Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins sat down with msnbc’s Alex Witt to talk about New York City politics, and his concern over the country’s debt-ridden economy.
Dinkins said he was very concerned about the country’s fiscal problems, particularly the amount of money spent on war. He went on to reflect on his military service, explaining why he enlisted in the Marines in 1945.
“I was finishing high school, I was going to get drafted and my reasoning was that the way to survive was to be well trained. And the way to be well trained was to be a Marine. And I didn’t know anything about the Navy Seals, or the Army Rangers – they may not have even had them in that day. But I knew about the Marine Corps. And of course, in my uniform I looked like a boy scout. But it was one of the smartest things I have ever done.”
As Witt pointed out, Dinkins was the last Democratic mayor in the city. Dinkins noted that a lot of money was spent in the last election to defeat the Democratic candidate, with now-Mayor Mike Bloomberg spending more than $100 million.
Johanna Hoecker