Bill de Blasio is the Democrat running for mayor of New York City. Joe Lhota is the Republican. This is from a report on that election:

Mr. Lhota had already criticized Mr. de Balsio yesterday following a New York Times report that described Mr. de Blasio’s past support for revolutionary Nicaraguan politics, as well as his desire for a ‘democratic socialism’ vision for society. . . .

But Mr. Lhota doubled down today in far harsher words–calling on Mr. de Blasio to ‘explain himself’ and equating Mr. de Blasio’s views with communism. . .

‘Mr. de Blasio’s involvement with the Sandinistas didn’t happen in 1917; it happened 70 years later when the cruelty and intrinsic failure of communism had become crystal clear to anyone with a modicum of reason. Mr. de Blasio’s class warfare strategy in New York City is directly out of the Marxist playbook. Now we know why.’

Ah but now Mr de Blasio has replied.

‘I’m very proud to be a progressive.’ . . .

This morning, during an appearance on PIX 11 news, he was asked whether he was a ‘radical, left-wing Democrat.’

‘I’m a progressive and I’m a Democrat, that’s right,’ he responded, describing his philosophy in the tradition of President Franklin Roosevelt. He went on to criticize the ‘wrong . . . failed Reagan-Bush policies’ of the 1980s and said he was ‘very proud’ to have been involved in work opposing them.

Progressive being the new word for communist apparently, why should he hide his views? Mr de Blasio will now win in an even bigger landslide than was originally expected. Such is the world in which we now live.

UPDATE: Shall we or shall we not call Bill de Blasio a socialist? This is the question raised by Stanley Kurtz at National Review Online. His final word:

Conclusion: Too risky. Best not.

The US being a socialist state it is no good trying to say a Democrat is a socialist. Not only does no one care, for his side of politics it’s a feature and not a flaw.