Zohran Mamdani's Win Is the Beginning of the End of the Old Democratic Party

[Omaha Steve]

Mamdani’s NYC primary victory shows that the old tricks of the political establishment are dying out—and something new is being born.

Hamilton Nolan June 25, 2025

Mostly, in politics, good things don’t happen. Let’s be honest. Most of the time, the candidates are dishonest, and the issues are distractions, and the person with the most money wins. Sometimes, though, there is a reason for inspiration. And — even more rarely — there is a reason to believe that things are changing. You can feel the gears of history moving. You can feel the tectonic plates of normalcy begin to quaver and slip. The previous, unsustainable arrangement of the world is beginning to slip. The future holds something different.

Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Muslim democratic socialist, just won the New York City Democratic primary for mayor. When the results came in last night, I was inside a Democratic Socialists of America watch party in the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, a sprawling space with the look of a crumbling high school auditorium, and the sweat-drenched young crowd of Zohran volunteers was approaching ecstasy. These people, used to living on the margins of the political mainstream, have been catapulted into its center. This, I think, is not going to be a fluke. The stuck wheel of the Democratic Party is beginning to turn.

First, though, will come the panicked thrashing of a dying beast. Eric Adams, the disgraced current Democratic mayor of New York, is running for reelection as an independent. So, too, may Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former Democratic governor of New York, who was just humbled by Mamdani in the primary despite $25 million in super PAC spending on his behalf. The Establishment — not just the city’s Democratic establishment, and not just the national Democratic establishment, but also Donald Trump, and the national Republican Party, and Wall Street, and New York City’s rich people, of whom there are many — will throw money at whichever of those wounded old wildebeests seems most plausible. Zohran, like AOC before him, will be elevated to the status of Socialist Boogeyman, smeared as a vile communist, subjected to veiled and unveiled racism, and opposed by organized capital. All of those forces will make his final hurdle, the general election in November, as high as it can possibly be.

I don’t think it will matter, though. One dynamic apparent throughout Zohran’s primary campaign is that the more people learn who he is, the more they like him. That very basic quality accounts for the direction of his polling, which kept going up and up as Election Day approached. The more realistic his candidacy seemed, the more press and attention he got; the more attention he got, the more New Yorkers got to see him; and the more they saw him, the more popular he got. This is charisma, raw likeability, something that Mamdani — kind, smiling, serious, and inspiring in turn — has, that Andrew Cuomo does not. As his general election opponents prepare to spend even more to elevate his profile, they may find that they are doing him a favor.

FULL story: https://inthesetimes.com/article/zohran-mamdani-nyc-mayor-cuomo-democratic-party

[MLAA]

1. I'd like to see us also embrace and promote AOC, Jasmine Crockett and the like.

I was disheartened to see Ms Crockett come in last out of 4 in the voting on the minority leader of the oversight committee.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

28. Abso-fuckin-lutely!!

[Conjuay]

82. Did you expect the olf farts to walk away from their cash cow

and accept that they aren't bold enough or strong enough to challenge the republicans OR the "impartial" media?

[Pisces]

2. Insane to want to stay with Adams and Mamdani beat Cuomo fair and square. The people voted for

Mamdani!! Dems continue to shoot themselves in the foot and alienate their own voters. You wonder why the youth want burn it all down.

[sheshe2]

39. Did you happen to read the article?

Talk about alienating your own voters.

[Lovie777]

3. No................

[mzmolly]

4. We have room for old and new

Democrats. The most imporant thing is to win and represent the majority of Americans vs. the oligarchy.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

95. Bravo

There shouldn't be an us or them between Democrats.

[David__77]

6. There are certainly other real Democrats like Mamdani.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

29. Zohran is as real as it gets... there's a new sheriff on town!!

[oswaldactedalone]

7. And possibly the end of the

Democratic Party in general. The reich wing news outlets will tar and feather every democrat with Mamdani’s platform. It will be worse than the “defund the police” foolishness from 5 years ago. His win is an absolute disaster for the Dems.

[purple_haze]

30. I agree with you completely.

Thank you for saying this.

[AZProgressive]

31. Despite all the fear mongering

It was actually good policy. The cops themselves want to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to arrests and many don't think it is a good idea to send armed cops to deal with mental health calls. This is from the cops' perspective.

It looks like Biden actually won when "defund the police" (a policy proposal from the 60s) made it into the mainstream. Triple federal funding for the police actually didn't help Democrats win in 2024.

[fujiyamasan]

72. The slogan was terrible optics

I agree that you need multiple tools to handle a crisis. It’s common sense.

You don’t immediately send in the SWAT team when there’s a hostage situation unless you want to risk them all being killed. That’s why you initially have a negotiator.

Likewise, social workers are better equipped to handle certain situations.

