The upcoming mayoral election is the most consequential in modern history. It is not merely a choice between candidates, but between philosophies: progress versus regression.
The first step in democracy’s decline is polarization and the rise of extremist factions. That has already happened. The second comes when those factions gain disproportionate influence. The third, and most dangerous, occurs when extreme positions become normalized.
Donald Trump has succeeded in normalizing ideas Republican moderates would have rejected a decade ago. Federal actions that once provoked outrage are now barely noted by the press or public.
But there is a parallel danger from the far left. Self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialists” are trying to mainstream an agenda that bears no resemblance to the Democratic Party. They are not Democrats; they are socialists.
They do not represent the values of the party of FDR, JFK, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or Mario Cuomo. Their lineage is Bernie Sanders’ socialism, which Democratic voters rejected when they nominated Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
Socialism is not liberalism or progressivism.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), whose website features Zohran Mamdani, calls for nationalizing industries, ending private property ownership, and abolishing prisons and police.
Mamdani represents the most radical version of this movement. He has declared himself a “socialist,” labeled police “racists” and “a threat to public safety,” called for them to be “defunded, disbanded, and disarmed,” and defended the slogan “Globalize the Intifada,” widely understood as a call for violence against Jews. He opposes jails and other “carceral” facilities, advocates legalizing prostitution and the drug trade.
These are not progressive positions. They are extremist ones that would devastate New York’s economy and imperil public safety. And they are held by a 33-year-old, two-term assemblyman with the worst attendance record in the Legislature, and having passed only three bills. His résumé includes stints as a rapper and a housing counselor. He has never managed more than a handful of employees.
New York is a city of 8 million people that has endured terrorist attacks, pandemics, natural disasters, and economic crises. Leadership here requires competence and experience. Mamdani has neither.
His positions shift as the wind blows because, while he decries politics as usual, he is the ultimate politician: a coreless vessel who will say anything to get elected. He is an existential threat to New York City and the Democratic Party. My father would never forgive me if I didn’t do everything I could to stop him.
Democrats have always believed in responsible capitalism: private enterprise with guardrails, labor protections, consumer protections, and social safety nets. We believe in law and order and that government’s first duty is to protect citizens while advancing civil rights. We believe experience matters because failure in government is not an option for the most vulnerable among us.
Socialists see government as a stage for rhetoric and posturing. Their proposals are not realistic, and when tried, they fail. Look at Venezuela, Cuba or Chicago.
The greater danger is how quickly normalization happens. Mainstream Democrats, fearing primary challenges from the left, endorse these candidates. The press accepts Mamdani’s claim that he should only be judged by what is on his sanitized campaign website, ignoring years of extreme statements. The result is politics without accountability, eroding faith in parties, the press, and government itself.
Far left extremism is not a corrective to Trump’s far right. It is a mirror. Trump and Mamdani share the same tactic: inflame and polarize, then declare moderation betrayal. Each feeds off the other.
The cycle is dangerous. Antisemitic campus protests condoned by Mamdani give Trump cover for assaults on academic freedom. Bans on wood-fired pizza ovens let him posture against clean energy. Calls to disband police and deconstruct jails would hand Trump the excuse to send federal troops into New York City, something he would do in an instant if Mamdani were mayor.
This leaves the majority — Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike — alienated, disillusioned, and abandoned. And it collapses the center-left and center-right, the only places where durable solutions are forged.
That is the danger we face. And that is why we must stop normalizing extremism — whether it wears a red hat or adorns a red rose.
If we want to preserve our democracy, true Democrats must draw a line. We must have the courage to say in this pivotal election: this is not who we are. As JFK warned, sometimes party loyalty demands too much.
Because democracy does not fall when extremists shout. It falls when the majority stays silent.
Cuomo, the former New York governor, is a candidate for mayor.
