Several ridiculous and harmful talking points need to be permanently retired after Zohran Mamdani’s remarkable victory in the NYC mayoral primary.
For example, you don’t need to be a “liberal Joe Rogan” to win over the masses. Mamdani proves you can be “woke,” lean into your diverse identity, stand up for Palestinians and the undocumented, and still win. You don’t need the backing of the Democratic establishment and the 1% to win a race. Mamdani shows you can rally a diverse majority instead by relying on grassroots campaigning, an authentic message that speaks to voters’ concerns, and being sincere about your values. Finally, Mamdani’s win, with the help of NYC comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish, reveals that Muslims and Jews are not locked into a historic, zero-sum fight from the beginning of time.
All of this is bullshit.
Many Jewish voters, especially young Jews, ecstatically came out and not only voted for Mamdani, but also campaigned for him as well. They reflect the growing trend among young people in America who are rebelling against the establishment’s unquestioned support for Israel, even as the country continues its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and expands settlements in the West Bank. A majority of Americans want a ceasefire and now hold a critical view of Israel. Even MAGA supporters are asking why the U.S. money, weapons, and diplomacy are supporting war criminal Netanyahu and his war with Iran.
Author and professor Peter Beinart, editor of The Beinart Notebook, argues that Mamdani’s win definitively shows that the old Democratic party line on Israel, shamefully exemplified by Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Netanyahu, no longer has traction with the majority. He also says Mamdani’s win, along with the recent poll numbers, reveal that pro-Israel extremists, like Betar, AIPAC, ADL, and billionaires like Bill Ackman, are not the representatives of the majority of Jews in America, whose diverse voices have been silenced and erased by a simplistic corporate media narrative.
Beinart joins me on The Left Hook to discuss how Mamdani’s win shatters so many of these reductive narratives and instead reveals how a message of inclusion and justice resonates with a diverse majority.
Give us a watch!
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