Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary to Zohran Mamdani as the 33-year old member of the state Assembly had a significant lead in the race Tuesday night.

Cuomo’s concession came as the race’s outcome will be decided by a ranked choice count after neither Democrat got a clear majority in the vote.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist member of the state Assembly, started to pull ahead with more than an estimated 80% of ballots counted.

  • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost
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    12012 days ago

    So you don’t have to spend millions on a liberal Joe Rogan, or attack trans people, or support genocide to win a race in America? God damn, that’s incredible!

    I’m very happy to hear this news. Genuinely one of the best news I’ve heard all year round. Maybe there is a sliver of hope.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 days ago

      I don’t mean to blunt your enthusiasm, but this was just a primary election, so only registered Democrats were voting here. So a much different demographic than 51 separate Presidential elections. But still, it’s a sign that the voters in the city are fed up with the politics-as-usual the party is force-feeding them.

      There are a lot more Democrats than Republicans there, though, so this should give him the inside track for the job, especially if Cuomo backs down from his threat to run Independant. (I think he knows that if he did that, he will never win an endorsement from any other Democrat, ever, so that may give him pause.) Adams is running as an independant, but I think the city is done with him. Curtis Sliwa is the Republican nominee, but he hasn’t been relevant since the 80s and 90s, and is kind of a cartoon now.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 days ago

        You are way understating his odds at winning the general.

        Your implicit argument that so-called “centrist” Democrats are better at winning purple states because voters all exist along a simple left to right spectrum is absolutely wrong. The people in this country are fed up and they want revolution. Republicans offered it, and Democrats didn’t. The rightward lurch was just an artifact of people rationalizing their vote and conforming to the stereotype on offer.

        One big excuse the Democratic establishment gave was that the world is in an anti-incombancy mood. That’s a correct observation, but what is really happening is the death of neoliberalism everywhere. The one big outlier to the trend was Mexico where an aging male President successfully handed the reigns over to his protege, a younger woman. The difference is, they were progressives. Mexico is also arguably a more religiously conservative country than America.

        The wonky framing of the US electorate has been the standard Democratic perspective for decades. It’s what led to the income inequality we have now. It’s what led to Trump, and the complete routing of Democrats in both federal and state governments. For the love of God, wake up already.

        The Democrats don’t win because they aren’t real people, they are characters on TV that people are sick of. Neoliberalism drains the blood and passion that people want to see in leadership. Republicans have it, and Democrats don’t. It’s past time that changed.

    • Bakkoda
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      2212 days ago

      You just have to ignore all polls and vote with your conscience. The polls were clearly bullshit imo. All the chatter completely ignoring everyone but Adams and Cuomo were bullshit.

    • @[email protected]
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      711 days ago

      Yes you do. I hate to be a pessimist, but Trump and all he’s doing is a major contributor souring people about extremists and establishment. If Harris had won, I don’t think this would have been the outcome because people wouldn’t be nearly as riled up about politics, in general.

      • @[email protected]
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        911 days ago

        When rumpy won in 2016, after my initial shock I thought, well maybe he will make it so bad, we will collectively be forced to see the truth, forced to come together and actually have a positive change for the working people.

        I didnt know then, that I’d be fearing for the loss of democracy as a whole in 2025, but I think my initial thought still stands.

        Maybe this wouldn’t be the outcome if Harris won, but if the silver lining is people start paying attention, I’m happy for it.

        • @[email protected]
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          311 days ago

          Yeah, I certainly hope they do as well! It’s high time people started to give a fuck about what our elected leaders do.

  • @[email protected]
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    12 days ago

    This is why ranked choice has been banned in a lot of places. It breaks the duopoly.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 days ago

      The election here was the Democratic primary. It didn’t cut the Democrats out of the loop.

      • @[email protected]
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        13512 days ago

        Democrats hate progressives. The two would be separate parties in a sensible democracy, but in the legacy first-past-the-post American system, splitting the party while Republicans exist is political suicide. There are more progressives than center Democrats, but they are not as united as the core establishment Democrats are, which made any one of them irrelevant in primaries up to now. RCV has given them a real chance for the first time. For example by giving Lander votes to Mamdani in the instant runoff. The moment RCV got implemented, long-serving Democrats started suddenly getting kicked out in the primaries. This terrifies them, so Democrats will continue to fight against RCV in the future. Just look how both Cuomo and Adams will try to commit political murder-suicide now by running as independent in the general just so that the “official Democratic party nominee” would not win.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 days ago

          Democrats hate progressives

          Democrats hate socialists. Their job is to ensure that the leftward fringe of the party, and of acceptable mainstream discourse, never moves past progressive/social democracy. The Democratic Party serves capital by ensuring a neutered American left

          Hopefully this can be changed

        • @[email protected]
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          12 days ago

          At least RCV is a single and measurable cause to ralley around. I feel like public pressure tends to be more effective when focused on causes such as these.

