In June, a supermajority (67%) finally registered their disapproval of George W. Bush’s job perfomance in an ARG poll. Now it is 71%. A mere 25% approve. Only 23% approve of the way Bush is handling the economy, despite an historically high Dow Jones Industrial Average. Perhaps this was all weighing on David Broder when he wrote his column for today about the importance of urban issues in the upcoming campaign. He praised Clinton, Edwards, and Obama for having a familiarity and feel for the cities of our country.
What counts most, though, are not the specific items they are offering but the awareness they show of the constituency and the problems — and the commitment to make urban America a serious part of the governing agenda.
The cities have been waiting a long time for such attention.
The time is right. Economic disparity has reached ridiculous and dangerous levels. The midterm elections flipped congressional chairs into the hands of city reps (Ways & Means- Rangel from Harlem, Judiciary- Conyers from Detroit, Financial Services- Frank from Boston, Small Business- Nydia Velazquez from Brooklyn).
The primaries are different this time, too. New York, New Jersey, and California will all vote on February 5th, making it imperative that the candidates address issues that have previously been downplayed or ignored. For example, coyotes.
The candidate with the best coyote eradication program gets my vote.
