My daughter lives and works in New York City, so I’ve been paying close attention to the mayoral race. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed this level of energy around a local election. Especially one that isn’t tied to a presidential year and has managed to spark interest among a generation not usually eager to engage in city politics.
I also believe it is time the Democratic Party take both populism and separation of church and state seriously. To do this we need policies that prioritize the fight against the oligarchy. Not unlike those of Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s and 40s. Roosevelt’s message was that democracy and concentrated wealth could not coexist. He saw the fight against oligarchy not as a class war, but as a defense of democracy itself — government by the people rather than by “economic royalists.” He was right, and here we are again with a whole new set of Robber Barons and policy driven by greed.
So, let’s talk Zohran Mamdani.
Zohran Mamdani is a 34-year-old Muslim immigrant that moved to the US when he was seven, running on a DSA (Democratic Socialist of America) platform, promoting a range of popular, humanitarian policies. Many of them aspirational, all of them focused on affordability and the belief that prosperity should not come at the expense of human dignity.
Republican’s and their plutocrats are rightfully worried Mamdani’s populist policies are syphoning young MAGA voters. It is also not a surprise the inflexible, centrist Democrats and Never-Trumpers are either freaking out, or at best supportive at an arm’s length. Mamdani represents a future that likely does not include them unless, or until, they abandon the corporate donors they are beholden to, and stop listening to the polls and centrist think tanks that by design lean to the center and the status quo. The broken system that got us here to start with.
In any case I get why those groups are nervous. What I cannot fully understand however, is the shear fear and hatred I am seeing from a large share of the Jewish-American community.
I am not Jewish and cannot pretend to know what it feels like to be Jewish any more than I could claim to know what it feels like to be black, or gay, or Buddhist, or Muslim or even a man. I am an agnostic white woman, very much in love with my husband, that was raised by Christian parents and believes one of the things that makes the United States a great democracy is the separation of church and state.
I understand that Mamdani is a Muslim that has spoken out against Isreal in his past. The DSA, Democratic Socialists of America have done the same. From what I can tell this is at the center of why many of my Jewish friends and acquaintances equate him and the DSA to antisemitism. From my agnostic vantage point, and I have looked hard, I can see no legitimate logic or proof for this claim. I have come to the conclusion that to respect and support Judaism does not and should not require you to be a Zionist. Nor does it require you to accept the massive casualty rate of innocent Muslims in the way of a terrorist government that committed atrocities in the name of religion, for a battle over land.
It seems absurd — and I’ll go so far as to say insensitive — to assume a Muslim American would be a Zionist, any more than a Catholic priest would be pro-choice. It happens but not often. Yet we should also recognize that both can be principled leaders and genuine humanitarians, even when their convictions differ.
I am not a Zionist, nor am I antisemitic. I am however a huge advocate of separation of church and state, and I believe strongly that Netanyahu has gone too far with respect to the loss of human life. If either of these are not truths for you, or there is no nuance that could lead you to that conclusion, I can respect that you will probably never accept Mamdani and that is ok.
But here’s my perspective.
Judaism is centered on religious law and tradition, and I respect those that practice their religion full heartedly. I wouldn’t hesitate to vote for a Jewish politician if they supported policies that I believe in. In fact, I have more than once. If anybody threatens a Jewish person because of their beliefs I recognize that is unacceptable and legitimate antisemitism. We must not tolerate that, and I have witnessed it. I live less than two miles from a synagogue shooting. A hate-motivated attack that occurred on April 27, 2019, the last day of Passover. I have friends that belong to that synagogue. I recognize that antisemitism is real, and I empathize with everyone that is in the path of this hate. It is clearly on the rise and scary. It is wrong and disgusting and cannot not be tolerated.
Zionism however is a nationalist ideology focused on establishing and supporting a Jewish state in Israel, which was established in 1948 after a racist regime committed a terrible genocide. Zionism is not a religion, but it has created a territorial battle that uses religion and ancestry to argue for control over land both sides feel once belonged to them and should again. The attack by Hamas on Isreal was disgusting, outrageous, unforgivable and recognizably driven by antisemitism. Having said that, to be a Muslim that speaks out for the humanity of other Muslims currently under attack because that battle against an antisemitic government has escalated to a point of genocide, does not automatically make you a terrorist sympathizer or supporter of Hamas. No more than it makes me a MAGA Christian nationalist because my government is currently run and controlled by them. It simply means you are a humanist that wants humanity for your ancestors. It would be hard to argue with the visual proof we have that Netanyahu’s vengeance and response has gone far too far with respect to the loss of innocent lives in his response to legitimate outrage. It’s only semantics whether we call it genocide, war crimes or just a catastrophe beyond acceptable. Two wrongs do not make a right. A Muslim’s empathy and support of his ancestor’s heartbreak and destruction is not proof of antisemitism.
