Don’t let that last sentence get in the way of enjoying this looming confrontation. After all, David Plouffe is merely a mercenary: Uber bought him fair and square, which was of course their privilege. Heck, for enough money the Republican nominee could buy Plouffe next year…
[NYC Mayor Bill] de Blasio is about to cap the number of drivers of Ubers and other for-hire car companies, a move that will in turn place limits on a service that is popular among its users, and which has no organized opposition. He is walking into a political buzzsaw: Uber has endless cash, real panic about getting capped in its biggest market, and every incentive to make an example of the high-profile New York mayor. The campaign is being run by David Plouffe, who once pulled off the rather impressive feat of persuading Democrats to hate the Clintons, and who immediately made it personal.
So, let’s be dispassionate about this. If Uber wins, then Mayor de Blasio gets metaphorically kicked in the testicles. This is, of course, a good thing. But if de Blasio wins, then the Democratic nominee next year is going to keep being stuck in a position where s/he has to keep defending attacks on a cab service that a critical part of his/her base – young people – kind of love. Plus, attacking Uber just makes the attacker look old. …Which the Democratic nominee will be, of course.
Moe Lane
PS: I don’t know if anybody’s mentioned this to Buzzfeed yet, but the problem for the Left with de Blasio turning Uber into the NRA is that the NRA keeps winning. Although I have to give them credit for accurately describing Governor Andrew Cuomo as somebody whose ‘favorite hobby is humiliating the mayor.’
Hey, I’m a country boy. My caring quotient about urban transportation is too low to be captured by scientific instruments.
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That said, it’s amazing how these politicians are so eager to piss off their constituency for a bit of graft.
Apparently Uber is technically illegal at the Miami airport, a fact I did not realize when I hailed my UberX. I was surprised at the warmth of the greeting I received from my driver (including a side-hug, if memory serves), until he explained that we needed to appear besties to the police officers watching the pickup line lest he be saddled with a $2,000 fine.
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That is to say: it is illegal in Miami, yet it is apparently a) widely, subversively used and b) also profitable enough to the Uber drivers to risk a fine.
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And yes, I tipped that independent contractor for taking the risk, thankyouverymuch.
Laugh out loud funny , the hug thing , the rest , not so much .
Hey look, it is blue thugs vs blue thugs!