There is something amiss with the Dems
Three mayors and six Dem senators and one Dem POTUS-yet no plan
The scene was almost pitiable to see Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and NYC Mayor Eric Adams along with Mike Johnston of Denver on a Zoom call complaining about the negative impact asylum-seekers were having on their respective cities, and the budgets in those cities. They sounded as though they were being bulllied and wanted their big brother, in this instance President Joe Biden to come to the rescue.
Maybe the logic in this tag team approach was to put some pressure on President Biden to respond, at least in part to earlier assistance requests the three have made, individually and jointly. This was ,the first time they took to technology to attempt to get their message to the President and the public simultaneously.
While these mayors represent a collective population 12 million and come from states where both U.S. senators are Democrats; President Biden hasn’t rushed to engage them. In fact, when he talks about the migrant issue; he doesn’t mention the pleas of these mayors.
Of course, the Palestine-Israel ongoing saga commands much, if not most of Biden’s attention these days, and he is weeks away from launching his re-election campaign so he might not feel the Chicago-New York-Denver situation deserves his undividided attention right now.
Granted, he has hundreds of stafferes who can meet with the mayors; but the mayors are taking what some may see as a misguided approach to getting to him; and that is to call him out in such a public way. There have been no news accounts of the three requesting a private White House meeting with President Biden to lay out their concerns away from the public eye.
Locally, asylum-seekers have overwhelmed City resources and made a substantial dent in the municipal budget. Mayor Johnson has been persistent in pointing this out at several turns. Mayor Adams has made national headlines with his strident stances on migrants-including traveling to the Texas/Mexico border and telling would-be asylum-seekers to stay on their side of the border. Johnston, who has been less vocal than this colleagues, shared their sentiments.
The other pressing question is why Mayor Johnson is leap-frogging Illinois’ U.S. senators-particularly Sen. Dick Durbin who is the Senate’s majority whip and one of its longest-serving members. Durbin, no doubt has President Biden on speed dial, and can readily have a candid and private discussion on getting Chicago and others, at least some of the support they are seeking.
Johnson has the most at stake among the triumverate given the Democratic National Committee will bring its national convention to Chicago next August. The expanse of the opportunity to be featured nationally and internationally rests in no small part in the hands of President Biden as well as Durbin.
The President could easily ensure that bright media spotlight gets directed toward Gov. JB Pritzker during the three-day event, and force Johnson to scramble for the media attention he cherishes.
If something like that were to occur, some might see it as petty. The reality is that is politics; and if it happens, there is nothing the mayor of the host city can do about it.
Johnson, a rookie mayor, got a harsh lesson in politics recently when he attempted to force Pritzker’s hand in plugging a hole in Chicago’s budget . The base camp tent city Johnson had ordered and was under construction at 38th Street and Calforinia Ave. had to be dismantled and nearly $1 million of City money was wasted. After the Pritzker Administration pulled the plug over environmental questions.
Now, Johnson’s strategy should shift and explain to his mayoral partners he will continue to advocate for the $5 billion they are collectively seeking from the federal government; but he needs to engage Durbin and U.S Sen.Tammy Duckworth to plead the Chicago case to the President. Alternatively, the mayors can request the six Dem sentators representing their states to collectively approach Biden to send resources -financial and otherwise to the cities,
The City Couimcil is MIA
With Johnson and most mayors before him we have become accustomed to seeing a bevy of council members, department heads and staffers standing alongside or behind them during a news conference. On the migrant issue the mayor seems to be standing alone which begs the question where is the city council? A smattering of members have been interviewed by the news media-particularly when they opposed locating a shelter in the wards. However, we don’t see them coming forth to reinforce the mayor’s messaging.
A handful of alderpersons took a trip to the Texas/Mexico border to get a first-hand look at the situation. That junket yieleded no new policies and none of those who made the trip have stepped up and spoken out alongside Johnson. The absence of the legislators make the crisis look like a one-man-show. At the very least they too can send a request to President Biden, even if there is a great possibilty that too will be ignored.
Your piece is superb in focus and presentation easily arriving at an obvious course the mayor should take. It would appear he doesn’t have a record of acting dicisively.