Democratic Senator Gillibrand Goes on Islamophobic Rant Against Mamdani

[drmeow]

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York) went on an Islamophobic rant against New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in a radio interview on Thursday, spewing lies about Mamdani and suggesting that he would represent a threat to public safety if elected.

In an appearance on WYNC’s “Brian Lehrer Show,” the senator repeated numerous lies about Mamdani, echoing oft-repeated bigoted statements made about Palestinians and the pro-Palestine movement.

During the segment, kicked off by a call-in question by a listener, Gillibrand said that Mamdani, who is Muslim, is dangerous and supports violence, citing his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” and equating the words “intifada” and “jihad” to fear monger about them.

https://truthout.org/articles/democratic-senator-gillibrand-goes-on-islamophobic-rant-against-mamdani/

[Emile]

1. It might help if democratic leadership would

congratulate Mamdani for his primary win. Now Gillibrand feels like it's okay to shit on democratic candidates.

[a kennedy]

4. Wait, wasn't she first in line to trash and say that Al Franken should resign?

🤬 🤬 🤬

[Rebl2]

9. Yep

Maybe it’s time for her to take a step back or timeout or just not run again might be the best option.

[Lonestarblue]

30. Yes. I refuse to forgive her for that.

[Trueblue1968]

32. I Cant. Stand her

[PatSeg]

42. I've never forgotten that

And I certainly won't forgive her.

[karynnj]

87. Yes, and she argued that sexual harassment (in the military)

Last edited Fri Jun 27, 2025, 08:29 PM - Edit history (2)

was what she saw as a signature issue

She does not vote in NYC, but she like some NYC residence are faced with possibly 3 people who are unacceptable to her.

Cuomo had more allegations against him than Franken and many of them were people working for his administration. He is now back to denying them rather than taking responsibility.

Adams who had strong indictments against him until Trump pardoned him. At almost that time, he backed what Trump is doing to immigrants.

In contrast, Mamdani has no charges against him, but she is against a democratic socialist, who is for Palestinian rights. The fact that Trump excepted, the US policy has been for two states. He is also critical of Israel. Now I bet the majority of us were critical of the US in 2003.

To me, given that these are probably the only three choices unless you count Sliwa, if she opts to continue attacking Mamdani, it could be said she is more concerned with being pro Israel than being against corruption or a repeat sexual harasser, albeit not indicted and tried.

[choie]

104. That she was.

n/t

[Deuxcents]

5. The Democrat Party's leadership is asleep at the wheel and that's why so many are turning their backs on them

[a kennedy]

21. and i'm sorry, but can you call it the Democratic Party please?? The Democrat term just makes my ears

burn. All the faux nimrods and all their guests say “the Democrat party” It’s the Democratic Party. and sorry, i just hate that term.

[PatSeg]

47. I hate it as well

It just jumps off the page whenever I see it. I can feel every English teacher I've ever had turn over in their grave. It isn't primarily political with me. It is really bad grammar. "Democrat" is a noun and "Democratic" is an adjective.

[Disaffected]

139. It's not bad grammar is it if "Democrat party"

is simply used as a name (of a party)? IOWs an incorrect name but a name none-the-less.

[PatSeg]

173. Like the "Republic party"?

"Democrat" is a noun.

From FactCheck.org:

The party traces its roots to 1792 and the anti-federalist faction led by Thomas Jefferson. The Jeffersonians called themselves “Republicans” at first, and later “Democratic-Republican.” The party splintered in the late 1820s, and the faction led by Andrew Jackson in his successful presidential campaign of 1828 became the modern Democratic Party. It formally adopted the name “Democratic Party” at its convention in 1844.

However, some Republican leaders have made a habit of referring to their opposition incorrectly and discourteously as the “Democrat Party.” The reason isn’t entirely clear; it may be meant to imply that the party isn’t sufficiently “democratic” in the general sense, or may just be meant as a petty insult. In August 2006, Hendrik Hertzberg traced this Republican usage, which he termed a “slur” on his party, back to the 1940s. He says it was used by opponents to needle the powerful Pendergast organization in Kansas City, which backed Harry Truman. He also says it was used often by the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

More recently, President Bush has used the term regularly, even employing it in his 2007 State of the Union address when he said, “I congratulate the Democrat majority” in Congress, referring to his own party’s defeat in the mid-term congressional elections the previous year. He did that either deliberately or out of habit; the prepared remarks that he was reading, and which had been given to reporters beforehand, used the proper name of the party. (emphasis mine)
https://www.factcheck.org/2007/12/the-democratic-or-democrat-party/

Dictionaries refer to "Democrat" as a noun, therefore "Democrat party" is incorrect, not to mention it sounds terrible. This has been an issue for quite some time as so many republicans have purposely used "Democrat party" as an insult to Democrats, often putting an emphasis on "rat". Being a party of lemmings, republicans all followed suit like they usually do with their scripted talking points.

[Disaffected]

197. "Democrat" being a noun still doesn't IMO equate to such usage

being bad grammar (even though it is used by Republicans as a pejorative). No different than the Rhinoceros party or the Donner party for that matter.

[eShirl]

202. just use the official name please

[Fullduplexxx]

62. It's a party of Democrats not a party of democratics

[Callie1979]

83. I've never understood the obsession with it. Just CLAIM it.

Its a waste of energy

[niyad]

114. No, it is NOT a waste of energy. the scum who spread the usage

intended it as an insult, so they could do cute things like demoRat party, demonrat, etc. It also goes to the dumbing down of usage and vocabulary, wherein people do not know, or comprehend, the difference between, say, a noun and an adjective, or even know what they are. But go right ahead, and not just allow, but cede them the power of naming.

[Callie1979]

146. Comparing it to DemoRAT is silly. Thats an obvious insult.

I'm a Democrat. My party is full of Democrats. Anytime someone has tried to "insult" me using "Democrat Party" I've laughed at them for pointing out the obvious; that I'm a DEMOCRAT. Those few people have never used it again. I was picked on my entire childhood; always the "new kid" coming in the middle of a school year. I learned that not accepting the insult took away the power of the person doing the insulting. And it pretty much always worked. It works as an adult too.

[niyad]

150. Wow, got it. By the way, like you, I was frequently

the new kid, in the middle of the term. I also know how to fight the battles, and to know how and what they mean. We obviously have very different perspectives on tactics and importance.

[PatSeg]

175. Exactly

Newt Gingrich encouraged the use of "Democrat" as an adjective for just that reason. There may have been others before him, but he was the most notorious.

To hear highly educated people use "Democrat" as an adjective is really disturbing because you know that most of them are doing what their party wants them to do, not what they know is correct.

[PatSeg]

176. Exactly

Newt Gingrich encouraged the use of "Democrat" as an adjective for just that reason. There may have been others before him, but he was the most notorious.

To hear highly educated people use "Democrat" as an adjective is really disturbing because you know that most of them are doing what their party wants them to do, not what they know is correct.

[synni]

84. Tell us you don't understand grammar

Without saying you don't understand grammar.

[choie]

105. Let's not get off topic, please.

That's a fight for another day.

