As some readers might know (do they care?), I get some laughs from Bill Maher’s CNN rerun Saturday nights of his HBO Friday show. He invites guests who cover the full spectrum from boring fascists to the occasional lib who’s not afraid of showing they have a sense of humor; in other words, they cover the full cultural and political spectrum, no sense of humor required (but they have to watch out for Bill’s acerbic wit if they don’t have one!). On a whole, Bill’s show is far superior to all the late-night shows (that US fascists try to drive out of business).
One guest appearing there recently was a pleasant surprise: George Will, although a bit worse for wear, still represents some conservative sanity in this country, unlike the current fascist extremists. Yes indeed, there are still some true conservatives left, but Cheney, George Conway (not his ex!), Kinzinger, Romney, Will, and others are on the sidelines watching the fascists take over and destroy American democracy. I mis them terribly because they used to provide a useful balance against us progressives, who I’ll admit are all too often a bit too exuberant about their causes (or even choosing them!) and often can’t recognize the possible negative consequences of their proposals. (Parole violent criminals, returning them to the streets? Or even fighting crime using social workers? Expecting true female athletes to compete with men who’ve decided they’re women? Supporting a butcher like Netanyahu or murderers like Hamas? There are many issues that have made many left-of-center Dems turn to Trump and his fascist MAGA maniacal policies in the last election.)
Sane people are caught between fascists on both the left and right. Moderate conservatives like George Will represent what little remains of American sanity on the right along with moderate progressives. And one thing Mr. Will said that stuck with me about NYC’s mayoral race seems important; it was basically, “Why not try Mr. Mamdani?” In case you care (there are a lot of NYC haters out there, even in NY state—Ms. Stefanik represents that haven of fascism, Archie Bunker’s Staten Island, without any laughs included—she’s a fascist toady who completely supports the “fucking moron”), fascists love to hate anyone left of that Nazi, Governor Abbott, but they might turn a bit more blue in response to the Texas chainsaw redistricting. (Um, I guess the Muskrat took his chainsaw and went home? Someone should give Abbott one, but he needs a carrying case attachment for his wheelchair to be truly a Texas-style despot.)
I probably read into George’s surprising pronouncement more than he ever intended. We’ve become the victims of the attempted fascist takeovers going on all around our country. (Stefanik shows this fascist plague has even corrupted blue states! Or just take a trip to California’s Big Valley!) While I’m not a believer in extreme politics (and Mamdani’s is so extreme he’s approaching Castro and Maduro’s brand of fascism), no other NYC mayoral candidate has the important qualification needed for success: Youth! Forget Sliwa, who’s like an old, stale joke, although he sometimes makes a few good points as he bloviates. Adams and Cuomo are such old has-beens that they can’t interest even old voters! (Donald Jackass Trump’s DOJ prosecution of Adams was absurd, of course! C’mon? He accepted comp tickets for airline seats and hotel rooms? He speeded up the FDNY approval of a Turkish-owned building? Really? The very public thrashing of NYC’s current mayor became a joke on Bill Maher’s show, it was so absurd!)
Yes, Mr. Mamdani is a socialist, a Democratic Socialist. Not a communist as the fascists like to claim (shades of McCarthyism here?), but someone sharing European socialists’ and AOC and Senator Bernie’s political beliefs. You can’t possibly be a good Democrat without a bit of socialist DNA in your political blood for the simple reason that there are so many things that are best left to government. (RFK Jr. now offers a counter-example because he’s become a wild far-right fascist, but normally healthcare’s foundations should be controlled by the government. Public transportation is another example. It was always amusing to me me to ride into NYC on the commuter train listening to Wall Street bankers whining about socialism! What do they think a commuter train is?)
Bernie Sanders was once a populist hero; he’s now a has-been too. AOC was once a populist firebrand and is still trying to inherit Bernie’s super-hero cape. Senator Warren from Massachusetts is another has-been. So we come to what I interpret as Will’s main point: Let the young extremists try to run the country. They probably won’t be much worse than the far-right fascists or old Biden and his incompetent minions. The old politicians have already failed us. Young fascists like Miller, Noem, Bondi, Gabbard, and others are having their turn and are continuing to fail. (They would have been more at home in the late 1930 and early 1940’s Nazi Germany working on Hitler’s “final solution,” I imagine.) They and other young far-right fascists have had their chance as far as I’m concerned, here in the US and around the world. Instead, they’re continuing to destroy American democracy.
People tire of extremists and their extreme policies. In fact, extremists on the far-right and far-left end up forcing people toward the center. George Will most likely wants the political spectrum shortened to just left-of-center to right-of-center so that compromise can rule the day. If so, that’s one big thing where I might agree with George Will (Mamdani is a TBD).
Let Mamdani try his hand first at running NYC. I’m trying to keep an open mind. But fair warning, Zoran: It’ll be like herding feral cats with very sharp claws and teeth. You need to be sure to get enough protein in your vegan diet and exercise your vocal chords regularly. You’ll be dealing with a lot of idiots during your four years as NYC’s mayor. Good luck!