OK, he won and to say I feel conflicted is an understatement. I have read comments from a good friend and some I respect as to why he will be bad for NYC. I have friends who think he will be wonderful. I question the last in one specific way.
I get their points. I really haven’t lived in the NYC area since the 60’s. So those who live near there probably have a better perspective than I.
Because of my conflicted feelings I understand MAGA better now. So to say I’m conflicted is an understatement. I’m happy… and uncomfortable… and sad.
The childishness, the pettiness, the 12 year old bully sense to some in the MAGA movement make me giddy that he won. All their efforts to smear him that failed miserably give me hope. Maybe people have finally had it with the smear machine. With Trump’s threats and bullying. The whole “liberal tears” bit and similar immature boasting: proud when they make other people hurt, disgusts me. I don’t want our nation to be dominated by that kind of politics; no matter who does it. That kind of politics damages the nation and our souls.
Anyone remember Jesus supporting that kind of behavior? If you think you do have you forgotten, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you?”
I miss “my honorable opponent,” “ran a tough campaign,” and when talking about those who didn’t vote the candidate phrases like: “…I will serve you too.” Like when John McCain told his voters not to speak ill of Obama, that we just disagree. Missing all that makes me feel like a relic from a different time.
OK, at 71, going on 72, I guess I am!
But I admit Mamdani winning is a guilty pleasure for me. Facebook alone was filled with typical mocking, the very inaccurate name calling like “communist,” (a socialist is NOT the same thing, not an accurate synonym.) and MAGA trolls attacking. Trump making threats as if he should get to decide instead of the voters: not an unusual position for him. Oh, and as a recent post by a relative basically said, it’s time to murder all Muslims.
Yes, Mamdani winning is a guilty pleasure. I don’t WANT those kinds of people to dominate politics. I don’t want to BE like that type of person. But I recognize in myself with Mamdani winning that MAGA tears may be making me happy, that their rage makes me want to cheer. This is why I am uncomfortable: I DON’T WANT TO BE LIKE THEM, yet I recognize maybe sometimes we have to be. Stop being those weak little kids being bullied who cringe and hope the bullies will start acting like responsible adults and stop. This is why California’s redistrict bill made sense to me. Repubs have been doing this out of turn redistricting trick for years. Not the first time Democrats in Texas have gone out of state in a failed effort to stop being steamrolled by deliberate attempts to redistrict between one census and the next.
Let me be clear: in a more ideal political environment I don’t want either side doing this. IN fact I want redistricting taken out of the hands of politicians, PERIOD. There’s a way to do this I have mentioned in another edition of Inspection.
Mamdani winning gives me such pleasure because the constantly screeching of the noise machine on the right did NOTHING to stop him. In fact maybe it helped him win. I can only hope. It bothers me when the left does it too sometimes, but they cannot compare to the hyperbole, the constant lies, the repeating of claims that a simple Google will show is what basically comes out of the south end of a diarrhetic moose headed north.
Yet, was he really the best? Considering Cuomo’s history… maybe, but that’s a damn low bar. So I get the warnings, especially since I fear he won’t be ALLOWED to be mayor. That is my specific concern I mentioned earlier.
Something that should NEVER happen in politics. We live in a time when one member of a party can refuse to swear in a member of the other party for no good reason except keeping MAGA’s deity from getting caught up in a nasty scandal. So what people vote for doesn’t matter to him. Screw the people is his tude.
If you claim “no king” then stop acting like he’s one and your only purpose is to serve the king.
I also tire of democratic party leadership shoving aside progressives and Bernie Sanders-like candidates.
I suspect Trump will try, and may even succeed, in having Mamdani arrested, have his citizenship revoked. Most likely won’t pass muster, but that’s not the point. This would be one more act of a dictator, king. He’s already announce the elections rigged: BEFORE A SINGLE VOTE WAS CAST. As Newsom stated…
“Donald Trump does not believe in fair and free elections.”
I did listen to Mamdani’s acceptance speech. While inspiring, I thought the “never have to speak Cuomo’s name again” worse than just insensitive. And be aware, there will be “scandals.” Even if there’s not the slightest whiff of one they will make it up. Cause that’s what they do.
Let me be clear: Mamdani has so much support, in part, because a hell of a lot of people are so damn tired of the constant twisting of panties, hyperbolic, nastiness of politics: no matter which side does it. But the fact I feel joy over people hurt by his win makes me both uncomfortable and sad. It’s a sad case of “about time the rhetorical poison you constantly serve blows back on you. But I can’t say I like it.
My only hope is him winning, and the overwhelming Dem wins, means the end to all that is near.
I admit it’s a faint hope, and the outlook is nowhere near as promising as I would like.
Anyone else notice he looks a little like Alan Rickman from Die Hard?
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“Inspection” is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 50 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks and into the unseen cracks and crevasses that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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