hold on is this what hope feels like
on zohran mamdani
It's difficult to write about the Democratic Party these days. No, wait, I should rephrase: it is difficult to write about the Democratic Party with anything resembling hope, eschewing the disappointment that has characterized the institution for, frankly, the better part of two decades. As a registered Democrat, it is maddening to write about the Democratic Party, an institution allergic to opposition even when the Republican Party leads every branch of government. Every time I've felt rumblings of enthusiasm they've been quickly shut down by the DNC employees determined to keep the lights as dimly lit as possible at headquarters. Youth? No. Direct voter outreach? Unnecessary. Progressive policies? How dare you. Inclusive campaigning? No such thing.
So I guess when I first became aware of Zohran Mamdani earlier this year, and first heard him speak, and first learned about his platform, I was hopeful, yes. Naturally. A young, energetic socialist who unapologetically spoke up for Palestine, who called for reasonable, progressive policies for New York City, who understood that the city works because of the everyday people who make it their home, not its multimillionaires and special interests. I'm only human—of course I had hope! You can't quash that entirely!
But boy, has the DNC managed to repeatedly crush my enthusiasm in the last few election cycles. Crush it into tiny specks of microscopic dust. In 2016 when it coalesced around a presidential candidate primary voters were not excited for; in 2020, idem; and then, obviously, as I've written about before, again in 2024. If Mamdani had been a candidate on the national stage instead of the local one, I'm almost sure there'd have been multiple well-known party figures calling for his demise. As it was, he already had Bill Clinton, Man Who the Democratic Party Still Believes Matters to the Average Voter, endorsing primary opponent Andrew Cuomo.1
When I woke up on Wednesday morning to news of an overwhelming Mamdani primary victory ... after witnessing the Islamophobia he's endured for months, after seeing the thousands of volunteers who've been tirelessly canvassing for their candidate, the same one who in February was polling at a literal 1%, far behind the establishment-backed Cuomo ... folks, I'll be honest and tell you I cried. Tears were very much shed, right next to the faint traces of mascara my pillow loves to collect no matter how much micellar water I pour directly onto my eyelids. Tears! On a Wednesday morning!
A couple days before the election, Mamdani said "the time for moral victories is over," and the thing is, he was right! Speeches aren't enough. Second places aren't enough. Even well-attended rallies, if I may, are not enough.
You know what works, though, what's a successful element of the democratic process? Winning. I loooove winning. Winning feels good! Rare, these days, but good. Because something tangible? A position? In/of power? My god. For the first time in years, I feel like the progressive platform is finally being allowed to align itself with reality, and it's because the new Democratic nominee for mayor was not timid in his campaign. He believed in the voters.2 When attacked, he did not punch left or throw anyone under the bus, choosing instead to hold fast to the policies that he believed in and that he knew would gain the base's support, once he allowed people enough time to get to know him.
And this—hope tied to a real chance at victory—is, to be honest, a strange feeling. Maybe one I haven’t fully felt since February 2020, when Bernie Sanders won the Nevada caucus and it seemed like the DNC might actually let him do what the electorate wanted: clinch the nomination. (Alas.)
Of course, now the Dem figureheads are playing their usual game, because being left behind is their biggest fear (they remain blissfully unaware of their own ability to evolve). Barack Obama, for instance, has yet to congratulate Mamdani for his win. Is he mad at the comparisons to his own audacious beginnings? Did he think he'd be the only charismatic Democratic man of the 21st century? It's not just him, though. Neither Kirsten Gillibrand nor Kathy Hochul have committed to endorsing Mamdani in the general election, despite him being the Democratic nominee.3 (Shoutout to Jerry Nadler for endorsing him earlier this week, and to Chuck Schumer for congratulating him.)
It is exhausting to be roadblocked and diminished by one's own party leaders, time and time again, and the Democratic Party leadership shouldn't wonder at voters' lack of enthusiasm when it repeatedly insists on running uninspiring candidates. But for now—for now—I will allow myself this sliver of hope. It feels nice.
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Birds of a feather do, after all, stick together. Cuomo's sexual harassment allegations Wiki; Clinton's sexual harassment allegations Wiki ... and they say identity politics are dead!
And still does! CNN asked him last night if he liked capitalism and he said "No, I have many critiques." My guy!
Indeed, Senator Gillibrand was on WNYC yesterday and chose to appeal to listeners' Islamophobia, referencing "global jihad" and refusing to agree with WNYC host Brian Lehrer when he asserted (correctly) that there is no evidence that Mamdani has ever supported Hamas or violent jihad. This is, to be clear, more resistance than she's exhibited towards Cuomo—the man she called upon to resign in 2021 due to his multiple credible sexual harassment accusations—in this election.
I really appreciate this because now people in DC are talking about whether we're going to get our own Zohran !!!! I wonder what other cities with hordes of tired-of-the-Dems young people will feel inspired as well, and what, if anything, will come of it
Yesss…finally we get a person who speaks directly to our needs! The fact that Cuomo considered his prospects in contravention of his reality perplexes. We need to move foreword with a humane view of leadership expectations. No more bs…pragmatism rules.