BLIND GOSSIP

The #1 Blind Item Site in the World!

Groundhog Day Political Blind Item

SOLVED!

EXCLUSIVE!

[Blind Gossip] This famous American politician used to have a good relationship with his son. The son was happy to support Dad’s political career, and was a prominent figure on Dad’s campaign trail a few years ago.

That’s all changed… but they are trying to keep their estrangement a secret!

He got so mad at his dad over [a political decision] that he stopped speaking to him. The crazy thing is that even though they don’t talk to each other, [Dad] still has to pay for [Son’s] school and his life. He can’t cut him off financially because the press would eat him alive and it would be politically disastrous for him. He has to keep up this farce about his family being close because he seriously believes he can become President someday.

It is purely coincidental that we are running this blind item on Groundhog Day.

Similar: Dating A Future President

Politician:

Son (may or may not be famous):

[Optional] Do you think our Politician would make a good President?

SOLVED!

Politician: Bill De Blasio

Son (may or may not be famous): Dante De Blasio

Bill De Blasio is the Mayor of New York City.

When De Blasio was running for Mayor in 2013, his children were frequently seen on the campaign trail with him.

When De Blasio began campaigning for President for the 2020 election, his son Dante was conspicuously absent.

What happened?

It turns out that De Blasio and Dante had a falling out over Bill’s handling of the Eric Garner case (“I can’t breathe”) and other police incidents starting in 2014. Dante even stopped talking to Bill for a while!

That was awkward, as De Blasio had made “Raising a Black Son” a major theme over his political career.

Of course Bill kept paying Dante’s college tuition, as there would be no benefit in bringing attention to the their estrangement.

Father and son did seem to reconcile in 2019. They took a family photo together at Dante’s graduation from Yale in 2019.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter now, as Bill De Blasio just dropped out of the race for President!

From FiveThirtyEight:

Why Bill de Blasio’s Campaign Failed (Hint: Nobody Liked Him)

There is officially only one mayor left in the 2020 presidential race — and it is the one who runs a city of 100,000 rather than the chief executive of the biggest city in the United States.

On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination — leaving us now with 18 major candidates remaining, per FiveThirtyEight’s definition.

However, the list of candidates with realistic shots at winning the nomination may be even shorter than that; just 10 candidates met the polling and donor thresholds to participate in last week’s Democratic debate in Houston. And de Blasio was not among them, nor did it seem possible for him to qualify for the next debate, in Ohio in October. As of July, only 6,700 people had donated to his campaign (debaters need 130,000), and he has only hit 2 percent support in a handful of polls all year long (none of which are counted by the Democratic National Committee for debate qualification).

In short, it’s no mystery why de Blasio called it quits.

But probably de Blasio’s biggest problem was simply that Democratic voters did not like him, which is quite an unusual place to be among voters of one’s own party. In an average of national polls of 2020 candidates’ favorability from May, de Blasio was the only candidate at the time whom more voters viewed unfavorably than favorably (his net favorability rating — favorable rating minus unfavorable rating — was -1). That’s especially bad because de Blasio wasn’t some little-known candidate; 46 percent of Democrats were able to form an opinion of him. All other candidates who were at least as well-known had net favorability ratings of +21 or better!

It is very difficult to win a presidential nomination when you are well-known but not well-liked among voters in your party early in the campaign.

So nobody liked him… including his own son!

Perhaps De Blasio can now put some energy into cleaning up the mess that New York City has become since he took office?

One additional note: We ran this blind item on Groundhog Day for a good reason!

De Blasio made headlines a few years ago when he dropped the groundhog at a Groundhog Dog ceremony… and the injured groundhog died!

From The New York Post:

Zoo in coverup after groundhog dropped by de Blasio dies

Mayor Bill de Blasio has groundhog blood on his hands!

A week after Hizzoner dropped Staten Island Chuck in front of a crowd of spectators on Feb. 2, the winter-weather prognosticator died of internal injuries — and then the coverup began, The Post has learned.

Staten Island Zoo officials went to great lengths to hide the death from the public — and keep secret the fact that “Chuck” was actually “Charlotte,” a female impostor, sources said Wednesday.

The stand-in was found dead in her enclosure at the Staten Island Zoo on Feb. 9 — and a necropsy determined she died from “acute internal injuries,” sources said.

She had fallen nearly 6 feet when the mayor lost his grip during the Groundhog Day photo op. Sources said her injuries were consistent with a fall.

So De Blasio has now lost his grip on a groundhog… his son… New York City… and the Presidency of The United States.

Congratulations to SlappyJr69 for being first with the correct response!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. tellmemore says

    Arnold is more famous as an actor than a politician, and he could never be president because he’s not a natural-born citizen.

  3. Who Are You says

    Mayor de Blasio
    Dante
    NYC didn’t take down the Columbus statue from Columbus Circle?

    How does PETA give this mayor it’s Man of the Year Award after he killed Staten Island Chuck by dropping her (actually a Groundhog by the name of Charlotte)?

  4. JHntr113 says

    The tool running NYC into the ground these days. Bill DeBlasio, who dropped and killed a groundhog on Groundhog Day.

  5. BummerGirl says

    Arnold was not born in the United States, and therefore can never be president. It can’t be him.

  8. wasteoftime says

    One of Chris Christie’s sons? Patrick? He’s around 17/18 so would be in school.
    Main clue: Groundhog Day..:and a name that says the same thing over again!!

  10. jbj2016 says

    NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio, though I can’t think of what caused the estrangement. Thursday night’s Superstore, however, reminded me of that time BD dropped and killed a groundhog during a publicity stunt.

  11. lovefifteen says

    Bill de Blasio
    Dante de Blasio

    (Bill famously dropped a groundhog during a ceremony and it ended up dying.)

    I think he would be an absolutely disastrous choice as the Dem nominee, and I’m a Dem who is horrified by Trump, FWIW.

  19. pfffft459 says

    This could be anyone. But to still pay for school, it’s gotta be someone younger or who has a college or younger aged son. So not Mitt, not Trump because he has a daughter in school not a son, and if the comment about Groundhog Day was sarcastic, john Cronyn is born feb 2 but he’s older. No idea

    • SophieG says

      Yes, but the blind reads as though the son in question is in college or grad school not a minor. Plus Barron doesn’t fit any other clues so no one is mentioning him.

  25. KCeagle says

    Arnold Schwarzenegger ?
    Patrick (it’s all I got)

    Arnold ran California’s economy into the dirt. Playing the president in a role should be the closest he ever comes to the White House. Patrick would make a better president than his dad. Better looking one too.

    • wfreshie says

      Arnold CAN’T run for president he is not a natural born citizen of the USA…unless the rule changed

  26. bahhumbug says

    Politician: Bill de Blasio

    Son: Dante

    Bill, you’re not a bad guy, but President? Never gonna happen, you’re way too liberal for the country as a whole (just being real! I would like a liberal president, but at the end of the day it’s about electability).

    I’m SO curious to know what decision it was though! I’ve got a couple of guesses but I’m just itching to know!

    • BummerGirl says

      Not disagreeing, but Bernie Sanders who is an admitted socialist is determined to keep running for president, ensuring Republicans will be in the White House for what’s left of my life. Sad!