New York City Mayor Eric Adams called out his own party recently, claiming that the Democratic Party’s pursuit of ‘wokeism’ is driving away minority voters. Adams said in a recent MSNBC interview: “There’s a hemorrhaging of our Latino community, our AAPI communities, that’s leaving the traditional Democratic base because we’ve allowed the loudest and those who consider themselves to be ‘woke.’” He continued, saying that “some of us never went to sleep.” Agreeing with a common Republican talking point, Adams has gotten some backlash from members of his own party. Tony Melone, a spokesman for the New Kings Democrats and associate of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, said, “Perhaps the Democratic mayor of NYC shouldn’t amplify Republican talking points on national TV?” on Twitter.
FOX NEWS: NYC Mayor Eric Adams in hot water with his party for saying ‘woke’ Democrats drive away minority voters
By Matteo Cina; February 8, 2023
New York City Mayor Eric Adams accused woke Democrats of driving away minority voters during an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday.
While responding to President Biden’s State of the Union, Mayor Adams said “There’s a hemorrhaging of our Latino community, our AAPI communities, that’s leaving the traditional Democratic base, because we’ve allowed the loudest and those who consider themselves to be ‘woke.’”
He continued, “Some of us never went to sleep, and we hear and speak directly to people, and I think the party is now understanding that we have to speak at those issues that are important: Jobs, public safety, educating our children, good health care, just these common kitchen table issues that we run away from.”
Adams made the case that Biden did a good job in his speech by moving away from “woke” rhetoric in favor of focusing on kitchen table issues.
“This president’s focus on working people is exactly what the nation needs, and his focus on helping Americans care for their children, provide for their families, and put money in their wallets will resonate from coast to coast,” Adams released in a statement following the address. “The agenda he laid out goes hand-in-hand with what we are doing in New York City — this is a blue-collar president, I’m a blue-collar mayor, and we’re both pursuing a blue-collar agenda for working people in New York and across the rest of the nation.”
Tony Melone, a spokesman for the New Kings Democrats, a left-leaning faction within the Brooklyn Democratic Party, questioned why Adams would echo Republican rhetoric while talking about members of his party.
“Perhaps the Democratic mayor of NYC shouldn’t amplify Republican talking points on national TV?” Melone wrote on Twitter.
Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also railed against “woke” Democrats in her party’s Tuesday night rebuttal to Biden’s State of the Union.
“At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country,” the Arkansas governor said. “At 80, he’s the oldest president in American history. I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is,” she said.
“The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” Gov. Sanders continued. “Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.”
Since being elected to office, Adams, who was a registered Republican between 1997 and 2001, has clashed repeatedly with progressive wings of his party.
Jeremy Cohan, a co-chairman of the New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, has claimed Adams has done nothing for the working class and people of color.
In remarks to a group of business and civic leaders on Wall Street in December, Adams took shots at progressives who want to tax the wealthy at a higher rate.
“It blows my mind when I hear, ‘So what if they leave?’ No, you leave!” Adams said of progressives questioning why the city needs ultra-wealthy residents. “I want my high-income earners right here.”
Mayor Adams is not up for re-election until 2025.
Photo: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana