OPINION:
Democrats are in a precarious position. A recent New York Times analysis found Democratic Party registrations fell 2.1 million nationwide as the Republican Party picked up 2.4 million new supporters. Battleground states such as Pennsylvania and North Carolina are transitioning from purple to solid red.
Many on the left now believe the best hope for survival is to replace the gerontocracy with new blood. Former President Joseph R. Biden is 82, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York is 74. The average age of Democrats in the Senate is 66.
This might have been a good strategy had liberal youths not abandoned moderation. The “new” ideas are coming from politicians whose primary allegiance belongs to foreign lands, such as Zohran Kwame Mamdani. This 33-year-old won the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City despite, or perhaps because of, his Marxist beliefs.
Ever a keen observer, President Trump noticed the opposition party’s tendency toward self-destruction. “They are led by insane people. We have a communist running for mayor of New York, and I wish him well. I may have to deal with him,” the president said. “You see some of the people supporting him who truly don’t believe what he’s espousing.”
Mr. Mamdani wants to seize the means of production and create government-run grocery stores. He was an advocate for defunding the police until that position became too much of a political liability. Mr. Mamdani now tops the polls with as much as 48% of the vote, depending on which of his opponents drop out. As none of those candidates pulls more than 23%, Mr. Mamdani has a clear shot at winning.
Some old-guard liberals see what’s coming and are worried Mr. Mamdani will further depress the party’s fortunes nationwide. Others, such as Ben Rhodes, President Obama’s speechwriter, embrace the hope and change he represents.
“Democratic leaders refusing to endorse Mamdani are, quite literally, afraid of the future of the party. Shameful given the moment we are in,” Mr. Rhodes wrote on X.
At least Mr. Mamdani is a competent speaker. Omar Fateh is the other fringe standard-bearer. This Somali American is running for mayor of Minneapolis with the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nomination. Thanks to the mysteries of ranked-choice voting, Mr. Fateh pulled off the win after conducting several campaign rallies in a foreign language.
The 35-year-old’s views are unabashedly socialist. He backed the defund the police movement. He sponsored legislation that would have spent $100 million annually to pay reparations to Black Minnesotans as an apology for slavery, even though Minnesota was a free state.
Mr. Fateh also backs rent control schemes and seeks to replace single-family homes with high-density apartment complexes. He vows to protect illegal aliens from “a hostile federal government.”
Democrats are playing with fire as they choose to be represented by advocates with such extreme views. Minneapolis burned because politicians like Mr. Fateh constructed a fake narrative around George Floyd, setting off racial riots that caused billions of dollars in damage and claimed several lives.
Mr. Trump is demonstrating an alternative to the American people. It’s safe to walk the streets of the District of Columbia because he decided it was important to clean up the mess. Messrs. Mamdani and Fateh don’t provide solutions. They seek to promote chaos to seize power.
This is why the Republican brand has been ascendant. Perhaps, then, it’s not too late for New York City and Minneapolis to realize that elevating socialists is bad for their city, state and country.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.