        • @[email protected]
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          311 days ago

          Democratic Voters don’t hate progressives, its the rich doners that hate progressives so they spend millions to fund the status quo candidates to keep thenselves rich.

      • @[email protected]
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        611 days ago

        TBF it’s possible that RCV created an incentive for Democrats to nominate a better candidate. They’re smarter than they look.

        • @[email protected]
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          411 days ago

          I suspect that a party that ran a ranked choice primary to select a candidate for a FPTP election would have an advantage over an opposing party that didn’t. I haven’t got the math or statistics to back it up, but everything I’ve read about ranked choice discouraging scorched earth politics sounds like it would be healthy in a primary.

      • @[email protected]
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        12 days ago

        Wtf happened to Adams? Sure, he was under criminal corruption indictments, then cozied up to Trump and got “pardoned” (charges dismissed). But then he was supposed to be on the Democratic primary ballot, his picture was even in the official voter guide from a month ago, but on election day his name wasn’t even in the list? Now he’s apparently running as independent incumbent instead? What a booger!

        EDIT: Both Cuomo and Adams are intending to run as independent in the general? WhyTF do we even have primaries then! If they are not going to play by their own rules of their special little club, let’s just extend Ranked Choice Voting to cover the general and scrap the primaries altogether!

        • @[email protected]
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          1712 days ago

          The article says Adams is running as an independent, and that Cuomo has the option and is looking into it! It’s not decided.

          • NoneOfUrBusiness
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            1912 days ago

            He’s probably trying to save face; he’s on record in May saying he’s running no matter the result of the primary.

          • @[email protected]
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            1012 days ago

            Don’t understand why it wasn’t done this way in the first place. RCV was approved as a New York City Charter amendment by a voter initiative in 2019, but only applies to primary city elections, not general. You’d think procedurally it would be easier to justify altering the general election process that the Constitution actually applies to, rather than what is technically internal business of independent private organizations (the Democratic and the Republican parties).

            • @[email protected]
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              511 days ago

              I don’t realize it wouldn’t be in the main election. If so, then Cuomo better not run… Maybe they do it like this as a stepping stone. Get everybody used to the process in the primaries before rolling it out to the main.

        • NoneOfUrBusiness
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          1612 days ago

          WhyTF do we even have primaries then!

          So progressives don’t get any ideas. As I said elsewhere in the thread: I better not hear another liberal saying we can’t split the vote again.

          • As I said elsewhere in the thread: I better not hear another liberal saying we can’t split the vote again.

            Do you actually understand the difference between FPTP and ranked choice?

            • @[email protected]
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              2112 days ago

              They’re talking about the general election, which is FPTP, and losing primary moderates refusing the result and trying again in the general.

            • NoneOfUrBusiness
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              1812 days ago

              The NYC general is FPTP, and Cuomo is running anyway despite having lost the primary. Neither me nor the other person are criticizing anyone for running in the primary.

            • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost
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              11 days ago

              Do you actually understand the voting process you’re commenting on?

              EDIT: I’ll take that as saying the same thing as the others above me as a “No, I don’t get what I’m commenting on, everyone is wrong but me.”

          • @[email protected]
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            1212 days ago

            I assume you mean in reference to the general last year? I raged against the way the left brought disaster upon the Palestinians despite their best intentions. This outcome, however, is exactly what I argued the left should be doing: fight FOR the left in primaries, vote AGAINST fascists in the general. You are damn close to sham elections as it is, giving the facisits any opportunity to shut down democracy is self defeating.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 days ago

              fight FOR the left in primaries, vote AGAINST fascists in the general

              That’s how it should have worked, except that in the 2024 Democratic Presidential primary, when Biden was the only name on the ballot, we were STILL told to vote for him and only him or we’d be supporting Trump. In the primary! Voters in Michigan tried to campaign for “uncommitted” option in protest of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and how the administration was ignoring it, and they were crucified by establishment Democrats. Even Bernie Sanders distanced himself from the protest vote, saying to vote Biden no matter what. In the primaries!

