Althouse: "'I don’t wear the Che Guevara T-shirt at work,' the mayor said..."

February 4, 2014

"'I don’t wear the Che Guevara T-shirt at work,' the mayor said..."

"... after joking that he kept a portrait of Guevara, the Marxist revolutionary, in his office."

79 comments:

Heartless Aztec said...: What a breath of fresh air after Bloomberg. Now let's see if he can govern. We'll hold off on the "wisely" for the time being.; 2/4/14, 6:54 AM
Clyde said...: Groundhog-dropping commie!; 2/4/14, 6:54 AM
Brando said...: No different than having a poster of Beria or Heydrich in your office. What a useful idiot.; 2/4/14, 7:00 AM
Jaq said...: Who doesn't have sympathy for a man who so enjoyed personally executing the unbelievers at his garden wall before breakfast? Plus, Che is almost as cute as the Boston bomber.; 2/4/14, 7:25 AM
Rusty said...: tim in vermont said...
Who doesn't have sympathy for a man who so enjoyed personally executing the unbelievers at his garden wall before breakfast? Plus, Che is almost as cute as the Boston bomber.

While Hemingway watched and tippled.

I want a tee shirt of the guy that put a bullet in Che's head.; 2/4/14, 7:29 AM
KCFleming said...: Is that right next to his Charles Manson poster?
Why not Pol Pot or Mao?
Why not a funny photo of the mass graves in Poland by the NKVD?

Che murdered at least 180 people and opposed free elections. The shithole that is Cuba is part of his legacy.

De Blasio is a disgusting pig, and so is Jon Stewart. May they both burn in hell for laughing at the murdered millions.; 2/4/14, 7:29 AM
paminwi said...: This new mayor thinks he is hurting the "rich" on the upper east side? Those people can be late to jobs, if they have them, and it's their drivers who really have the mess to deal with while the nasty rich person sits in the back seat reading the paper.

It's my daughter, who is in no way rich, who lives in a 5th floor walk-up, on the UES, who has to walk those streets on her way to the city bus (since the bus is closer than the subway) and deal with the fact that this crap has made her add even more time to get to work.

So, as a mother who knows how hard she is working to make her own way with no help from her parents
I say "Take your CHE and shove it!"; 2/4/14, 7:33 AM
Fen said...: Awww, another 2 Minute Hate against the rich. How cute. I wonder if it will end in them being sent to the camps again.; 2/4/14, 7:48 AM
Mitch H. said...: Look at the bright side, Fen. Maybe they'll eat Michael Moore first. He still lives on the Upper East, doesn't he?; 2/4/14, 8:47 AM
Wince said...: Laugh now, New York, while you still can.; 2/4/14, 8:47 AM
gk1 said...: Isn't odd, these very same liberals are incensed over the display of the confederate flag in all its forms, S.Carolina's state flag etc. because of the moral stain of slavery. Yet they still get giddy when showing off their Che and Mao paraphrenalia. Why does communism still have any cache after the millions of deaths it has spawned?; 2/4/14, 8:54 AM
pst314 said...: "I want a tee shirt of the guy that put a bullet in Che's head."

Heh. Me too.; 2/4/14, 8:54 AM
jacksonjay said...: The shithole that is Cuba is part of his legacy.

Senator Tom Harkin begs to differ.; 2/4/14, 9:04 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: A Che poster/shirt/bumper sticker is the easiest way to spot an idiot liberal in public. If Pol Pot had a photographer follow him around would these same idiots be sporting his mug today too?

Gee if only Charlie Manson had come out strongly for McGovern he'd be a Liberal Icon today too!; 2/4/14, 9:11 AM
TMink said...: Yes tim in Vermont, Che was a monster. Venerating him is idiocy.

I talked to a fella who knew the hitman who killed Che. The late Mr. Guevara's last words were reportedly "Not in the face" as he was shot.

