00:00A lot of us think that Zoran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, is a lightweight.
00:05But that doesn't mean he's not dangerous, that his victory in the fall, should that happen,
00:12won't be terrible for New York City.
00:13Because he comes with some very pernicious heavyweight backing.
00:17That is, he is running as the selected candidate of the Democratic Socialists of America.
00:23It was their organization that put him over the top, their fundraising that was crucial to him winning.
00:28And he is obviously a believer, insofar as he believes in anything anyway, in that agenda.
00:36He's actually said in the past that he believes in seizing the means of production,
00:41which is pretty much about as Marxist as you get.
00:44Not just small-scale socialism, but hardcore, quasi-communist socialism.
00:50Well beyond Bernie Sanders, beyond even AOC, who was herself a Democratic Socialist pick.
00:56What does that mean?
00:57Well, it doesn't mean that he can just impose his agenda per se.
01:01He can't raise taxes on the rich much.
01:03Only property taxes can the city itself control, the mayor and the city council.
01:08You need the state to okay income tax hikes.
01:10But it does mean that he controls so much of city government.
01:15He controls the school systems.
01:17He controls the NYPD.
01:19Who does he put in charge of such major agencies?
01:22Does he put fellow Democratic Socialists?
01:24It's already been rumored that Jamal Bowman, who was driven out of a House seat in Westchester,
01:29would be his school's chancellor.
01:31Bowman is a former principal, a former teacher, who has a record of crazy DEI stuff,
01:37of opposing standards, of opposing excellence, of thinking that any different result is the result of racism.
01:43He's a terrible, terrible force in education, and he's basically what the Democratic Socialists would offer.
01:50They talk all the same about equity and justice and oppression, so he fits right in.
01:55For the NYPD, maybe he'd take Tiffany Caban, another big DSA-er who ran for Queens DA, almost won,
02:02and is probably the closest the DSA comes to a policing specialist, although she specializes in being anti-cop.
02:11The NYPD is already facing an exodus of its best, of its veterans.
02:16Should Mamdani win, whoever he picks to run the NYPD is going to force an exodus,
02:21unless he somehow turns around and, before getting elected, disavows everything he's ever said on this issue.
02:29He's not going to do that. He'll fudge. He'll dodge. He'll hem and haw.
02:33But in the end, Zoran Mamdani has nothing to offer but Democratic Socialism,
02:38plus, you know, his head wave and his social media feed.
02:42There's nothing of substance that's good there.
02:45All the substance he carries with him is perilous for New York City.
02:48Let's hope he's defeated.
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