              • @[email protected]
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                812 days ago

                The way Democrats run primaries is shameful, no denying it. But the only way to change the dems is to get actively involved, push for RCV, start grass roots, and, yes, vote for the good guy in the primary.

            • NoneOfUrBusiness
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              1212 days ago

              I assume you mean in reference to the general last year?

              That’s the most recent example, yes, but you get this spiel whenever you suggest going against the party in anything beyond local elections.

              I raged against the way the left brought disaster upon the Palestinians despite their best intentions.

              Where are you getting the idea that it was the left that let Trump win? Democrat non-voters were for the most part moderates.

              fight FOR the left in primaries, vote AGAINST fascists in the general.

              The whole point of this mantra is to not split the anti-fascist vote. And what are the Democrats doing now after not getting their way? Ignore the primary and split the anti-fascist vote. The whole point of not splitting the vote is defeated when the liberals then decide to split the vote. I’m also very much not convinced that a vote for Democrats is a vote against fascism given that they just voted not to impeach Trump.

              • @[email protected]
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                1312 days ago

                Where are you getting the idea that it was the left that let Trump win? Democrat non-voters were for the most part moderates.

                no centrist has ever cared. they don’t want to move to the left under any circumstances, so they blame the left every time their unpopular policies, refusal to represent anyone but themselves, cowardice, and complicity lose them elections.

        • @[email protected]
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          5412 days ago

          WhyTF do we even have primaries then! If they are not going to play by their own rules of their special little club, let’s just extend Ranked Choice Voting to cover the general and scrap the primaries altogether!

          Because the US doesn’t really have a true democracy. It’s always going to be weighted against the actual interests of the people. The more success candidates the Zohran have, the more the established politicians will stack the deck against them. The good thing is that the more the game is rigged the more obvious it all becomes.

        • @[email protected]
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          1012 days ago

          centrists are still the wing of puma pac.

          And they had the temerity to say “no matter who” for three fucking election cycles.

    • @[email protected]
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      611 days ago

      It depends where the cut off is. But there’s a lot of educated people that fall into the higher income category that all too aware what rampant poverty and inequality can do to cause instability. His policies might not benefit them the most but it would still benefit them in some way.

    • @[email protected]
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      611 days ago

      It’s makes you want to cry or throw a big shiny round bomb in someone’s gilded carriage. One of those two.

    • @[email protected]
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      711 days ago

      Looks like the lower income is the Bronx and a bit of Brooklyn. Higher income is Manhattan and the Brooklyn/queens riverfront. The middle income map is more like what I’d expect to see overall based on the neighborhoods. More Cuomo for Staten Island/False New Jersey as well as east Brooklyn/Queens/Don’t call it Long Island (even though they act like Nassau county is out in the country). There’s a bunch of conservative, racist pricks that insist on NYC being the greatest (so they’re definitely part of it) but off in homeowning urban areas pissed that they’re making suburb money but paying urban prices. All while refusing to enjoy the fun parts of the city because they don’t like the people there.

    • @[email protected]
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      1111 days ago

      They’re already pre-announcing the Reichstag Fire they’re about to stage.

      (I’m assuming it will be executed with the full and enthusiastic cooperation of the nypd)

  • @[email protected]
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    4811 days ago

    If this election was held in 2023, you have to wonder if the outcome would have been wildly different.

    For once, an encouraging sign for sanity and common sense.

      • @[email protected]
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        3911 days ago

        I called the 2024 election when Biden won in 2020. He was a shitty corporate centrist candidate who was never going to address our deep structural inequality, and so frustrated uneducated people voted for change in 2024. Obama won 2008 because people wanted “Change”. Trump won 2016 to drain the swamp. We’re all so sick of this crony corporate bullshit.

        Socialists or we lose. It should’ve been obvious all along that the “centrists” and “Libertarians” are just embarrassed Republicans. America has been sick and tired of corporations overtly ruling for decades and moderates don’t want to own that.

        Voters weren’t scared of a dictatorship on day one by a guy quoting Hitler. And at this point, they aren’t scared of socialism, not anymore. The only way we win elections is by supporting candidates who are actually good. Even if a moderate wins this election, they’ll lose us the next election and the good half will be undone. We can only discount the value of the next election iff our candidate will address our broken elections.

        TL;DR: Socialists or we lose.

        • @[email protected]
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          210 days ago

          The crazy thing is that nothing will change unless someone takes control to stop the corporate-controlled stalemate that runs our society. The far right is awful, and the fact that they are the only ones capable of getting it done is probably the most terrifying notion this country has experienced in my lifetime. It’s just going to be splitting all the wealth with another group of nerdy billionaire assholes and making a worse gov. I just want to wake up and realize it’s a nightmare.

