Mamdani is already shaking up New York on day one — and why this moment could mark the start of a massive progressive realignment. Mamdani, now the city’s youngest mayor in generations, took office as a self-described democratic socialist and made it clear he intends to govern that way.
He was sworn in not just by protocol but by lineage: introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sworn in by Bernie Sanders, and backed by a crowd that understood exactly what that symbolism meant.
Within hours, Mamdani wiped the slate clean, revoking a batch of late-term executive orders issued under Eric Adams after Adams’ federal corruption indictment. The move wasn’t framed as revenge or rupture, but as a reset — a way of saying that a city this unequal, this expensive, this exhausted cannot be governed on autopilot.
Continuity for continuity’s sake is not a virtue when the status quo is failing. That word — failing — is key. Mamdani didn’t win because New York suddenly became radical. He won because rents keep rising faster than wages, childcare costs more than college did a generation ago, groceries feel like a luxury purchase, and public transit is treated like an afterthought.
His campaign centered those pressures and proposed something unfashionable in American politics: government intervention on the side of ordinary people.
Free buses. A rent freeze for stabilized apartments. Universal childcare. City-run grocery stores as a check on price gouging. These ideas weren’t hidden or softened during the campaign, and Mamdani didn’t retreat from them on day one.
If anything, his message was that governing cautiously in a moment of crisis is itself a form of extremism — just one that benefits landlords, corporations, and austerity logic.
What made the inauguration resonate wasn’t just Mamdani himself, but who stood beside him. Sanders, who spent years arguing that affordability and dignity are political issues, now administering an oath of office. Ocasio-Cortez, whose rise reshaped national Democratic politics, framing the moment as a choice between fear and courage.
Together, they made visible something progressives have felt for years: that municipal power may be where real redistribution becomes possible first.
None of this guarantees success. New York’s budget is finite. Albany still holds the purse strings. Federal pressure will come, especially with Donald Trump eager to make an example of any city that defies him. But politics isn’t only about outcomes; it’s about direction. And direction matters when it shifts the range of what people believe can be demanded.
Mamdani didn’t promise perfection. He promised effort, scale, and refusal to govern with small ambitions. In a country trained to expect very little from its leaders, that alone feels historic. And with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez standing at his side, it’s clear this isn’t just a mayoral term. It’s a test case — for New York, and for what a serious progressive governing project might actually look like in the United States.
BREAKING: House Judiciary Dems outwit Trump and release Jack Smith’s congressional deposition with DAMNING evidence of Trump’s criminal acts!
Blindsiding everyone, the 255-page transcript of Jack Smith’s testimony to Congress about his investigation into Donald Trump’s plot to steal the 2020 election hit the internet on New Year’s Eve, and it quickly became clear why Republicans fought so hard to keep it under wraps.
Smith testified that “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
“Our investigation also developed powerful evidence that showed that President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January of 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a ballroom and a bathroom. He then repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.”
Smith debunked the right-wing conspiracies about his investigation, swearing under oath that President Biden never gave him any instructions about the investigation and never even spoke to Biden about the investigation.
Most importantly of all, Smith demolished the fake narrative that Trump and his cronies have been pushing about what REALLY happened on January 6th…and pointed the finger squarely at Trump.
"January 6th was an attack on the structure of our democracy in which over 140 heroic law enforcement officers were assaulted. Over 160 individuals later pled guilty to assaulting police that day. Exploiting that violence, President Trump and his associates tried to call Members of Congress in furtherance of their criminal scheme, urging them to further delay certification of the 2020 election. I did not choose those Members, President Trump did"
"Pres. Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit. The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him."
The fact that Donald Trump is President and not behind bars right now is one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in history.
Increasing numbers of Jews are saying that neither criticizing Israel nor supporting Palestinian rights equates to antisemitism. Here's the most recent such statement I saw, just the other night:
Every Jewish person I know is outraged at what Netanyahu and Israel are doing to Palestinians. Those who claim antisemitism could be Jewish fundamentalists.
via The Other 98%
ReplyDeleteMamdani is already shaking up New York on day one — and why this moment could mark the start of a massive progressive realignment. Mamdani, now the city’s youngest mayor in generations, took office as a self-described democratic socialist and made it clear he intends to govern that way.
He was sworn in not just by protocol but by lineage: introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sworn in by Bernie Sanders, and backed by a crowd that understood exactly what that symbolism meant.
