Thank You Senator Van Hollan and No Thank You Rep Hakeem Jeffries

[Nanjeanne]

Last edited Sun Jun 29, 2025, 04:56 PM - Edit history (1)

We should all be disgusted by the flood of anti-Muslim remarks spewed in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary — some blatant, others latent.

Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@vanhollen.senate.gov) 2025-06-29T13:54:55.898Z

You are a good man Senator Van Hollen. You need to speak to your Dem Senators and Congresspeople - the Democrats of NY have spoken and Mamdani is their chosen Democratic candidate. I am appalled at the vitriolic spewing from politicians in the party I have been a member of for 50+ years.

Hakeem Jeffries criticizes Zohran Mamdani, saying: "Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing; he's going to have to clarify his position on that"

"...the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York has been an unacceptable development"

— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein.bsky.social) 2025-06-29T18:22:59.269Z

Ummm - he's explained this many times over but I guess your AIPIC dollars stuffed in your ears prevent you from hearing him.

Hakeem Jeffries, asked if he's endorsed Zohran Mamdani, says "No... We don't really know each other well. Our districts don't really overlap."

— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein.bsky.social) 2025-06-29T18:05:51.525Z

Ummmm - Mamdani won your district Hakeem by at least 7 points.

I guess Vote Blue No Matter Who - only translates in some colors.

*Edited to correct spelling because my fat fingers and autocorrect on my phone offended a DUer so terribly - and heaven knows I wouldn't want to offend the spelling Gods.

[choie]

1. and religion.

[Nanjeanne]

2. It's frankly mind boggling how tone deaf some of these politicians are. Alienating/negating voters who came out for

a fellow Democrat . . . what a piss poor way to inspire people for the midterms.

[Autumn]

3. Does Leader Jefferies need to have a substantive conversation

Last edited Sun Jun 29, 2025, 05:46 PM - Edit history (1)

with the winner of a Democratic primary to endorse him? Does he do that to any Democrat who wins their race?

[womanofthehills]

37. He appears not to like Zohran

Maybe it’s the progressive shift of younger voters. Also - Jefferies is pro Israel and sending bombs to Israel. while Zohran is anti-war. Like AOC, Zohran and his followers went door to door raising money and getting votes while Jefferies is kind of old school getting corporate money.

[Johnny LaRue]

44. I don't think it's personal

He’s just saying what his sponsors want him to say….
It’s absurd what qualifies for “antisemitism” and what doesn’t qualify for “genocide”

History, if fair and not viewed through two sides, will not be kind to be kind to Corp sponsored Dems. Sure, they didn’t create system, the court and GOP did, but they’ve played along and her we are…they seem to need approval from AIPAC, pharma, oil, banks and other lobbyists to do anything. Zohran (like Bernie, AOC, etc) is the natural enemy of these
groups so they must pushback. I think youth and non-brainwashed Americans mostly agree with the non-corpo stances….

[allegorical oracle]

43. Want so much to like and feel comfortable with Jefferies, but he sometimes seems

so laid back that I'm not sure he's paying attention. Don't think he's weak, but he comes across that way.

[Takket]

4. never point your weapon at the person trying to kill you when you could point it at the person

Last edited Sun Jun 29, 2025, 05:34 PM - Edit history (1)

on your side, that may have said something in a certain context that you don't necessarily agree with, at some point in the past.

"The people of new york have spoken, and he has my unequivocal support. Now, let's talk about how trump is trying to turn the entire country into a concentration camp."

Is that so hard, Mr. Speaker?

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Two things can be true

No one should be picking on Mamdani for his religion.

There's also been a rise of antisemitism in NYC and around the USA.

Antisemitism continues to climb in New York City and beyond, Anti-Defamation League says
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/anti-defamation-league-conference-javits-center-antisemitism/

Since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, the ADL says antisemitism has continued to climb, including in New York City. This month alone, 28 hate crimes were reported -- double the number from this time last year.

