Despite winning an election in the most Jewish city in America, repeatedly speaking about the need to combat antisemitism during his campaign, and cross-endorsing Jewish candidate Brad Lander, pro-Israel politicians and pundits claim that Mamdani’s win makes Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe because he has refused to condemn the phrase “Globalize the Intifada”, a slogan that encourages international support for the Palestinian cause.
Mamdani has never actually used the phrase himself.
Responding to a slew of inaccurate statements from an anti-Palestinian caller on The Brian Lehrer Show, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said that New York Jews were “alarmed” by Mamdani’s positions, “particularly references to global jihad.”
Lehrer pushed back on Gillibrand’s assertion, asking the Senator whether she had any proof that Mamdani supported violence. “Again Brian, I don’t have all the data and information, and I’ve never sat down with Mr. Mamdani,” she responded. “So I’ve asked to have that meeting.”
Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) baselessly claimed that Mamdani has called for violence against Jewish people in the past.
Current New York Mayor Eric Adams told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Mamdani was antisemitic because he praised Hamas. When Tapper questioned the claim, Adams told him that he would be able to find proof by doing a “little research.”
Not large enough to make a difference, if by “disenfranchised” you mean “doesn’t vote for either major party.”
Here’s the thing: In order for a third-party candidate to make any difference at all beyond acting as a spoiler, that candidate needs to WIN. Not just have a good showing. Not just have a great showing where they come in just barely behind. In a FPTP system, there’s only the winner… and everyone else.
Until we have a third-party candidate who can actually win, a vote for a third party is not quite the same as voting for the candidate you’re most ideologically opposed to, but it’s not very different, either.
And don’t get me wrong, I fucking hate that that’s the situation we’re in. But it is. I wish I could argue against the mathematics of it, but they’re unavoidable.