Most of us would be hard-pressed to identify a person who can match President Donald Trump's shamelessness. But Eric Adams is certainly a contender for such an ignominious feat.
I was reminded of this once again as the scandal-plagued New York City mayor officially launched his reelection campaign outside City Hall today, where he shouted off a list of his perceived accomplishments. (Those are questionable, at best.) Adams also offered a new defense against his detractors, some of whom showed up to his announcement. “You can call me all the names you want, but I’m going to answer to only one: Mayor Eric Adams," he said, as protesters were heard shouting, "Criminal!"
But while Adams' hopes for reelection are shameless, the apparent willingness among those with power and money to consider supporting Adams might be even more so:
They are an invariable mix of establishment-type Democrats, billionaires, and racists united in a shared desperation to stop the 33-year-old democratic socialist. Though several have already met with Adams, it has yet to be seen whether the full levers of power and capital rally behind him. But the mayor is already hellbent on showing that he’s ready to punch. There he was on Fox & Friends, decrying Mamdani as a “snake oil salesman.” (“He will say and do anything to get elected,” Adams warned, apparently missing the piercing irony of the accusation coming from an elected official so recently accused of vast abuses of power.)
It's still early, so who knows how this will all shake out. But here I offer you several reasons to stay vigilant.
—Inae Oh