Trey; 2/4/14, 9:24 AM
pst314 said...: Remember Jim Jones and the People's Temple Cult, from which we get the expression "drinking the Kool Aid"?

Jim Jones was a communist, which is why California liberals ignored all the signs that Jones was a monster and instead embraced him.; 2/4/14, 9:27 AM
F said...: Trey:

"Not in the face" for two reasons, apparently: you (the executioner) need to prove you got me and not some other dirty homeless bum, and I want to be a martyr. Alas, both eventualities came to pass.; 2/4/14, 9:29 AM
pst314 said...: "Senator Tom Harkin begs to differ."

So Tom Harkin loves shitholes. Well, he is a liar and a Democrat.; 2/4/14, 9:30 AM
Scott said...: New York deserves de Blasio.

Hahahahahahahaha.; 2/4/14, 9:33 AM
lemondog said...: Apparently he honeymooned in Cuba.

What is his net worth?

As with the great state of California, lets see NYC business along with its wealthy folks move their $$$ into NJ or PA.; 2/4/14, 9:35 AM
pst314 said...: "New York deserves de Blasio."

Don't forget about the New Yorkers who didn't vote for de Blasio.; 2/4/14, 9:40 AM
KCFleming said...: 'Deserve's got nothin' to do with it.'; 2/4/14, 9:46 AM
Scott said...: You don't have to live there. Vote with your feet.; 2/4/14, 9:47 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: pst314 said...

Don't forget about the New Yorkers who didn't vote for de Blasio.

They probably still root for the Yankees, so screw em.; 2/4/14, 9:47 AM
Biff said...: Odd that the NYT insists on calling the mayor "left-leaning." That suggests he's more or less in the middle, just leaning a little bit in one direction. Is there any question that de Blasio is quite firmly a man of the Left, too far away from the middle to lean anywhere?

Or is it that, to the NYT, de Blasio positions mark the new middle?; 2/4/14, 9:53 AM
cubanbob said...: Biff the NYT calls him left-leaning only because he hasn't openly declared himself a Stalinist.; 2/4/14, 9:58 AM
Unknown said...: Leftists often fantasize about mass-murdering all of their political opponents so they can rule with an authoritarian fist.

Cuba is a poor hellhole. Those are the results. Sorry New York.; 2/4/14, 10:01 AM
Cliff said...: Ummm. It was a joke. I guess you guys missed that part of it. Pretty funny too, considering the joke was premised upon his detractors accusing him of loving Che. At least in this instance, the joke is on althouse commentors.; 2/4/14, 10:06 AM
ErnieG said...: Here is my favorite picture of Che Guevara.; 2/4/14, 10:06 AM
CWJ said...: paminwi has a good point which few if any of the envious undersrand.

Simply put, you can't hurt the rich.

They collectively have an army of human shields between themselves and those who would make them suffer. If things get tight enough to feel the pinch, they will cut the pay or hours, or even let go their driver, maid, gardener, accountant, receptionist, nurse, etc. before they they take a cut themselves.; 2/4/14, 10:15 AM
pst314 said...: Cliff "Ummm. It was a joke. I guess you guys missed that part of it."

But what kind of joke? De Blasio is a commie who loves communist tyrannies. It would be different sort of joke if an anti-communist were to make such a joke in response to some John Bircher accusing him of being a commie, but that's not what's going on here.; 2/4/14, 10:23 AM
KCFleming said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/14, 10:28 AM
KCFleming said...: No joke, Cliff.

De Blasio does not hide the fact that he is an ardent communist.

He was an enthusiastic supporter of Nicaragua’s communist Sandinista regime in the 1980s.

De Blasio is a follower of communist Liberation Theology.

According to the communist CPUSA News "People’s World", Zakiyah Ansari, a member of De Blasio’s transition team, received an award at the CPUSA Christmas fundraiser in New York City in December 2013.