[electric_blue68]

64. The phrase "Democrat Party" was Coined by Gingrich, or other Republicans at the time...so please Don't use it. Ty

[johnnyfins]

71. It was Rush Limbaugh

ANYONE who uses it to describe the dems is suss. I don't care what excuses are given.

[electric_blue68]

73. Oh! Ty for the Correction/Info! El Rushbo - grrrrrr

Glad he's gone!
He was so hideous!

[Celerity]

137. it was LONG berfore Limbaugh

Democrat Party (epithet)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democrat_Party_(epithet)

History

19th century

In American history, many parties were named by their opponents (Federalists, Loco-Focos, Know Nothings, Populists, Dixiecrats), including the Democrats themselves, as the Federalists in the 1790s used Democratic Party as a term of ridicule. Addressing a gathering of Michigan Republicans in 1889, New Hampshire Republican Congressman Jacob H. Gallinger said:

The great Democrat party, laying down the sceptre of power in 1860, after ruling this country under free trade for a quarter of a century, left our treasury bankrupt, and gave as a legacy to the Republican party, a gigantic rebellion and a treasury without a single dollar of money in it.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was used by the press in London, England, as a synonym for the more common Democratic Party in 1890:

Whether a little farmer from South Carolina named Tillman is going to rule the Democrat Party in America—yet it is this, and not output, on which the proximate value of silver depends.

Early 20th century

The 1919 New Teachers' and Pupils' Cyclopaedia entry for Woodrow Wilson states that "In 1912, Wilson was the Democrat Party nominee for President ..." On July 14, 1922, a newspaper in Keytesville, Missouri, posted an advertisement for its primary elections with the Democratic candidates identified as "Representing: Democrat Party".

Late 20th century

The noun-as-adjective has been used by Republican leaders since the 1940s, and in most GOP national platforms since 1948 and began being popularized by Brazilla Carroll Reece in 1946. By the early 1950s, the term was in widespread use among Republicans of all factions. When Senator Thruston Ballard Morton became chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1959, he indicated that he had always said Democratic Party and would continue to do so, which contrasted with his predecessor, Meade Alcorn, and with National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Barry Goldwater, both of whom used Democrat Party. According to Congressional Quarterly, at the 1968 Republican National Convention "the GOP did revert to the epithet of 'Democrat' party. The phrase had been used in 1952 and 1956 but not in 1960 and 1964".

snip

[Just Jerome]

72. Joe McCarthy

was actually the one who coined it, I believe.

[Cha]

79. Yeah, it has a Long History of being an Insult to

OUR Democratic Party!

[electric_blue68]

86. Hi Cha. See my post #82 - always learning something new

[Cha]

119. Mahalo for the Heads Jp on Post #82, electric_Blue 68!

[LuvLoogie]

65. So how many times did you vote for the Repelick Party candidate?

[Cha]

69. ONly it's the "Democratic party".. and they are Not "asleep at the whell"..

TY

[Iris]

164. She already got a free pass when she smeared Al Franken

[Nanjeanne]

2. She was extremely offensive. Shameful. Video is out there but I won't link to it.

[chowder66]

158. Here's a good overview of the interview

&t=458s

New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is an islamophobic bigot - Accuses Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani of "Global Jihad"

Hawk highlights the controversy sparked by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s recent appearance on WNYC with host Brian Lehrer. During a tense segment, Gillibrand suggested that Zohran Mamdani—fresh off his Democratic mayoral primary win—had past associations with calls for global jihad and glorification of the intifada. The host attempted to fact-check her claims in real-time, and tensions flared as Gillibrand doubled down, despite previously stating she had spoken with Mamdani directly.

Hawk dissects the moment point by point, exposing the contradictions in Gillibrand’s narrative, including her simultaneous call for collaboration with Mamdani and the baseless accusations she leveled against him. The episode highlights the troubling pattern of smearing political opponents—especially those on the left—with inflammatory and unsubstantiated charges, a tactic often expected from the right, but now clearly visible within establishment Democratic ranks.

Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of how dangerous political rhetoric can obscure real issues and damage democratic discourse. Hawk breaks it all down with sharp commentary, political insight, and his signature blend of humor and truth-telling.

This episode is essential viewing for anyone interested in New York politics, the 2025 mayoral race, the role of media accountability, and the dynamics of establishment vs progressive power struggles within the Democratic Party.

#Gillibrand #Mamdani #NYPolitics #Democrats #WNYC #BrianLehrer #ZoranMamdani #JewishCommunity #GlobalJihad #Hawk #hawkpodcasts #mdg650hawk #racism #islamophobia #zohranmamdani #nyc #mayor

Timestamps Summary:
00:00 Hawk introduces his long-standing criticism of Gillibrand
00:48 Gillibrand’s role in pushing Al Franken out of the Senate
01:40 Gillibrand accuses Mamdani of supporting global jihad
02:35 Caller Gabe levels serious accusations about Mamdani
03:21 Gabe ties Mamdani to threats against Jewish institutions
04:03 Gabe accuses Mamdani of Holocaust revisionism
04:56 Brian Lehrer pushes back, questions Gillibrand’s evidence
05:32 Gillibrand doubles down on the global jihad accusation
06:50 Gillibrand claims Mamdani agreed to protect all residents
07:29 Hawk calls out contradiction in Gillibrand’s narrative
08:17 Gillibrand admits she hasn’t met Mamdani, despite earlier claim

[bamagal62]

3. I can't stand her.

[Chasstev365]

6. She was mainly responsible for bringing down Al Fraken

Never heard of her go after another sexual harasser since.

[SocialDemocrat61]

18. She was one of 39 senators who

called for Franken to resign on the same day including Warren, Sanders, Booker and Harris, To think a junior senator has that much influence just defies rationality.

[questionseverything]

31. She was the first and the most vocal

And for Bernie to come out against franken with nothing but baseless accusations was the most disappointed I have ever been with him, so yea I blame them all

[SocialDemocrat61]

63. First, yes by less than five minutes.

And maybe most vocal because the corporate media focused on her. But she was really no more vocal than others.

[Cirsium]

48. She led the charge

...

[SocialDemocrat61]

59. No she didn't

If anyone led the charge so to speak it was Schumer.

[Intractable]

75. This right here! Right, right, right.

We need to get rid of both current NY senators.

Calling AOC. You need a promotion!

[SocialDemocrat61]

77. Schumer is up in 28

Hopefully he’ll retire then.

[Cirsium]

85. Of course she did

Gillibrand led moves to push Franken out, writing: “Enough is enough. As elected officials, we should be held to the highest standards – not the lowest.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/31/al-franken-rules-out-run-against-kirsten-gillibrand

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Monday she has no regrets about calling for the resignation of former Sen. Al Franken over sexual misconduct allegations.

Gillibrand, the first Senate Democrat to publicly urge Franken to vacate his seat in late 2017, was responding to a question about a recent New Yorker article in which seven current or former Democratic senators said they were wrong in calling for Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, to step down.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/23/politics/kirsten-gillibrand-al-franken-resignation

After Gillibrand became the first senator to publicly call for Franken to step down, setting off a wave of over two dozen other Democratic senators to also call for his resignation, many elite donors who had once supported her hesitated. Some said they viewed Gillibrand’s actions as opportunistic and self-serving, especially as the presidential election neared.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/ghost-al-franken-mystery-gillibrand-campaign-s-failure-launch-n1023366

Kirsten Gillibrand was the first Democratic senator to call for her colleague Al Franken’s resignation in 2017 as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct, building a profile as a leading advocate for women that became the centerpiece of her 2020 presidential bid.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/double-standard-gillibrand-in-spotlight-after-cuomo-scandal/

But the New York senator is taking a different approach when it comes to sexual harassment allegations hitting closer to home, those against her state’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo.

