Mamdani And The Politics Of Antisemitism

I. The Animating Force Behind Mamdani's Movement

Days after the Mamdani-DSA socialist or communist victories in New York City, there was all manner of punditry speculation about a populist revolt, the breakdown of conventional political organizations, I guess in this case the Democratic party.

Economic worries about affordability and probably other factors that undoubtedly have some merit. Yet to me, and I want to be very clear about this, the single strongest animating fervor that unites this Mamdani socialist movement is antisemitism, a hatred of Jewish people, and a desire to eliminate the state of Israel.

And that includes the diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI movement, which in many ways is the progenitor of this scourge of antisemitism.

Just look at any of these socialist mayors and their fellow travelers in New York of course, but don’t forget Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, the odd Senate race in Maine, and the other crackpot Senate candidate in Michigan. 

And you will find a constant refrain attacking Israel, trying to explain away the horrific barbaric slaughter in Israel on October 7, 2023. Even defending Hamas who made the slaughter.

One candidate here at New York, Darializa Avila Chevalier, organized a pro-Palestine rally at Columbia University the day after the horrific Israeli attack by Hamas.

Just scroll through their tweets and other communications and you’ll see constant references, against Jews, against Israel, in favor of Hamas, or any of the anti-Israeli terrorist groups, somehow all in the name of Palestine, which is actually a place that exists only in the imagination of these far-left radicals.

How ironic that Israel itself enjoys commercial, trading, and business, even governance with large parts of Palestine, and the Arab communities who live on the West Bank, all of this unbeknownst to these crazy American antisemites.

And they’d rather talk about all of that than anything positive ever about America. Indeed, whether it’s wiping their hands on the American flag, or blaming America for 9/11, or denying Holocaust standards, or arresting Benjamin Netanyahu.

You could almost say antisemitism is not only the animating force behind this Mamdani socialism, it’s almost the only force. Yet, on the economic side, there is an aha moment.

The latest agenda published by the national DSA includes abolishing the United States Senate, defunding the military, open borders, universal amnesty for illegal immigrants, national takeover of large corporations, defunding the police, free government everything, including all healthcare and including abortions, voting rights for criminals, confiscatory taxation of wealth and income, and penalizing business wherever possible. Plus, stacking the Supreme Court.

So as President Trump said it’s hard to know if this is socialism or communism or whatever. As he put it: “Well, they’re going radical left.” 

He added: “You know, you talk about the Democrat socialists,” but “it’s really communists. That’s these people. I watched that woman last night. That’s not a socialist. I know socialist.” He concluded: “that woman is a communist.”

Well whatever ism, I know one: it is antisemitism. And thus far we are seeing virtually nothing about men and women of goodwill in politics or business or anywhere who have the courage to stand up to this antisemitism.

It will presumably be up to the Republicans this autumn in the midterm elections to draw a very clear contrast with this new Mamdani-AOC socialist tail that is suddenly wagging the entire Democratic party dog.

Yet it will not be sufficient to merely disagree on their crazy economics, or their border, or their security, or their hatred of our military. The issue of hate and bigotry of any kind, and yes of course antisemitism, must be ended. Full stop.

II. How Antisemitism Is Changing New York

So Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his socialists had a big night last night. And I believe the absolute worst part of those victories yesterday, was the sheer unity message of antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry aimed at Jewish people that animates and unites this Mamdani Socialist movement — and their hope that they will someday drive the entire state of Israel out to the sea. Destroy it. 

This Jewish bigotry is the worst part of the story. I’m gonna get to their crazy socialist economics in just a moment.

Yet at the city with the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, this antisemitic bigotry is astonishing and heartbreaking. And demoralizing. And it has somehow got to be stopped.

We know millions of Jewish people immigrated here from Eastern Europe and elsewhere down through the years, along with Irish, Italian, Polish, Catholics, and people from all walks of life, all religions, and all ancestries.

New York was a melting pot. New York City was a great vortex of tolerance. Respect for our differences. Now it has become a place of multiple hatreds.

