MIDTOWN — He didn't get a primetime speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention but that didn't stop Mayor Bill de Blasio from celebrating the nomination of his former boss Hillary Clinton as the first woman to head a major party presidential ticket.
Calling in to the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC a half hour later than normal and still in Philadelphia where the convention was held, a hoarse-voiced de Blasio said he had a "very late night" out celebrating with the New York delegation.
"You know, your voice sounds like it," Lehrer chimed in before de Blasio gave a few more details.
"Yes, the New York delegation decided we should celebrate the historic moment of a woman being nominated for the first time in a major party and the evolution of our country by staying out very, very late together," the mayor said. "So, the New York delegation showed great solidarity. And there was a lot of beer involved as well."
While the mayor may have drowned his sorrows, a caller from Flushing was upset that former Mayor Michael Bloomberg snagged a primetime speaking spot, asking "why he should be at that time slot whereas the former mayor got primetime. It should be, for us, he has to speak on that time slot."
De Blasio managed Clinton's first run for the U.S. Senate and she, along with former president Bill Clinton, was on stage with him during his mayoral inauguration.
But those close to Clinton were upset when the mayor declined to immediately endorse Clinton, as did Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as soon as she announced her presidential run.
De Blasio held out for six months, saying that he wanted to see more of Clinton's progressive vision, and only endorsed her after no candidates agreed to attend his planned presidential forum in Iowa.
In spite of media coverage that has talked of how far the mayor's progressive prestige has fallen, de Blasio said he was "comfortable" with his 5:30 p.m. time slot on the third day of the convention.
Bloomberg, a former Republican and now Independent, spoke at 9:20 p.m. in a widely praised speech about why Republican nominee Donald Trump was not fit to be president.
"It made sense for Michael Bloomberg to have a featured speech. You know, in effect, it is — if you’ll forgive the phrase — it’s man-bites-dog. It’s the counter-intuitive of a guy who clearly was a Republican and a businessperson, and thought about running for president himself, to come out for Hillary Clinton," de Blasio said.
"That’s an important story to tell the people of the United States. Someone who has known Hillary for, you know, 20 years or so, and someone who was her campaign manager once-upon-a-time supporting her, that’s not exactly breaking news."