Gillibrand was the first Democratic senator to call for Franken's resignation after he was accused by several women last December of sexual misconduct -- including posing for a goofy photograph appearing to grope a sleeping woman, a joke intended at her expense. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one proved that Franken is a comedian who knows a sight gag when he sees one. The joke, however, turned out to be at Franken's expense. Gillibrand, leading the way, called for his head. The Senate minority leader, Charles Schumer, rendering the term "leader" meaningless, seconded the call -- and Franken resigned from the Senate.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/11/27/gillibrand_might_be_paying_a_price_for_turning_on_franken_138748.html

Gillibrand has defended her approach by insisting she placed deeply held personal values over party loyalty. But the still-burning resentment among the donor class now confronts Gillibrand as she explores a presidential bid, cutting her off from influential and deep-pocketed contributors and their networks at a time when an expansive 2020 field will compete for their dollars.

Among those donors is Susie Tompkins Buell, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and co-founder of Esprit and the North Face clothing brands, who said the matter remains fresh in her mind and among those in her circles. The episode, she said, “stained [Gillibrand’s] reputation as a fair player.”

“I do hear people refer to Kirsten Gillibrand as ‘opportunistic’ and shrewd at the expense of others to advance herself, and it seems to have been demonstrated in her rapid treatment of her colleague Al Franken,” she said. “I heard her referred to as ‘She would eat her own,’ and she seems to have demonstrated that. I know [Gillibrand] thought she was doing the right thing, but I think she will be remembered by this rush to judgment. I have heard [that] some of her women colleagues regret joining her.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/26/al-franken-kirsten-gillibrand-2020-1014697

[SocialDemocrat61]

92. She was first to make a tweet

that’s hardly “leading the charge”.

[Cirsium]

97. Whatever

She and her supporters are proud of the fact that she led the charge. Can there be any question that she saw it as a way to promote her presidential aspirations? If it walks like a duck...

Oh, now we are going to quibble over the “leading the charge” wording?

[SocialDemocrat61]

109. If her Wi-Fi had been slow that day

Someone else would have “led the charge”.

And yes, there is no evidence that any of it had anything to do with her alleged “presidential aspirations”. That’s just slandering someone for the sake of it.

[Cirsium]

154. Supporters

Her supporters and defenders think she led the charge, and think that it was a courageous thing for her to do.

Gillibrand must have known that speaking out against Franken would be a political gamble: Going after a fellow party member is likely to annoy major donors, who usually prize caution over radical statements of principle. And there is no guarantee that, if she chooses to run for president, the voters she needs to win over will look kindly on an outspoken woman who helped remove a beloved politician from power. If this was straightforward opportunism, it was rather poorly thought out. But if Gillibrand’s gamble pays off—if voters support her candidacy in part because of her stance against Franken—her “opportunism” will look like sound moral leadership.

Even if Gillibrand ends up losing more than she gains as a result of her stance, Democratic Party boosters shouldn’t be badmouthing her for spearheading the movement to hold Franken accountable. They should be thanking her for saving the Democratic Party’s reputation among young voters who have plenty of reasons to think Democrats are just as corrupt and sleazy as Republicans. Women who’ve been moved for the first time to progressive activism by the #MeToo movement and the presidency of an accused sexual abuser could easily be disillusioned by a party without principles.

All the donors directing disapproving slights at Gillibrand over the past year (“[Gillibrand] did the damage that Republicans could not do themselves”; “what she did for women in politics was dreadful”) have sidestepped one major thread of this story: sexual harassment and abuse. These are people more eager to fault a woman for opportunism—for having the audacity to lead on an issue she cares about, possibly with the hope of becoming president someday—than to take bold measures to keep alleged gropers out of public office. The Democratic donors abandoning Gillibrand accuse her of putting politics over principle, of protecting her own career at the expense of Franken’s. They’re either too stubborn or too stupid to realize that they’re guilty of a much more despicable offense: protecting party loyalty at the expense of all women.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/kirsten-gillibrand-al-franken-2020-election.html

[SocialDemocrat61]

160. So?

It was several years later after she had been demonized for years. It was a poor attempt by some supporters to spin it, through the filter of a reporter who doesn’t name any of the supporters.

[Cirsium]

172. If you agree with her

If you agree with what she did, why not say she led the charge? Yes, other Senators joined her. But she was perceived as the leader. Do you think she was? Or was she just one of the 39?

At least seven of the 36 Senate Democrats who called for the resignation of former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken in 2017 now say they were wrong and should have allowed an independent investigation to probe eight separate allegations of groping and unwanted kissing that drummed him out of office. And Franken himself says he 'absolutely' regrets bowing to pressure and abandoning his seat in the upper chamber of Congress.

Former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said demanding Franken's ouster was an action she took 'in the heat of the moment, without concern for exactly what this was.' Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth said 'more facts' were needed at the time, and 'due process didn’t happen.'

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said pulling the trigger on his own resignation demand was 'one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made' in office. Maine independent Sen. Angus King said he was wrong to tell Franken to quit and he had 'regretted it ever since,' and called the result 'the political equivalent of capital punishment.'

Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico and former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson had similar words of contrition, largely focusing of the quick judgment that denied Franken an investigation that could conceivably have cleared him.

[SocialDemocrat61]

177. Whether I agree or disagree is irrelevant

It’s 7 years later. A democrat was replaced by a democrat so the whole thing is a wash. The point is it’s unfair to lay blame and demonize one person for the actions of a group.

[Cirsium]

180. No

I blame all of them.

[SocialDemocrat61]

182. Good

It’s fair to blame all, not just one.

[choie]

110. What are you trying to gain?

The point is she was among those who ruined the career of a great senator and person. And she's defame someone who I hope will be my mayor.

[SocialDemocrat61]

127. Truth and fairness

It’s unfair to single her out and demonize her when it was 39 senators.

And to be truthful Franken was a good senator but so is Tina Smith. So no real loss there. Plus, Franken is a rich celebrity so he’s not destitute.

And she didn’t defame Mamdani, she was asked a question by a caller and said she hopes to meet with Mamdani to discuss the caller’s concerns and similar concerns she’s heard from others.

The real question is what are others trying to gain by lying to demonize a sitting democratic senator who has consistently beaten republican challengers by at least 20 points?

[marble falls]

159. So it's either the whole gang or none get charged.

[SocialDemocrat61]

162. That would be fair

[a kennedy]

117. She was the 1st Senator to suggest he resign.

[SocialDemocrat61]

130. Yes in a tweet

follow followed by several others less than 5 minutes later. Schumer called Franken hours before telling Franken to resign. This timeline reflects Franken’s own account of what happened that day.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/senators-al-franken-resignation

[a kennedy]

134. 1st.....

sorry, now I’m just being a snob. It’s Friday, let’s just clink and remember WE’RE ALL DEMOCRATS eh??