"Jewish New Yorkers face higher levels of vandalism, harassment, and violence that exceed any other city in America," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.

DiNapoli: Hate Crimes Surged in New York Over the Last Five Years
1,089 Reported Hate Crimes Across State in 2023, Up 69% Since 2019

August 28, 2024
https://www.osc.ny.gov/press/releases/2024/08/dinapoli-hate-crimes-surged-new-york-over-last-five-years

The most common bias motivation reported in New York state in 2023 was for religion, with 543 incidents or nearly half.

Race, ethnicity and national origin constitutes approximately one-third, and sexual orientation/gender identity (LGBTQ+) almost 17%.

In 2023, 44% of all recorded hate crime incidents and 88% of religious-based hate crimes targeted Jewish victims, the largest share of all such crimes.

Hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers rose by 89% (253 to 477) and 106% (18 to 37), respectively, between 2018 and 2023.

The share of racially motivated incidents in the state is now greater than it was five years ago.

Nearly 17% of all recorded hate crime incidents and 52% of racially motivated hate crimes were anti-Black.

[Nanjeanne]

7. There is a rise in hatred of Jewish people, Muslims, immigrants, gay people, trans people, and on and on. . .

We have a lot of cruelty in this country and more than ever it seems.

I fail to see what that has to do with Mamdani. He has spoken out against all those hatreds - including antisemitism.

A few examples easily googled by anyone who actually cares to read real words:

In an interview with progressive Jewish US digital newspaper Forward he said "it is absolutely incumbent upon me to condemn" evidence of antisemitism. He has also stated on various occasions that there is "no room for antisemitism" in New York City, or the world. Example where you can hear him in his own voice https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLD4lS_OYMB/]

https://forward.com/fast-forward/731629/zohran-mamdani-colbert-nyc-mayoral-election/]

[JustAnotherGen]

25. Not my fight or concern

I live in NJ.

Regardless of who wins we still have to pay that congestion tax.

But if it stays - NJ needs to respond in kind.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. Question

Which Borough do you live in? Have you seen a drop in NJ residents for non B2B purposes?

[KPN]

68. Hear, hear!

[AllaN01Bear]

6. thas all they do. nasty.

[Wiz Imp]

8. Please spell his name correctly. It's right there in the tweet. Senator Van Hollen.

[Nanjeanne]

10. Forgive my fat fingers on my phone. What penance would you like me to do? I'm Jewish so I don't think hail Mary's work

[Wiz Imp]

11. Thank you! No penance necessary. Everything's good!

[Passages]

9. Completely predictable by Jeffries.

Kudos to Van Hollen.

[La Coliniere]

47. Jeffries has been groomed in the:

School of Inauthentic Opposition Party Tactics for many a moon. He sometimes “talks the talk”, but seldom “walks the walk”. He was personally chosen by Democratic Party elders to be the next Speaker after Pelosi because of his centrist political stances. He is not, and will never be a progressive on many issues.

[wolfie001]

12. Kirsten GhouliBRAND is an Islamaphobe

That's all I'll say. Oh, and Al Franken!

[aeromanKC]

21. Will never forget!!

[wolfie001]

52. Amen! and I don't even go to f6cking church

[MadameButterfly]

32. Is she going to help a man who was forced out of office for sexual harrassment

or a guy who is under Trump's thumb before she'll support a Muslim Democratic Socialist?

I'm still mad about Al Franken, but considered her a good Senator but for that. I'm rethinking that. If she sabotages Mamdani I'll be looking for someone to primary her. We've got a deep bench of Democrats in NY, shouldn't have to put up with this.

[wolfie001]

53. NY Dems have a way of shooting each other in the foot

2 prime examples: the NYC mayor and Cuomo.

[MadameButterfly]

57. I'm not sure where you think Cuomo falls in this scenario

[wolfie001]

59. When I saw the clip of him baiting the pretty NY reporter to eat a sausage in front of him and about 100 people.....

....that's all I needed to see of that stale mf'er. He should step away and donate to the Democratic party. Period.

