Well it didn't take long for Joe Lhota (R) to use this line of attack against Bill de Blasio (D):
http://politicker.com/...
The general election reached a new heated phase this morning as Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota charged that Democrat Bill de Blasio’s “tale of two cities” message was “directly out of the Marxist playbook.”
Mr. Lhota had already criticized Mr. de Balsio yesterday following a New York Times report that described Mr. de Blasio’s past support for revolutionary Nicaraguan politics, as well as his desire for a “democratic socialism” vision for society–which Mr. Lhota called “unfortunate.”
But Mr. Lhota doubled down today in far harsher words–calling on Mr. de Blasio to “explain himself” and equating Mr. de Blasio’s views with communism.
“Bill de Blasio needs to explain himself — and explain himself now — to the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who escaped Marxist tyranny in Asia, Central America, and from behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe,” he said in a statement.
“Mr. de Blasio’s involvement with the Sandinistas didn’t happen in 1917; it happened 70 years later when the cruelty and intrinsic failure of communism had become crystal clear to anyone with a modicum of reason. Mr. de Blasio’s class warfare strategy in New York City is directly out of the Marxist playbook. Now we know why.” - Politicker, 9/24/13
de Blasio's response is just right:
http://politicker.com/...
“I am not surprised that my opponents will throw labels and call names. That’s a Republican tactic. That’s a right-wing tactic. We’ve all seen it plenty of times,” said Mr. de Blasio, flanked by Queens Democrats at an endorsement event this afternoon.
“I’m very proud to be a progressive,” he added. “I’m very proud to be a Democrat.”
Mr. Lhota’s charge stemmed from today’s front-page New York Times story, in which one of Mr. de Blasio’s former associates recalled that the public advocate once described his political views as “Democratic socialist.” Mr. Lhota called Mr. de Blasio’s alleged views “really unfortunate” and criticized him for supporting Nicaraguan revolutionaries and traveling to Cuba.
But Mr. de Blasio wouldn’t outright deny that he had used that description of his views in his younger days.
“I won’t get into details of what was accurate and inaccurate in that article,” he said. “That’s not a quote from me. That’s someone’s notes. I think the reporter asked if I remembered that and I said, ‘I don’t remember that.’”
Mr. de Blasio further declined to say whether he ever drew inspiration from far left or Marxist ideology, but insisted that other heroes of the left, including President Franklin Roosevelt, remained sacred to him. - Politicker, 9/23/13
FYI, de Blasio's campaign doesn't come from any Marxist Manifesto, it comes from a younger, populist crowd that has helped build de Blasio's successful digital campaign:
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
When Bill de Blasio's campaign manager Bill Hyers began assembling his team last January, his very first hire was to bring on a digital director.
Before a field director or fundraisers were in place, Jessica Singleton, 27, a veteran of President Obama’s re-election campaign, joined to oversee de Blasio’s social media feeds, website, online ads, and emails to supporters.
Today, inside the de Blasio camp, Singleton and her staff of two are credited with playing a central role in engineering de Blasio's stunning rise from fourth place in July to Democratic nominee today.
In a 21st century campaign, when robocalls are detested, door-to-door canvassing is often ineffective, and snail mail is expensive, "digital ranks high in importance," said Kenneth Sherrill, political science professor at Hunter College. - New York Daily News, 9/19/13
But of course we shouldn't be surprised that Lhota is using these types of attacks and we should expect more from him. de Blasio is not only crushing Lhota in the polls but he's also beating him in fundraising. Plus several unions and prominent politicians like Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D. NY) and Chuck Schumer (D. NY) have thrown their support behind de Blasio. President Obama also endorsed de Blasio's campaign and it looks like the President and the future Mayor got a chance to meet each other today:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to TPM that Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Obama is in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly.
De Blasio received an endorsement from Obama on Monday. In that statement, Obama said, "Progressive change is the centerpiece of Bill de Blasio's vision for New York City." Obama also endorsed the Democratic candidate, Bill Thompson, in New York City's 2009 mayoral election, albeit through a spokesman and without an in-person meeting. De Blasio has so far enjoyed a wide lead over Republican Joe Lhota in the polls. - TPM, 9/24/13
The election is November 5th. If you would like to get involved or donate to de Blasio's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.billdeblasio.com/