The phrase itself never should have come to be. I think less than a handful of House reps supported it (Cori bush and maybe one or two others). Most Dems at the national level knew it was a dumb slogan to begin with.

Sometimes it’s not about the policy, it’s about the politics and the optics. That’s something the council reps of whichever cities it emerged from didn’t care about, since their own fiefdoms weren’t at risk. Meanwhile at the federal level, dems definitely lost seats in 2020 they should have otherwise won. If they had, Dems may have still held on to the House now.

[AZProgressive]

74. What you say is reasonable

I think some of the House seats were right wing kind of Democrats. I can't remember their names but one ran in like Giuliani's district and spent parts of his campaign criticizing AOC but still lost. Collin Peterson was another one that lost who said that Ilhan Omar doesn't belong in our party. These were the kind of Democrats that lost swing districts.

I agree with mostly what you say but I do think BLM get out of the vote efforts definitely helped most Democrats win in 2020 and the slogan/policy was one of the issues that drove voters to the polls but it is a local city budget issue. It should've never been a national issue one way or the other.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

62. Us doing things so right wingers wouldn't be mad has done SO much for us.

Maybe we should run on policies that most people in the country actually want.

[yardwork]

96. What a radical idea!

I can't believe the freak out over this man's primary win.

[fujiyamasan]

75. A lot will depend on how he governs

If he does indeed become mayor, and he keeps the focus on affordability while not ignoring public safety and other concerns, maybe the damage will be limited and it could potentially even be a net plus.

If things don’t go well, oh man all we’ll hear about in ads next year are “does Dem in X swing district stand with the radical socialist mayor of New York???!!!”.

[womanofthehills]

78. I disagree- he represents the young

He’s refreshing! He’s not afraid to be anti-war like the other candidates which is why the young like him. He’s very charming and knows how to market himself. He is so charismatic and attractive-he has that same appeal as AOC.

NY Nurses Association endorses Zohran

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ


Elizabeth Warren

Zohran's inspiring campaign showed what grassroots movements can achieve when we fight for bold policies. His focus on government serving the people—not billionaires—will make life more affordable for NYC.

I strongly support @ZohranKMamdani. He’ll be a fantastic mayor!

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ

He has a beautiful, successful artist wife too

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ

[yardwork]

93. I disagree. He's running for mayor of NYC.

It's up to the voters of NYC to choose their mayor. The Democratic voters spoke loudly.

If the DNC wants to blame somebody they should look in the mirror. They ran Cuomo.

[sheshe2]

8. Wow

But there is more to it than charisma. This is the beginning of the end of the Clinton-to-Obama network’s iron grip on the Democratic Party. For my entire adult life, the same basic circle of neoliberal institutionalists have run our only opposition party.

The set of people who have taken it for granted for decades that the Democratic Party belongs to them are, like an over-the-hill band, finding out that their old hits don’t excite the crowd like they used to.

If America is going to have one lone opposition party to fascism, that party does not have to suck. The establishment is too deeply rooted to move. So we will run them over.

This is a hit piece by the author. Two of the best Presidents of my lifetime and their accomplishments are being ground under the authors foot, ridiculed and kicked aside. One does not have to trash the incredible accomplishments of these to men to boost another up. Frankly, Mamdani would not be where he is today if it weren’t for the inroads Obama opened as the first black President.

This is not the way forward: The establishment is too deeply rooted to move. So we will run them over. Run them over, no. We need to work together or we will all be left behind.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

16. I agree

I think some folks are gonna find out the hard way that a divided Democratic party is a gift to the MAGAt Republicans, something the old timers already knew!

"First, though, will come the panicked thrashing of a dying beast."

Lovely. That "dying beast" is why they are able to run for office in the first place! That blatant disrespect and arrogance really pisses me off.

[sheshe2]

21. The arrogance is off the charts.

I am at a loss for words and embarrassed to be reading it here.

TY, MBT.

[RandomNumbers]

27. Combined with ageism in many places

It's stunningly myopic.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

97. YW, SS2

[betsuni]

38. The "panicked thrashing of a dying beast" -- always absurd adolescent dramatics and stunning arrogance.

It's more about punishing a fictional Democratic mommy and daddy establishment and being a victim than helping society. Nothing is not better than something, it just gives one a righteous purity high.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

98. They are fighting the wrong enemy

And it's a shame they appear to be too naïve and arrogant to recognize it.

All the energy they put into criticizing and threatening fellow Democrats should be channeled into fighting our mutual enemy, the MAGAt Republicans destroying anything and everything they get their greedy criminal hands on.

Splitting Democrats is never going to work for anyone but the MAGAts.

But that couldn't possibly be the real motive here, could it?

[Sympthsical]

56. What happens when it's the Establishment doing the dividing?

We hear endlessly how divisive progressives are within the party.

In this case, you have a progressive who won their primary fair and square, and it's Power that's doing all the shit-kicking as a result.

