Bernie will administer oath of office to mayor
IT’S FORECAST to be a cold day on Jan. 1, but Mayor de Blasio will be basking in the Bern.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will swear in de Blasio for his second term as mayor, City Hall announced Wednesday.
That’s just four years after Hizzoner was sworn in for the first time by former President Bill Clinton — with Sanders’ eventual primary opponent, Hillary Clinton, looking on.
“Sen. Sanders is a proud son of Brooklyn and a dedicated advocate for working people. Sen. Sanders’ progressive leadership has helped reshape the American political debate in favor of men and women long left out of our city and nation’s prosperity,” de Blasio said in a statement.
It was Clinton whom the mayor endorsed, after hemming and hawing at length in public, in the 2016 race — though you might not guess as much while tuning into the mayor’s more recent speeches. In Iowa, he railed against the Democrats’ desperate pursuit of donors in 2016, arguing that chasing cash had left the party “desiccated” and with a candidate who lacked a message.
Back in January 2014, relations between the Clintons and de Blasio, who managed Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate bid, were rosy. But de Blasio’s public insistence that Clinton prove her progressiveness before he chose a candidate — while privately telling her staff he intended to endorse her, which he eventually did — led to a rift between City Hall and Clinton world.
More recently, the mayor has cozied up to Sanders, who traveled to New York to ride the subway with the mayor, back his hopes for a longshot tax of millionaires to fix the subways, and endorse his reelection bid.
“Bill de Blasio is the weather vane — he knows which way it’s blowing,” Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said. “Centrism is dead. Long live de Blasio and progressivism.”
Inviting Sanders ties into de Blasio’s increased focus on his vision for the Democratic Party nationally.
“New York City is in his rear window,” Sheinkopf said.
While many would argue the Clintons gave de Blasio his start in politics, four years later, they’re on the outs in the party — and it is Sanders whom de Blasio sees as the torchbearer of progressive politics, Fordham Prof. Christina Greer said.
“I do think, symbolically, what a visual,” she said of swapping the Clintons for the Sanders.
But despite Sanders’ star power, City Hall is lowering expectations for the ceremony at City Hall Plaza.
“It’s term two, so naturally this will be a smaller-scale event compared to 2014,” spokeswoman Jaclyn Rothenberg said. “It’s going to be cold, and weather could be an issue. We’re contingency planning for several weather scenarios.”
It’s not just the temps — which were also quite frosty in 2014 — that might keep the crowds smaller this time around.
“Second-term inaugurals are boring because there’s nothing new to say,” Sheinkopf said.
De Blasio’s first swearing-in came after 20 years of Republican rule, Greer noted, leading to more excitement. Four years later, there will be a natural enthusiasm gap — and people who are not as happy about the mayor now that he’s an incumbent.
“This happens with all second terms,” Greer said.Members of the public interested in attending can request up to two tickets at https://2018inauguration.splashthat.com/