"Every poison has its antidote. The glaring unaffordability of New York City can be confronted by policies that prioritize the needs of working people. The confounding inertia of the Democratic Party can be reversed by bold new progressive leaders. Trump's assault on our freedoms can be resisted by popular movements connected to people where they live. To my view, the mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani offers New Yorkers a remarkable, if not unprecedented, opportunity to act on all three of these at once."
"Almost 100 years ago in New York, the greatest progressive engine of the past century arose from the ashes of the Red Scare, the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression. Labor organizers, urban reformers, and progressive visionaries experienced repeated setbacks early in the 20th century, but they kept organizing. When they found the right moment and the right leaders, magic happened."
"The extraordinary human qualities and political skills of Franklin Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia created much of what has been good and progressive and lasting about New York, our party, and our nation. And we may be on the verge of a golden moment again. Yes, this fall's mayoral election is firstly about the immediate challenges facing our city, and specifically the issue that matters most to voters: affordability."
New York City faces a severe affordability crisis that demands policies prioritizing the needs of working people. Democratic Party inertia can be reversed by bold progressive leaders emerging from grassroots movements. Resistance to assaults on freedoms requires popular movements grounded in local communities. Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign presents an opportunity to address unaffordability, revitalize progressive leadership, and strengthen grassroots power simultaneously. Historical precedents from the early 20th century show labor organizers and urban reformers creating lasting progressive change when the right leaders and moments aligned. Franklin Roosevelt and Fiorello La Guardia helped build enduring progressive institutions. The mayoral contest centers on immediate city challenges, especially affordability, and contrasts Mamdani's independence with Andrew Cuomo's alignment with powerful donors and business interests.
Read at The Nation
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