Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was snubbed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio again.
According to The New York Observer, de Blasio confirmed he would not attend Hillary Clinton’s Roosevelt Island campaign kickoff this Saturday. New York’s liberal mayor says he still needs Clinton to talk about the income inequality issue.
“What I am waiting to hear about is the fight against income inequality, how we raise wages and benefits, how we create the kind of progressive taxation system we need,” de Blasio told reporters at a city event in the Bronx. “It’s June. The election is next year. There’s plenty of time.”
Clinton was blown off at least two times previously by de Blasio, who was her 2000 Senate campaign manager. He refused to endorse her when she first announced her candidacy for the White House and more recently, when former Marlyland Governor Martin O’Malley announced his candidacy for the presidential Democratic nomination, de Blasio sat on his hands.
He told reporters at the time of O’Malley’s announcement, “I don’t know him and I don’t know his work that well. I certainly hope he will address the question of income inequality and provide a very vigorous vision for addressing income inequality in this country. And I appreciate that he is opposed to the trade deal because I think it’s a deal that will set us back economically. But, I just don’t know enough about what his vision is.”
The mayor later noted, “I’ve said this many times but I’ll say it again happily – again, I – I am looking forward to the day and I am optimistic – looking forward to the day when Hillary Clinton lays out her specific vision for addressing income inequality. I think what we’ve heard from her so far is very promising. I think her history on these issues is very powerful. I think, over the next few months, we’re going to hear a lot more about her vision and that’s what I’m looking at.”