This news is sure to spark Rahm Emanuel's competitive streak: on Friday afternoon New York Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that he's submitting Brooklyn as a contender to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
"The progressive spirit of New York City has never been stronger or more vibrant that it is today," quoth De Blasio, a longtime resident of Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood in a letter to the DNC. “We believe that this spirit can energize and captivate both the Democratic Party and the nation.”
De Blasio wants the convention to be held at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.
It would be the first DNC held in the kale-loving hipster borough that exudes grit and glamour, and sets the standard for coolness around the world.
It would also be a setback for Chicago Mayor Emanuel in his relentless quest to establish the Windy City as a global hotspot and cultural epicenter -- especially considering how much work he's doing to raise money for the prospective presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, considered a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination should she decide to run.
When reached by Ward Room, the mayor's press office declined comment on whether Chicago will launch a rival bid to host the DNC.
The former Secretary of State hails from Park Ridge, Ill., but also served time as U.S. senator for New York from 2001-2009.
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Chicago last hosted the DNC in 1996, when President Bill Clinton was running for re-election. New York City had it in 1992, and both times for Jimmy Carter's campaign in 1976 and 1980. Prior to that was the infamous Chicago-set 1968 convention for Hubert Humphrey during which city police brutally cracked down on protesters amid a wave of civil unrest sweeping the nation.
