I seem to remember the Dem establishment defending Trump from being 14th Amendmented when questions swirled around about using the insurrection clause. “We can’t do that, it’s too vague. We have to let the people decide. We’ll defeat him at the ballot box!”
Well, the people have decided that Zohran Mamdani will be their champion. Now that the Trump Administration is contemplating stripping him of his citizenship and deporting him, where is the Dem establishments passionate defense of democracy?
These bad faith charges of antisemitism are just numbing us to the point that no one will take real incidents seriously. Our president has been openly antisemitic and he gets a pass from these same turds (many of them Democrats) who act like a Muslim mayoral candidate is an antisemite just because he criticizes their precious Israel. These people should be ashamed of themselves but that expects too much.
Meanwhile this guys bigger problem is the Mayor has very little ability to implement anything that’ll bring down rent, which is just as well because his plan is rent freezes and that’ll just make the problem worse. I suspect there are GOP consultants who want their party to focus on the “OMG Socialism!” smears but the pols can’t resist a good anti-Muslim smear.
He seems to be a very kind, intelligent man with a youthful appearance and an ability to speak and reach ordinary people with the message that "we're all in this together."
You can thus see why everyone, even (or especially establishment Democrats), is utterly terrified of him.
This is a wonderful piece Stephen. Thank you. And I agree wholeheartedly. Yet... when Mamdani employs a deeply harmful phrase calling for the death of all Jews around the globe, he does need to repair that harm. Whether it was ignorance or politics that moved him to suggest such a thing, he must know that words matter. So, I remain skeptical even as I continue to root for his success.
Among other things, perpetuating a pro israel/palestine framing as the “choice” here is not helpful. How about just being anti-violence? Because that framing makes it easy to criticize Israel’s prosecution of its war, and the terrorism that Israel is subjected to, and the pernicious and pro-violence claims that Israel’s existence is some kind of crime.
For one thing, hard to be sympathetic to any group that is trying to outsource the non-violent part of their “resistance” to foreign countries…
Thank you! I stand corrected. I misunderstood the issue as presented by Rep. Jefferies. So I searched a bit and see it was his RESPONSE to that phrase that was stirring everyone up. Huh... ZM cannot afford to condemn those using the threatening words. Not if he wants to keep his base. I like how he's been pivoting. He clearly understands & can handle the assignment.
If only the bulk of his base would educate themselves and realize the *global* intifada refers, not to Israel or Israelis, but to fellow American progressives such as myself, my 16yr old niece, his majesty Jon Stewart, etc.
Thanks for sharing your autobiographical perspective. The Left needs to unite, yesterday. These crypto-bought "centrists" have no home leading the party that will defeat the christo-fascists. Unite or die.
The silence or even "pragmatic" bigotry-lite on the part of Dems about so much of this is making me and my partner reconsider who we'll vote for in the future. I know in our system it's a binary choice, but what the fuck is the point if all we get are "fascist" and "room-temperature tap water who will get rolled by the fascists" on the menu?
My partner and I are both trans. She's deep in the scared camp, and finds it hard to go out and live life at all. She doesn't want to use public restrooms anymore because she doesn't want to become a target. I "pass" well as cisgender so my attitude to all this is more informed by sheer cussedness and "they can fucking make me" but I'm scared, too, that I won't have a country to live in within months. We already can't get correct passports, and possibly can't get any passport at all, depending on what SCOTUS decides.
We need a party out there that isn't so afraid of "norms" and their own goddamn shadows to finally stand up and fight like hell and tell these Nazis to go fuck themselves and die.
I know a trans child was helped to get the correct passport just recently in my extended friend group, it was done with the help of their Senator. Persue this document aggrssively, and do it now is my best advice.
We've looked into that, but a lot of offices aren't even processing them with the help of government intervention. My partner's application was rejected last week. The ACLU has also gone back to court to seek a "Fucking do it!" order because of offices stating outright that they have no intention to follow the ruling. https://substack.com/inbox/post/167168995 (Newsletter, but I've read the court document as well and there's nothing lost in the summary.)
Frankly from what I can tell he's going to be fine. But municipal governance being what it is, solving problems will be very difficult as a lot of urban problems are macroeconomic and quite a few will be worsened by the literal passing the buck via tax cuts and austerity and federal and state levels. That said we'll see what he can come up with.
