Will the Real New Yorkers Please Rise?
While I've always enjoyed the BBC's original "Cracker" series, I found the comeback episode that aired last week contained a painfully truthful statement.
In the episode, an American woman, who traveled to England after her son was murdered by a killer who may have been targeting Americans, tries to explain how her son was a different kind of American: "He was a New Yorker. He hated Bush. He hated the war in Iraq. He hated all that born-again Christianity. I don't know anyone who is that kind of American," she said with a puzzled expression on her face.
Gee, I wonder if she lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (apologies to Mr. X)?
Perhaps the "Cracker" writers were inspired by the spirit of New Yorker critic Pauline Kael, who when asked to comment on Richard Nixon's victory said she didn't know anyone who voted for him.
Why is it that New Yorkers have this reputation of being far left liberal elites? Could it be the studio audience in the Broadway theater cheering loudly David Letterman's mockery of President Bush and the Republicans that gives that impression? Or the crowds cheering "Saturday Night Live," Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, or anything on MTV?
Maybe it's the anti-war demonstrations peopled by Hollywood stars, bored socialites, and college students getting school credits from leftist professors, or just anybody who doesn't have to work for a living. Two-hundred protesters blocked traffic and closed the streets near the Mexican Consulate on Park Avenue Monday to protest the killing of a journalist in Mexico. A young FedEx worker was fuming because he was prevented from delivering his packages on his route. "Why do they have to do this on a Monday, the busiest day of the week? Look at this crowd — a bunch of rich kids who don't have to work," he griped. Because this is New York City, which welcomes protesters as long as they're not the anti-abortion types, I told him. The attorney general will take care of that mob, right?
The best explanation for the city's liberal reputation, of course, is our voting record. In 2004, this city went overwhelmingly for Senator Kerry, who, joking or not, subconsciously voiced this town's low opinion of the military. Yoohoo, senator: For your information, this volunteer military is better educated than the average American. The bravery of these men and women should make you proud, not contemptuous.
Alas, New York City is poised to reelect a senator who has done absolutely nothing for the state. While America is enjoying one of its greatest economic booms, the state has lost thousands of jobs because of its high taxes. It's no wonder the junior senator hasn't bothered to address this state's problems in 2006, as she hails originally from Illinois, then Arkansas and Washington, D.C. With 2008 just down the road, Mrs. Clinton is much more concerned with us becoming more like the international community — can you believe that?
In a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, Mrs. Clinton said: "First and most obviously, we must by word and deed renew internationalism for a new century." She even defended the idea of talks with nations such as Iran and Cuba. "We must value diplomacy as well as a strong military," she said. "Direct negotiations are not a sign of weakness; they're a sign of leadership."
What hogwash. Europe is dying as we speak, appeasing the demands of tyrants and religious fanatics and we're supposed to look to it as a model?
As the voters look to elect a Democrat governor who has promised not to raise taxes, New Yorkers will fail to find anything that Eliot Spitzer did besides go after Wall Streeters. Meanwhile, Medicaid fraud goes unpunished.
New Yorkers also stood by and let an ex-smoker mayor from Massachusetts simultaneously increase taxes on cigarettes while banning smoking practically everywhere. Now, this transplanted mogul is going after delicious food by banning nasty trans fats regardless of how many restaurants will go belly up due to the new standards. Aren't we all so lucky to have someone make all our health decisions for us?
Well, I'm a native New Yorker — a Latin from Manhattan — and I can't believe what a bunch of wimps we've become. If I weren't so in love with my hometown, the way it used to be and the way it could become again, I would have headed elsewhere a while ago. But there are plenty of New Yorkers who do not fit the stereotype that inspires anti-American entertainment. I pray they show up next Tuesday and vote for candidates who don't think of New York as just a pit stop.