[SocialDemocrat61]

138. Thanks

[Cirsium]

156. Facebook post

Wasn't it on FB?

Do you think she did the right thing, or not?

[SocialDemocrat61]

161. Ok

Maybe it was Facebook. The point is.she was just one of 39. Who was first by a few minutes is irrelevant. And 7 years later it’s also irrelevant. A democrat was replaced by a democrat, so no real loss.

[Cirsium]

167. OK

So if we replace Gillibrand with another Democrat, no real loss?

Do you support what she did?

[SocialDemocrat61]

168. Depends on the democrat

Joe Manchin, no. Brad Lander or AOC, great.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

61. This.

[choie]

108. and they all should apologize.

[Autumn]

27. Right. She was the first to publicly call for him to resign. She led the charge

and opened the floodgates.

[SocialDemocrat61]

52. By less than 5 minutes

by making a Twitter post. That's a strange definition of "leading the charge".

[Autumn]

111. Hang in there.

[SocialDemocrat61]

132. Thanks

😎

[G_j]

152. this/

I also cannot forgive her for that

[montanacowboy]

7. She ran Al Franken

out of the Senate

I cannot stand her

[SocialDemocrat61]

19. Her and 39 other Senators

including Harris, Warren, Sanders and Booker. Do you blame them all too?

[a kennedy]

22. Yes, but SHE WAS THE FIRST ONE!!!!

[SocialDemocrat61]

25. By like 5 minutes

It was clearly a coordinated effort by leadership. Here are articles from back then. They give insight to what happened and it’s a far more complex series of events.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/al-franken-urged-to-resign-kamala-harris/
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/senators-al-franken-resignation
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/363759-al-frankens-swift-fall-a-timeline/

[questionseverything]

33. It's really one of the lowest points of the Democratic Party in my lifetime

So I don’t know why you keep pushing it

[SocialDemocrat61]

37. Why?

A democratic senator was replaced with another democrat. Tina Smith is a fine Senator and Franken is doing just fine.

[questionseverything]

41. Lord, so elections mean nothing?

The people’s will was tossed aside over a gag and some rumors

[SocialDemocrat61]

46. Not rumors

but accusations. Are you saying that no elected official should never resign? That regardless of what they are accused of, they should always wait until the next election?

[DFW]

170. Oh, Al is fine now? If he told you that, it must have been since April.

I’m not even going to ask if you know Al because if you think he doing “fine,” you have never met him or even talked to him since December, 2017.

Oh, he keeps up a solid façade in public, of course. Not only does he have to, still earning a living, after all, but he was a professional entertainer for decades.

But if you have talked to him, or Franni, or even to Norm, you would know that the opposite is true. The main reason he didn’t put up a stronger defense if himself, especially in the beginning, is because he knew better than anyone that Roger Stone’s hand-crafted “allegations” were untrue. Totally made-up BS. Al’s error was in believing that the other Democratic Senators would see the scam as exactly that, and pay it no heed.

Al was completely blindsided when most of the Democratic caucus ganged up against him, and clamored for his resignation for something he never did. He was emotionally devastated at their betrayal. It is not in Al’s nature to play the crybaby, but he was sleeping on Norm’s sofa, getting treated for depression (something foreign to him up to then), and even now, nearly eight years later, has not gotten over his unjust hounding out if the Senate. Most Democratic Senators who were in office then have yet to apologize to Al for what they did, which is one of the reasons I will never contribute a dime to Gillibrand, Booker, Harris, Sanders or Warren. I did, of course make an exception last year, but that was to the Democratic candidate for President more than the identity of who it was.

Al puts up a good front as best he can, and he really is a special person, but he still has vestiges of being shell-shocked from the betrayal of 2017. That thirty plus Democratic Senators would side, effectively, with Roger Stone against him has left a deep wound that has by no means entirely healed. There is a reason he never ran to try to re-claim his Senate seat. It would have meant facing “those people” again, working with them, knowing their capacity to drop one of their best colleagues (him, e.g.) like a hot potato if convenience warranted.

Again, unless you have been in touch more recently than I have, and was told differently, let the record state: Al is getting by, no question about it, but he is not “fine.” No one who was hit from the back by a steamroller and was then run over is “fine.”

[SocialDemocrat61]

171. Seems fine on his podcast

And he’s not homeless or in the streets begging for money.

[DFW]

183. He slept on Norm's couch for support, not due to destitution.

And of course he seems OK on his podcast. He is a professional. How many people were shocked when Robin Williams hung himself due to a depression so well hidden? I certainly wss, but I never met the guy.

To claim that Al is “fine” is an assumption made based on publicly released material. It is also quite obviously an assumption made based on zero personal contact with him, his wife, or his best friend.

Obviously he “seems fine” on his podcasts. Do you think he’s going to release some version taped when he was having a bad moment?

Have a little respect for Al, the human, and not Al, the public face, and please consider the personal trauma he went through. Believe me when I tell you that it left far deeper scars than you evidently imagine. He is better than he was in the immediate aftermath. He is not “fine.”

[SocialDemocrat61]

186. I have no personal knowledge

I can only make a judgment on what evidence is public. Publicly he seems fine. He has a popular podcast. He’s still rich and famous. He still has a family and a home. If he’s has psychological issues with what happened, I’m sure he can afford the proper therapy for it. There are a lot of people who can’t. A lot who don’t know if they can pay all their bills this month or afford medical treatment for their children or are out of work and desperately looking so they don’t get evicted. There are millions of them and I’m sure everyone of them would gladly trade places with a rich celebrity.

[DFW]

189. Another baseless assumption.

Al is hardly rich. He can afford his home, but not a mega-mansion or a luxury 300 square meter apartment on Fifth Avenue or Park Avenue. But, nor has he ever sought that. Luckily, he is happy to get by on more modest means, and without the money obsession that some others labor under.

[SocialDemocrat61]

190. Yes he can afford a home

A lot of people can't.

[Bettie]

185. He's an actor and a comedian

of course he 'seems fine'. It's his job to seem fine and move the show along.

And if the only people who are allowed to feel "not fine" are those who are homeless or begging for money, well, I've got bad news for you. A whole lot of people are not living up to your standard.

[SocialDemocrat61]

187. Forgive me for

being more concerned for ordinary people than for a rich celebrity. Guess that’s why I’m a democrat and not a republican.

[Bettie]

191. Gillibrand isn't a pauper either

but several people seem very concerned about her.

Sorry I feel sympathy for someone who was ratfucked out of the senate. He was a powerful voice and we lost that and it was a loss for ordinary people as well.

I can feel sympathy and concern for more than one person at a time. It is possible.

And I'm a Democrat as well, not sure where you got the idea that I'm a Republican. Weird.

[SocialDemocrat61]

192. Never said she wasn't

And never said you were a republican.

Let me ask, since Franken was such a powerful voice which speeches that he gave in the senate do you find most inspiring?

Also, how has Tina Smith fallen short of the high standard set by Franken?

