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. And the same who think he will be good.
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 makes 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 other people hurt, disgusts me. I don’t want that to be that way. I don’t want the nation I was born into to be that way. . Even if just one side fights this way in the long run we all lose. The Lex Luther cartoon nature of how anyone who dares disagree is evil or stupid CAUSES violence, which only makes both sides more determined and creates even more, worse, violence.
I miss “my honorable opponent,” “ran a tough campaign,” and “…I will serve you too.” And that makes me feel like a relic from a different time.
OK, at 71, going on 72, I guess I am.
But 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, nor 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.
It’s a guilty pleasure. I don’t WANT those kinds of people to dominate politics. I don’t want to BE that type of person. But I recognize in myself 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 they will stop. THEY WON’T.
This is why California’s redistrict bill made sense from the Dem side. 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. IF THEY CAN DO IT WE SHOULD. Unilateral disarmament should NEVER be a thing.
Mamdani winning gives me such pleasure, the constantly screeching of the noise machine on the right did NOTHING to stop him. In fact maybe it helped. 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 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 such a low bar! I get the warnings, especially since I fear he won’t be ALLOWED to be mayor.
Something that should NEVER happen in politics. We live in a time when a member of a party can refuse to swear in a member of the other party for no good reason except political. That means what people vote for doesn’t matter to them. Screw the people is their tude.
I also tire of democratic party leadership shoving aside progressives and Bernie Sanders-like candidates. I miss when people from the whole spectrum could run: either on Conservative, or Republican, or Democrat, or Liberal Parties. Sometimes they ran on 2 tickets. Not all Dem candidates had to be moderate or what we used to call Conservative Democrats. Not all Republicans had to be what they dare call Conservative: MAGA candidates would be something Bill Buckley would be ashamed of. Not all Dem candidates have to be moderate. There are few to almost no “radical Democrats;” a phrase Trump keeps puking out as if it’s a real thing. We need Liberal Republicans, Conservative Dems, Liberal Dems, Conservative Republicans. We need them all. WE DON’T NEED INTENTIONAL DIVISION AND HATE MONGERING.
I suspect Trump will try, and may even succeed, to have him arrested, have his citizenship revoked. This would be one more act of a dictator, king. He’s already announced that the elections would be 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. But be aware, there will be “scandals.” Even if there’s not the slightest whiff of one operatives, bots and trolls 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. Those who screamed nasty insults are in part responsible for the results. But the fact I feel joy over people hurt by his win makes me both uncomfortable and sad. It’s a case of “about time the rhetorical poison you constantly serve winds up on your plate.” But I can’t say I like it.
My only hope is with his win, and the overwhelming Dem wins, means the end to all that is near.
But, yeah, I’m VERY skeptical about that too.
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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