SIMMONS: Obama, other out-of-towners enter D.C. mayor’s race

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

There was a time when D.C. politicos and residents would snipe at out-of-towners trying to wedge themselves into city politics, and it didn’t matter whether they came from a blue state or a red state. If D.C. wasn’t having its way with the White House or Capitol Hill, politicos would pull out their quivers and fire away. Arrows, of course; no concealed firearms allowed.

After Nov. 4, they should sit down and shut up.

The titular head of the national Democratic Party endorsed Muriel Bowser for D.C. mayor Monday, and last week, the Democratic governor of Vermont endorsed one of Ms. Bowser’s independent opponents, a former Republican named David Catania.

Calling Ms. Bowser “a champion for working- and middle-class families, and a passionate proponent of Washington, D.C.,” President Obama said: “Muriel knows that every hard-working D.C. resident deserves the opportunity to get ahead. That’s why she has partnered with local small businesses to create jobs and fought to give the children of D.C. a fair shot by investing in our schools. As mayor, I know she’ll continue to bring people together to fight for fair wages, build on the economic progress we’ve made and ensure teachers and students have the resources they need for success from early childhood education through high school.

“As we continue our efforts to move our country’s economy forward, I know I’ll be able to count on Muriel to expand opportunity for all. That’s why I’m asking for you to vote for her in the general election this November,” the president said.

Ms. Bowser certainly accepted Mr. Obama’s endorsement since she knows Mr. Catania is gaining on her, and she’s keenly aware that Carol Schwartz, once the city’s most popular Republican officeholder, could siphon votes in the Nov. 4 election.

Mr. Catania and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin reportedly became kissing cousins in 2009 after sharing similar points of view on same-sex marriage, and while Mr. Catania is registered with no political party, his suit jackets are stitched with progressive labels.

“As a proud progressive, I know that David shares my values,” Mr. Shumlin said on Mr. Catania’s Facebook page. “He is a leader on the issues we Democrats care most deeply about.”

A leader on issues “we Democrats care most deeply about?”

Well, now. Say it ain’t so.

All these years, people naively believed Mr. Catania was a bona fide independent, and Mr. Shumlin shows Mr. Catania’s true color — and it’s blue. Varying shades of blue, but blue nonetheless.

Mr. Catania supports gays marriage and turning the nation’s capital into a one-stop pot shop, and he’s successfully argued that black children are born mentally ill and prone to bloodletting (or “The Bell Curve” takes on the Bible).

Don’t look back

Somebody’s always gaining on you in a foot race, and the run for mayor is no different.

A new poll by D.C. pollster Ron Lester shows Ms. Bowser and Mr. Catania running neck-and-neck — 34 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, it looks like Ms. Schwartz might not even be in position to claim third place. Undecided D.C. voters placed at 19 percent in the Lester poll, while Mrs. Schwartz received 16 percent.

The progressive baton

You needn’t query a Ouija board to determine where D.C. is heading. The endorsements given by Mr. Obama and Mr. Shumlin inform that the top mayoral candidates are leaning as far left as possible, perhaps hoping to turn the nation’s capital into a progressive and Democratic version of California on the Left Coast.

Said Ms. Bowser of her presidential endorsement: “I am extremely honored to receive President Obama’s endorsement. We share a progressive vision, believing that we only succeed when opportunity is available to everyone. If the residents of the District of Columbia elect me to be their next mayor on November 4th, I will emulate the President by bringing people together to find solutions to our toughest challenges.”

There’s the P word again.

The progressive baton, which currently rests in the hands of very liberal Mayor Vincent C. Gray, is being prepared to be handed off to Ms. Bowser or Mr. Catania.

Ms. Schwartz isn’t acting as though she’s got an October surprise in the bushes. For sure, she’s no pushover, but as the poll said, even undecided voters have a better pole position.

With Election Day four weeks away, the fat lady is not yet in dress rehearsal. But she knows that the performers already on the campaign stage know the script. They have been rehearsing since 2009, when then-Mayor Adrian Fenty, a progressive, strolled into a church to sign the gay marriage bill into law after out-of-towners gave their blessings.

• Deborah Simmons can be reached at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.