[TiberiusB]

219. So compassion is only for those deemed worthy?

A person can have empathy for the struggles of another regardless of their economic standing. Al Franken fought relentlessly against the GOP and was an outspoken advocate for the less fortunate. Caring about what happened to him doesn't diminish sympathy for others who have it worse. It also makes no sense in the context of this discussion. Being concerned for the poor has no bearing on how Al Franken was treated or is doing. Compassion isn't a limited resource.

[SocialDemocrat61]

220. No

But compassion for those who really need it. A rich, white, male, TV celebrity has resources and a support system that most others do not have any access to.

[drmeow]

195. Thank you for this detail

I imagine that not being a career politician made it harder for him. Career politicians seem to expect that kind of behavior as a matter of course - "its just the politics is."

[drmeow]

36. I actually blame all of the Democrats

for not first demanding a hearing.

To be fair, I blame all Democrats for not having enough of a backbone in general, and the reaction to Al Franken was just one more sample of that.

[SocialDemocrat61]

40. You're right

There should have been a hearing. But it would never have been public so no matter what the outcome there would still be questions and doubts.

[drmeow]

60. Even if not public

hearings would have slowed things down and allowed the American people to speak up about what they wanted - especially Franken's constituents. The corporate media was never, ever going to treat the outcome as "fair" but hearings would have given Democrats talking points to counter that. The Democrats had an opportunity to brag about giving everyone due process. Instead of being strategic, they reacted.

Republicans never go down without a fight. Democrats all too often do. I think it is all part and parcel of the "lesson" Democrats learned after Reagan. Instead of standing proud on their principles, they acted ashamed of them and shifted to the right.

While I support adjusting your principles to match your constituents, you are, after all, supposed to "represent" them, there's plenty of evidence that standing up for your principles results in greater respect for Democrats, and respect is more likely to translate into votes than not liking the alternative (i.e. Republican) candidate.

[SocialDemocrat61]

66. I don't disagree with you

A lot of what happens is due to the spin of the corporate media. And they always set the bar much higher for democrats than republicans. Look at the recent trashing of Biden while completely ignoring Trump’s issues.

[drmeow]

102. So true

it is enraging - although not surprising.

[choie]

112. YES!

[orangecrush]

29. Same

[SocialDemocrat61]

54. She didn't support Cuomo

That's just a lie.

[yardwork]

76. Well, she must have. At least in this primary.

[SocialDemocrat61]

81. She didn't

Here’s the list of those who endorsed Cuomo in the primary from his campaign site.
https://www.andrewcuomo.com/endorsements

[yardwork]

89. Ok, but who did she support for mayor?

Official endorsements aside. I don't know if she votes in NYC.

[SocialDemocrat61]

94. No idea

She lives in upstate New York, not in NYC. I never heard that she endorsed anyone.

[yardwork]

204. I'm not talking about endorsements.

At this stage NYC has three choices for mayor: Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary; Cuomo, who is on the ballot as an Independent, and the Republican.

I doubt that she wants the Republican to win. Why would she blast Mamdani now unless she wants Cuomo to win?

Or maybe this article is false and she didn't blast Mamdani?

[SocialDemocrat61]

206. Open to interpretation

Some think she blasted him. Others don’t. My takeaway was that she was awkwardly trying to straddle a line of trying to be sympathetic to those who have concerns while not outright condemning Mamdani. She does repeatedly say that she didn’t have all the info and wants to meet with him to discuss. You can listen to the whole interview here and decide for yourself. https://www.wnyc.org/story/call-your-senator-sen-gillibrand-on-trumps-big-beautiful-betrayal-mamdanis-victory-and-more/

Also, Cuomo hasn’t declared if he’s running as an independent yet so right now the candidates are Mamdani, Adams and Sliwa. But I don’t think that being critical of one candidate automatically means someone supports another candidate.

[yardwork]

209. Thanks.

[dflprincess]

93. I had a couple New Yorkers tell me she did

But I did not verify. I'll remove my post.

[SocialDemocrat61]

95. Thanks

There is a lot of misinformation out there. Hard to know what or who to trust.

[Celerity]

129. IF she did endorse Cuomo, she'd be a blatant hypocrite: Gillibrand calls on Cuomo to resign after sexual harassment

findings




https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/sen-gillibrand-calls-on-cuomo-to-resign-after-sexual-harassment-findings-117843525547

[SocialDemocrat61]

136. She never endorsed Cuomo

Here’s the list of those who endorsed Cuomo in the primary from his campaign site.
https://www.andrewcuomo.com/endorsements

[Celerity]

140. I was just adding more evidence to show she did not endorse him (thus my use of capped 'IF')

[SocialDemocrat61]

145. Thanks

[Cirsium]

157. Supportive words from her for Cuomo

Gillibrand, who took her time in demanding that Cuomo step down after being the first Democratic senator to call for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken’s resignation, said Tuesday we live in a country that “believes in second chances” when asked about Cuomo.

“He has a lot of talent as an executive, he’s been a very strong governor and done very strong things for New York,” she told Spectrum News. “But he has admitted and he has said he’s made mistakes and mistakes that he regrets and serious mistakes. So it’s really up to the voters.”

But Erica Vladimer, the co-Founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group who’s working to oppose Cuomo’s candidacy, said she’s incredibly disappointed in Hochul and electeds like Gillibrand who wanted Cuomo gone four years ago but now “suddenly think he is fit to be mayor.”

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook-pm/2025/03/05/kathy-hochul-cuomo-sexual-harassment-mayor-victims-gilllibrand-00213577

[SocialDemocrat61]

163. Still not an endorsement

And I thought you were all for leaving things up to the voters?

[Cirsium]

166. Not saying that it was

The point is that her reaction to the charges against Cuomo is quite different than her reaction to the charges against Franken.

[SocialDemocrat61]

169. Not really

Here’s her reaction at the time the accusations against Cuomo happened.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/sen-gillibrand-calls-on-cuomo-to-resign-after-sexual-harassment-findings-117843525547

[Cirsium]

174. 4 years ago

Yes, that was 4 years ago. Very different than what she said recently. That is the point.

[SocialDemocrat61]

178. And Franken resigned 7 years ago

If there’s a time limit for Cuomo, why isn’t ther one for Franken?

[Cirsium]

179. Gillibrand

We are talking about Gillibrand having a different standard for Cuomo than she had for Franken.

[SocialDemocrat61]

181. She called for both to resign

Sounds like the same standard to me.

[Autumn]

8. Well bless her heart.

[demmiblue]

10. N.Y. Senator 'Misspoke' When She Falsely Claimed Zohran Mamdani Condoned 'Global Jihad'

Kirsten Gillibrand said her constituents are “alarmed” by the New York mayoral nominee’s past statements, including a big one he didn’t make

During a radio interview Thursday, New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand appeared to suggest that Zohran Mamdani had condoned “global jihad.” Her office tells Rolling Stone she “misspoke,” as she responded to a caller who provided a lengthy list of claims against Mamdani, who won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday.

Gillibrand appeared Thursday on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, a local call-in radio show. A caller named Gabe dialed into the studio on Thursday to ask Gillibrand about “the threats facing the Jewish community from Zohran Mamdani.”