I agree, he is trying to act like it's absurd to put him in the same boat with Che and Mao and Stalin, but it's true, he's a fucking commie.; 2/4/14, 10:29 AM
Rusty said...: CWJ said...
paminwi has a good point which few if any of the envious undersrand.

Simply put, you can't hurt the rich.

They collectively have an army of human shields between themselves and those who would make them suffer. If things get tight enough to feel the pinch, they will cut the pay or hours, or even let go their driver, maid, gardener, accountant, receptionist, nurse, etc. before they they take a cut themselves.

What the...................?; 2/4/14, 10:33 AM
CWJ said...: Cliff,

I don't think people fail to see the joke. They question the laughing.

Just as laughing at releasing a plague of locusts on the upper east side represents real envy, paminwi's daughter for example represents actual hardship.

Should paminwi not post because her daughter was caught in the middle of a joke?; 2/4/14, 10:33 AM
paul a'barge said...: Hah hah hah.

So funny I forgot to laugh.

Look, if you're not ashamed of being a commie, you're not likely to be ashamed of anything.; 2/4/14, 10:46 AM
CWJ said...: Rusty,

Shorter me.

Efforts to go after the rich's wealth hurt the working and middle classes far more than they do the rich.

Not plowing the upper east side is a poor example. But paminwi's story reminded me that its the little gal that gets hurt before the rich.

I remember when I was a part-time courier as the recession hit, the first people I noticed gone were the receptionists replaced by a bell on the front desk.; 2/4/14, 10:47 AM
paul a'barge said...: @Cliff: Che regularly executed homosexuals by shooting them in the head.

Let's hear you make that into a joke. Go for it. Ummm, Cliff? Cat got your tongue? Not laughing now, Cliff? Ummm, Cliff?; 2/4/14, 10:49 AM
Unknown said...: If you can't murder your opponents, at least sic the IRS after them.; 2/4/14, 11:06 AM
Anonymous said...: Che fans are shallow and immature, which is a fair enough description of the new mayor of NY.

For a better understanding of life in a socialist utopia read, Timothy Snyder's, "Bloodlands" a meticulous study of political mass murder by both Stalin and Hitler.; 2/4/14, 11:09 AM
CatherineM said...: LOL LOL oh, LOL LOL, ha ha ha hahahha ha! That is so funny! Rubes! LOL LOL LOL!; 2/4/14, 11:10 AM
Andy Freeman said...: > I guess you guys missed that part of it. Pretty funny too, considering the joke was premised upon his detractors accusing him of loving Che.

If that's true, Cliff can tell a comparable joke involving Pinochet or Hitler. Heck, even the confederate flag.

Or, does Cliff think that "joke" means "it's wrong to criticize a liberal for saying something dumb"?; 2/4/14, 11:12 AM
William said...: The Communist Party is a way of sanctifying your resentment and hatred. It has that in common with the KKK. The purity of the white race. The proletariat as the vanguard of the revolution. Show me an ideal and I'll show you a mass grave.......Communist sympathizers should be ridiculed not kidded.; 2/4/14, 11:37 AM
Michael said...: The mayor of NY believes that income inequality is the biggest problem we face as a nation. I think Che would have thought that was the nation's biggest problem back in the 1960s when the unions were in full swing and cars were built in Detroit and we had manufacturing jobs everywhere.

But before Che could get to the redistribution part he had the killing part, the separating people from life before separating the living from their money. Cool guy Che. Beard. Beret. Not sure if he had a lesbian lover but he could have. Probably did.

Let us redistribute the wealth of, say, the CEO of General Electric, GE. If he took his total compensation and distributed it to his employees equally they would each be enriched by $85.

And I am with Rusty. I would like to see the tee shirt of the guy who offed Che, who popped his ass.; 2/4/14, 11:51 AM
Cliff said...: And the evidence that De Blasio is a communist is what exactly? He may have some mis-guided policies but my goodness the unhinged hatred and demonization is downright scary. As far as I know, the man has not murdered lots of people or proposed state control of means of production.; 2/4/14, 11:56 AM
Sigivald said...: New York is getting what it asked for, good and hard, I guess?; 2/4/14, 12:10 PM
Seeing Red said...: No just encouraging the exodus.

