We are bombarded with the brazen voices of the extreme right and left.
The cacophony of scripted shouted slogans is mind-numbing.
Nuanced discussion in any public forum is becoming a rarity.
Yet, despite it all, poll after poll shows the overwhelming majority of Americans are centrists. Some may be left of center and others right of center, but the strident views at the extremes don’t represent most Americans.
How then could Zohran Mamdani, a so-called Democratic Socialist (DSA), win the recent New York City Democratic Party Mayoral primary?
What troubles many, and rightly so about Mamdani, are his:
- Defense of the slogan "Globalize the Intifada!"
- Anti-Zionism, a euphemism for antisemitism.
- Failure to condemn Hamas for Oct. 7, 2023, on Oct.8.
- Criticizing of Israel
- Invocation of "Genocide!" directed at Israel.
- Assigment of blood libel, directed at Israel.
- Support of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) against Israel.
- Calls for defunding the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
- Embrace of Marxist policies.
All of the just enumerated, makes his brand toxic to the majority of Jewish, and Americans overall. The Democratic Party machinery in Gotham appears to have been hijacked by the Democratic Socialists of America.
And this was no mean feat.
The DSA has organized young volunteers, who they keep involved even when not working directly on elections. Recruitment lures include far left politics and ideology and most recently has melded with anti-Israel/antisemitic radical Islamists of all stripes.
This cult-like approach to continuing engagement is unlike the methodology employed by other political parties. Indeed, candidates for office are often chosen from among active DSA members.
They are viewed as being a part of a slate and are also required to coordinate.
The agenda to be followed is the one developed by the DSA.
Loyalty to the party is critical.
For example, a candidate for the New York City Council seeking the DSA's endorsement must agree to not travel to Israel as a condition thereof.
Candidates are also asked to support BDS.
However, as the defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., in his bid for re-election to Congress, demonstrates, it's possible to win against the DSA.
In this regard it's important to recognize, according to the voter rolls kept by the New York State Board of Elections, dated Feb. 20, 2025, there were a total of 3,343,648 registered Democratic voters in New York City.
Republican registered voters in New York City totaled 558,778 and Independents, 1,101,006.
Consider, less than one third of the Democratic registered voters actually voted in the recent mayoral primary.
Of them, approximately 43.5% voted for Mamdani and another 11.3% voted for his compatriot, Brad Lander.
Andrew Cuomo received approximately 36.4%.
Imagine, a scenario where the Cuomo voters joined with the Independents and Republicans to vote for one fusion candidate for mayor in November.
This would not be the first time this kind of realignment occurred.
Indeed the current political climate is similar to what happened in 1961.
Then sitting mayor, Democrat Robert Wagner, was not chosen by the Democratic Party machine to run for a third term in the mayoral primary; rather they chose Arthur Levitt.
Much like Mayor Eric Adams, there was a break between the successors to Tammany Hall, who ran the New York City Democratic machine at the time and Mayor Wagner. Armed with the Liberal Party’s endorsement, Wagner went on to win re-election.
It happened again in 1969, when Mayor John Lindsay was running for re-election on the Liberal Party line. Interestingly, it was the Democratic Party, at the time, who was running Mario Procaccino. He styled himself as a law and order candidate.
While John Marchi received the Republican Party nomination, many prominent Republicans like Nelson Rockefeller, Jacob Javits, and Tom Dewey backed Lindsay, who went on to win re-election.
There's is no substitute for successfully winning an election.
A 'Fusion' Candidate?
A fusion candidate is the solution. After joining together to win, the various parties can devote themselves to reformation and rebuilding of their respective parties.
Education of the young is an essential part of this process.
I well remember being in Civics Class in Elementary School and being taught to vote for the candidate and not the party.
Politics at the time in New York City was extremely local.
There were all sorts of political clubs in the neighborhoods.
It almost seemed like the ordinary neighborhood streetscape included a variety of houses of worship, the VFW, the local movie theater, and the proverbial one or more political clubs.
The Democratic Party Clubs included those with the name of the neighborhood, appellations like "Reform" or "Independent" or the name of a political figure or ethnic group.
Some neighborhoods had more than one political club.
There were all sorts of events sponsored by the clubs, beyond just during the election season; although prior to elections, the activity became frenetic.
In the current world of digital communications, serious attention must be given to adapting these lessons to how we live and communicate today.
The challenge is real. Retail politics and getting out the vote is an age-old problem, as the statistics noted above confirm.
As Ethics of Our Fathers (Avot 2:15) pithily notes, "the day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the workers are indolent, and the reward is great . . . "
The two party system has served this country well.
There's no need for yet another party to split the vote further.
It’s time to join together and support and vote for one mayoral candidate who represents our values.
Leonard Grunstein, a retired attorney and banker, founded and served as Chairman of Metropolitan National Bank and then Israel Discount Bank of NY. He also founded Project Ezrah and serves on the Board of Revel at Yeshiva University and the AIPAC National Council. He has published articles in the Banking Law Journal, Real Estate Finance Journal, and other publications. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.