But that's an academic question for now. Mamdani needs to get through this gauntlet.
I say again, even as it makes no sense to fear him, know that a populace susceptible to sadopopulism can easily have fear stoked. Wedge grenades will be incoming...most likely for a sensational crime that happens on the part of a disfavored group like the mentally ill and/or unhoused, and he has to have a message that will contrast from certain garbage from Cuomo, Adams, et al.
The cops in NY basically just stop working when there's a not-righrwing mayor in there. Adams is of course right wing and a cop.
The cops need to be defunded and almost completely routed out and replaced with a department that serves the people, not property. Maybe a cop helped you one time, maybe Officer Friendly did you a solid. But they only ever do it wearing a gun, because they are instuments that threaten state violence by their presence. They have a very narrow, and (should be) very limited role to play, but for now they are just there to keep you in line by doing what they please.
Now given the police abuses you have to be able to sell this structure on willfully credulous voters who want to believe that liberals want there to be no police so that they can be robbed and menaced and assaulted (by Black people; that's the underlying context). This is one of the elements behind sadopopulism too; I recall the pricktator's enthusiasm for police brutality. And *a lot of Americans wanted that.*
We going back to fear of Muslims again? Upsetting the “natural order” of the Dem playbook sure seems to scare those who have gone before. When we tell our elected representatives what we want they refuse to believe us seemingly to tell us what we DO want to fit their agenda.
Also too being Black has much to do with it too I suspect. The deeper part unsaid it that I truly believe. It’s a sad shame that I feel like I go to that A LOT but so much evidence leads me to think this.
I like this guy. I’d love to think that he can make the changes but I fear that he will be thwarted in his efforts. And just going to Synagogues to actually meet his constituents says something.
I’m disappointed that Islamophobia is being directed at Mamdani under the guise of protecting Jewish voters. Mamdani has the most inclusive platform of any politician out there.
I seem to remember the Dem establishment defending Trump from being 14th Amendmented when questions swirled around about using the insurrection clause. “We can’t do that, it’s too vague. We have to let the people decide. We’ll defeat him at the ballot box!”
Well, the people have decided that Zohran Mamdani will be their champion. Now that the Trump Administration is contemplating stripping him of his citizenship and deporting him, where is the Dem establishments passionate defense of democracy?
These bad faith charges of antisemitism are just numbing us to the point that no one will take real incidents seriously. Our president has been openly antisemitic and he gets a pass from these same turds (many of them Democrats) who act like a Muslim mayoral candidate is an antisemite just because he criticizes their precious Israel. These people should be ashamed of themselves but that expects too much.
Meanwhile this guys bigger problem is the Mayor has very little ability to implement anything that’ll bring down rent, which is just as well because his plan is rent freezes and that’ll just make the problem worse. I suspect there are GOP consultants who want their party to focus on the “OMG Socialism!” smears but the pols can’t resist a good anti-Muslim smear.
He seems to be a very kind, intelligent man with a youthful appearance and an ability to speak and reach ordinary people with the message that "we're all in this together."
You can thus see why everyone, even (or especially establishment Democrats), is utterly terrified of him.
This is a wonderful piece Stephen. Thank you. And I agree wholeheartedly. Yet... when Mamdani employs a deeply harmful phrase calling for the death of all Jews around the globe, he does need to repair that harm. Whether it was ignorance or politics that moved him to suggest such a thing, he must know that words matter. So, I remain skeptical even as I continue to root for his success.
Among other things, perpetuating a pro israel/palestine framing as the “choice” here is not helpful. How about just being anti-violence? Because that framing makes it easy to criticize Israel’s prosecution of its war, and the terrorism that Israel is subjected to, and the pernicious and pro-violence claims that Israel’s existence is some kind of crime.
For one thing, hard to be sympathetic to any group that is trying to outsource the non-violent part of their “resistance” to foreign countries…
He’s never used the phrase, though
Thank you! I stand corrected. I misunderstood the issue as presented by Rep. Jefferies. So I searched a bit and see it was his RESPONSE to that phrase that was stirring everyone up. Huh... ZM cannot afford to condemn those using the threatening words. Not if he wants to keep his base. I like how he's been pivoting. He clearly understands & can handle the assignment.