Gillibrand probably should have stopped the caller right there — she could have said there is no evidence that Mamdani poses any threat to the Jewish community. To the contrary, the Muslim state assemblymember spoke often throughout his primary campaign about the threat of rising antisemitism and his desire to be a mayor for all New Yorkers. He was endorsed by many Jewish leaders, including the high-ranking Jewish official in New York, Brad Lander.

But Gillibrand didn’t do that, and the caller, Gabe, went on: “There was a bill that I was reading about that unfortunately, he wants to target synagogues and Jewish institutions which donate to nonprofits which are medical institutions like United Hatzalah and Magan Davod David Adam, which is like the Jewish Red Cross.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/kirsten-gillibrand-zohran-mamdani-global-jihad-1235373902/

[Grins]

57. She "misspoke." Of course she did. (No. She didn't.)

She “misspeaks” too many times. A feature, not a flaw.

[leftstreet]

11. Holy crap n/t

[Passages]

12. Predictable approach especially after her crypto vote.

[aocommunalpunch]

13. Maybe she should talk to Slotkin.

She doesn’t seem to be on the same “team”.

[Prairie Gates]

14. Mamdani is the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City

He won his election fair and square.

Senator Gillibrand should support Democrats.

[Ars Longa]

15. When is her term up? Please tell me it is 2026. Maybe she

is the new K. Sinema.

[SocialDemocrat61]

20. 2030

She just won re-election last year.

[Bettie]

16. Interesting, wonder if it could have anything to do with her top donor?

https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/kirsten-gillibrand/summary?cid=N00027658

TOP CONTRIBUTOR 2019 - 2024
American Israel Public Affairs Cmte
$480,614

[questionseverything]

53. When aipac buys you, you stay bought!

[Celerity]

78. good catch Bettie

[choie]

120. Be careful

I give it 5 minutes before you're painted as an antisemite.

[Bettie]

133. I'm on record saying that

Palestinians are human beings, so that painting is already done. I'm the worst person who ever existed for even suggesting such a thing.

NOTE: Jews are also human (and most everyone else, see below)

I am not entirely certain that the guy roosting in the white house is human and JD Vance appears to be an alien based only on his inability to understand humans. At. All.

[choie]

198. Well said, Bettie

[Ping Tung]

188. Pshaw! Everyone knows that Democratic politicians never accept donations from RW lobbyists.

Unless the brib... (whoops)...donations are very large

[Duncan Grant]

194. It has everything to do with that donor.

We finally have a democrat with great grass roots support and a meaningful message — and what does the establishment do? They protect the establishment. Give your donations and energy directly to Mamdani and not the powers that be.

[Emile]

203. $$$ follow the money.

[La Coliniere]

17. Both my senators need to be primaried

when the time arises. Gillibrand is a huge hypocrite when she castigated Franken yet supported Cuomo for NYC mayor. Her ethics stink. She’s a corporate conservative Democratic whose time should’ve been over last term. She stinks to high heaven.

[SocialDemocrat61]

23. She didn't support Cuomo

Here’s the endorsement list from Cuomo’s campaign site. Her name is not on it. https://www.andrewcuomo.com/endorsements

[La Coliniere]

142. Sorry. I must have misunderstood what

was said about her on a liberal podcast. I should have done my research. She is still terrible.

[SocialDemocrat61]

147. Can't believe everything you hear on a podcast

or anywhere else these days

[delisen]

149. You have your facts wrong.

[JI7]

24. Making excuses for "globalize the intifada" is a problem

He should just admit the phrase is a problem and move on and focus on economic issues.

[SocialDemocrat61]

28. This is where I get confused

Some are claiming he never said it. Others that he did and explained that he didn’t mean violence. While others are saying he did mean violence. This is why we should respect the truth and not spread rumors and lies.

[markodochartaigh]

34. I think that this is very much what Democratic candidates should do.

If they allow the Republicans to frame the debate around whatever hot-button emotional issue of the day, the Democratic candidate will often lose. And that goes for primaries too, where Republican leaning media would rather stir up a frenzy egged on by covert Republican operatives than to cover the economic issues which genuinely divide Republicans from their Democratic opponents. Sticking to the base economic issues make it easier to see where the difference is between the two parties.

[choie]

122. And I bet he will.

[elleng]

26. DAMN!! What's WRONG with her???

[Prairie Gates]

218. ...

[Hassler]

35. The only time we hear from Gillibrand is when she's

Throwing real Dems under the bus.

[jrthin]

38. She can go pound salt. Whenever I called her office, I found her staff to be nasty.

[LostOne4Ever]

39. Strike Three time to primary her

Strike 1: Leading the charge against Al Frankin
Strike 2: Was part of the 10 senators that betrayed the democratic party’s filibuster of the debt ceiling increase
Strike 3: Islamophobia and not supporting a fellow dem during the time of Trump!

Her and Schumer both need to go. AOC should take whichever seat is up for grabs first in the primary.

[SoFlaBro]

45. Why are you bashing good Dems that have done quite a bit for the party?

[SocialDemocrat61]

58. It's only bashing

if it's a Dem everyone likes.

[choie]

124. Like what?

I live in NYC and would love to know if she's done anything that truly matters.

[LostOne4Ever]

213. Good Dems don't undermine our General election candidates

She needs to learn to vote blue no matter who.

[Blue Full Moon]

43. She needs to go away. She has helped the GOP enough she's just another Gabbard

[SocialDemocrat61]

44. Here's a link to the interview

For those who care to listen to it.
https://www.wnyc.org/story/call-your-senator-sen-gillibrand-on-trumps-big-beautiful-betrayal-mamdanis-victory-and-more/

[RandySF]

51. Zohran didn't help himself

when compared global intifada to the Warsaw Uprising.

[SocialDemocrat61]

56. Did he?

I've heard some claim he never made that statement.

[vanessa_ca]

67. He didn't compare one to the other, he was explaining the word intifada

He said the U.S. Holocaust Museum had used the word “intifada” in Arabic-language descriptions of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against Nazi Germany.

2. Defense of the phrase “globalize the intifada”

“To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” Mamdani said on The Bulwark last week when asked about the phrase. “The very word [intifada] has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means struggle.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/22/critics-say-zohran-mamdani-is-antisemitic-he-says-hes-simply-holding-israel-accountable-00416388

[EdmondDantes_]

103. Thank you for bringing citations to keep everyone on the same page

So often it's a game of telephone and what was actually said gets lost in the outrage over the incorrect claims about what was said.

[choie]

126. How incendiary!!

Thank you for posting that.

[JI7]

144. He should have just condemned the use which is clearly

about inflicting terrorism on Jewish civilians around the world.

Bringing up what he did is just tryng to avoid the actual issues.

[vanessa_ca]

55. Despicable! "All four Muslim Democratic House members are denouncing "racist smears" "

All four Muslim Democratic House members are denouncing “racist smears” against Zohran Mamdani from lawmakers in both parties since his New York City mayoral primary win, according to a statement provided first to POLITICO.

“The vile, anti-Muslim and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence. These hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics,” said Reps. Andre Carson of Indiana, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Lateefah Simon of California in a statement.