When does their divisiveness get called out?

Or does it only ever go one way?

People say they're pleading for unity, but what I often hear underneath are demands for obedience.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

99. Obedience, really?

Where's the "power shit kicking" about Mamdani’s primary win?

All I've heard are vague promises of Utopia once gramma and grampa have been tossed on the trash heap.

It's a fact, the inevitable splitting of Dems in the NYC mayoral race will inevitably result in a MAGAt win, which will inevitably be blamed on "establishment" Dems.

This "I know you are, but what am I?" logic is a huge fail.

[betsuni]

104. No conspiracy theory hysterics of RIGGED MONEY CORRUPT DONOR CLASS BILLIONAIRES OLIGARCHS

OLD GUARD ELITE ESTABLISHMENT CENTRISTS OUT TO GET ME BECAUSE I TERRIFY THEM DID I SAY CORRUPT MONEY STATUS QUO OLIGARCHS. Noisy and annoying.

Just voters voting in a primary in one state, politics. Republicans are doing the usual hysterics.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

63. So we should do the things that got us two terms of Trump

so that we don't risk, what, exactly?

[MorbidButterflyTat]

103. Well, first, I didn't say that

I said splitting Dems results in MAGAt wins. That is a fact.

What things did Democrats do "that got us two terms of *rump?"

Could you explain what's with the stubborn insistence that Democrats are to blame for MAGAt Republican bullshit?

[betsuni]

110. What exactly did Democrats do "that got us two terms of Trump"?

How did they force Republican voters to vote for a Republican? Number of Republican voters about the same in 2016 for Trump as in 2012 for Romney. Biden administration was said to be FDR-like, Bernie Sanders said the party platform was the most progressive in the history of the Democratic Party, and the usual Democratic policies helping working/middle class Americans.

Nothing backs up the claim that Democrats are in any way responsible for Trump.

[Oopsie Daisy]

19. Agreed! I think it's an over-reaction and an over-estimation. "Counting one's chickens before they hatch" ...

... is a phrase that comes to mind. As I've said many times in the past. Vermont and NY politics doesn't always go over too well in square states, flat states, fly-over states, or Peoria. Best to get our ducks in a row before we start trying to herd cats into the voting booth.

I too am dismayed at the "run them over" and complete disregard for our loyal and stalwart and experienced Democrats and having them treated as some sort of "enemy". It's disgusting.

[sheshe2]

24. He won a primary, FOR MAYOR!

Not a seat at the right hand of Gawd, for pete's sake.

The author of that article is way out of line vilifying two great President to prop up Mamdani. The author should leave Mamdani out of their musings or he may end up hurting any chance he has in the election. People want a Mayor and not a deity.

Ah, and I sense a bit of 'purple prose' here:

You can feel the gears of history moving. You can feel the tectonic plates of normalcy begin to quaver and slip. The previous, unsustainable arrangement of the world is beginning to slip. The future holds something different.

...If you catch my drift.

[Oopsie Daisy]

25. Yes... It's the pits.

[sheshe2]

35. Why yes, yes it is.

[lapucelle]

40. Mamdani has some work ahead of him for the general.

According to a NYT analysis, Cuomo won Black and lower income residents.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/25/nyregion/nyc-mayor-election-results-map-mamdani-cuomo.html

------------------------------------------

In addition, two of Mamdani's key voter groups (higher income and white, according to the NYT analysis) may not be fully aware of all with of his policy proposals.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iGn9ws9Ds0x_3kkB1tdM2pxLlbkPtT0k/view

[Nixie]

41. Mamdani's messaging sure needs some work. Tax the Rich is a far

cry from targeting “richer and whiter” voters in nice neighborhoods. “expensive neighborhoods” per his own words in his proposal. Neighborhood vs neighborhood is a far cry from “Tax the Rich.”

[tulipsandroses]

54. Let's start with what the problem actually is - NYC has a problematic property tax code that is unfair to minorities.

New York Court of Appeals allows lawsuit alleging racial property tax disparities in New York City to go forward

The New York Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit from Tax Equity Now New York (TENNY), which alleges disparities in the New York City property tax system are disproportionately burdening low-income and majority-people-of-color neighborhoods, can go forward in the New York state courts.
https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/03/new-york-court-of-appeals-allows-lawsuit-alleging-racial-property-tax-disparities-in-new-york-city-to-go-forward/
Seems like people want to dismiss the racial component.

[Nixie]

73. Cuomo beat Mamdani in Black neighborhoods.

The NYT published that info, but I’m phone typing and can’t link it. edit: lapucelle posted the NYT results in post 40 above.

You posted an appeal to a 5-year-old dismissed lawsuit. You would think Mamdani would be more mindful of his wording with that in mind. I haven’t checked his policy proposal if he even mentions that lawsuit.

