And it is awesome, indeed. Socialist I _think_ might be more accurate for the time period, though. You can see the same character type in that Harry Turtledove Great War series. The jewish girl from New York?
Either way, it is also a New York approach to politics, just a slightly different time period.
The one true constant is that the New York way is stubborn, annoying, and... aw, hell. Lemme put it this way. JJJ as Mayor still wouldn't be a patch on _some_ of the antics we've had. Our first governor dressed in women's clothing and wandered through people's houses taking their stuff. In broad daylight.