-snip-
The Muslim lawmakers have sought a more forceful pushback from their leaders to the GOP attacks and have privately approached Democratic leadership about doing so. Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t answer a question from a reporter Friday asking him to respond to the remarks from Mace, Ogles and others.

-snip-

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/27/congress/muslim-democrats-mamdani-attacks-00429467

Any Democrat who won't stand by Mamdani can expect less than ZERO support from me. That's who we voted for so deal with it the same way we've had to deal with less-than-stellar choices in the past who did not represent us.

[MaineBlueBear]

68. Primary time!

There's no room for this in the Democratic party.

And if there is, I'm out.

[doc03]

70. With all these attacks by Democrats won't that

end up giving it to Cuomo or Adam's maybe worse?

[rzemanfl]

74. She has been dead to me since the Franken fuckover she cheerlead for.

[Karasu]

80. She's straight-up talking like a fucking Republican. In 2025, no less. Zero tolerance for this shit.

Utterly shameful.

Leave that shit for the fascists.

[electric_blue68]

82. According to Slate the phrase "Democrat Party"

from Slate

"Who has taken the ‘ic’ out of the party of our fathers?” asked John Temple Graves II, a Southern newspaper columnist, in July 1952. Graves had observed speaker after speaker at the recent Republican National Convention call their political foes the “Democrat” party. “

According to Wikipedia
The phrase started in the 1940's by Republics, but non-hostile.

Obviously it "mutated" into an epithet.

I don't see how it could have been a "non-hostile" phrase; deliberately chopping off the "ic".

[Karasu]

90. Yes. Nowadays, it's used mostly as a dog whistle for fascist Republicans to find like-minded people who hate the same

people they do, without having to come out and actually admit that they are Republicans. I've seen them do this shit in bars on the West Coast all the time.

They think they're much, much more subtle than they actually are.

[Cha]

98. Longer Ass Insulting History than we thought. It's the Democratic Party..

say it Loud and Say it Proud!

[Polybius]

215. Too bad there's no way to do it to them

A person can be a Republican, and there's the Republican Party. The word always stays the same.

[electric_blue68]

216. There's always the Repuglican Party.

[LW1977]

99. Career suicide

So long, after what she did to Frankin, She can GFH!

[kkmarie]

101. Sit downand shut up Kristen

[purple_haze]

106. I know A LOT of Democrats

who are parroting these ideas as well.

[jalan48]

107. Hopefully Mamdani primaries her in a few years. She can go back to working for big tobacco.

[DinahMoeHum]

118. ". . .few years. . ."?? She's not up for re-election until 2030

Have a nice wait.

[jalan48]

121. Better late than never.

[Karasu]

151. She worked for big tobacco? That explains a lot. Definitely seems like the type who would.

[Uncle Joe]

113. "Pro-Palestine activists disrupt New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand's meeting"

Mar 6, 2024

Pro-Palestine activists disrupted a town hall meeting hosted by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in Brooklyn Heights on Monday.

The activists criticised Gillibrand for accepting substantial donations from pro-Israel groups and accused her of prioritising donor money over democracy.

Thanks for the thread drmeow

[Emile]

141. Following the money. +1

[dawn5651]

115. gillibrand try to destroy franken and now she has a new target...she needs to decide what party she wants to be a

part of and then shut her mouth.

[KPN]

116. Gillibrand needs to be primaried. She torpedoed Al Franken

and now this ridiculously stupid shit. Seems not just Republicans are enemies of a more balanced economic playing field.

[DinahMoeHum]

125. Like I said, have a nice wait. . .

. . .because she's nbot up for re-election until 2030.

Maybe we all get lucky with Schumer, who faces re-election in 2028 - maybe he decides to call it a career before then.

[Paladin]

123. I want her replaced, just as soon as possible. Appalling behavior for a supposed Democrat. (nt)

[SSJVegeta]

128. I think we shouldnt be giving the democratic infighting any more attention than it needs

[Jirel]

131. Reporters of this post, get a life.

Gillibrand. F’d. Up.

Full stop. We as a party have to own that, and she should own her bad deed.

Instead, she’s apparently backtracking like crazy, claiming she misspoke. That means she KNOWS she did the wrong thing… but she’s trying to cover her butt.

Holding our elected Dems accountable is NECESSARY.

[aocommunalpunch]

135. Al Franken should ask for her resignation. n/t

[Pisces]

143. This is disgusting!! What is wrong with establishment Democrats?? I guess the Trump presidency isn't

terrifying enough!! Now they want to gang up on a duly elected candidate. Way to lose the youth vote, we have lost the male vote, the Hispanic vote , the black male vote, now we want to lose youth vote!!!

[dlk]

148. More sad evidence how money has deeply corrupted our politics

What’s actually best for the American people has been buried under the green $$$$$$$$$$$

[LilElf70]

153. This is all about

change. which the party desperately needs. And racism.

Change? Something has to change. Everyone knows it. Look at the last decade. We've failed horrendously. Now, progressive democrats are fighting with establishment democrats over which way the party is going to be run. I expect to see many bumps in the road, and this post is a good example. In addition, money is now in control of both parties. Until something changes with Citizens United, this country will be continue to be bought by the highest buyer with the biggest mouth. Democrats have a lot on the line again, and it will most likely take many, many elections in order for us to make the decision of how the party will move forward.

Racism? Yes, believe it or not, racism still exists in this country. As many have said right after 911, 911 changed everything. It's still true to this day. Gillibrand just proved it. I have no answer on how to address this, especially coming from the democrats. They are the only party about "the people" as far as I can see. So it's sad seeing her racism in public display.

I expect more upsets in the election processes coming up. People are fed up. People are finally starting to see it's time to start taking care of the people, not the corporations. Housing, Healthcare, Education, etc.....

These are very strange times we live in. And now the corruption is in plain view for all to see. Nobody seems to gives a shit anymore. I NEVER thought I would witness what is going on. As of today, I am "All shocked out"!!! Today's Supreme Court disappointing decisions says it all.

This current situation needs to change in next years election. The only way to do it is quite simple. Win elections. 2026!!!!

I can't wait to see the democrats jump start their party. Yesterday would have been fine.

[delisen]

155. Did not hear any "Islamophobia" in the interview. It is a bs term anyway

I support Gillibrand in her fight for women who were sexually harassed in the military.

I did not support Truthout in their pro -Jill Stein stances in Election 2016.

Gillibrand was very supportive of Mamdani re The bread and butter issues in NYC and housing issues.

The Truthout article is just more of the anti- Democratic Party stuff they they specialize in, and at its heart is anti-female.

We are under massive attack by American fascism. I intend to focus on the enemy. The reality is there is a subset of the progressive left that does not focus on the enemies of democracy, but instead focuses on dividing the supporters of democracy.

This is no time to be taking the bait.

[SocialDemocrat61]

165. Some who were

bashing Mamdani just a few days ago are now bashing Gillibrand. It’s all about the outrage.

[Celerity]

193. You are engaging in open bigotry and RW talking points when you deny the existence of Islamophobia

You said:

Did not hear any "Islamophobia" in the interview. It is a bs term anyway

You twice attempt to deny its existence.

You

1. You put it in inverted commas (speech marks) which is a way of saying 'so-called' ie implying it isn't a real thing.

and then

2. You openly deny its existence by calling it a 'bs term'.

Shameful to see you pushing this dross on DU.