Disclaimer: I’m in California, so not voting in New York. I only see news about this mayor race here and a little on MSNBC towards the end. So my observations are from afar. I don’t know New York neighborhoods, “whiter” or otherwise. It just seems he could have just stuck with “richer” and not made it racial.

[tulipsandroses]

80. He doesn't need to mention the lawsuit specifically. It's an ongoing problem for decades.

The property tax issue is problematic for a plethora of reasons. A recent report in March of this year, highlighted those issues.
See the video that I posted in post 59.
It is very enlightening about the tax issue.

The city’s convoluted property tax system overtaxes large multifamily buildings, making it harder to build enough apartments to solve the city’s housing crisis.

That’s according to a new report on the system called “Footing the Bill” released last week by the Community Service Society and the Progress and Poverty Institute. The organizations are calling for an overhaul of the city’s property tax system — a rare agreement between progressive groups, fiscal organizations and landlords.

The report finds that residential properties with between one and three units pay an effective tax rate of only 0.7% of their value, while apartment buildings with more than 10 units face an average effective tax rate of about five times as much.

The lowest property taxes are levied on homeowners, especially those who live in areas with fast-rising property values. And areas dominated by Black homeowners pay property tax rates that are double those of primarily white neighborhoods.

https://www.thecity.nyc/newsletter/nyc-property-tax-is-unfair-new-report-finds/

As far as black people supporting Cuomo. It doesn't change the fact that they are getting shafted.
Many people don't examine policy. They vote on the likability of the candidate or familiarity. Cuomo is familiar. Many might not even understand that the housing affordability crisis in NY is tied to the property tax problem.

There is also a generation divide. Older blacks went with Cuomo. Younger blacks went with Mamdani.
Older blacks have reverence for the folks that endorsed Cuomo. He was endorsed by Clyburn, Meeks and Clinton. Younger folks don't share that reverence.
I also remember that black folks did not throw their support behind Obama until they thought he could win. They initially supported HRC. So not sure if that means anything here or not. We shall see.

[Nixie]

81. Your quote: "many people don't examine policy." Funny, because

that’s what Cuomo was saying about some of Mamdani’s proposals. I only saw Cuomo in a YouTube clip after the primary about whether he would run as an independent, but he was talking about policy issues. Maybe the reason Cuomo got the black vote was because they knew and understood his policies. He gave an example of an error that was promoted and was misleading to voters.

I would think it wise to not muck up litigation by making racial statements, especially when there is no need to. BTW, that lawsuit would help lower property taxes for landlords, it looks like. (2/3 rds of the housing are rentals). Are you sure landlords would pass the savings on to renters? Sounds like trickle down to me, and that didn’t work. Then you’ve reduced the tax base overall for the city. There seems to be more going on than just “richer and whiter” neighborhoods.

[tulipsandroses]

91. Sigh, This is going in several directions when the issue I am responding to is NYC's Property Tax System unfairness to .

minorities - and folks here saying he should not mention race.

NYC's Property Tax system disproportionately affects minorities.
But somehow, that keeps getting bypassed to make the point he should not have mentioned race. Makes no sense that a problem that disproportionately affects race should not be discussed. Forget that there is a real racial impact with this particular issue - This issue. The NYC Property Tax. Not a generic we should tax rich folks issue.

The results of this analysis suggest that Black homeowners pay a larger effective tax rate than homeowners of other races, particularly white homeowners. Our analysis paints a stark picture of the systemic inequities embedded within New York City's property tax system. Residents in neighborhoods with higher shares of Black residents are disproportionately burdened with higher effective property tax rates compared to their white counterparts. This disparity not only violates the principles of Equal Protection and Fair Housing laws but also contributes to deepening the divide in housing affordability, placing a heavier financial burden on Black households and potentially affecting the long-term value of their properties.
https://furmancenter.org/thestoop/entry/racial-inequities-in-new-york-citys-property-tax-system

Brad Lander - NY Comptroller who was also a candidate

City Comptroller Brad Lander Encourages Renewed Effort to Address New York City’s Flawed Property Tax System
July 27, 2022
New York, NY – City Comptroller Brad Lander today reiterated his support for comprehensive reform of New York City’s flawed property tax system.

“New York City’s unequal and regressive property tax structure treats similarly situated New Yorkers differently depending on arbitrary categories and where they reside within the City, disproportionately affecting homeowners of color in tax-disadvantaged neighborhoods. Moreover, inequities in our property tax system fundamentally hamper the supply of new rental housing, at a time when our city is facing a housing affordability crisis,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Among the flaws in NYC’s convoluted property tax system, Comptroller Lander highlighted:

Similar properties are taxed at different rates depending on where they are located within the City. As a result, the City’s property tax system does not treat similarly situated or valued properties uniformly.
The disparate assessment and taxation result in residential properties in neighborhoods with a majority of homeowners of color to be assessed and taxed at higher rates than majority-white neighborhoods.
High-value condos and condominiums are assessed as if they were rent-regulated apartments. As a result, some of New York’s most valuable properties are assessed and taxed at artificially low rates.

