New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio quoted Karl Marx Friday while discussing the type of relationship he envisions local government having with the city’s business community.
“There’s an underlying truth in the fact that my focus has not been on the business community and the elite. I am tempted to borrow a quote from Karl Marx here. There’s a famous quote that ‘the state is the executive committee of the bourgeoisie,’ and I use that openly to say no, I read that as a young person and thought, well, that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”
“The business community matters, we need to work with the business community, we will work with the business community — but the city government represents the people, represents working people, and mayors should not be too cozy with the business community, governors should not be too cozy with the business community.”
De Blasio made the comments on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC Public Radio. The host asked about the city’s plans to help the business community recover from the Covid19 pandemic and shutdown.
His comments drew harsh criticism from the city’s business leaders.
Kathy Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, said de Blasio’s suggestion that the business community “does not represent working people” is “not an accurate representation of our city’s highly diverse private sector.”
Jay Martin of the Community Housing Improvement Program said accused de Blasio of spewing rhetoric but not getting the results that matter for New York’s citizens.
He hasn’t done anything “to improve the living conditions of tens of thousands of residents,” Martin said.
“He talks about a Marxist utopia and demonizes the very businesses that fund his progressive pet projects, while many of his constituents live without hot water because of his incompetence,” he added. “Do better Mr. Mayor. Or resign.”
Photo by Gage Skidmore