No city has been hit worse by the coronavirus than New York City. And no mayor has been more ill-prepared to handle this crisis than Bill de Blasio.
When the pandemic started to take root in March, de Blasio was encouraging New Yorkers to get on with their lives and “get out on the town.” Not even one month later, he had a snitch line in place, where people could text in social distancing violations. He has continued to support indoor dining restrictions for restaurants as nearly half of the city’s restaurants and bars are on the verge of permanent closure.
De Blasio’s incompetence has been overshadowed by the terrible work of his governor, but he’s doing his best to remind everyone of it. Often a communist sympathizer, de Blasio is still, in the midst of a pandemic, talking about the importance of “redistributing wealth” to address racism. He recently cheered the falling cost of rent in New York City, even if it was the result of the city’s terrible governance more than anything else.
Move over Austin, because as the song says, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere — and it’s easier than ever for young dreamers to make it in the greatest city in the world! https://t.co/o2BkSe3i3T
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) February 4, 2021
New York City has a higher per capita death rate from the coronavirus than any state in the country. A net total of 70,000 people left the city during the pandemic last year, taking with them an estimated $34 billion in income, according to one study. The city’s unemployment rate is nearly double the national average.
Meanwhile, de Blasio has little idea how to fix much of anything. He blamed the pandemic rather than his policies for the city’s rise in shootings, which isn’t supported by police data. While he has ignored anti-Semitic hate crimes in the city, he singled out Jewish residents of the city for criticism and playground closures during the pandemic.
De Blasio’s failed handling of the coronavirus and blissful ignorance at the current state of the city he runs stems from the same issue that explain Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s failures: ego. It was clear de Blasio didn’t want to be in New York City when he launched a presidential run to nowhere, and it was clear at the start of the pandemic when he went to the gym (in violation of his own coronavirus restrictions) because, “I have to stay healthy so I can make the decisions for the people of this city.”
In a country full of terrible mayors, de Blasio takes the crown as America’s worst. New York City is a shell of what it was, and he is proud of that. He will be gone from the political scene later this year when the city elects a new mayor. That moment can’t come soon enough.