In a recent voter survey, half the people said life in the city feels worse than it did just a year ago.

Maybe that’s the Mamdani hatred factor. It’s astonishing that New York is trapped by these kinds of hatred. Democrats like Mario Cuomo and Hugh Carey would never have stood for this. 

Nor would Republicans like George Pataki or Rudy Giuliani. Mike Bloomberg, certainly not. Ed Koch, certainly not.

Yet I think a lot of this antisemitism began during the Bill DeBlasio years, and the crazy left-wing socialist staff that he brought with him — and now yes it continues through Mr. Mamdani, and it must be stopped.

It is the most corrosive factor eating away at the lifeblood of New York City. And this is a place where I have lived and worked for the better part of 50 years. I’ve seen the city at its greatest. I have seen the city in the dumps. Right now it’s in the dumps.

But you know what? More than the sagging economy or worries about crime, and education and other lifestyle things — it’s the daily losing ground to Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, and elsewhere, more than all of that is the Jewish hatred that is destroying our city.

To be sure, the Mamdani socialist platform of taxing wealth, alienating businesses, open borders, abolishing ICE, blaming cops, free-government everything, green new deals, packing the Supreme Court, rent controls, housing takeover, and all the rest, all of that is killing the economy and is wrecking affordability.

The Mamdani socialists don’t represent America. That’s a good thing. Republicans, to be sure, must emphasize their themes of freedom, free enterprise, and opportunity and tolerance.

Yet it’s the antisemitism that’s destroying New York City. And that’s the part that hurts this New Yorker the most.

III. A Call To Confront Mamdani-ism

President Trump tore into the antisemitic mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, and his socialist/communist movement at the president’s Faith and Freedom Coalition speech today saying that religion is back.

American greatness has been forged by people of faith. America is one nation under God and we’re not changing that. He said he will defend Christians and all Americans of faith 100 percent.

He referred to his executive orders reaffirming the fight against antisemitism or any other bigotry or persecution of people of faith.

The president argued that Democrats want to destroy traditional ways of life, and that Senator Chuck Schumer, the leading Jewish office holder in the country, is afraid to fight. 

Mr. Trump said: “I watched Schumer, he’s afraid to fight. I watch guys that are pretty normal and guys that we oppose. They’re afraid to fight. The Democrats have taken a tremendous turn left”

As for the Mamdani Democratic Socialists of America, Mr. Trump called them godless communists, and chided more traditional Democrats for not fighting this. As he put it:

“So they’re turning communists themselves, becoming a Communist party. These are not social democrats. These are hardcore, godless communists. They’re godless communists. All communists are godless. They don’t believe in God. This is the most serious threat to our country since its existence.”

I think the president was in great form today, but if I had my druthers, I would suggest that he pound even harder and more directly on the antisemitism of the Mamdani crowd, which I believe is the animating, motivating, and uniting message of Mamdani socialism.

The sheer hatred and bigotry against Jewish people and the state of Israel is the most corrosive and corrupt stain on this crowd, and the people who voted for them, and the greatest risk that this will spread throughout the country. And this will not end in New York City, but will spread throughout the country.

And the thing about bigotry and hatred is once it aims at one group, it then metastasizes to infect many other groups as well. We cannot let this happen.

As Marc Thiessen puts it, “President Trump says they’re communists. You say they’re antisemites. I say yes, they’re both. Communism and antisemitism are close cousins.”

People must speak out. If Mr. Schumer hesitates, then maybe some other Democrats will step up and blast the Mamdani bigotry.

Of course Republicans must hammer away on this. They are the party of freedom and free enterprise, and economic opportunity and tolerance, and faith.

Now is the time to save America from the scourge of Mamdani-ism and its hatred of America which is part and parcel of their message.

Lawrence Kudlow is a Fox News Media contributor and host of both “Kudlow” on weekdays and the nationally syndicated “Larry Kudlow Show” each Saturday. This column is adapted from his monologues on “Kudlow.”

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