The City Of Philadelphia And Its’ Politics
It is indeed fascinating how Philadelphia shifted from being a Republican Party stronghold stretching to late in the 20th century right from the civil war but is today one of the most democratic in the United States.
For example Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1932 landslide victory lost Philadelphia and yet Democrat President Barrack Obama won a staggering 83 per cent of the vote in the same city in 2008.
Party affiliations have always had a major impact on American politics and the direction that the vote goes for both office and significant pieces of legislation. Philadelphia is no exception to this political reality.
All of Philadelphia’s four congressional districts are currently represented by democrats.
Recent legislature that will have a major impact on Philadelphia continues to reflect the dominance of the Democrats in this city. Recently the city senate passed a bill that gives the mayor immense powers over the Philadelphia Housing Authority. If the bill sails through it will enable the Mayor to appoint all housing authority board of commissioners whose number will also go up from the current five to nine. The bill will now move to the next stage which will be consideration by the Urban affairs committee.
The legislation is seen by many in Philadelphia as an important stepping stone to bringing about much needed change to the housing authority in the city. Especially after the federal government had to move in at the housing agency last March amid revelations of corruption. It was discovered that huge amounts of tax payer’s funds had been spent on outside lawyers and there was also a very secret settlement of sexual harassment allegations against a former director of the housing authority.
The Democrats in America are well known for their liberal views which are a sharp contrast to the stringently conservative stand of the Republicans on many issues. And that is why another unanimous bill approval in Philadelphia will hardly raise any eyebrows. The council in Philly has just approved a bill on same sex benefits. This piece of legislature means that all big project contractors and sub contractors as well will now have to ensure that they have given health coverage and other key benefits to their workers who are in same-sex marriages and relationships. The new law requires organizations that are involved in projects that cost more that $250,000 to ensure that their employees get the benefits stated.
There is no denying that in many ways the politics of Philadelphia are representative of the national politics of the United States. This is unlike some states where it is sometimes difficult to believe that you have not left the country. If there is a city that can be described as a microcosm of the US then this one would be the best qualified for that label. Just looking at the people of Philadelphia you will find that they belong to many different races, communities and ethnicities, the very qualities of the nation that have made it really great. And Philadelphia too has to be one of the greatest cities in the United States.