De Blasio's Cozy Relationship With The Real Estate Industry

Dunno why the NY Post and NY Daily News editorial boards are upset at the prospect of a de Blasio mayorality.

As Dana Rubenstein shows in an extensive post at Politicker, de Blasio was very happy to cut deals on the Atlantic Yards mess, the Gowanus Canal sell-out to Toll Brothers, and a Fourth Avenue rezoning for taller buildings that the Bloomberg administration wanted.

It's not exactly selling out the only downtown hospital to condo development, but his record on real estate development is to talk a good game but give the real estate developers what they want in the end - and have them raise funds for him.

Not all that different than Thompson or Quinn.

Be aware, those of you excited by the de Blasio surge, that de Blasio is running as a progressive this year because that was the best strategic place for him to run this cycle.

But he is no more a progressive than John Edwards or Hillary Clinton or Bill Thompson or Chris Quinn.

And you can be sure when the real estate developers come calling for tax deals or development projects, when the hedge fundies and charter operators come calling on education issues, when the Kathryn Wilde's come calling to complain about public union contracts and the like, de Blasio's office and ears will be open to them.

This doesn't mean I don't think you should vote for him or support him.

Just don't mistake him for a true progressive.

He is another corporatist politician who has managed to successfully navigate a corporatist political system to be on the cusp of being elected mayor.

Because he is running as the lefty in this cycle against two pols running as "moderates", he is the best we are going to do.

But if he is elected, we will have to watch him very closely.

His record suggests he is anything but the "man of the people" he is portraying himself this cycle.