Crain's New York reports:
Liberal activists in New York have found their new Wal-Mart.David Plouffe takes on the taxi cartel. For you Republican party political operatives out there, is it not past time that you study these tactics for future elections?
"Despicable," says Jonathan Westin, executive director of New York Communities for Change.
"A cynical ploy," says Bertha Lewis, head of the Black Institute.
"Blatantly, outrageously race-baiting," says Deborah Axt, co-executive director of Make the Road New York.
The liberal road rage was for Uber, the car-summoning app service, which is fighting a bill in the City Council that would temporarily cap new for-hire vehicle licenses while the city studies traffic congestion caused by the exploding market.
Under the direction of former Obama adviser David Plouffe, Uber has been seeking to outflank Mayor Bill de Blasio by rallying the mayor's voter base—African-Americans—to oppose the cap. Mr. Plouffe courted the Rev. Al Sharpton at a breakfast meeting earlier this week. Later, he held a rally with black clergy and elected leaders at Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem to highlight the effect the proposed cap would have on communities of color.
Later, Uber saturated the districts of council sponsors of the bill with negative mailers, sparing the one black supporter, Bronx Councilman Andy King. Mr. King later told Crain's that he was going to request his name be removed from the bill.
Ms. Lewis, who headed Mr. Westin's group when it was known as Acorn, slammed Uber for labeling drivers independent contractors, thus depriving them of the benefits of being full-time employees. She also said she found the company's latest tactics to be unseemly.
"People accuse me of playing the race card," she chuckled. "Plouffe is pulling every single trick in the book."