Unhinged hatred and demonization? Lol pointing out history is neither. Plus blowing up buses of women and children.; 2/4/14, 12:14 PM
Michael said...: Cliff: You see 'unhinged hatred and demonization " of DeBlasio? Can you point to an example?

DeBlasio was a strong supporter of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua who most definitely took over the means of production including the confiscation of property of the opposition.; 2/4/14, 12:28 PM
KCFleming said...: "...the unhinged hatred and demonization is downright scary."

Communism should be demonized and hated.

De Blasio admits he was a commie, and gives no indication he ever stopped being one.; 2/4/14, 1:20 PM
Crimso said...: "As far as I know, the man has not murdered lots of people or proposed state control of means of production."

So if, for example, Rand Paul/Hillary Clinton sports a prominent Confederate battle flag lapel pin during the 2016 debates (lots of "ifs" there, I know), nobody should say anything since (s)he didn't enslave anyone or foment a rebellion, correct? Better not hear one goddamned word from you, that's for sure. No unhinged hatred or demonization permitted. I'd bet that the leaders of de Blasio's preferred political philosophy killed more people in the 20th century alone than were EVER slaves in the U.S. or its original colonies.; 2/4/14, 1:42 PM
pst314 said...: "Communism should be demonized and hated."

How do you demonize a demon?; 2/4/14, 2:05 PM
Cliff said...: Crimso - what communist flag is de blasio waving around? Pogo - where has he admitted he is/was a commie?

I've never heard anything like what you are all accusing him of.

Michael - the charge against the Sandanistas has merit but can not be viewed independent from the somocistas or the contras, who by most accounts were far worse for the cause of human and economic freedom.; 2/4/14, 2:16 PM
Michael said...: Cliff: "the charge against the Sandanistas has merit but can not be viewed independent from the somocistas or the contras, who by most accounts were far worse for the cause of human and economic freedom."

But, of course, the Sandinistas can be judged independently. Or are you taking your argument down the usual progressive road of equivalency? The Sandinistas were unequivocally evil, wrought great harm to the country, stole land, silenced the opposition. And your moral reasoning replies, yeah, but….; 2/4/14, 2:25 PM
pst314 said...: It's 1935. Bill de Blasio praises Mussolini, honeymoons in Nazi Germany, and does volunteer work in fascist Spain.

Cliff says that we may not conclude that de Blasio is a fascist. To do so would be to "demonize" him.

Anybody else get the impression that Cliff likes communism and wants to protect it from criticism?; 2/4/14, 2:30 PM
Cliff said...: Michael, the counter argument to your argument outside of context is that you support the somocistas over the sadanistas and therefore you are a fascist.; 2/4/14, 2:43 PM
Michael said...: Cliff: Point me to a sentence I wrote in support of that regime? Happy to rebut if you can.

My point was grounded in a view of ethics, your "counter argument" in a rather strained ad hominem.

But please point to my support of any regime in Nicaragua. Thanks.; 2/4/14, 2:54 PM
KCFleming said...: Back in 1983 when he was a student at NYU, de Blasio visited the Soviet Union as part of a university-sponsored trip.

"He helped raise funds for the Sandinistas in the 1980s, subscribed to the party’s newspaper, Barricadda (Barricade), and unlike many others, remained supportive even after the Sandinistas lost power. To this day de Blasio speaks admiringly of the Sandinistas (while offering some token criticism of their handling of dissent), and remains interested in the Latin American left."

De Blasio honeymooned in Cuba, in violation of the U.S. travel ban.

