Not A Good Sign For Bill Thompson

From the Associated Press:

The parade was a lively celebration of Caribbean culture, featuring outlandish costumes, indigenous foods, loud music and scores of dancers who gyrated incessantly despite oppressive humidity and occasional rain showers.

For the mayoral candidates, the event provided one of the last big stages before the Sept. 10 primary. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who's leading the Democratic polls, looked the part of the front-runner, dancing his way down long stretches of the street with his family and sign-toting supporters.

His wife, Chirlane McCray, who's of Caribbean descent, was cheered loudly by the crowd, but the biggest applause may have been saved for their 15-year-old son, Dante, who's the star of several of the candidate's campaign commercials.

"We want Dante!" pockets of the crowd cried, prompting the Afro-sporting teen to jog to the barricades at the parade's edge and shake hands.

The two candidates likely jockeying for the second spot in a runoff alongside de Blasio brought out high-powered surrogates to work the crowd.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn hopped on a float with retiring Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who was cheered loudly as he marched in his 13th West Indian Day Parade. And ex-comptroller Bill Thompson walked alongside a large contingent from the influential teachers union, which endorsed him this summer.

Thompson needs to beat de Blasio with black voters or he cannot win.

That de Blasio's kid, Dante, is getting rock star treatment at the West Indian Parade shows you how much the de Blasio campaign has broken through with people in the black community with their ads.

Just anecdotal, of course, but it's not a good sign for Thompson that de Blasio gets treated well at the parade and Dante gets such big applause while Thompson walks with his UFT contingent to mild reaction.