At the end of Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond (playing the murderous former silent movie star) walks flamboyantly down a staircase to awaiting police and says, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
It is one of the most powerful and creepy moments in cinema. A delusional, forgotten star enjoying the last moment of attention — even with a crowd of cops awaiting to take her to jail.
Norma Desmond came to mind today as it was disclosed that Democratic mayors in cities with struggling programs and funding shortfalls will be spending millions to prepare them to answer questions about their sanctuary city policies. Mayors Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver and Eric Adams of New York will appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
At a time when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is releasing a litany of examples of wasteful spending by the Biden Administration, Democratic mayors appear entirely unconcerned over the public backlash in spending millions to prepare for a hearing to answer questions about their immigration policies.
These are long-standing policies that the mayors have previously addressed, but they are clipping taxpayers in cities where the money could be better used for education and other programs.
Boston’s WCVB reported that the city expects to pay up to $650,000 to the law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel to help Wu prepare for the hearing.
Denverite reports that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has hired the gold-plated firm Covington & Burling. a contract that could reach as much as $2 million.
As a general matter, the public should expect political figures to be prepared to answer questions about their policies without such massive expenditures of public funds. They (and their staffs) are paid to be fully versed on the costs and record of their policies.
Indeed, these mayors have their own full-time counsel on their staffs. Even if there is a perceived need for D.C. counsel, the cap on costs should be far less than has been reported.
Otherwise, we are left with an equally unnerving entrance of Wu (and others) into the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:
Most likely they are prepaying lawyers and law firms for when they are indicted for re directing taxpayer money into NGO’s kicking back to them. After all this is Chicago where corruption is a family value.
I continue to find it disappointing that mayors seem unable to defend the States’ right to regulate people (e.g., migrants) within their borders. They should be emphatically denying that the Federal Government’s Immigration Power magically pre-empts that state power, which has nothing to do with immigration law.
If ICE succeeds at the bogus claim that Federal Supremacy pre-empts all state legislation, the US will in fact have created a Gestapo.
G-String, Trying to hide yourself behind a generality? The word migrant might satisfy your desire to look better dressed but your argument fails as soon as one realizes the honestly stated words are illegal immigrants.
Yes as matter of law. Federal laws have supremacy in the matters of the borders and illegals.
Democrats love spending other people’s money. It’s an addiction for them.
#74. Insane Norma Desmond. Good choice
I will not visit Denver, New York or Boston for vacation or conferences, been to all on numerous occasions.,There are other great places to visit. I wonder how many tourists avoid such places?
I also live in a violent and blue city, why would I want to visit another?
E.M.
Why take the chance of getting mugged or worse? I do miss some of the attractions of a big metro city, museums, live music, fine dinning but not worth taking that kind of chance.
Me too. One of the most dangerous cities in the country – but – I do not even lock my door at night. I keep a loaded gun beside me, and I rely on Peanut as a burglar alarm.
I had the rare occasion to venture out of the house a few weeks back, and from the outside, most things look as they did 20 years ago, or 50 years ago. People still lined up at McDonalds, and the newer strip retail stores still open. Basically, stay out of the black neighborhoods, and don’t run up drug debts to bad people, and you stay pretty safe.
Near the downtown area, there are streets and streets of closed stores. Places I used to shop, like the used book store, are closed. Used to be safe to walk downtown at night when I was young, but not anymore. Lots of druggies and street trash meandering around. What life has done, is migrate away from the city. That has happened all over the country, and it is a shame. Same in the city I used to live in, before I became disabled. Nice city, but you had to be aware of where you were.
A good death penalty, used liberally, would fix a lot of the problems, and involuntary commitment of drug users. Round up a good portion of the illegals would help too. But it has been easier for Americans to just move to the burbs, or bedroom communities.
My white friends and I used to feel relatively safe in downtown Newark, New Jersey —- that was 5 years before the Newark riots in ’67 —-
Oakland, CA used to be like that, even as late as the early 1970’s when Hippies were all the rage…..