The Clinton kingdom?
The Clinton kingdom? RICHARD CAVALLERI/SHUTTERSTOCK.com

There's a lot of talk about centrist Democrats urging Hillary Clinton to come out of the cold of her stunning loss to Donald Trump and make a run for the mayor of NYC. The race happens this year. The current mayor, Bill de Blasio, is disliked by centrists, who complain that his time in office has seen an increase in graffiti, a rise in the visibility of homelessness, and the deterioration of public spaces. Another, and more important gripe, is that subway trains are overcrowded—but this is more a sign of the system's success than failure. (Vancouver B.C.'s train and bus network is also severely burdened, but that's because a considerable percentage of the city's population, 40 percent, uses it to get around.)

New York City's mainstream press appears to be united in the opinion that de Blasio, a progressive, is unpopular. The feeling among the centrist Dems is that Clinton is loved by the city (nearly 80 percent of New Yorkers voted for her in the presidential election), and that she is perfect for the job, as she has behind her a long and successful political career in the state, her wits are still with her, and the position would give her the visibility she needs to remain nationally relevant. My feeling on the matter is that big cities need leaders more on the left of Clinton and more committed to the deepening of urban values and the uprooting of many national ones. Seattle is nothing like Washington State. New York City is nothing like America.