I think people either don't understand this specific NY issue or just don't like that it was said by a candidate they already dislike. I will leave it at that.

[lapucelle]

86. NYC has an antiquated property tax code, and it can result in multimillionaires like Chris Hays not paying a fair share

on either their cooperative properties in gentrifying areas like Chinatown or on their brownstone mansions in relatively recently uber-gentrified Park Slope.

Two interesting notes: In its procedural ruling in Tax Equity Now NY LLC v City of New York, the Court of Appeals wholly dismissed TENNY's claim against New York State, but allowed parts of its suit against NYC to go forward.

And it was Mamdani supporter, former mayor Bill DiBlasio, who directed his Tax Department to argue that Tax Equity Now's case should be dismissed.

At the time of the lawsuit, 37 year old Congressman Ritchie Torres (who currently represents the poorest congressional district in the US) was a 28 year old City Council member among those who sought to file an amicus brief for Tax Equity Now NY.

They were stopped in court by Bill DiBlasio.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/nyregion/nyc-council-mayor-lawsuit.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_15th_congressional_district#cite_note-1
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/26/ritchie-torres-new-117th-congress-freshman-members-diversity-2021-484443

--------------------------------------------------

As for Mamdani's messaging, in his pivot to the general election, he would probably be better served by dropping the divisive descriptor "whiter" from his tax proposal. It's surprising that he has not already done so.

[Nixie]

100. Great info as always, lapucelle. You are the unequalled NYC

subject matter expert.

I was thinking in some areas there is more turnover from resales that trigger a more current property valuation, so maybe that’s reflected in high resale neighborhoods. There are “richer” neighborhoods that have generational wealth and the houses are passed down, never on the resale market, so they don’t trigger reassessment as often because they are never sold.

California had Prop 13 that was supposedly designed to allow older homeowners to afford their homes and not be taxed out on a fixed income. It had a lot of detractors, but it passed decades ago.

But I would never think it good politics to state that whiter neighborhoods need to pay more, so it might be pandering…? It’s such an unnecessary thing to say.

Thanks for the info!

[sheshe2]

43. Thank you so much for those charts, lapucelle.

I am pretty sure they will catch on quickly.

[tulipsandroses]

59. Watch this video, to understand the issue. The NY Property tax is a clusterfukk and there is a racial component to it.

There is an ongoing lawsuit. I posted info on it below.

.
As it stands, poor and minority folks are getting shafted. If rich or white folks end up not supporting him because they don't want equity, then that says a lot about them doesn't it?

In terms of the original post, I think there should be room for younger folks, with bold ideas. Sometimes our older folks want to play it too safe. That youth naïveté can be a double edge sword. You don't have the experience of life chewing you up and spitting you out, therefore you may feel unstoppable. That can be a good thing.
Having said that, with age comes wisdom and sometimes young folks need the wisdom of older folks to guide their unbridled energy. They may not see pitfalls older folks see.
There is space for everyone.

[sheshe2]

61. Thank you, t&r.

Wow, what a well thought out post that shows the pros and cons. It is not or should not be young vs old, we all need to work together. Think of the unstoppable energy if that happened.

[AZProgressive]

32. There are actually not that many "square" states

but the one state that is a rectangle is Colorado which drew large crowds for Bernie & AOC including in rural Greeley.

[emulatorloo]

49. Of course, we're a purple state here. And Kamala won Colorado.

[TacosUberAlles]

67. Purple? Colorado?

I think it's one of the most progressive blue states in the entire country.
Democrats hold majorities in all 3 branches & ran Republicans out of town the last few elections.

"Of the 35 Senate members, there are currently 15 Republicans and 20 Democrats. Of the 65 members in the House of Representatives there are 41 Democrats and 24 Republicans."

[emulatorloo]

68. ++++++

[Conjuay]

83. You mean the ones who voted for all the shitgibbons' cabinet choices?

The ones who haven't put their foot down since Reagan managed to bullshit his 'oh gosh and golly' way into the White House that we are STILL suffering from?

Oh, I see...
I'll just be quiet then.

[Oopsie Daisy]

84. Promises, promises.

Trump was always going to get every cabinet pick no matter how the Democrats voted. No Democratic vote was the "deciding vote" for anyone.

For example: even if Bernie Sanders has chosen to NOT vote to confirm two of Donald Trump's cabinet nominees: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, it would not have made any difference.

All I'm trying to say is that it's a mistake to try and denigrate and weaken the Democratic party with comments like that. The divisive comments only serve to divide the party and stifle support. This, in turn, benefits the GOP and Trump. Why do anything that harms or tarnishes the ONLY party that has any chance of taking the majority again and stopping the Republicans?

