By: Jared Evan
Prof. Stacy Cordery, a historian from Iowa State University, recently penned an interesting article about political figures and the way they use food to connect with voters, published on the conversation.com recently, and Bill de Blasio’s “bagel gaffe” front and center.
Prof. Cordery wrote: “His Jan. 15 tweet praising a toasted bagel on National Bagel Day instantly set off hardline bagel devotees-cum-voters. De Blasio quickly amended his tweet to delete the word “toasted.” But the damage was already done. Purists scorned the very idea of toasting a bagel, calling into question his bona fides as a New Yorker”
Obviously, a veteran New York bagel eater, gets them hot right after they were baked from a local shop that makes fresh bagels.
She than covers several food blunders including Gerald Ford: “During the 1976 presidential campaign, incumbent president Gerald Ford, before the eyes of bewildered Texans, peeled back the aluminum foil – but not the corn husk – and took a giant bite out of a tamale. Ford never lived it down.”
The article continued by mentioning failed Democrat presidential nominee in 2005 John Kerry and the time he asked for swiss cheese on a Philly cheese steak instead of cheese whiz, and Republican Mitt Romney asked for a “sub” in Pennsylvania, where, as locals will tell you, they call them hoagies.
The candidate eating some local food is a standard technique used by politicians to connect with the “regular folks”. It often comes across as forced and phony to most “regular people”. I can’t even see the benefit to these photo ops, they are almost always humiliating. Remember de Blasio and the “pizzagate” incident when he ate pizza with a fork?
De Blasio was mocked relentlessly for months over the pizza incident. “Bagel gate” while humorous is far from de Blasio’s biggest issues.
The mayor has lost confidence with even the most strident liberals in New York City. In a recent poll from Sienna, just 33% of New York City voters say they have a favorable rating of de Blasio. His unfavorable rating has climbed to 58%. This makes for a net favorability rating of -25.
After his failed presidential campaign where he averaged 0% for several months before dropping out, New York City has essentially given up on the mayor mocked as “big bird” by conservative opponents.
The mayor is watching New York City explode with anti- Semitic attacks perpetrated by almost exclusively African Americans, his response a few speeches and more blaming “Trump and conservatives”, prompting even Democrat colleagues to scratch their heads.
The bail reform program started by the Governor Cuomo, where criminals are being freed without bail for every conceivable kind of crime was made more absurd by de Blasio offering Mets tickets and metro cards to encourage suspects to show up to court.
Literally de Blasio has become the laughingstock of New York City.
The man who has never had a regular job in the private sector sees his pay checks and power soon ending and “big bird” is making one last stand.
According to PIX 11: Mayor Bill de Blasio and current Borough President Eric Adams met around Christmas to discuss an endorsement quid pro quo. If Adams runs for mayor in 2021, de Blasio will endorse him. And if First Lady Chirlane McCray runs for borough president, Adams will back her.
Desperate de Blasio only knows how to be a politician and since his dream of being the “progressive president” went up in smoke, his wife is his last hope. McCray still has not been investigated in relation to the nearly $1 million unaccounted for, while she ran a failed mental health program Thrive NYC.
It’s amazing what you can get away with in New York City. With this kind of record, does it really matter if he toasts his bagels?
