Bronx Democrats were disgraced and embarrassed today not here in New York, but by their county's Party Chairman currently in Denver. Like many prominent New York officials, he was a Hillary supporter throughout the primary. Then when it was apparent that the nominee was going to be Barack Obama, everyone stood with their party and united to beat John McCain and repudiate the possibility of four more years that could mirror the Bush Administration or worse. That is, until that united front was stabbed in the back by Jose Rivera, who is now a publicly declared PUMA!
From The Daily Politics:
On my way from the New York delegation's temporary home at the Sheraton to the Pepsi Center, I ran into some semi-hysterical PUMAs giving interviews to semi-interested reporters on a downtown Denver street corner.
Then Bronx Democratic Chairman Jose Rivera showed up, and things got a lot more interesting.
Rivera, with the help of Daniella Taylor, a PUMA from Wichita, Kansas, showed off his "The Bronx is With Hillary" banner that he pledged back in Albany to bring with him to Denver. He then declared:
"I'm a PUMA! I'm a Puerto Rican PUMA!"However, when asked whether he would be willing, like Taylor, to vote for John McCain in protest of the fact that Clinton is not Barack Obama's VP pick, Rivera seemed to have second thoughts, saying that would be "going too far," unless, of course, McCain puts a woman on the ticket with him.
Alright so maybe he isn't twisting the knife and actually voting for McCain, but that doesn't mean what he is doing is acceptable. Commending Hillary Clinton for her run at the White House is one thing, but standing with a PUMA crowd means he is one, against showing a unified party or two, he didn't have a clue as to what the PUMAs are up to...or both.
Either way, being at that particular protest shows he does not have the Democratic Party's best interests at heart, and is not worthy of chairing a party at the county level. Let him do what he wants as an individual, but that "Puerto Rican PUMA" has no business in a position of authority within the party.
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