Asked about his goals for society at a meeting in 1990, de Blasio “said he was an advocate of ‘democratic socialism’”. Today he describes himself as “progressive,” yet also characterizes his views, in the eighties and today, as a mix of admiration for European social democratic movements, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and liberation theology."; 2/4/14, 3:07 PM
Cliff said...: Michael, the Sadanistas came to power promising a democratic transition from a fascist dictatorship. De Blasio and other lent help to the effort to defeat the somacistas, then vocally turned against the sadanistas (and yes De Blasio did condemn their actions once they took power). Personally, I would have supported efforts to overthrow the somacistas as well. Criticizing the man for supporting the overthrow of a fascist dictatorship indicates your preference for the fascist dictatorship. Using that as an argument for De Blasio to be a communist is most definitely ad hominem, not at all ethically related.

But why not come out with it michael. The Reagan administration sided with the Somacistas. De Blasio sided with the Sadanistas. Which did you side with?; 2/4/14, 3:13 PM
Known Unknown said...: Cliff ... it's Sandinistas.; 2/4/14, 3:21 PM
Cliff said...: Yes and I probably misspelled somacistas also.; 2/4/14, 3:33 PM
Michael said...: Cliff: I don't side with either. I am quite familiar with the history of Nicaragua during the period in question. You have waded into the deep end of the pool here so I have tried to give you a gentle shove back to the shallow end but I think I will stop now.
Your reasoning skills could be beefed up a bit. Because I condemn someone who supports a corrupt and heinous regime does not mean that I support the regime it replaced.
I don't believe I mentioned or suggested that DeBlasio is a communist but I might have missed it. Just cut and paste and give me the time of the post.
And all dictatorships are not fascist, by the way. The current leader of Nicaragua would be pleased to support me in that.

Oh, Cliff, its Sandinista. Not Sandanista.; 2/4/14, 3:39 PM
Cliff said...: Thank you for your comments michael, I wish to encourage all people to refrain from ad hominem arguments such as De blasio is a commie. This was the issue i raised in response to other commenters, which you then became involved in.

Not picking sides in a matter such as the sandanista revolution of which the US was an important actor is an act of moral cowardice. somoza was an evil man who caused many deaths and whom many in the US supported. In the first years after the Sandanista revolution the countey became more capitalist, not less. I find no fault with De Blasio for supporting the efforts to remove Samoza.; 2/4/14, 4:43 PM
Andy Freeman said...: > And the evidence that De Blasio is a communist is what exactly? He may have some mis-guided policies but my goodness the unhinged hatred and demonization is downright scary. As far as I know, the man has not murdered lots of people or proposed state control of means of production.

Would Cliff make the same defense of someone who waved the confederate or nazi flags?; 2/4/14, 4:49 PM
Michael said...: Cliff. So, you have called me a moral coward and a fascist in the course of defending a horrid regime you cannot properly spell the name of but apparently support. You are of a type, my friend.; 2/4/14, 5:40 PM
Michael said...: Cliff. So, you have called me a moral coward and a fascist in the course of defending a horrid regime you cannot properly spell the name of but apparently support. You are of a type, my friend.; 2/4/14, 5:41 PM
Michael K said...: "For a better understanding of life in a socialist utopia read, Timothy Snyder's, "Bloodlands" a meticulous study of political mass murder by both Stalin and Hitler."

You don't even have to work that hard at it.
Michael Totten has just been there with pictures and everything.

Cliff, nice to see DeBlasio has fans. I hope you live in New York City. You need to feel the experience.; 2/4/14, 7:21 PM
Michael said...: Michael K: See too Theodore Dalrymple's "The Wilder Shore of Marx " in which he relates of his travels to N. Korea, Albania,Romania, VietNam and Cuba.

It is stunning how the obvious is ignored, how good intentions though covered with blood are admired.; 2/4/14, 7:39 PM
pst314 said...: Michael: One thing I have learned about the left in the last five decades: According to them, nobody is actually a communist.; 2/4/14, 8:02 PM
Cliff said...: Michael, I do believe you to be a moral coward if you refuse to weigh in on a humanitarian issue that was of national interest while criticizing those who chose one side. Would you make the same charge of Reagan that you do De Blasio?