          • @[email protected]
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            explodicle didn’t mention Trump running on draining the swamp because they believed he would do that or because they support Trump in any way. The point (very clearly) is that even people as uneducated, uninformed, and oblivious as MAGAts can tell that there is something very wrong about how America was being ran, and even they wanted something to change. The fact that Trump lied about draining the swamp and the fact that his intentions was to bring in a sewer to replace it is irrelevant. The fact that they were naive to believe him is irrelevant.

            The point is that most of us want actual change, not centrist corporate stooges like Biden and Harris. Whether the people put their faith in the wrong ones to change things in the past is beside the point.

            And no, the fact that people showed up in record numbers to vote for Biden in 2020 does not prove this trend is incorrect. At that point Biden was a significant change from Trump in the eyes of many people. He deceived people that he was going to be significantly different in the same way Trump did.

            If you are still confused try reading the TL:DR again, “Socialists or we lose.” They were 1000% not expecting Trump to actually drain the swamp.

            Judging by our last conversation where you blamed the people who voted for Harris for Trump getting elected, this nuance is going to fly right over your head. The fact that you took a comment calling for people to vote for socialist candidates as someone supporting Trump pretty clearly shows you aren’t the sharpest potato in the sack.

            I also know you are a pro-capitalist, anti-socialist, corporate boot-licker, so it’s no surprise people calling for socialist candidates to be elected is against your ideals and you would like to muddy the waters as much as you can, but I think it’s clear to everyone you aren’t arguing in good faith.

            You proving me right in 3…2…1…

          • NoneOfUrBusiness
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            311 days ago

            That is irrelevant to their point and such blatant deflection makes you look immature.

  • oh_
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    4812 days ago

    Good. The Democratic machine didn’t want this. It happened anyways. Maybe they will pull head from ass. (Doubtful)

    • @[email protected]
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      1111 days ago

      The Democratic Machine whatever the fuck you think it is, is a magical machine of the gaps. When voters don’t show up, The Machine does whatever it wants. When voters vote, The Machine has to listen.

      • thanks AV
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        The voters voted DESPITE the democratic party

        The democratic party didn’t canvas those neighborhoods, the democratic party didn’t knock over a million doors, the democratic party didn’t win this election

        DEMOCRATIC SOCALISTS OF AMERICA WON THIS ELECTION

        And you should GET FUCKING USED TO IT. Your machine is broken and worthless, you just witnessed an actual campaign for the people, by the people, and look at the results. Fuck the DNC.

        • TheHiddenCatboy
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          911 days ago

          You have a lot riding on a single election in one of the most democratic parts of the country. While I agree that Democratic Socialists did make a push here that could well set the tone of politics for the next 20 years on the left side of America, I’d hesitate to say it with certainty, given how crass American voters can be. Let’s let ZM actually get elected mayor, and let him prove he can get a DS platform passed in NYC before we crown him America’s saviour.

          • @[email protected]
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            711 days ago

            I agree with this perspective. In Colombia, 3 years ago, we elected the Most leftist president in our history (regretfully, I voted for him in second round.

            He turned to be a completely chaos. He made our country to retrocede 20 years. We experience more violence that many years ago. He helped our government to go broke. He didn’t deliver the “Change”, but made things worst

            You should be as demanding as you are with republicans

          • thanks AV
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            311 days ago

            How uncharitable do you want me to be in my response to this? If you agree with my point about DSA winning this election in spite of the democratic party’s best efforts then everything else in your comment can be deleted

        • @[email protected]
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          611 days ago

          You just described what coalition politics actually is. When your candidate can gather support, or when a group of people can gather together and push a candidate, that group of people can do political activism, and elect their candidate. Do it enough time, and you get yourself a political force that can then communicate with other political forces to achieve their goals. The way US democracy operates, there can be only two viable coalitions, but the rest remains.
          Americans have this weird perverted view of the political process, they believe some kind of higher force should produce them a magical person that is favoured by all, and then they can benevolently think about maybe supporting them or not, and they got irrationally angry when political groups they aren’t parts of, don’t deliver them this magical person.
          Unfortunately, politics doesn’t work like that.

          • thanks AV
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            411 days ago

            Thats how everyone who has been arguing with me about zohran kept acting when I would tell them that im organizing for a real change in the world. Like he should just be the candidate ordained by the party if he was actually good for people.