This of course is a nuanced debate I will not solve, but the good news is nearly 40% of the Jewish community in New York do indeed support Mamdani for mayor. In my opinion that is something to celebrate. I like to imagine that it is the beginning of a future where religious identity and diversity in America are not sources of tension, but expressions of a shared and creative human enterprise. Mamdani’s success and popularity reminds me that such a vision in a country as diverse as the United States isn’t naïve—it’s necessary.
Setting aside religion and ideology let’s talk policy and marketing.
The core of Mamdani’s policies focus on making people’s lives in NYC better. This is a great message. We need more focus on that everywhere, with real policies to hold up. It is true that Mamdani has made it clear he is part of the most left leaning of the Democratic party, the DSA which includes Bernie Sanders (although not officially), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Other supporters of the DSA are Robert Reich and Elizabeth Warren who are not official members and consider themselves strong capitalists but often speak at their events and endorse DSA candidates. I personally lean a little center of where some of their policies stand, but in no way is it a radical platform. In fact, other countries that would be categorized as Democratic Socialism include Nordic governments like Denmark, Sweden and Norway. These are in no way communist countries or radical.
What I find compelling about the DSA is how clearly it communicates its message. There’s a focus and coherence to its platform that makes its purpose easy to understand. As a marketer by profession, I recognize how important this is to break through today’s siloed media. The focus of DSA is on improving the lives of ‘We the People’ and it is socialist enough to get mainstream media to take note and talk about it. Part of fighting apathy is to get people to pay attention and care. DSA enables that, the status quo and the safe center does not.
Like Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign Mamdani has had a laser focus on affordability. Coupled with his ability to communicate and a willingness to go anywhere and speak directly with anybody, Mamdani has broken through and made his message heard. His approach, like Bernie, has successfully reached the disengaged and frustrated. He literally and figuratively represents a future others can get excited about. Most importantly our youth. Today the party we have in power is not because the majority voted to put them there. They won with only 31% of eligible voters choosing to cast a ballot for them. Over 36% did not vote. The majority of those are young people.
Mamdani’s campaign is built on values, not slogans. His focus on affordability stems from a simple conviction: prosperity should never come at the cost of human dignity, and government exists to “make our lives better.” His proposals—a flat tax on the wealthy, rent freezes for up to a million New Yorkers, public grocery stores selling at wholesale prices, and free buses and childcare—have been called radical. But taken together, they read less like ideology and more like a survival plan for young urban America. They are popular and inclusive.
Like Franklin Roosevelt, Mamdani sees government not as a neutral referee, but as an active agent for improving people’s lives. FDR understood, and Mamdani has embraced that we must tax the wealthiest more and use the state’s financial power to shift resources from private accumulation toward public welfare. The rich are not going to suffer, but the rest of us, and most importantly our future generations, will have a significantly better shot at prospering. Making all of us healthier, more educated, and housed. Ultimately creating a more powerful nation and an economy that works for everyone.
Mamdani feels like a bold break from the political norm in his message, his energy, and his vision. There’s something genuinely refreshing and inspiring about that. His ideas may be ambitious, and perhaps not all workable on a national scale, but they point us in a worthy direction. They give hope to a better future. They break through the media clutter and confusion.
I for one wish him luck, and hope the Democratic party is taking note.
P.S. For all those worried about the Republicans’ threat to use Mamdani as an example that the Democratic party has leaned so far left that we have become communist, I say bring it on. This debate will only force the media to highlight just why the Republican policies are already there, with an oligarchy as the only winners. Today Democrats cannot get our centrist messages to show up in algorithms or mainstream media. Lets go all in and get a real debate and choice started. The message is simple: “We either stand strong against the Oligarchy or we surrender to fascism!”
Stay educated, think critically. Every truth matters.
