From the piece:
“These forms of participation are not trivial publicity stunts: they are as much a part of Mamdani’s rejection of the old neoliberal consensus as his universalist welfare policies are. For decades, major political parties across the west subscribed to a negative image of politics, in which government’s declared role was to get out of the way of private business and to help people only begrudgingly. In this framing, receiving welfare could feel like a sign of individual failure and participating in electoral politics like a waste of time. Political leaders themselves stoked disillusionment and suspicion toward their power. “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help,’” President Ronald Reagan famously declared. Former British prime minister Tony Blair felt compelled to say in 2000: “I don’t feel myself a politician even now.” As election turnouts fell or stalled, and political parties shed their partisan purpose and their memberships, a generalised feeling of depoliticisation and apathy set in. By 2006, the political scientist Peter Mair could aptly describe governing western democracies as “ruling the void”.
Mamdani’s remarkable achievement is for seeing that this “void” is full of interesting voices, overlapping interests and shared yearnings – and for unashamedly stating that the government should be here to help them. His project is, in this sense, to transform the role politics plays in people’s lives. Enacting his universalist welfare reforms – free childcare, free buses for all and a rent freeze on all rent-stabilised apartments, free from any stigma about who “needs” it – is one part of the challenge. The other part is to continuously explore ways to include people in politics. It is a far harder task when governing than when campaigning, but one that Mamdani and his team see clearly. “I don’t think the campaign can end,” Mamdani said in a recent interview. “The same people who got us to this point, we want to keep moving forward with them.”
It’s a New Era, folks.
First actions were to bring local news cameras to decrepit building in a black section of Brooklyn where tenants have organized against a slumlord monopoly, and vow to take action against the perpetrators. Next up was demoting the Zionist police commissioner.
No hobnobbing, galas, celebrities anywheee to be seen.
Just an activist, organizer, DSA member Mayor back in the trenches.