            Its nonsense, you have to organize and you have to have an actual political goal to strive towards. You go out and knock doors and have conversations and open people’s minds about what politics should be.

            Zohrans biggest opposition was peoples disillusionment with the two party system. They got out and voted because they rightfully saw zohran as an actual third choice, and liberals did whatever they could to convince us otherwise. They’re still doing it. Trying to say that this doesn’t change anything and nobody should expect this to have ripple effects. Tell them to shut up and put in the work. None of them are going to volunteer for someone like Cuomo, so they’re just going to sit online and tell leftists that we cant win because organizing massive popular movements won’t win elections outside NYC. It’s laughable.

            People are sick and tired of being told to stay home and do nothing but vote. They’re demanding change. They’re willing to go out and actually do something to make it happen. Weeks ago our streets were filled with people furious at the state of our country. Americans are ready to organize for a better system. Anyone who is opposed to building that movement might as well be a trump voting fascist like the rest of them. We will win, and we will keep winning.

      • @[email protected]
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        411 days ago

        I hear Hasan Piker (not a really a “fan” btw, just like to watch clips of people blabbing about politics) say that there are some people that were like “Bernie seems like a great guy, I hope he wins”, then prinary day come in their state and they’re like “What’s a primary?” 🤦‍♂️

    • @[email protected]
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      711 days ago

      The people you are talking about about will never remove their cranial bowel obstructions, but their twisted forms can be removed from the Democratic party by voters.

  • Dr. Moose
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    2512 days ago

    As non american I just discovered Mamdani and he seems like a legit dude who cares and has the energy to match. Wishing luck to New York friends here!

    • @[email protected]
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      It’s not out of the realm of possibility, Mamdani was born in Uganda and was naturalized in 2018. If Trump really wants to test his ability to do whatever the fuck he wants, he can try to denaturalize Mamdani for some bullshit reason (even though thats not really a thing) and order him to be sent to CECOT.

      • @[email protected]
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        812 days ago

        Not what I was thinking. Four thugs bust into his house at 3am, stuff him in a van, and he is never seen again.

        But your way is more likely.

        • @[email protected]
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          812 days ago

          No, it will end up your way, but to keep the brown natural-born citizens who voted for him from realizing he will go after them next, he at least needs to pretend to denaturalize him, even if that’s not a thing he can do.

          Expect a social media post something like “I, Donakd Trmup, hereby declare that your citizenship application was deficient, and you’re gone!”

          (Haha, it took effort to write that, my spell check was having fits. And maybe it needs to be in ALL CAPS to be more authentic)

          • @[email protected]
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            411 days ago

            but to keep the brown natural-born citizens who voted for him from realizing

            Um, what? He has better support from wealthy whites than from racial minorities.

            • @[email protected]
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              311 days ago

              Yes, but the white people who voted for him aren’t going to care about him deporting people for being brown. The brown people who voted for him might, if he doesn’t give at least the barest of excuse

            • @[email protected]
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              411 days ago

              Plenty of brown natural-born citizens voted for Trump, under the theory that they will be considered one of the “good ones”…

              • @[email protected]
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                411 days ago

                That group is infuriating. The worst are the ones that drag Democratic primaries to the right, then vote Republican anyways.

        • @[email protected]
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          512 days ago

          You know? Mebbe 60/40?

          Maybe he gets shot in his home like they did Hortman. Maybe just quietly goes to gitmo?

          On one hand you have spectacle, on the other hand you have fear. They’re pretty fond of both.

        • @[email protected]
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          1911 days ago

          There is nothing any of us can come up with that Stephen Miller hasn’t dreamed up already.

          (And I mean that literally, his sleep is filled with nocturnal emissions generated by imagining he is forcefully deporting people with too much melanin).

          • d00phy
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            611 days ago

            This is exactly what I was going to say. Never underestimate how low a Nazi is willing to go, or how creative he can be in getting there.

        • TheHiddenCatboy
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          111 days ago

          Like others have said, nothing we say or don’t say will change what ideas they get. But calling it out makes them at least reconsider being so transparent.

  • ssillyssadass
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    1711 days ago

    I’m honestly surprised Mamdani is still alive in the US, given his name.

    It’s like hearing about a mayor in a town in Nazi Germany named Abram Mankowitz.

    • Horsey
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      NYC is easily the most diverse and integrated major city in the country. That kind of rhetoric doesn’t apply to the majority of NYC.

    • @[email protected]
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      1211 days ago

      Alternately: people actually fucking vote when you give them something, anything, to vote for!