‘I’ve dealt with many American presidents. They come into office with ideas, but then men in dark suits and briefcases, wearing blue ties, show up and explain to them the world the way that it will be. And so you never hear of those ideas again.’
–Vladimir Putin
New York city was rocked awake this week as the future knocked on America’s door. A man Donald Trump described as a ‘communist lunatic’ won the Democratic primary; most likely, he will soon be sitting in Rudolph Giuliani’s chair in the mayor’s office.
The mainstream press didn’t know what to make of it. It was a victory for muslims, says the New York Times:
Zohran Mamdani’s stunning performance in the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday amounted to a watershed moment for Muslim New Yorkers, who could see one of their own lead City Hall for the first time should he succeed in the general election in November.
New York City is home to roughly one million Muslims; they made up 12 percent of the electorate in the 2021 mayoral election. Mr. Mamdani wove his faith into his campaign from its earliest days, hitting the trail while fasting for Ramadan and taking his message of affordability to mosques and Muslim community centers throughout the city.
The Democratic leadership saw the victory in terms of ‘energy, style, and vibes.’ Tommy Victor on Pod Save America said it had an ‘Obama in 2007 feel…nimble and fun.’
Others think the Democratic Party leaders themselves are the real problem. Solis Doyle, who ran Hillary Clinton’s 2008 bid for president:
“Right now we’re leaderless, we’re messageless, we’re agendaless, we don’t have any alternative ideas to the president and the Republicans right now. So, you know, I’m concerned, to say the least,”
And here is where it gets interesting. Sasha Stone:
‘Democrats’ biggest problem is that all they have to sell for ten years is their war on Trump. In Zohran, the young have found someone they believe in. He will sell them exactly what they didn’t even know they wanted, but now they want it really bad. He’s the Music Man.’
The billionaires backed Andrew Cuomo, the safe choice, who promised ‘more of the same.’ The New York Times:
With $25 Million, Pro-Cuomo Super PAC Shatters Outside Spending Records
But what did the voters want ‘really bad?’ Free stuff!
Yes, it’s back to basics for the ‘liberals.’ Gone is the divisive claptrap — the dumbbell pronouns, DEI, the trannies and weirdos…even Black Lives don’t matter anymore.
The winning formula was on clear display in New York. Democrats are now promising free transportation, rent controls, free university. Free childcare. And more.
And now, Naked Capitalism:
All the stupid money on Earth can’t save the nihilistic neoliberals from the likes of Mamdani…
From our big picture perspective, this should be no surprise. As an Empire dies, the two factions — left and right — fight ever more fiercely over the rotting corpse.
People still vote. But the center gives way.
Gone is the ‘consensual democracy’ and civility of the Eisenhower era. Trump won’t be with us forever. He will be followed by hack Republicans — perhaps by Trump Jr. They will have to get tough to defend policies that haven’t worked. And they will be up against more Mamdanis — candidates with actual ideas and programs, albeit terrible ones.
As on the streets of Berlin in the 1930s, it will be a brawl between brown shirts and black shirts…two strains of the same disease.
It used to be that the democrats were the party of Big, Ambitious Government (BAG). They were opposed by the old Republicans, who generally favored smaller, more conservative government. Like Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill, they disagreed on policy issues…but compromised, and then went and played golf together.
But now, Republicans have turned into fawning, Big Man bootlickers…and the old, whiney Democratic centralists are turning into communist lunatics. And the more they seem to move apart, the closer they become, one to another. Both ruthless. Both witless.
Rich New Yorkers are said to be looking at real estate in Florida. They might want to consider going further afield. Unwittingly or not, both parties still dance to tunes called by the Deep States’ ‘men in blue suits.’
More spending, more debt, more war, more chaos and more police — both still tap their toes to the rhythms of Empire History.
Regards,
 |
Bill Bonner,
For The Daily Reckoning Australia
