President Donald Trump's United States of America

[Full Metal Junkie]

...also, all three big wins in NYC, Virginia and NJ for Dems where on diversity tickets. All three candidates here met the diversity criteria. That's saying as much to centrists and is it to the right, IMO.

Do you truly believe that anyone votes for someone because they tick all the diversity criteria boxes? Or do they vote for them because of their platform and their qualifications?
I can certainly see how in the world of racists and bigots a lot of people would be willing to vote against someone because of their identity. But when did the identity politics ever helped a candidate? I am personally of the opinion that the less we as a society focus on the identity politics, the better off everyone will be (including the diverse candidates).

 

[kEiThZ]

I like what Mamdani represents. I am just sad that so many of his policies are economically nonsensical or entirely out of his power. What happens for left wing policies when he fails?

 

[Mihairokov]

I like what Mamdani represents. I am just sad that so many of his policies are economically nonsensical or entirely out of his power. What happens for left wing policies when he fails?

Which ones do you think are nonsensical?

 

[kEiThZ]

Do you truly believe that anyone votes for someone because they tick all the diversity criteria boxes? Or do they vote for them because of their platform and their qualifications?
I can certainly see how in the world of racists and bigots a lot of people would be willing to vote against someone because of their identity. But when did the identity politics ever helped a candidate? I am personally of the opinion that the less we as a society focus on the identity politics, the better off everyone will be (including the diverse candidates).

Yeah. I think a huge part of why Mamdani won was because of his open campaign against inequality and cost of living.

He was the only candidate arguing to tax the rich and make more public services cheap or free.

 

[zang]

Do you truly believe that anyone votes for someone because they tick all the diversity criteria boxes? Or do they vote for them because of their platform and their qualifications?
I can certainly see how in the world of racists and bigots a lot of people would be willing to vote against someone because of their identity. But when did the identity politics ever helped a candidate? I am personally of the opinion that the less we as a society focus on the identity politics, the better off everyone will be (including the diverse candidates).

“I don’t see race” hasn’t worked, and ultimately isn’t inclusion. Those on the right who wield that view generally have no problem grabbing onto the perceived attack on “whiteness”.

And yes, those who have seen the struggles of marginalized groups may indeed vote for a qualified someone other than old/white/guy as way of acknowledging their neighbours, their friends and those groups who have never been given a shot.

 

[kEiThZ]

Which ones do you think are nonsensical?

Free buses. There's no transit system anywhere which gets better when free. Not sure why New York will be the exception.

Substantial increase in rent control. I get why he wants to do it. Won't solve the housing crisis there. Among the few things that economists have bipartisan consensus on, is that rent control doesn't build more housing. It's going to perpetuate the privileged class of New Yorkers who have rent controlled apartments.

Taxes. I don't even disagree with him. But he doesn't have the power to actually change some of those taxes. It's a state level power.

I kinda think of him like Trudeau. Populist policies to get elected. Likely to end up in disaster years from now.

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

“I don’t see race” hasn’t worked, and ultimately isn’t inclusion. Those on the right who wield that view generally have no problem grabbing onto the perceived attack on “whiteness”.

And yes, those who have seen the struggles of marginalized groups may indeed vote for a qualified someone other than old/white/guy as way of acknowledging their neighbours, their friends and those groups who have never been given a shot.

All I'm saying is that when the party/candidate turn their identity into their platform - that's a losing ticket. You need offer your voters something that you actually stand for other than "hey, look at me, I tick all the diversity checkboxes!"
One has to only look at, let's say, Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. She stood for nothing. Her entire message was "vote for me 'cause I'm a woman" and "only deplorable people would vote for Trump". Look at where that got her.
So no, it's not the matter of “I don’t see race”. It's the matter of offering voters something of substance to vote for in order to overcome the issues of race and other forms of discrimination.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

Do you truly believe that anyone votes for someone because they tick all the diversity criteria boxes? Or do they vote for them because of their platform and their qualifications?
I can certainly see how in the world of racists and bigots a lot of people would be willing to vote against someone because of their identity. But when did the identity politics ever helped a candidate? I am personally of the opinion that the less we as a society focus on the identity politics, the better off everyone will be (including the diverse candidates).

First you should acknowledge that I said "also" at the beginning there. Because that should answer your question before even having to post that. So that means "no", to be clear.

Secondly, it has been suggested by many smooth brained pundits that diversity of any sort is poison to get elected. Yesterday's election demonstrated that position was full of fluffed onions, to put it mildly. So it can be now argued that it most likely helps to have diversity on the ticket.

