De Blasio on Clinton: No. ( Not now, anyway.)

Wow. I was beginning to wonder if he had it in him. The rest of the state party hacks and apparatchiks are falling dutifully... and predictably .... in line. ( See below.)

From today's NY Times:

>>>>She plucked him from obscurity to run her 2000 campaign for United States Senate, sat onstage at his swearing-in as mayor of New York City and, just this month, visited Brooklyn for a high-profile photo opportunity with his wife.

But when it came time for Bill de Blasio to return the favor on Sunday by endorsing Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, the mayor’s answer was clear:

Not just yet.

In a televised moment rich with political intrigue, Mr. de Blasio repeatedly declined to offer Mrs. Clinton his blessing during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying he would hold off until learning more about his former boss’s economic platform.

“Like a lot of people in this country, I want to see a vision,” Mr. de Blasio told Chuck Todd, the show’s host, who had asked the mayor if he would “unequivocally” endorse Mrs. Clinton or wait to see if she adopted more liberal positions akin to his own.



“I think she’s one of the most qualified people to ever run for this office and, by the way, thoroughly vetted,” Mr. de Blasio added. “But we need to see the substance.”


Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared on "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
The mayor’s remarks — which prompted plaudits from liberal groups, and consternation among some of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters — stood in stark contrast with other high-profile New York Democrats, including Senator Charles E. Schumer and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who offered full-throated approval on Sunday of Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy.>>>>>>
the rest: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/nyregion/on-national-television-de-blasio-declines-to-endorse-clinton-for-president.html