If there were any lingering doubt about how far left Bill de Blasio is, it was dispelled Sunday morning at a Harlem church.
There the Democratic candidate sat in silence as activist Harry Belafonte compared the libertarian businessmen brothers Charles and David Koch to the Ku Klux Klan, branding them “men of evil” and “white supremacists.”
Not only did de Blasio stand by without saying anything about this unjustified slander, when he rose to speak he praised Belafonte as “the voice of wisdom” and “a treasure to our nation.” Only later, when pressed by reporters, would de Blasio offer up the mildest of critiques — and then went on to add his own criticism of the Koch brothers.
None of this should surprise. The two have much in common. Both de Blasio and Belafonte have been fans of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. De Blasio worked for the Marxist Sandanistas in Nicaragua; Belafonte hailed Venezuelan despot Hugo Chavez while branding George W. Bush “the greatest terrorist in the world” and denouncing black conservatives as “house slaves.”
Meanwhile, de Blasio has described himself as an advocate of “democratic socialism.” He also co-founded both the radical New Party and the equally leftist Working Families Party, which has long been a major force behind his political career.
The sad truth is that people on the left like Belafonte are seldom called out on the disgusting language they use to characterize political opponents, and you can bet Belafonte’s words will not lose him any points in a de Blasio administration.
There’s a Tale of Two Cities here, too, but it’s sure not the one de Blasio’s peddling.