I still have nothing to say about the NYC mayoral primary but I thought you might be interested in these observations from Bill Daley of the Chicago Daley clan in his Wall Street Journal op-ed:
Democrats rightly deplore the Republican Party for capitulating to Donald Trump and an agenda that threatens democracy and decency. But we’d better pause and note how our own party is creeping dangerously close to an agenda that’s equally outlandish and radical.
The clearest sign is the victory by Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York. His endorsers included Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Mr. Mamdani is a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America. So it’s worth examining this group’s official platform. It seeks to “defund the police” by cutting “budgets annually towards zero,” to “disarm law enforcement officers,” to “close local jails,” and to “free all people from involuntary confinement.” It calls for “social ownership of all major industry and infrastructure” and “the nationalization of businesses like railroads, utilities and critical manufacturing and technology companies” as well as “institutions of monetary policy, insurance, real estate, and finance.”
There’s more. The DSA would “dramatically slash US military spending,” “close all US foreign military bases,” and “immediately withdraw from NATO.” It would “end all deportations,” “demilitarize the border and end all immigrant detention and abolish ICE.” It would allow noncitizens to vote and “abolish the Senate.” Mr. Trump beat the DSA to two of its goals: abolishing the U.S. Agency for International Development and Voice of America.
concluding:
Mainstream Democrats must loudly disavow these views. If they appear meek or indecisive, it makes it easy for Fox News commentators and others to paint the party as wildly out of step with the majority. Party leaders should insist that Mr. Mamdani, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and other DSA supporters go line-by-line through the group’s platform and explain: Do you agree with this proposal? With this one? If not, say so out loud.
Mr. Trump didn’t take control of the GOP directly. First, the tea-party movement emerged as an antitax, antigovernment and antitruth force. When it receded, MAGA filled the void. Mainstream Republicans who failed to articulate a robust, sensible agenda now watch from the sidelines.
Rank-and-file Democrats and party leaders risk a similar fate if they shrug off Mr. Mamdani’s victory. There was nothing secret about the DSA’s platform when Mr. Mamdani welcomed the organization’s support. It was out there for everyone to see. His stunning victory in New York is a singular moment in U.S. politics. That ringing you hear is a wake-up call. Will my party answer it?
It’s getting harder every day for me to tell who is a “mainstream Democrat”.
The videos of Mamdani’s victory celebration showed a crowd that almost entirely young white people. No old people. No diversity.
Glenn Greenwald noted that, and he also noted that there is a strong populist movement in both parties that is led by younger people and that specifically rejects the mainstream gerontocracies. The Bernie gang’s second choice was Trump.
If Greenwald is right, Mamdani’s win is more a rebellion against the Democrat establishment than a support for socialism and Palestinians. The voters rejected Schumer and all the other establishment pols, just as Republican chose Trump over the Republican gerontocracy three times.
It’s not that hard Dave. Are you seeing lots of support for this guy outside of NYC? What I am seeing is a lot of stuff like this from Daley. I think part of this was just a rejection of Cuomo.
Steve
I literally do not care about Mamdani. I care a little about the reactions to him. The reactions from the Democratic leadership appear to be pretty hysterical. That’s “hysterical” in the sense of hysteria not in the sense of funny.