[Emile]

13. We need leadership

and less centrists.

[Callie1979]

15. Refusing to condemn the phrase IS a problem.

But I guess not to some.

[lostincalifornia]

16. Yes it is. Almost as good as "defund the police"

[Nanjeanne]

17. Not to this Jew.

[lostincalifornia]

33. What does being Jewish have to do with it? You seem to bring that up quite frequently.

The slogan is controversial to some because of its association with violence and its potential to incite unrest.

That may not be your view, but it is to some, both Jews and non-Jews.

[MadameButterfly]

36. I think whether someone is Jewish can be relevant

to how one responds to the word in question, so telling us is informative.

[Nanjeanne]

40. Gee I have no idea why I bring it up or why you think I do that too often. I can only suggest that

while you recognize that intifada is problematic to some - to others it is not. Particularly those who look at the Arabic word and understand its meaning from the Arabic definition. Mamdani has explained this so many times and so well but it isn’t going to be enough for some. That’s fine. Don’t vote for him.

To wonder why I bring up being Jewish and not being offended by something he never said is odd since he is being accused by some as antisemitic That he said those are not words he would use but won’t condemn others using it as he doesn’t want to engage in what is in the heart and mind of people he doesn’t know or what their understanding of the word is seems extremely smart. Courageous. He understands the comp,exit y of Arabic words and has made a choice not to engage in speculation of others meaning.

Because I’ve spent so much time in Israel and have worked with Israeli/Palestinian organizations I have no issue with Mr. Mamdani’s explanation. Sorry I’ve offended you so much to call out my mentioning my background as to help understand my perspective. Im sure you have just as strong and personal connections to the word intifada which colors your reaction and condemning the use of it is obviously an important touch point for you.

[lostincalifornia]

42. Did I say I was offended? No I didn't. Feel free to put me on ignore if I offended you.

[Nanjeanne]

46. Not my style but thanks for sharing.

[druidity33]

64. Weird to think someone might consider

being a Jew "irrelevant" in this situation. As a Jewish person i think it gives you more credibility. People certainly seem to weigh Jewish opinions heavier when being critical of Mamdani.

[Nanjeanne]

66. You noticed?

[reACTIONary]

72. RE: Mamdani has explained this so many times....

..... if you are explaining, you are losing. The more times you explain, the more you lose.

Find some other way to say what you want to say.

[Passages]

18. What may bother Jeffries is that Mamdani won his district.

[Samael13]

19. Whats wrong with what Jeffries said

He's right Mamdani as the democratic candidate should clarify his comments better. Nothing to do with religion everyone knows what is meant by that statement when people say it. Fair or not this is something that will be used by his opponents to paint him negatively. Let's not pretend he's a lock for election in the general NYC voted in a conservative democrat last time and has voted republican for mayor in the past nothing should ever be taken for granted.

[LymphocyteLover]

23. Yes. I know this position is not popular among the online crowd but a lot of Jews are

worried about that comment, fairly or not

[Samael13]

24. Oh believe me im aware

Im born and raised here and know plenty of Jewish voters who are democrats who aren't happy with his non answer answer to the question.

[MadameButterfly]

35. There was a really good post in this thread that included the text of the conversation

at issue. It helped me understand what all this is about and where Mamdani is coming from. If that text is the only cause of this controversy, we should all read it and make sure we know what we are talking about.

However, I can not longer find the post. Does anyone know where it is?

I wanted to thank the poster and comment on it. I don't see any posts removed, so I think it must be here somewhere.

[mcar]

41. Apparently on social media, one cannot

even mildly criticize the chosen darling’s words. But it’s ok to trash every other Democrat for not being pure enough.

[Buddyzbuddy]

20. Mr. Jeffries may want to consider stepping down since

he clearly has chosen not to represent all of us as minority leader.

[Cha]

50. Hakeem Jeffries represents Me and my Friends and

he isn't going anywhere.