To which bring to final point, it's always a good for politicians regardless of their political stripes that they are willing to represent and eventually govern for everyone. No one gets thrown under a bus under their mandate. And they really should be clearly wearing that on their sleeves if they want to win, IMO.

 

[Mihairokov]

Free buses. There's no transit system anywhere which gets better when free. Not sure why New York will be the exception.

Places like Tallinn and Augsburg have free transit and Prague has had it in the past. Given the proposed economic benefits I imagine the economic activity from increased usage would make up for the revenue loss. Hasn't Orangeville's transit usage doubled since they removed fares?

New York has shown that congestion pricing works and it'll likely show us that free transit can work, too. If we want to be a "World Class City (c)" we should start looking into actual world-class policies that other cities have brought in to improve the lives of its citizens.

Taxes. I don't even disagree with him. But he doesn't have the power to actually change some of those taxes. It's a state level power.

Believe the state has previously supported raising upper-bracket income taxes.

Substantial increase in rent control. I get why he wants to do it. Won't solve the housing crisis there. Among the few things that economists have bipartisan consensus on, is that rent control doesn't build more housing. It's going to perpetuate the privileged class of New Yorkers who have rent controlled apartments.

This is proposed alongside policies to improve and protect affordable housing units throughout the city.

I kinda think of him like Trudeau. Populist policies to get elected. Likely to end up in disaster years from now.

What part of Trudeau's policies were a disaster? I don't think Mamdani is virtue-signalling to anywhere near the degree that Trudeau was in 2014/2015. Equating the two is a false equivalence, IMO.

 

[afransen]

I like what Mamdani represents. I am just sad that so many of his policies are economically nonsensical or entirely out of his power. What happens for left wing policies when he fails?

He is going to fail spectacularly, or renege on his platform. Probably both.

 

[afransen]

My cheeky side was hoping that Mamdani was going to open his victory speech with “Allahu Akbar, mudderfuckers!” and give Trump a coronary.

And there’s no guarantee that Texas’ gerrymandering will gain the Republican five seats.

If there is this kind of margin in 2026, that gerrymandering may just result in a lot more Texas Dem seats next year. The GOP is counting on narrow GOP majorities to waste a lot of Democratic votes, a small swing can upset all those races.

 

[gabe]

...looking at the glass half full though, Mamdani last reported has 50.4 percent of the popular translating to over million votes:

NYC Mayor Election 2025 Live Results: Zohran Mamdani Wins, NBC News Projects

See live results from the 2025 New York City mayoral election. Track vote counts and updates as polls close on Election Day.

www.nbcnews.com

And his victory shout out to Cuomo was a brutal evisceration:

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)

Mamdani: "I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life but let tonight be the final time I utter his name."

bsky.app

it’s so refreshing to see someone win that isn’t just the lesser of two evils. congrats new york! . Hopefully our NDP is taking notes. This is how you win elections. The NDP don't listen, they lecture, they speak over valid concerns.

 

[afransen]

Places like Tallinn and Augsburg have free transit and Prague has had it in the past. Given the proposed economic benefits I imagine the economic activity from increased usage would make up for the revenue loss. Hasn't Orangeville's transit usage doubled since they removed fares?

New York has shown that congestion pricing works and it'll likely show us that free transit can work, too. If we want to be a "World Class City (c)" we should start looking into actual world-class policies that other cities have brought in to improve the lives of its citizens.

What would increase NYC transit ridership more: free fares or investing that foregone revenue into more service? It's almost always the latter. Not collecting fares makes sense when the cost of collecting fare is a large percentage of the fare revenue (as you see in small towns).

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

I kinda think of him like Trudeau. Populist policies to get elected. Likely to end up in disaster years from now.

To me Mamdani is more like Bob Rae: a young, good looking lefty who took advantage of anger and frustration, got the youth upset enough to secure a fluke victory for a lefty that will I suspect be constantly undermined by media, corporations, rich people, and he will be forced into moderating his positions and that will piss off his left wing supporters, and he will struggle to win re-election in 2029 as a result of pissing off his base.

 

[adma]

+3 amongst those making over $200K/year. Lawyers, bankers, doctors, etc. Those anti-Badiali's women would have voted for someone like him.

GOP did so poorly last night that they lost their supermajority in Mississippi.

Keep in mind, though, that that's a *supermajority*, not a majority. And because Mississippi has such a large Black population, it guarantees that there *is* going to be substantial Dem representation rather than an inconsequential rump--but because the electorate's so segregated and inelastic, that substantial representation is going to be blocked from power nonetheless. (It's the same reason why, on a statewide level, a Senatorial race can be 55-45 and still "safe GOP")