Billionaire billboards target Bill
has not been brought to justice. That police officer should be off the street.”
Pressed by the moderators, the mayor stayed away from expanding on his decision to not get involved in pushing for Pantaleo’s immediate axing.
“I know the Garner family. They’ve gone through extraordinary pain,” de Blasio said. “They’re waiting for justice, and they’re going to get justice. There’s going to be justice. I have confidence in that.”
De Blasio put off city disciplinary proceedings for Pantaleo while waiting on the Justice Department to wrap up its federal investigation into the NYPD cop for using a banned choke hold on Garner.
The Justice Department announced in July that it would not prosecute Pantaleo.
Nonetheless, de Blasio has continued to sit on his hands, saying he has to allow for due process as Pantaleo faces an internal NYPD review.
Pantaleo remains on modified NYPD duty.
Apart from de Blasio facing pressure, most of Wednesday’s debate focused on Biden, who was painted by his progressive challengers as an out-of-touch centrist who’s behind the times on criminal justice, health care, immigration and other hotbutton issues.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker took aim at Biden’s record of supporting tough-oncrime legislation while serving as a Delaware senator.
“I actually led the bill that got passed into law that reverses the damages that your bills [caused],” Booker fired at Biden, referencing a controversial 1994 measure that the ex-veep played a large part in passing and which critics say exacerbated mass incarceration of African-Americans.
Castro chimed in, “I agree with Sen. Booker that a lot of what the vice president helped author in ’94 was a mistake. And he’s flip-flopped on these things.”
Biden, who’s consistently placed at the top of early 2020 primary polls, also had a hard time defending his health care plan, which builds on the Obama-era Affordable Care Act instead of ushering in the single-payer system favored by left-wing candidates.
“Your plan does not cover everyone in America, by your staff ’s and your own definition,” said California Sen. Kamala Harris, who has rolled out a Medicare-for-all proposal that includes a private insurance component. “In 2019 in Ameri- ca, for a Democrat to be running for president with a plan that does not cover everyone, I think is without excuse.”
Biden countered that Medicare-for-all-style policies are too risky.
“You can’t beat President Trump with double talk on this plan,” he said.
On immigration, Biden, a centrist at heart, took another beating after he accused his fellow 2020 candidates of being too lenient in pushing for decriminalizing illegal border crossings.
“People should have to get in line. That’s the problem,” Biden said, echoing language associated with Trump.
Castro shot back: “It looks like one of us has learned the lessons of the past and one has not.” The billionaires are coming for Bill.
Billionaires’ Row residents fighting a proposed homeless shelter on their block will spend thousands to put up dozens of billboards across the country targeting Mayor de Blasio’s presidential campaign.
The first of at least 10 billboards planned for Iowa will go up in downtown Cedar Rapids Thursday – and the West 58th Street Coalition plans to install at least 50 and as many as 100 in states where de Blasio campaigns.
“Hey, Bill de Blasio! It’s New York…Remember us?” the Cedar Rapids billboard proclaims, noting 61,000 New Yorkers are homeless and that Hizzoner has 0% in some presidential polls.
“What are you doing in Iowa? Go back to New York and meet with us!” the billboard continues, signed “from the residents on Billionaires Row.”
Michael Fisher of the West 58th Street Coalition said the group plans on spending at least $100,000 on the billboards, which cost about $1,500 a month. After Iowa, Fisher said “at least 50 to 100” billboards could go up “wherever he goes.”
“We’re going to make sure that no matter where Bill de Blasio is that he will see our billboards,” Fisher said.
The West 58th Street Coalition opposes the mayor’s $60.8 million plan to open a 150-bed men’s shelter at the closed Park Savoy Hotel at 158 W. 58th St., arguing the location would be a dangerous “firetrap” and that crime would ensue on the ritzy block.