If New York Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to distinguish himself from the pack of candidates vying for the Democrat presidential nomination, he was very successful.  It he wanted it to be a positive distinction, not so.

Of the 22 other mostly delusionary Democrats who preceded him in throwing their hats in the ring, so to speak, he has gotten the most profoundly negative response.  According to polls, more than 75 percent of his Big Apple constituents do not want him to run – and it is not because they want to keep him as THEIR mayor.

The only crowds that he drew to his announcement was a throng of protestors shouting obscenities and reviving the old “Bronx cheer.”  Even in the sanctity of a radio studio – where he was giving his first post-announcement interview – the shouts of angry protestors could be heard being transmitted to thousands of radios throughout the city.

The local New York media – that usually bestows high praise on Democrats, especially the more radically left-wingers, like de Blasio – ravaged de Blasio.  They did something even worse than criticizing him.  They mocked him.  They made his announcement a standing joke.

The New York Post headline simply read, “de Blasio runs for president.”  Surrounding the headline, however, was a photo montage of a lot people laughing hysterically.  Inside, the editorialist wrote: “If you’re not laughing then you don’t know Bill de Blasio like we  know Bill de Blasio.  He is both incompetent and crooked; oblivious and arrogant.”

Judging from a broad range of media reports, de Blasio’s most memorable event was when he dropped Staten Island Chuck, allegedly causing the death of the city’s favorite rodent.  One columnist opined that every day throughout de Blasio’s campaign would be “Groundhog Day.”

Perhaps the most damaging reaction to his image as a presidential candidate has been the reaction of the so-called late-night comedians.  They were ruthless.  And it is noteworthy that all the news media criticism and mocking – and all those degrading jokes on television – were coming from his own constituents – the folks who know him best.

As a newly minted candidate, de Blasio flew off to Iowa to appeal to the voters in the nation’s first primary.  Outside of a small group of the curious, he was greeted with all the enthusiasm Iowa famers would demonstrate for another tariff on China.  To say that de Blasio is not their type is a gross understatement.

Given the uniformly negative reaction – literally making de Blasio a fool – what was the man thinking?  That question leads to the obvious answer.  De Blasio has an ego as big as his 6.5 foot, 300-plus pound frame.  One of the traits that has led to his decline in popularity in recent years is his arrogance and apparent narcissism.  It is very likely that de Blasio had no inkling in his mind of the negative response he would receive.  In some ways, he was like the equally clueless last Czar of Russia, who mistook the angry fists of crowds as happy waves.

Apart from that, it would appear that his overblown assessment of himself leads him to believe that he is actually a contender.  After all, if a pipsqueak gay mayor of a small town in Indiana can get traction in the presidential race, a “bigsqueak” like him should have no problem elbowing his way into the front rank.  Whether it is his stature or the population of his city, de Blasio is learning that size does not always matter.

Though unintended, de Blasio has united America.  For however long de Blasio remains a presidential candidate, we all – Democrats and Republicans – will be sharing a good laugh.

So, there ‘tis.