[Buddyzbuddy]

54. Good for you, cause clearly, that's all that matters.

[Cha]

55. Obviously you don't know anything about me.

[Buddyzbuddy]

56. That is a true statement.

Honestly, my issue is about "our" Minority Leader's
remarks, concerning a nominee that was chosen Democratically to run in the New York Mayor's race against some bad people.
Until I know otherwise he represents the Democratic party. And Congressman Jeffries should have given his support as the party leader. If he's incapable of doing so for personal reasons then he should consider stepping aside. Absent that, he should enlighten us with truth and sincerity as to why not. Otherwise it looks as though he's just carrying water for AIPAC and big donors.
So far I've heard the establishment wing complaining about Cuomo, not winning, the developers and money elite complaining about Cuomo not winning, the MSM complaining about Cuomo not winning.

So, no I don't. You could be a very nice person that is a devoted Democrat. You obviously think you should matter more to me than my opinion of Jeffries remark. Truth be told I think this is the 2nd time Mr. Jeffries failed our party. The first was his failure to defend, I believe it was Congressman Al Greene when Republicans and some Democrats called for his censure.

Congressmeman Jeffries probably represents his district well but as a leader of the party, he may want to reconsider if he should when the time comes to be the majority leader.

How or why I should know anything about you prior to my civil but curt response is beyond my comprehension. You are welcome to enlighten me and as I've written in my profile, I have no problem apologizing when I know I have wronged somebody. To this moment, I don't think I have.
Be well.

[Emile]

60. Democratic leadership should be backing the candidates

who won their primaries. The voters have decided and leadership need to support our candidates. If they can't do that, then they need to resign their leadership position.

[vanessa_ca]

67. Jeffries district voted overwhelmingly for Zohran Mamdani for Democratic Nominee.

Jeffries should be representing his district , his district voted overwhelmingly for Zohran Mamdani for Democratic Nominee. He needs to STFU and practice what he preaches, Vote Blue No Matter Who.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

65. Should Dem leadership back Dems who win primaries?

Because I 100% guarantee you if this would have been said about Harris or Clinton or some other Dem by someone, we would be hearing choruses of "support Dems" here. Why is this instance different. Jeffries is *checks notes* giving ammunition to the Republicans to use against the Dem candidate.

[happy feet]

22. you cut off the whole quote

he went on to say that they will be meeting soon to discuss policies, etc. HE DID NOT SAY HE WOULDN"T ENDORSE HIM.

[Bluetus]

26. The people have spoken resoundingly. Jeffries has 2 options:

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Enthusiastically support the people's choice or STFU.

Has Jeffries condemned the criminality of Adams or the sexual predation of Cuomo? If he can keep his mouth shut about those things, then he should do the same now.

And the bigger issue is WHY NYC went so heavily for Mamdani? I hear nobody discussing that very obvious question. After all, I don't think anybody would contend that we would have seen the same result a year ago, or even 6 months ago. What is happening here?

IMHO, this is a case where the people are getting sick of people like Schumer and Jeffries who think this moment deserves another strongly worded letter. We are in this position because too many people in powerful positions stood around, telling us "Don't worry, we have a strong system that will correct itself."

The people aren't having that. We aren't stupid. We lost a bunch of New York seats in the last election. Perhaps now we are seeing why. When a candidate comes along that actually resonates with the people, the establishment Dems in NY state try to cut their legs from under them. We have seen this for several years with AOC. The NY Dem party looks to be a real problem.

[Cha]

31. TY happy feet.. it's beneficial

To read all of it.

I hate this Dem Bashing

[Bluetus]

45. Huh? People object to Jeffries bashing the people's choice for mayor, and you turn that into

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a claim of people bashing Jeffries?

Jeffries had every right to voice his opinion BEFORE the election. But now people have decided, and overwhelmingly. If Jeffries can't handle that, then maybe he should not be representing the people.