Islamophobia absolutely exists, it is bigotry, it is dehumanisation, and it is hate speech.

Interfaith Alliance Condemns Islamophobia and Extremist Targeting of Public Officials

https://www.interfaithalliance.org/post/interfaith-alliance-condemns-islamophobia-and-extremist-targeting-of-public-officials

As a national leader in defending religious freedom and multi-faith democracy, Interfaith Alliance is appalled by the recent surge of Islamophobic hate speech and incitement against NYC Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and the broader pattern of extreme hate directed against public officials and vulnerable minorities. This hateful rhetoric seeks to spread polarization and division and wrongly pit diverse American communities against one another. Following Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, he has faced vicious Islamophobic attacks and slurs from Republican Members of Congress including Reps. Andy Ogles, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Some of these attacks have included flagrantly illegal calls for denaturalization and deportation.

Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, released the following statement:

“The blatant Islamophobia that we are seeing from some Members of Congress and other extreme voices is grotesque, unacceptable and deeply dangerous. We cannot pretend for a minute that it is normal to see a political candidate threatened with violent attack and deportation simply because he is a Muslim. This kind of hatred not only threatens Muslim Americans, but all religious minorities and diverse identities. It incites political violence, at a time when 91 percent of Americans say they believe politically-motivated violence is a serious problem in the United States. We must be able to have robust and healthy debates on policy, politics and the future of our country – without demonizing, dehumanizing and threatening entire populations because of their ethnicity, religion or political beliefs.

Responsible public officials and faith leaders across the country must firmly challenge this bigotry - and refuse to allow the voices of hate to ostracize, polarize or divide us. We must work together to confront and reject Islamophobia, antisemitism, racism and hate in all of its forms, and to emphasize that our democracy is strongest when all communities are able to safely thrive, co-exist and work together in pursuit of common ideals.”

[Karasu]

200. Thank you for saying what needed to be said. Anyone who remembers the national reaction in the days after 9/11

(particularly among Republicans) should know full well that Islamophobia is real and far from uncommon in this country.

Plus, this person calling it a "BS term" begs the question...is homophobia also a "BS term?" Transphobia? Antisemitism? Any of these? All of these? And if the terms for any other form of discrimination in existence aren't "BS terms", why aren't they, and why is Islamophobia the exception?

[delisen]

205. Accusing humans of being phobic doesn't, solve problems of inequality

Incidentally , the term anti-semitism does not have the term phobia in it. Why have you included it ?

What is phobic mean to anyone using it? What does it mean to you?

Is it being used to describe a a person as having an unreasonable fear or antipathy toward another human being or group of human beings? Is it a form of name-calling, like Trump calling persons, particularly women, “nasty.”

The name calling does solve problems. Trump does not want to solve problems. He wants to exploit problems to enrich and empower himself.

I want to solve problems as though my life depends upon it—-and my life and the lives of others does depend upon it.
Mamdani is going to need a lot of support to win the general election. In listening to the Interview with Gillibrand, I noted she stated her stated her support for several of Momdani’s positions on economic issues. I did not hear anything she said as justifying the label Islamophobic.

I see the potential for Gillibrand to support Mamdani in meaningful ways so that he, and not Eric Adam’s or Andrew Cuomo wins in November. I am not going to help big Democratic donors, or Trump/MAGA Republicans by calling our female Democratic senator names.

[drmeow]

207. Incidentally , the term anti-semitism does not have the term phobia in it. Why have you included it ?

Terms like Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia have come to be understood as the "isms" towards the population referred to. As such, they are often used as the equivalents to antisemitism, racism, or sexism to refer to conditions leading to inequality within those populations. It is a problematic for the exact reason that you point out - they are not obviously related to inequality. It would be nice to have "isms" where we currently use "phobia" to highlight the discriminatory and prejudicial nature of those views. Until we do, we are stuck with the various phobias.

[Ping Tung]

184. Ugh. She sounds like someone who yearns for a goofy red cap and a trip to MAGA Largo.

[AStern]

196. I like that Mr. Lehrer pointed out that there wasn't any evidence

of anything people said about him in regard to Hamas etc.

[mahina]

201. Thanks for getting Al Franken chucked out of the Senate KG

[SocialDemocrat61]

208. Franken wasn't chucked out of the senate, he chose to resign

I could be wrong but I don't think that the Senate can kick a member out. But these and other Senators did, rightly or wrongly, say Franken should resign.

But the good news he was replaced by Tina Smith who has been a fine democratic senator.

[FBaggins]

210. The Senate can absolutely kick out a member

It takes a 2/3 vote.

[SocialDemocrat61]

211. I didn't know that. Thank you

Have they ever kicked someone out?

[republianmushroom]

212. Seems not just republicans are afraid of brown skin people.

Who would of guessed it.

[BlueTsunami2018]

214. Another example of the ruling class trying to flex against a man of the people.

Way to show everyone whose side you’re really on. This has nothing to do with “antisemitism” and everything to do with the rich overlords feeling threatened. They’re such fragile little flowers.

It’s not like we’re haven’t had Gillibrand’s number since the Franken incident. Of course she’s going to be on the wrong side of this.

[Prairie Gates]

217. Kick

[thought crime]

221. Her rant sounds Islamophobic but could be cynical

Zohran’s adversaries will encourage Islamophobic hysteria but what these leaders are really afraid of is the possibility that a Leftish populist economic agenda could gain momentum and succeed. And dear, dear!! Wall Street might move to Austin!

[betsuni]

223. Conspiracy theory: Democratic leaders bribed by Wall St. to stop a possibly successful economic agenda

because Wall St. wants a bad economy and doesn't want to move to Austin.

[thought crime]

231. His adversaries might be afraid their donors will flee from a fair economy

Some Wall Street elite living in Manhattan Penthouses may frown on this uppity socialist who declares billionaires should not exist.

[vanessa_ca]

222. Gillibrand and Jeffries are making a bigger deal about Mamdani than about the Big Beautiful Bill or Trump.

It's a total travesty.

Cuomo is literally on Netanyahu's defense team, but somehow, no one kept asking him about Gaza or Israel.

[Prairie Gates]

224. The MMM

[vanessa_ca]

225. What is MMM? -eom

[Prairie Gates]

226. Mamdani Mayoralty Madness

Heyooooo!

[vanessa_ca]

227. Thanks! -eom

[Prairie Gates]

229. You're welcome

[aocommunalpunch]

228. AIPAC has entered the chat.

Their “$peech” is pretty loud.

[electric_blue68]

230. She didn't quite go "on a "Rant" ", but she was Very Pointed, not that I agreed w her....

Was she Islamophobic? Not necessarily.
I went to listen to the segment. My take.

First, Brian reminded the audience that Mamdani did not say the "global intafada" phrase. Mamdani was asked about the phrase. And he said he didn't support violence.

She said that Mamdani in not refusing to use the term - "was permissive of violence". (I don't agree), and that "Jews perceive it" as hateful, and wanting their destruction. I do agree that some, maybe many perceive it that way. (even if that not necessarily true). However she never said the word "dangerous".

Oh, I think just lost my other point. Der.