While it may feel satisfying to rage at the party that doesn't deserve such contempt... it certainly doesn't help anything. My suggestion is to aim the anger at the GOP, where it's deserved. I think we can all agree on that, can't we?

[mcar]

87. Well said Oopsie

I’m so sick of the Dem trashing here.

[emulatorloo]

47. Yeah, Reagan and Thatcher were neoliberals. Ridiculous hit job on Obama et cetera. Author

clearly doesn’t know the definition of neoliberal. Or more likely doesn’t care.

[betsuni]

58. Redefinition of neoliberal as meaningless insult to bash Democrats as both sides capitalists (capitalism bad).

Myth that New Deal/Great Society policies were socialist, populist, but neoliberal elites hijacked the party from 1972 and have ignored the working class and shifted right; now the people yearn for a populist socialist class revolution.

"The ubiquitous epithet is intended to separate its target -- liberals -- from the values they claim to espouse. By relabeling self-identified liberals as 'neoliberals,' their critics on the left accuse them of betraying the historic liberal cause. ... The first and most obvious problem with this version of history [the New Deal/Great Society as socialist] is that ... Democrats have not moved right since the New Deal at all.

"The uselessness of 'neoliberal' as an analytic tool is the very thing that makes it useful as a factional messaging device for the left. The 'neoliberalism' rubric implicates the Democratic Party in the right-ward drift in American politics that has in reality been caused by the Republican Party's growing radicalism. It yokes the two parties together into a capitalist establishment, against which socialism offers the only clear alternative. Obscuring the large gulf between Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton, Paul Ryan and Barack Obama, is a feature of the term."

Great article:

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/how-neoliberalism-became-the-lefts-favorite-insult.html

[BannonsLiver]

107. Yes deliver us from the horror of actually winning presidential elections.

[vanessa_ca]

9. Yep. And Mamdani is just the beginning

while status quo dems were insulting progressive and younger voters, smearing us with false accusations that we don't care, don't vote, don't this, that and this, we decided not to play on controlled turf, went and built our own machine and have been fielding our own candidates for whom we'll tirelessly canvass.
How you like them apples?
It won't happen overnight, but it will.
What David Hogg told the DNC was gospel truth. Instead of listening, the old guard plugged up its ears and chased him out. Bad, bad move.
That was the last straw for many of us.
Time for DNC lovers to hold their noses for a while.
How you like them apples?

[MorbidButterflyTat]

18. Best of luck to you

Burning bridges not the best strategy for success.

Really...one primary win in one city in one state, now beat the MAGAt Republicans in the general. Dividing Dems should do it!

[vanessa_ca]

94. Thank you for your hypocritical best wishes

We won't be relying on them.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

34. I don't see the old guard willing to evolve...

Seriously, what are they waiting for?! It seems obvious that the big money is just too lucrative to really want to change anything. 🤨

[Pisces]

53. The pic says it better than any words can!!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

37. 100%!! Chasin out David Hogg was shocking!!

One of the Democrat Party's top post-election "autopsy" results was the need to reach younger Americans, primarily males, and what does it do?? It ousts Hogg & is now going after Mamdani... how is that a smart exercise of democracy??

[SocialDemocrat61]

90. It's name is the Democratic Party!

[Passages]

10. Donor class or working class.

Pick a side.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

55. Yes, the time is WAY overdue!! I know which side I'm pickin... the same one I've gone with my whole life.

[FrankBooth]

11. No

Everyone can agree that the party needs to make some changes and infuse some fresh blood, thinking, and ways of doing things. But trying to insinuate that the results of a NYC primary election somehow has ANY national electoral coattails is magical thinking.

NYC is not the USA no matter how hard some people here want it to be (myself included.)

[Emile]

15. Affordable housing and Healthcare are national interests.

[Xavier Breath]

12. Here's hoping.

[Nanjeanne]

13. I hope. But it's amazing to see the fear - Oh no - the Rs will stain every D with his platform. Oh gee - I wish every

Dem had his platform!

Oh no - the Rs will call everyone in the Democratic Party a Socialist!!! Jeez they have been doing that since Ronald Reagan was an actor and made a commercial against Medicare.

Oh no - the Rs will say terrible things. Like they wouldn't anyway.

Oh no - Fox News will stir up hatred against a Muslim and scream antisemitism every chance they get. So - we should just not fight back against what is a distraction?

I'm an old person and I probably won't have a chance to see this country embrace the dream --- but this young man has given me hope. And yes I'm Jewish, white and old.

[Mountainguy]

14. The progressives are really overreacting to this

[Nixie]

17. Totally. And now it's not Tax the Rich anymore.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

20. And gloating

[Nixie]

22. +1, and morphing their messaging. "Tax the Rich" is now

a neighborhood contest.

