For years, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has been trying to turn this country into another Cuba.
When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her seat in Congress, Sanders saw someone to whom he could pass the baton.
Now, with Zohran Mamdani winning the mayoral election in New York City, Sanders is energized to the point that he interrupted a press conference held by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), then proceeded to criticize him for what he views as failed party leadership.
Donald Trump spoke on Wednesday in Florida in the wake of Mamdani's big win.
He stated, “The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear. We have a choice between communism and common sense.”
He’s right, but I am not sure how long it will take for the message to sink in. Based on the support Mamdani had in the election, he is going to get considerable rope from his supporters, and it will take some time for the financial implications of his strategies to really take hold.
The goal now is for the GOP to push the message that if you vote Democrat, Mamdani is the direction you are taking this country. Do you want socialism or do you want freedom? It’s that simple.
The good news for Republicans is that this win has also caused some turmoil within the Democrat Party itself, but one of its biggest voices, Sanders, is embracing Mamdani with both arms.
When asked about Mamdani taking over as a key leader of the party, Sanders responded, “Well, of course, he is. He’s going to be the mayor of the city of New York.”
Mamdani will have challenges, however, the biggest being that he will not be able to raise taxes without the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul, and she has already promised New Yorkers that she will not allow it on her watch.
The other problem is that there is already talk of a mass exodus from New York City, and if Mamdani loses the big earners, those billions he wants to raise by increasing taxes on the rich and businesses are going to go with them.
Schumer was holding a press conference to gloat about Tuesday's wins, even making a posterboard of a Trump quote about the shutdown hurting the GOP. He stated, "Last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions [of the Trump administration's policies]. It should serve as nothing short of a five-alarm fire to the Republicans. Their high-cost house is burning, and they've only got themselves to blame. As loudly and clearly as could possibly be done, from one end of the country to the other, the American people said enough is enough."
Then came Sanders, who booted Schumer off the stage, then proceeded to rip him, stating, "Well, the party leadership did not support [mayoral candidate Zohran] Mamdani in New York.”
He continued, “Party leadership is not supporting [Senate hopeful Graham] Platner in Maine. And I think he's going to win… I think there is a growing understanding that leadership, and defending the status quo and the inequalities that exist in America, is not where the American people are."
This is going to be a problem within the Democrat Party that the GOP needs to exploit. From what I have seen and heard, most Democrats do not support Mamdani or his socialist agenda, so they need to be pushed hard on the subject to create some inner turmoil. Get them on the record so they can own his disasters when they ultimately happen. The clock is ticking, my friends, and the time to play nice is over.
