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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to host a meeting of leading progressive elected officials and activists at Gracie Mansion on Thursday with the explicit goal of forcing the issue of income inequality to the forefront of the national political debate and the 2016 elections.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, de Blasio said his frustrations with the messaging by Democratic candidates during the 2014 midterms and the overall failure among elected officials to tackle income inequality head-on led him to conclude that progressives must be more aggressive in elevating the issue.
As a Democrat, I am very disappointed that my party has not spoken with a clearer voice on this issue, de Blasio said.
The mayor said that influencing the dialogue in the 2016 presidential race is not the sole purpose of the effort he hopes to organize.
He would not directly address whether he thinks former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton should outline bold proposals to reduce income inequality.
The mayor was Clintons Senate campaign manager in 2000, and she attended his inauguration in 2013, along with her husband, former president Bill Clinton. De Blasio was elected mayor running on an unabashedly liberal platform, while both Clintons have been identified more with centrist Democratic ideas. Hillary Clinton is expected to launch her presidential campaign this month.
On presidential candidates in general, my take is, I dont talk about anyone until they are a declared candidate, de Blasio said. But I think many of us feel profound dissatisfaction at the state of the debate in general. I cannot identify any declared candidate who is presenting a holistic vision here. In 2014, many [Democrats] went out of their way to avoid the issue.
He praised President Obama for highlighting income inequality in this years State of the Union address and noted that some Republicans and some business leaders have at least begun to make reference to the issue. But he said that beyond Obamas January speech, nothing since then suggests a course correction on the part of elected officials or prospective candidates.
Asked to assess why Democrats in particular have not been more aggressive on the issue, he said, A lack of leadership and a lack of imagination underlying all of it.
He cited two other obstacles: timidity on the part of political strategists and party consultants to confront the issue more robustly; and the influence of money in politics. Platform, vision and message have been replaced by decisions about resources, he said. Thats not a winning hand.
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N.Y.s de Blasio gathers progressives to kick-start debate on income inequality
The All Progressives Governors Forum, on Wednesday congratulated the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, and the Vice President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on their historic victory.
The forum also extended similar felicitation to the All Progressives Congress for putting up a commendable fight towards victory.
Chairman of the forum and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, said this in Abuja.
He said, This is a sure glimpse into the many victories to be won under this administration.
General Buhari has won the victory for the Nigerian people, making it possible for us to once again believe in the democratic ideology. This win also signifies the power in synergising both the voices and efforts of the people.
We admire the resilience, spirit of fair play and sustained integrity of the president-elect who, out of his goodwill for the nation, persisted in his effort and have finally saved a place for the nation in the global world space.
Okorocha said members of the forum are grateful to be part of a party, formidable enough to harness strengths for the purpose of achieving greatness.
He also said the PGF appreciates the APCs recognition of the strength in the nations diversity.
He pledged the PGFs support to the incoming administration, as it will continue to serve as a body of the APC, setting the policy agenda for the party towards bringing to bear its socio-democratic vision for the country.
While expressing gratitude to all Nigerians who participated in last Saturdays national elections, the forum urged them to throng out again on April 11 to vote for all candidates of the APC in the State elections across the country.
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APC govs congratulate Buhari, Osinbajo
The same unions and left-leaning organizations backing Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in his effort to unseat Mayor Rahm Emanuel in next week's runoff election also have joined forces to shape a City Council more to their liking.
The aim is to grow the thin ranks of the council's Progressive Reform Caucus either to strengthen the opposition bloc's hand if Emanuel wins a second term or ensure a core group of supporters for the new mayor if Garcia wins Tuesday.
On the other side, the pro-Emanuel political action committee Chicago Forward is spending money to promote the mayor's backers and oppose his foes.
The union and progressive forces are teamed up in five aldermanic races, while the Emanuel-allied fund is involved in seven. The two sides are going head-to-head in only three wards, however.
By Election Day, the unions and organizations will have spent millions of dollars, both to buy ads and to make campaign donations. They also are deploying thousands of volunteers to make phone calls, canvass neighborhoods and get out the vote just as they did with some success Feb. 24.
"In the first round, we already added two more members to the progressive caucus, and it looks like we could add more," said Jerry Morrison, a top official with Service Employee International Union Local 1. "The progressive caucus has played an important role on the City Council. The people of Chicago deserve more than just a rubber stamp council. I don't care who the mayor is."
Local 1 is the best-funded member of SEIU Illinois Council, which has dropped the neutral stance it took in the first round to endorse Garcia in next week's winner-take-all mayoral contest. The state council plans to spend about $1.75 million on aldermanic races this year, Morrison said.
More than $1 million has been spent so far, records show. Add in separate contributions from SEIU Local 1 and SEIU Healthcare Illinois-Indiana and the spending rises to more than $1.3 million.
For SEIU, getting involved in council races is nothing new. The union first played a major role in aldermanic races in 2007, when council efforts to block Wal-Mart's entry into the city and pass a living-wage ordinance galvanized labor. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees also stepped up its game eight years ago, and so far this year it has pumped more than $241,000 into City Council contests.
But this election is different for SEIU and AFSCME, with the core group of five candidates also being backed by the Chicago Teachers Union which played a major role in recruiting Garcia and has pumped more than $570,000 into aldermanic races so far and United Working Families, a coalition of liberal organizations formed in July.
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Unions, progressives try to shape City Council
In a historic breakthrough for Nigerian democracy, President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat Tuesday in a hard-fought presidential election, signaling that he will peacefully turn over power to his victorious rival, Muhammadu Buhari.
Jonathan, 57, the first sitting leader to be defeated at the ballot box, was hailed as a hero by the opposition after he called Buhari, 72, to congratulate him on his victory late Tuesday afternoon, even before the final result was announced.
Nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian, Jonathan said in a statement, the Associated Press reported. I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word.
Jonathans concession dramatically reduced the tension in one of the most bitterly contested elections in Nigerian history.
A peaceful transfer of power in Africas most populous nation sends a strong democratic message across a continent where many presidents cling to power for decades. Democracy advocates worry that several presidents want to engineer changes to their constitutions to extend their terms.
Nigerias opposition All Progressives Congress, or APC, had stirred up fear that the governing Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, planned to scuttle the election.
Jonathan, however, resisted strong pressure from government members who were openly pushing for the removal of Attahiru Jega, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
There had always been this fear that he might not want to concede, but he will remain a hero for this move. The tension will go down dramatically. Anyone who tries to foment trouble on the account that they have lost the election will be doing so purely on his own, APC spokesman Lai Mohammed said.
In another positive sign, a prominent PDP state governor, Ayodele Fayose, urged the governing partys supporters to accept the result.
The election result is the will of God and Nigerians, and all lovers of peace, progress and development of Nigeria must accept it, he said in a written statement, adding that Nigerians had cemented the countrys democracy.
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Nigeria President Jonathan hailed as hero for conceding election defeat