Can Joe Lhota Win The Race For Mayor?

A tweet from Michael Barbaro:

I'm hearing from a surprising number of Manhattan Democrats who say they are open to voting for Lhota, just need more information.
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) September 15, 2013

I don't know many - or actually any - Democrats who say they are open to voting for Lhota.

But I'm also not writing a story for the Times in which I want to frame an article with: "Manhattan Dems Say They Are Open To Voting For Lhota."

Barbaro is.

That said, I do not doubt for a minute that Lhota, given the right circumstances, could be the next mayor of New York City.

The de Blasio campaign knows this too.

They didn't run the savviest primary campaign we've seen since Obama in '08 to suddenly turn clueless in the general.

They will try and turn him into Rudy III and/or Bloomberg IV and capitalize on the Bloomberg fatigue people are having these days.

Poll after poll is showing that about 2/3rds of New Yorkers want the next mayor to go in a different direction than Bloomberg on policy.

De Blasio can win handily if he can get people to realize that Lhota wants more of the Bloomberg/Giuliani policies, especially on the economy, on police issues, on education, in real estate.

Lhtoa has been going around this last week saying "I am not Giuliani.  I am not Bloomberg."

That he feels the need to do this leads me to believe their internal polls are showing them that's how people see him.

And they should see him that way - those are his policy stances.

Stop-and-frisk?

Loves it!

Charter schools and schools closures?

Gotta have more of those!

Affordable housing for working and middle class New Yorkers?

Screw 'em!  Let 'em move to Yonkers!

A Lhota administration would be the start of a third decade of some very harsh, very punitive policies here in NYC.

Now I dunno, de Blasio may turn out to be Obama and do the exact opposite of everything he promised in the primary.

But you can be sure Lhota will do exactly as he is telling people he will do.

Close schools.

Expand charters.

Screw the working and middle class on housing.

Sell out to the real estate interests.

Keep stop-and-frisk and the other authoritarian policing policies Bloomberg and Kelly are so fond of.

The de Blasio campaign needs to start getting this message about Lhota out right now.

One of the problems with Thompson still hanging around is that de Blasio can't turn to Lhota completely just yet.

Once again, Bill Thompson, ostensible Democrat, seems to be helping out the Republicans and corporatists.

Nonetheless you out there can help by talking the race up at school and at work.

Let people know what Lhota is about.

Let them know that if they liked Bloomberg's reign, they'll love Lhota's.

Let them know, too, about his temperament issues.

Let them know how he challenged a 77 year old man to a fight last year at an MTA board meet.

See if people like that sort of thing in their mayor.

Lhota is a loose cannon, he says stupid things (calling Port Authority police "mall cops," for example), he does stupid things (push a reporter outside City Hall back during the Giuliani administration.)

The quicker that meme gets out there about Lhota, the better.

It happens to be truthful.

So start getting that message out to people.

I know I do all the time - both through the blog and in person.

Like Tip O'Neill said, it's all local.