Black Star News Editorial
Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons
On Tuesday, the people of New York City spoke clearly saying they need real change by electing Zohran Mamdani the 111th Mayor of New York City. Mamdani beat the big money elites and their political establishment by vanquishing disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Mamdani’s victory was a win for “We The people,” not just in New York City—and a loss for the big money billionaires on Wall Street.
Today, all over New York City, and elsewhere in America, everyday people are celebrating Mamdani’s upset win that will make him the city’s first Muslim mayor. The Ugandan-born Mamdani has created a political movement that was already having ripple effects across America, even before his victory on Tuesday.
Will the Democratic Party, many of whom refused to endorse him, now embrace his people-centered policies? Or will they continue to ally themselves with Republicans, and the greedy wealthy, to stifle Mamdani’s agenda for the residents of New York City?
In an eloquent inclusive victory speech, Mamdani pledged to made New York City affordable for all of its diverse residents. However, let’s not fool ourselves, the moneyed minority will use their vast wealth—and political lackeys, both Republicans and Democrats, to impede his policies for the people.
This is why it was important that in Mamdani’s victory speech he repeatedly used the word “we” in articulating his vision for the city. This is key, because the voters who propelled him to this victory must understand that if Mamdani is to be ultimately successful, in delivering on his platform promises, he will need New Yorkers to pay attention to those who are now strategizing schemes to stop Mamdani once he enters Gracie Mansion.
We must also be ready and willing to hold Mamdani accountable to deliver on his campaign promises.
Wall Street and big money, for too long, have been able to control political outcomes because of the power of their money. These folks will no doubt fund politicians at the city, and state level, to obstruct Mamdani. The people of New York City must be acutely aware of this.
Big money has become very comfortable gouging New Yorkers, and Americans. These greedy monsters are likely not very happy right now, not just because Mamdani has won, but because his win will further unleash other similar people-powered campaigns throughout the country. We must expect that these billionaires will fight dirty, as they always have, to try to revert us backward.
Therefore, we must not relax. Much more work is there to be done. For example, in the Democratic Party we need a housecleaning to remove leadership phonies.
The Democratic Party is supposedly a party of the working-class. So, after Mamdani first walloped Cuomo (in the Democratic Primary) why did most of the leadership not embrace Mamdani, especially when he captured a voting demographic the party has lost: young voters?
The answer is that many in leadership are more beholden to these same billionaire behemoths than to the voters they pretend to care about. This is why we must now concentrate on removing Democratic leaders who have turned a blind eye, and a deaf ear, to the plight of working people. We must use Mamdani’s momentous victory to put these Democratic Pary leaders on notice that their days are numbered.
Mamdani’s successful campaign also shows us how the Democratic Party should be remade—as a party for America’s working people.
Mamdani’s campaign was laser focused on affordability, yet these bought-and-paid for Democratic Party leaders decided to criticize Mamdani because he condemned the genocidal actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Do these political puppets have any moral scruples?
The Democratic Party has been exposed for their contemptible silence while American bombs continue to rain down death on Palestinians. Moreover, their attacks on principled American college students helped Democrats again lose the presidency to Donald Trump.
Now that the man who captured the imagination of many in New York, America, and beyond, will be New York City’s next mayor, the leadership of the Democratic Party had better decide who they want to fight for: regular Americans, or the billionaire class.
The Democratic Party had best learn the lessons, about fighting for regular Americans, that was exhibited by Zohran Mamdani.
