When New York City mayor Bill de Blasio launched his presidential campaign last week, the announcement was met with a resounding “why?” The Democratic field is already so populated, and every possible faction and sub-faction of voters seems well spoken for. What could de Blasio possibly bring to the table? Well, in a recent CNN interview, de Blasio offered a definitive answer: See, he likes ska.
Pretty cool, right? Finally, a presidential candidate who fucks with tight horn arrangements, reggae-inspired rhythms, and a fun-loving, pop-punk sensibility. Pinch us, we must be dreaming. But wait, things actually get more embarrassing. In the full clip, de Blasio reveals that, just like every non-Obama presidential candidate before him, the dude can’t talk at any length about the thing he supposedly loves.
“My favorite band is The Clash,” de Blasio says, his clear self-satisfaction stemming from either it being a “cool” answer or simply him remembering the name of a band. Unfortunately, the mayor is unable to recall the name of a single song he actually likes, but assures the CNN hosts that the 1979 album London Calling has “many good hits” on it. Unsurprisingly, de Blasio admitting that he looks forward to skanking around the Oval Office with his fellow rude boys led to presidential hopeful getting severely dunked-on on Twitter.
It’s still so early in the primary race that there’s really no telling how far de Blasio’s candidacy will go. He may even go all the way. Or, much like ska, we may look back on this time with de Blasio as an embarrassing flirtation with a thing that is arguably kinda boring and best left forgotten.
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