Within hours, Mamdani wiped the slate clean, revoking a batch of late-term executive orders issued under Eric Adams after Adams’ federal corruption indictment. The move wasn’t framed as revenge or rupture, but as a reset — a way of saying that a city this unequal, this expensive, this exhausted cannot be governed on autopilot.
Continuity for continuity’s sake is not a virtue when the status quo is failing.
That word — failing — is key. Mamdani didn’t win because New York suddenly became radical. He won because rents keep rising faster than wages, childcare costs more than college did a generation ago, groceries feel like a luxury purchase, and public transit is treated like an afterthought.
His campaign centered those pressures and proposed something unfashionable in American politics: government intervention on the side of ordinary people.
Free buses. A rent freeze for stabilized apartments. Universal childcare. City-run grocery stores as a check on price gouging. These ideas weren’t hidden or softened during the campaign, and Mamdani didn’t retreat from them on day one.
If anything, his message was that governing cautiously in a moment of crisis is itself a form of extremism — just one that benefits landlords, corporations, and austerity logic.
What made the inauguration resonate wasn’t just Mamdani himself, but who stood beside him. Sanders, who spent years arguing that affordability and dignity are political issues, now administering an oath of office. Ocasio-Cortez, whose rise reshaped national Democratic politics, framing the moment as a choice between fear and courage.
Together, they made visible something progressives have felt for years: that municipal power may be where real redistribution becomes possible first.
None of this guarantees success. New York’s budget is finite. Albany still holds the purse strings. Federal pressure will come, especially with Donald Trump eager to make an example of any city that defies him. But politics isn’t only about outcomes; it’s about direction. And direction matters when it shifts the range of what people believe can be demanded.
Mamdani didn’t promise perfection. He promised effort, scale, and refusal to govern with small ambitions. In a country trained to expect very little from its leaders, that alone feels historic. And with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez standing at his side, it’s clear this isn’t just a mayoral term. It’s a test case — for New York, and for what a serious progressive governing project might actually look like in the United States.
South Park writer buys ‘Trump Kennedy Center’ domain name - Click
ReplyDeleteHuzzah!!
Deletevia Occupy Democrats
ReplyDeleteBREAKING: House Judiciary Dems outwit Trump and release Jack Smith’s congressional deposition with DAMNING evidence of Trump’s criminal acts!
Blindsiding everyone, the 255-page transcript of Jack Smith’s testimony to Congress about his investigation into Donald Trump’s plot to steal the 2020 election hit the internet on New Year’s Eve, and it quickly became clear why Republicans fought so hard to keep it under wraps.
Smith testified that “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
“Our investigation also developed powerful evidence that showed that President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January of 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a ballroom and a bathroom. He then repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.”
Smith debunked the right-wing conspiracies about his investigation, swearing under oath that President Biden never gave him any instructions about the investigation and never even spoke to Biden about the investigation.
Most importantly of all, Smith demolished the fake narrative that Trump and his cronies have been pushing about what REALLY happened on January 6th…and pointed the finger squarely at Trump.
"January 6th was an attack on the structure of our democracy in which over 140 heroic law enforcement officers were assaulted. Over 160 individuals later pled guilty to assaulting police that day. Exploiting that violence, President Trump and his associates tried to call Members of Congress in furtherance of their criminal scheme, urging them to further delay certification of the 2020 election. I did not choose those Members, President Trump did"
"Pres. Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit. The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him."
The fact that Donald Trump is President and not behind bars right now is one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in history.
^ That was dated New Year’s Eve, so really no longer “Breaking News” ~ but long awaited nonetheless.
DeleteApologies if I've already posted this.
ReplyDeleteIsrael Just Banned Doctors Without Borders, and 31 Other Humanitarian Organizations from Gaza. The Genocide Continues. - Click
The savagery from Netanyahu and the IDF are beyond belief. After saying "Never Again" they are now saying "Hold My Beer". Susan
ReplyDeleteIncreasing numbers of Jews are saying that neither criticizing Israel nor supporting Palestinian rights equates to antisemitism. Here's the most recent such statement I saw, just the other night:
DeleteVideo: Israel, Palestine and Antisemitism - Click
The count now seems to be thirty-seven.
DeleteVideo: Israel Just Made Aid Accountability Unavoidable - Click
Every Jewish person I know is outraged at what Netanyahu and Israel are doing to Palestinians. Those who claim antisemitism could be Jewish fundamentalists.
DeleteHere's an interesting video I just stumbled across:
ReplyDeleteAnthony Aguilar: Charlie Kirk Was Israel's WARNING To Trump - Click