If only the bulk of his base would educate themselves and realize the *global* intifada refers, not to Israel or Israelis, but to fellow American progressives such as myself, my 16yr old niece, his majesty Jon Stewart, etc.
Thanks for sharing your autobiographical perspective. The Left needs to unite, yesterday. These crypto-bought "centrists" have no home leading the party that will defeat the christo-fascists. Unite or die.
The silence or even "pragmatic" bigotry-lite on the part of Dems about so much of this is making me and my partner reconsider who we'll vote for in the future. I know in our system it's a binary choice, but what the fuck is the point if all we get are "fascist" and "room-temperature tap water who will get rolled by the fascists" on the menu?
My partner and I are both trans. She's deep in the scared camp, and finds it hard to go out and live life at all. She doesn't want to use public restrooms anymore because she doesn't want to become a target. I "pass" well as cisgender so my attitude to all this is more informed by sheer cussedness and "they can fucking make me" but I'm scared, too, that I won't have a country to live in within months. We already can't get correct passports, and possibly can't get any passport at all, depending on what SCOTUS decides.
We need a party out there that isn't so afraid of "norms" and their own goddamn shadows to finally stand up and fight like hell and tell these Nazis to go fuck themselves and die.
Fuck yeah.
I know a trans child was helped to get the correct passport just recently in my extended friend group, it was done with the help of their Senator. Persue this document aggrssively, and do it now is my best advice.
Peace to you and your family.
We've looked into that, but a lot of offices aren't even processing them with the help of government intervention. My partner's application was rejected last week. The ACLU has also gone back to court to seek a "Fucking do it!" order because of offices stating outright that they have no intention to follow the ruling. https://substack.com/inbox/post/167168995 (Newsletter, but I've read the court document as well and there's nothing lost in the summary.)
Oh for sure. You need a senator’s office actively helping push it through to have a fighting chance. I hope you can find a path.
Sadly my Senators are McCormick who ran on fucking over trans people and Fetterman who can't be bothered to show up for work.
Ugh
Frankly from what I can tell he's going to be fine. But municipal governance being what it is, solving problems will be very difficult as a lot of urban problems are macroeconomic and quite a few will be worsened by the literal passing the buck via tax cuts and austerity and federal and state levels. That said we'll see what he can come up with.
But that's an academic question for now. Mamdani needs to get through this gauntlet.
I say again, even as it makes no sense to fear him, know that a populace susceptible to sadopopulism can easily have fear stoked. Wedge grenades will be incoming...most likely for a sensational crime that happens on the part of a disfavored group like the mentally ill and/or unhoused, and he has to have a message that will contrast from certain garbage from Cuomo, Adams, et al.
The cops in NY basically just stop working when there's a not-righrwing mayor in there. Adams is of course right wing and a cop.
The cops need to be defunded and almost completely routed out and replaced with a department that serves the people, not property. Maybe a cop helped you one time, maybe Officer Friendly did you a solid. But they only ever do it wearing a gun, because they are instuments that threaten state violence by their presence. They have a very narrow, and (should be) very limited role to play, but for now they are just there to keep you in line by doing what they please.
Now given the police abuses you have to be able to sell this structure on willfully credulous voters who want to believe that liberals want there to be no police so that they can be robbed and menaced and assaulted (by Black people; that's the underlying context). This is one of the elements behind sadopopulism too; I recall the pricktator's enthusiasm for police brutality. And *a lot of Americans wanted that.*
This is the big problem, you expressed it perfectly.
We going back to fear of Muslims again? Upsetting the “natural order” of the Dem playbook sure seems to scare those who have gone before. When we tell our elected representatives what we want they refuse to believe us seemingly to tell us what we DO want to fit their agenda.
Also too being Black has much to do with it too I suspect. The deeper part unsaid it that I truly believe. It’s a sad shame that I feel like I go to that A LOT but so much evidence leads me to think this.
I like this guy. I’d love to think that he can make the changes but I fear that he will be thwarted in his efforts. And just going to Synagogues to actually meet his constituents says something.
I’m disappointed that Islamophobia is being directed at Mamdani under the guise of protecting Jewish voters. Mamdani has the most inclusive platform of any politician out there.
Yeah that's a very good thing. I want to see that positive news break through against the FUD.
Agree, Sherry, on all counts. Well said!