The City Council’s progressive circus — er, caucus — has fallen apart. Last week, nearly half the members who had proudly called themselves progressives deserted. They now see the progs’ “Defund the police” stance as a political albatross, and they’re right.
The council’s sobering up is also a reminder to the mayor: Any potent challenger in two years will come from the middle, not the left.
Until last week’s exodus, the progressive caucus held two-thirds of the City Council — 34 out of 51 members. Almost everybody wanted to be progressive, or pretend to be, because they feared the left. Close Rikers, stop prosecuting drug sales and shoplifting, forbid landlords from considering whether a potential tenant has a recent violent criminal record — all good.
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Nicole Gelinas is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal. Follow her on Twitter here.
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