[AZProgressive]

45. He won the primary

Did you know Cuomo either tried or did cut medicaid for his own state long before the "Big Beautiful Bill"?

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/governor-andrew-cuomo-new-york-budget-cuts-medicaid-coronavirus-pandemic_n_5e86b371c5b6a9491833f612

I think most neighborhoods voted for Mamdani. I voted blue no matter who even though Bernie Sanders lost the primary, it is time for others to do the same.

[Nixie]

51. "progressives say"

That was from the article’s description, so that says a lot right there.

My post was about Mamdani’s own words in his policy proposals, not who won the primary. No one has said he didn’t win the primary.

[lapucelle]

89. Mamdani is a tough read at this point. He's relatively new to politics, so the voting record is thin.

On the Issues rates him as a moderate liberal (well to the right of John Fetterman) based on his voting record and policy stances on those issues about which he has a public record.



Zohran Mamdani is a Moderate Liberal

https://www.ontheissues.org/Zohran_Mamdani.htm
http://bit.ly/4luBDHV

[Cuthbert Allgood]

64. Like people gloated when progressives lost?

This is a big deal. Why don't you want progressives to feel good about this.

[choie]

102. Because they feel threatened

[MorbidButterflyTat]

112. There you go again

Where did I say I don't want progressives to feel good about this? Go ahead and feel good about this. Go ahead and gloat. Go ahead and divide the Democratic party and watch the MAGAt become mayor of NYC. Then go ahead and blame establishment Dems for the loss.

And, who gloated when progressives lost? NO, let me guess! Establishment Dems!! Of course, how silly of me.

[Sympthsical]

57. The articles are a little heady

Particularly given that we're discussing one primary in a very blue city with its own demographic and political lay out.

However, with that said.

Power's meltdown is extremely notable. It's been a minute since we've gotten this kind of tantrum when the Old Guard didn't get their way. In addition, time moves ever forward. The gerontocratic grasp cannot last forever and is weakening minute by minute. Trump's unique horror only throws status quo get along politicians into starker relief. Schumer up there with his reading glasses lecturing an empty chamber was an indelible image, rippling through generations that are very tired of the lack of change and turnover in power for going on two-fucking-decades.

I know many DUers are appalled at the idea that the Clinton-Obama axis being discarded is a cause for celebration among many Democrats, but it needs to keep something in mind. Democrats under 50? Voted for Bernie in 2016. Across the board. (it was 44 and under at the time, but it's 10 years later now).

The sun is setting on the old structures, and no amount of horror or outrage will stave the inevitable decay of the monuments we have in place of statesmen.

I see it all as stages of grief.

The 1990s may be - at long last - well and truly over for the Democratic Party. And thank fuck for that. I was ready for what's next ten years ago.

[Nixie]

65. It's the economy, stupid.

That simple phrase was a huge campaign winner for Clinton’s two presidential terms in the 90’s. It still largely applies to winning nationally, not paragraphs of irrational hatred for Democrats.

Now it’s a “Clinton Obama” AXIS…. Sorry, but some of this drama seems overdone.

[Sympthsical]

70. Their personal power and brands are waning

Even President Obama is not what he was once in the eyes of younger Democratic voters. What were his two main notable contributions during the last election? He gave Clooney the go ahead to knee-cap his old vice president, and he came out and told young Black men they suck.

I don't think anyone's cheering in the stands for how that went.

Similarly, trotting out Bill Clinton and Clyburn to campaign for a disgraced former governor was a similar look. And now the meltdown by people like Gillibrand and Larry Summers (an Obama era heavy), while Schumer and Jefferies are sitting back with a "Let's see if Cuomo runs" posture.

I agree it's the economy. Been screaming it here for years. Got tut tutted the entire time. Economy's fine, Jack!

Progressives weren't the ones ignoring the economy. C'mon. My memory ain't that short.

[Nixie]

71. George Bush Sr., a two-term vice president and Bob Dole.

That’s who Clinton defeated in the 90’s.

Obama defeated John McCain and Mitt Romney, both esteemed Republicans at the time.

What has dissing Democrats gotten anyone nationally? Donald Trump — twice. Sorry, but the whining about two presidential winners is old and tired .

[JI7]

23. He is similar to Brandon Johnson in Chicago

NY just has more media so it gets more national attention.

[RockRaven]

26. Even if true, it is a decade too late to save the US from destroying itself.

The snowball is very much rolling down the hill already. What a waste.

[regnaD kciN]

33. It may be...IF he wins in November.

We're already seeing "old guard" Democrats amplifying the "he's a MOOOOOOOOSLEM!!!" fear campaign. I'm sure at least some of them think this will motivate non-primary voters and Republicans to "protect NYC from jihad" by opting for the sexual predator. And, if they succeed (and it's quite possible), the main takeaways will be "progressives are sure losers," and "not fully backing Israel is political suicide." And those will be the political lessons repeated for years.

