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Bill de Blasio on Principles & Values

NYC Mayor; Democratic Presidential Challenger

 


Restructure society: tax the hell out of the wealthy

To the working people of America, tonight I bring you a message of hope. We can make change in this country. I know from personal experience it can be done.

When I became the mayor of the nation's largest city, I set us on a path of bold change. They said it couldn't be done, but we gave pre-K to every child for free. We got rid of stop-and-frisk and we lowered crime. We raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Yes, it can be done.

For 40 years, working people have taken it on the chin in this country. For 40 years, the rich have gotten richer and they've paid less and less in taxes. It cannot go on this way. When I'm president, we will even up the score and we will tax the hell out of the wealthy to make this a fairer country and to make sure it's a country that puts working people first.

If you agree that we can stand up to Donald Trump and we can stand up to the wealthy, then go to TaxTheHell.com and join us, so we can build a country that puts working people first.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) , Jul 31, 2019

Impeach Trump, but Dems should talk about working people

I think it's obvious at this point in our history that the president has committed the crimes worthy of impeachment. But I want to caution my fellow Democrats. While we move in every way we can for impeachment, we have to remember at the same time the American people are out there looking for us to do something for them in their lives. And what they see when they turn on the TV or go online is just talk about impeachment.

We need more talk about working people and their lives. For example, are we really ready -- and I ask people on this stage this question -- are we ready to make sure that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes? That's something every American wants to know about. That's something they want answers to right now.

So, yeah, move for impeachment, but don't forget to do the people's business and to stand up for working people, because that's how we're actually going to beat Donald Trump. The best impeachment is beating him in the election of 2020.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate, on impeaching Trump , Jul 31, 2019

Restructure society: tax the hell out of the wealthy

To the working people of America, tonight I bring you a message of hope. We can make change in this country. I know from personal experience it can be done.

When I became the mayor of the nation's largest city, I set us on a path of bold change. They said it couldn't be done, but we gave pre-K to every child for free. We got rid of stop-and-frisk and we lowered crime. We raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Yes, it can be done.

For 40 years, working people have taken it on the chin in this country. For 40 years, the rich have gotten richer and they've paid less and less in taxes. It cannot go on this way. When I'm president, we will even up the score and we will tax the hell out of the wealthy to make this a fairer country and to make sure it's a country that puts working people first.

If you agree that we can stand up to Donald Trump and we can stand up to the wealthy, then go to TaxTheHell.com and join us, so we can build a country that puts working people first.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) , Jul 31, 2019

Talk about day-to-day issues, not impeachment

Q: There is a debate in the Democratic Party about whether to pursue impeachment, or talk about issues that impact Americans?

A: Democrats for many years have not done a great job of speaking to people's everyday lives. So I would say let's get that part right. A focus on making health care affordable, being clear that the Trump tax cuts were a giveaway to the wealthy--those issues actually resonated in the 2018 Congressional elections, because they got to folks in their day to day life. There's a lot more to do in that vein.

Q: And on impeachment?

A: You know, I understand there is so much in the Mueller report that literally could lead to impeachment. It's a very real option. But while we don't know the future of the impeachment proceedings, we do know there is a scheduled election and it's real soon. And if Democrats are not and speaking every day to people's lives, then don't be surprised if we get the wrong result.

Source: Transcript of "Morning Joe," NBC News morning news , Apr 22, 2019

People are looking for bold, progressive change

Q: How will you cut through in a field of 20 people if you jump in?

A: How do you cut through? The point is to speak about clear, bold, progressive change, and prove you can do it. That's where it really comes down--that's what people are looking for.

Source: Transcript of "Morning Joe," NBC News morning news , Apr 22, 2019

A progressive who wants to change things

Bill de Blasio was talking about progressive policy ideas literally decades before they became the Democratic Party mainstream. Is he running for president? "No," he said, simply and quickly. But de Blasio insists that asking that question--even as he's sitting at the Marriott Downtown in Iowa--is small-minded to the point of being ridiculous.

No, no. He's up to something bigger, he says. Obviously. "There's a lot of people in the political media and the political class who can only think through the prism of elections and only the very next elections, rather than understanding that social change is made in a variety of fashions. It's the electoral process. It's what happens at the local level as well as the national level. It is through issue-organizing," de Blasio argued, describing his trip as the natural outgrowth of being "a progressive who wants to change things" - and therefore "needs to work with people who are trying to create that change all over the country."

Source: Politico.com, "Off-Message" , Dec 26, 2017

We lost our identity in trap of triangulation & moderation

De Blasio has earned the right to help set the direction of the Democratic Party going forward. He proudly bashes the Clintons, the post-2016 obsession with the loss of white working-class voters and the people who see the Ralph Northam and Doug Jones wins as proof that the party needs moderates to win.

"Part of why we're in the mess we're in is because we fell into a trap of triangulation and moderation, lost a lot of our identity and became unappealing to the very people who had been our support base," he said in the interview.

The problem for de Blasio is that many progressives, Democrats and other mayors say they also don't want HIM in this role--which adds up to a sort of national version of the public advocate job he held for four years in New York before becoming mayor. They're already fed up with his pledge to make Iowa the first of many stops traveling the country to talk about progressive politics and progressive candidates.

Source: Politico.com, "Off-Message" , Dec 26, 2017

Other candidates on Principles & Values: Bill de Blasio on other issues:
2020 Presidential Democratic Primary Candidates:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 GOP and Independent Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (Libertarian-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Howie Hawkins (Green-NY)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich (R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
CEO Howard Schultz (I-WA)
Pres.Donald Trump (R-NY)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
V.C.Arvin Vohra (Libertarian-MD)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld (L-NY,R-MA)
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families/Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure/Technology
Jobs
Principles/Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War/Iraq/Mideast
Welfare/Poverty

External Links about Bill de Blasio:
Wikipedia
Ballotpedia

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
State Rep.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)





Page last updated: Dec 14, 2019