In the eyes of Republicans, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is, at best, a democratic socialist who wants to pay for city-run grocery stores and “free” buses by drastically increasing taxes on the wealthy; at worst, he is, in the words of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a “full-on communist” and “Marxist-Islamist” who wants to destroy America and “Western civilization,” mandate Sharia Law and force every woman into a burka.
But what do actual leftists think of Mamdani? Do they think he is a bona fide radical who is overthrowing an oppressive system? Or do they think he has already become an empty “centrist” suit?
The answer might lie in a recent left-wing intellectual confab between Cornel West, Marxist economist Richard Wolff, and Norman Finkelstein, a fierce critic of Israel. Throughout the discussion, Finkelstein slammed Mamdani for failing to live up to his campaign promises of revolutionary change, and said that many young left-wingers he has spoken with already feel betrayed.
Finkelstein cited early in the podcast Mamdani’s decision to back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House and, despite the aggressive rhetoric, his refusal to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he arrived in the city for a United Nations assembly. Finkelstein also needled the mayor for visiting an LGBTQ museum with a Dutch official instead of joining anti-Netanyahu protests on the streets — a move he said was reminiscent of former President Barack Obama. (RELATED: The Most Beloved Modern Democrat Is Also To Blame For Their Current Civil War)
Later in the show, Finkelstein ramped up the attack.