[Cha]

49. Who said Hakeem Jeffries "can't handle it"...?

Leader Hakeem Jeffries isn't going anywhere.

Hakeem called out the use of "Globalize Intifada".. I'm glad he did.. that shouldn't be swept under the rug.

And, "they're going to meet to discuss policies."

And, I hate the GD Dem Bashing whether it's Rep Hakeem Jeffress or any other Dem.

[Bluetus]

51. In this case, it is ONLY Jeffries and Gillibrand that are doing the bashing of Dems

They had their chance to state their opinions BEFORE the election. If they can't give a full-throated endorsement to the candidates OVERWHELMINGLY selected by the voters, then it is time for them to sit down and STFU. Instead, they are trying to manipulate the system to get their own guy (Cuomo, the serial abuser) in through the back door. There is no room for that in the Party. We have big enough challenges. We don't need these people trying to override the will of the people.

[Mossfern]

61. Yes, think about it this way

Jeffries wants Democrats to win.
Mamdani's not addressing the term "Globalize the Intifada" will cost him votes by alienating Jewish voters.
In NYC that's a large demographic. His explanation of it so far has been weak.

I don't think by Mamdani's addressing the term as problematic will distance Muslim voters.
"Intifada" is a hot button phrase that brings up visions of suicide bombers for many people.
Explaining the origin of the word does not help.

So, is Mamdani afraid of alienating Muslims by addressing it?
That, to me is an issue to be addressed as well.

[lostincalifornia]

38. I wonder if that was intentional?

[Quanto Magnus]

28. OK, seriously...

Dems need to be ask how much they're getting paid to say shit like this....

[H2O Man]

29. Recommended.

I really respect and appreciate what you add to this forum. Thank you for all you do!

[Emile]

30. Zohran Mamdani coming up on MSNBC The Weekend Primetime

[tulipsandroses]

34. My respect for Sen Van Hollen continues to grow. From what he did for Abrego Garcia and now this.

This is leadership.

[womanofthehills]

63. I like Sen Van Hollen because he was one of 15 Dem senators voting against sending bombs to Israel

Glad to include my 2 NM Senators on that list - Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan.

My FAVORITE Senators

The 15 senators who voted against sending bombs to Israel in the April 2025 Senate vote are:

- Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
- Richard Durbin (D-IL)
- Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
- Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
- Tim Kaine (D-VA)
- Andy Kim (D-NJ)
- Ed Markey (D-MA)
- Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
- Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Brian Schatz (D-HI)
- Tina Smith (D-MN)
- Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
- Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Peter Welch (D-VT)

“These senators voted in favor of two resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders to block $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel, specifically targeting offensive weapons such as bombs, due to concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The resolutions were defeated, with the Senate voting 82-15 and 83-15 against them [Web ID: 1, Axios; Web ID: 4, The Times of Israel].” - Groc

[Sequoia]

39. I absolutely detest auto correct.

Especially when it insists the word you want is incorrect and substitutes something else. Kingdoms were lost due to the spelling wizard.

[Ping Tung]

48. Hakeem seems to rely on "old school" bigotry and "satisfy the donors" to get his face om Fox.

[David__77]

58. Yikes... I think that comment may come back to haunt Jeffries.

[tritsofme]

62. What does Leader Jeffries challenging a phrase associated with the murder of Jews, have to do with Van Hollen's

condemnation of anti-Muslim remarks?

[et tu]

69. wow it's still 2025

i hope we get it together
by 2026! lot's of young
people voted for mamdani,
we are facing a terrible regime
and need all of us to vote
as one. extreme rw's are having
a couch encounter over our dissension

[flashman13]

70. How dare the nerve of those New Yorkers who voted for the brown idealist who thinks that government should

serve all of the people and not just the rich. They should have gone with the officially approved, corrupt old white guy that's a known sexual predator .They apparently don't know what's in their best interest.

[Gimpyknee]

71. Nothing new. Dems have a history of eating their own. Al Franken comes to mind.