you had the chance to get out, then you are going to be fucked up the butt by these people, without lube.
The sad thing is as bad as these knuckleheads are, being ruled by stupid ignorant machine politicians are not much better.
We need to clean house but not back to Tammany Hall.
georgetheatheist said...
Not to worry, the NYC Republicans are riding to the rescue.
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Ha! We are DONE with those traitors. Weaken rent and consumer protections and then wave some flags to fool the idiots into voting for another stab-in-the-back.
For-get it. Over, and out on that.
Republicans=Democrats. Neither gives a shit about rent protections. Quite frankly, they were supposed to end after WWII and it's ridiculous that they haven't.
I don't get it. These people destroy the city and then on election day people either don't vote or reelect the same people. If you want it changed show up next election day and vote.
Like Detroit, New York City's politics revolve around the clients of the government's programs, the public employees and increasing dependency of the people upon the government. Eventually you run out of other people's money. It will just take longer for New York City to collapse as it almost did during Lindsay-Beame.
With the zero vision arrests of bus drivers,i think you can count on the TWU & The ATU looking to endorse / vote elsewhere.
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