THE BIG PICTURE -- "Democrats Run Biggest Cities as U.S. Residents Cluster by Party," by Bloomberg's Mark Niquette: "Twenty years ago, half the 12 largest U.S. municipalities had a Republican mayor. When Bill de Blasio takes office in New York on Jan. 1, none will. As middle-class residents moved out of cities and immigrants and young people replaced them, the party lost its grip on population centers even as it increased control of governor's offices and legislatures. The polarization has pitted urban interests against rural areas and suburbs, denying Republicans a power base. 'The New York election hopefully is somewhat of a wake-up call,' said Scott Smith, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz., and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 'If that doesn't get Republicans on the national level more interested, then it should.' ...
"De Blasio, 52, won this month by the biggest margin by a non-incumbent in city history on vow to close the growing gap between rich and poor. With its concentration of Wall Street professionals and urban poor, New York has one of the highest income disparities ... While more than 26 percent of households earned at least $100,000 in 2012, almost a quarter earned less than $25,000 ... Racial and ethnic minorities that overwhelmingly support Democrats accounted for 83 percent of U.S. population growth from 2000 to 2008 ... Two decades ago, crime was the dominant issue in [big cities], so law-and-order Republican mayors such as Giuliani in New York and Richard Riordan in Los Angeles were popular, [said Bruce Katz, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution] ... Today, the emphasis is on economic matters and equality." goo.gl  |
