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Bad, Worse & Communist

Paul Jacob on the dilemma NYC voters face.

After four recent commentaries showing, without hyperbole, that Democratic Party mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is a flat-​out seize-​the-​means-​of-​production communist, you might wonder why anyone could possibly vote for him. 

Well, elections are a choice. And New Yorkers have a plethora of lousy choices — especially the best-​known politicians running against Mamdani. 

Take former Governor Andrew Cuomo — puh-​leez! He finished second to Mamdani in last month’s Democratic mayoral primary but has vowed to stay in the race on the ballot line of his recently formed Fight & Deliver Party.

The key reason for Mamdani’s victory? Voter revulsion with Mr. Cuomo. After serving ten years as governor and announcing he would seek a fourth four-​year term, Cuomo was rocked by sexual harassment allegations (including “attempts to silence victims”). Facing “almost certain removal from office” by the state legislature, he resigned in 2021. 

“To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace,” responded Mamdani to Cuomo in a televised debate. “I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority]. I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records. And I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuomo.” 

Mamdani’s other major opponent is the incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted last year on five felony counts, including conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals, soliciting and accepting a bribe, and wire fraud. Though Trump’s Department of Justice dropped the prosecution, or maybe partly because of that, Adams is a pariah among the city’s supermajority of Democratic voters.

The problem is staring us in the face: When the choice is between communism and corruption, communism stands a better chance.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.


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2 replies on “Bad, Worse & Communist”

William F. Buckley once said that that he would rather be governed by the first 100 names in the Boston telephone book than by the Harvard faculty.
99% of New Yorkers can meet the same qualifications that Mamdani is claiming and in addition they are not felons and likely don’t want to collapse the economy. Can we not go through the phone book and give New Yorkers an even slightly better choice?

What will NYC supporters of Mamdani do if his election results in an exodus of people of means who have options elsewhere? Will those who commute into the city to work also search for jobs outside of this Communist’s reach? Elections have consequences. Let’s hope the city and state are prepared to deal with them.

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