[yankee87]

36. Hopefully

Time for us Boomers to let the next generation take over. I remember when Clinton, first boomer, was elected. Our time has come!!!!
Now it's time to step down. Our ways no longer work. New blood needed.

[sheshe2]

60. Alrighty then!

So, boomers are 61 and over and they need to go! TBH, I don't think anyone in their 60's and 70's is really old or in the way but if that is what ya'll want...

Obviously there is no legal way to make that happen. So how does this work? What's the plan?

[republianmushroom]

42. Yup, and about time.

[Samael13]

44. Seems a bit early for this

Dude won a democratic primary against a disgraced cuomo and a nobody candidate. Let's see how the actual election plays out before declaring him the future.

[AZProgressive]

46. He was a nobody candidate before he defeated Cuomo

I think he was lucky to poll 5% when he first started. He also had about 0 name recognition too. I actually had no idea he would turn out to be this impressive when he started.

[Samael13]

48. He may turn out to be a political force

But im not comfortable with the current narrative of fuck the older democrats and their "establishment" thinking until he actually wins something more than a primary. I've seen this line of thinking multiple times with different candidates. But ill be happy to eat multiple servings of my words if im wrong.

[AZProgressive]

50. I think there is a generational divide among Democrats

Many young Democrats favor AOC & Bernie while older Democrats favor Biden/Harris or Pelosi and there is nothing wrong with either side.

Older centrist Democrats like Bill Maher bashed young Democrats for a long time even as far back as the 2010 midterms when young people didn't turn out like they did for Obama in 2008.

I don't think generational bashing from either side is a good thing for the party. Hopefully Mamdani can bridge divides with the older voters that voted for Cuomo and vice versa when it comes to that and other elections.

[Samael13]

52. I couldn't agree more

The generational bashing isnt helpful. Especially from the older to younger whom they should be mentoring. I hope Mamdani is the fire of a new generation of democratic leadership and will happily eat my words ive just seen this play out a few times and it left a disgruntled taste in everyone's mouth.

[LudwigPastorius]

92. "Especially from the older to younger whom they should be mentoring."

That's the thing. I'd venture that a good number of them don't want to be mentored. (see: David Hogg)

They see any established Democratic leaders as ossified, clueless, corrupted, or all of the above. (see: cracks about Schumer's reading glasses and 'sternly worded letters')

Every generation that comes along thinks they have ideas that no one has thought of before, which is fine, but to willingly pass on the accumulated experience and wisdom of how campaigns and the actual levers of government work... I don't get it.

[betsuni]

111. Good point.

[emulatorloo]

66. Maher's a libertarian, not a Democrat. And an asshole. Now he's apparently a Trump lover.

Mamdani will no doubt win. He’s a good candidate and NYC voters ->of all ages< will elect him.

[LudwigPastorius]

69. "Zohran Mamdani's Win Is the Beginning of the End of the Old Democratic Party"

Maybe...in NYC.

But, extrapolating the primary to the national stage is foolhardy, or simply wishful thinking.

[NoRethugFriends]

76. Unlikely

[BeyondGeography]

77. Let's hope so...When you lose to Donald Trump twice in ten years

And your Democratic President in the interim not only squanders an opportunity to finish him off politically and legally in his one term but insists on running for reelection when most Democratic voters wanted him to retire a price for continuous epic failure should be paid.

[Celerity]

79. Wonderful article. 1000 recs.

[mucholderthandirt]

85. Dear Universe, make it so! Time for some new blood, new ideas, new energy.

[mcar]

88. He won a mayoral primary, for god's sake

With only 30% turnout, I believe.

Stop using his victory to trash the party he is part of. He’s not doing that.

This author sounds like he has a middle school crush.

[Nanjeanne]

101. He is great at communicating and bravely standing by his words not getting sucked into the nonsense of media gotcha's

Mamdani: "I've already had to start get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, ultimately bc he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for. I'm fighting for the the very working people he ran a campaign to empower that he has since betrayed."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-06-29T15:13:34.558Z

A lesson I wish more Democrats would learn from.

[WSHazel]

105. Burn the tri-state economies to the ground

That is a great idea.

I keep having to remind people that New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are deep blue states, and also have economies dependent on financial services. Mamdani won the primary almost a week ago and he has not pulled back one inch from his anti-Wall Street rhetoric. If he is so detached from his voters that he does not even know what is important to the people he wants to represent, he shouldn't hold any public office.

Worse, it is disappointing how much of the Democratic Party prefers attacking other centrist Democrats instead of coalescing around what should unite us.

[bob4460]

106. Great I am so tired of the

Corporate democrats.

[Emile]

108. Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Sounds better than Government for the Oligarchs.

[librechik]

109. From your mouth to Netanyahu's brain.

Maybe he'll take the choke chain off the Dems in Congress!

probably not.