I don't defend the Sadanistas, only acknowledge that when they first came to power they actually implemented a more capitalist and free society than the Somacista dynasty that Reagan supported.

As far as communism, all of the Althouse commenters are clearly confused as to what communism is. Socialism is not communism.

As to De Blasio, I am not a fan and I disagree with most of his stances on issues. I speak up only because this ad hominem nonsense does a disservice to true conservatives like myself who are interested in actual policies and limited government instead of ad hominem demonization. According to these comments, including yours, De Blasio is some sort of commie or communist sympathizer by way of his support of a democratic socialist revolution over a fascist dictatorship. That is a argument that is false, ad hominem, and serves no purpose other than to distract from useful conservative discussion. I routinely encounter liberals who demonize me by assuming that I, as a conservative, agree with the kind of brainless hateful nonsense that is rampant in these comments. Therefore, I wish to explain to fellow conservatives that the way forward is to think - not hate. As Jesus said and Martin Luther King Jr. Further expanded on, don't hate your enemies, love your enemies. For within love is a redemptive power that can transform them and bridge differences. Hate only tears everything down, including yourself.; 2/4/14, 9:01 PM
gk1 said...: Interesting the communist jock sniffers came out on this thread. I didn't think they existed till Cliff came along.; 2/4/14, 9:25 PM
Jupiter said...: What's wrong with waving the Confederate flag? You got a hard-on for Massachusetts?; 2/4/14, 10:04 PM
Fen said...: "Interesting the communist jock sniffers came out on this thread. I didn't think they existed -"

You'll see more of that as the Global Warming redistribution scheme continues to unravel.

Like when you move the refrigerator and all the roaches come scurrying out for a new hiding spot.; 2/4/14, 11:04 PM
Michael said...: Cliff. Now the Nicaraguan revolution is a "humanitarian issue."

I am not sure you can buy José Daniel Ortega Saavedra tee shirts but I am sure you can have them made up.

By the way, is English your native tongue?; 2/4/14, 11:09 PM
Michael said...: Cliff. Now the Nicaraguan revolution is a "humanitarian issue."

I am not sure you can buy José Daniel Ortega Saavedra tee shirts but I am sure you can have them made up.

By the way, is English your native tongue?; 2/4/14, 11:11 PM
From Inwood said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/14, 11:40 PM
From Inwood said...: Lib speak

Anyone Left of Center is a Centrist.

Anyone Far Left, Liberal, Socialist is a center-Leftist.

A Communist/Marxist is a Far Leftist. Except such people are rarely to be found & Bill de B who "Leans Left"

Anyone wearing a Che shirt is just speaking truth to power.

A center-right person is a Conservative.

A Conservative is an Arch or Ultra Conservative.

A firm-believer in conservatism is a rightwingnutjob, FAUX News viewer, Hare Radio listener. As well as a meanie & part of the GOP War on Wymyn, minorities, your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free (gurgle, gurgle); 2/4/14, 11:46 PM
Jason said...: Cliff: true conservatives like myself.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Shove it, lying libtard.

You're dumber than the election year astroturf seminar commenter concern trolls like "JimInMT"; 2/5/14, 1:58 AM
pst314 said...: Jason: The Chad Mitchell Trio, slightly paraphrased, captures the left's persistent efforts to erase the true history of communism:

"Each and every liberal dances to the strain
Of the I was not a Commie Polka
All without exception join in the refrain
Of the I was not a Commie Polka
...
Sure there were some commies, two or three at most
Sing the I was not a Commie Polka..."; 2/5/14, 9:29 AM
TMink said...: John Denver and Roger McGuinn both had stints in the Chad Mitchell trio.

Trey; 2/5/14, 12:17 PM