Winning Is Not Weak

 

Republicans think poorly of Democratic elected officials because they disagree with them; Democrats think poorly of Democratic elected officials because they think they’re ineffective.

--Jim Geraghty

I take "ineffective" to mean, primarily, weak. Paralyzed. What if? but also ... what if...? Unable to calculate the forest because the trees are in the way.

Winning is not weak, and right now I can concentrate my hopes and energies on Democratic Party winners, starting with Josh Stein and Jeff Jackson in North Carolina, who are highly effective. Their styles are low-key, not hot and aggressive but reasoned and clear and in a word strong.

Democratic winners are actually pretty plentiful nationally. Susan Crawford defeated Republican Brad Schimel by10 points in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in April, where both Trump and Musk tried to put their thumbs on the scales for Schimel, especially Musk. Democrat Abigail Spanberger is clearly favored to win the race for Virginia governor in November, and Mikie Sherrill appears to be leading comfortably for governor of New Jersey. (I profiled both Spanberger and Sherrill when they first ran for and won seats in Congress in the Blue Wave of 2018. They've turned out to be rising stars.)

Zohran Mamdani belongs to a wholly unique class of one. His in-your-face vacation announcement video -- "Uganda Miss Me, But I'll Be Back Soon" -- is like nothing I've ever seen a candidate do, directly answer the "go back to Africa!" haters with an "up-yours" that's both funny and muscular. I'm praying he's as level-headed as the character he plays on TikTok.

"No Endorsement" in NYC Mayor's Race, Sez NYTimes

 

Mamdani

I've been just recently reading about the New York mayor race and the two apparent front-runners, former Guv Andrew Cuomo and sudden rising star of the Left, Zohran Mamdani. Today comes the extraordinary announcement that the New York Times will not be endorsing in the mayor's race. What they said about Mamdani is pretty arresting:

Zohran Mamdani, a state legislator who represents a Queens district. Mr. Mamdani, a charismatic 33-year-old, is running a joyful campaign full of viral videos in which he talks with voters. He offers the kind of fresh political style for which many people are hungry during the angry era of President Trump.

Unfortunately, Mr. Mamdani is running on an agenda uniquely unsuited to the city’s challenges. He is a democratic socialist who too often ignores the unavoidable trade-offs of governance. He favors rent freezes that could restrict housing supply and make it harder for younger New Yorkers and new arrivals to afford housing. He wants the government to operate grocery stores, as if customer service and retail sales were strengths of the public sector. He minimizes the importance of policing.

Most worrisome, he shows little concern about the disorder of the past decade, even though its costs have fallen hardest on the city’s working-class and poor residents. Mr. Mamdani, who has called Mr. de Blasio the best New York mayor of his lifetime, offers an agenda that remains alluring among elite progressives but has proved damaging to city life.

The editorial board's estimation of the disastrous Bill de Blasio's term is worth reading in the same long statement -- if you want to understand "the typical Left agenda that's alluring among elite progressives."