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When Performative Politics Replace Principles: The Rise of Zohran Mamdani and the Fall of Democratic Messaging
Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Democratic New York City mayoral primary debate, June 4, 2025, in New York, US. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Pool via REUTERS
The recent political rise of Zohran Mamdani should alarm anyone who still believes in responsible governance, democratic values, and basic moral clarity.
Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, represents a dangerous shift in New York City politics — and perhaps American politics more broadly. He has openly called to defund the police, abolish prisons, and dismantle ICE — positions that would undermine law, safety, and justice in a city already reeling from rising crime and instability.
Mamdani’s ascendance is not a sign of progress — it is a symptom of a political ecosystem that has lost control of its messaging, especially within the Democratic Party. This is not just about his radical policies. It’s about what his rhetoric signals.
Mamdani has a deeply troubling record of antisemitic statements, including his refusal to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada” — a call that glorifies violence and terror. Worse still, he once outrageously compared that slogan to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, drawing an offensive and historically illiterate parallel between Jewish Holocaust resistance fighters and modern-day terrorist movements.
At a time when antisemitism is at record highs, Mamdani is not just out of step — he’s fanning the flames of hatred. And yet, rather than reject these radical stances, prominent Democrats have congratulated him. Both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered public praise for Mamdani’s win — carefully avoiding full endorsements, but unmistakably signaling approval. Is this the new face of the Democratic Party? Do they now tacitly accept Mamdani’s vision of a city with no police, no prisons, no borders — and no Jewish state?
This isn’t progressivism. This is ideological extremism dressed up in slick TikTok clips and empty slogans. Mamdani may be skilled in digital storytelling and social media performance, but governing New York City requires more than charisma. It demands experience, competence, and the ability to manage the largest police department and fire department in the nation, as well as an economy that supports more than 8 million people. Mamdani has shown none of that.
His popularity stems not from viable policy, but from his ability to tap into widespread dissatisfaction, especially among young and marginalized voters who feel ignored by traditional politicians. He has cloaked his campaign in the language of revolution and representation — but beneath the surface is a political movement that offers no economic strategy, no solutions for crime or infrastructure, and no respect for historical truth or civic unity.
His socialism isn’t even the benign idealism of yesteryear — it’s a radical rejection of Western liberal democracy itself. Ask anyone who has fled socialism — Cuban dissidents, Soviet refugees, or Venezuelan exiles — and they will tell you: socialism may start with slogans, but it ends with broken economies, silenced voices, the murder of those who dissent, and collapsed societies.
The Democratic Party has failed to draw a clear moral and political line. It has lost control of its message, allowing extremists like Mamdani to become the loudest voices in the room. Instead of offering real solutions, they peddle emotional sloganeering, elevate performative radicals, and ignore the concerns of working-class, law-abiding citizens.
The Republican Party, meanwhile, has struggled to connect with urban voters or effectively counter this narrative. But the failure of one party does not excuse the collapse of another. America’s cities — and our democracy — deserve better than this binary of dysfunction.
If Democrats truly care about reclaiming their mantle as defenders of civil rights, public safety, and inclusive governance, they must distance themselves from figures like Zohran Mamdani. They must reject the romanticization of radicalism and return to a politics rooted in reality, responsibility, and respect for all communities — including Jewish Americans.
New York City is not a socialist experiment. It is a beacon of pluralism, culture, and resilience. We cannot allow it to be led by someone who believes in globalizing violent uprisings rather than building inclusive solutions. Those who yell into microphones and only get emotional when the cameras are on are not to be trusted — history has taught us that. Leadership requires more than performative outrage — it requires vision, empathy, the desire to unify communities, and the courage to fight bigotry instead of nourishing it.
Yuval David is an Emmy and Multi-Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker, Journalist, and Jewish LGBTQ+ activist and advisor. A creative and compelling storyteller, on stage and screen, news and across social media, Yuval shares the narrative of Jewish activism and enduring hope. Follow him on Instagram, YouTube, and X.
The post When Performative Politics Replace Principles: The Rise of Zohran Mamdani and the Fall of Democratic Messaging first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Former Columbia University President Appointed as UK Economic Adviser
Columbia University administrators and faculty, led by President Minouche Shafik, testified before the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce on April 17, 2024. Photo: Jack Gruber/Reuters Connect
i24 News – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, former president of Columbia University, as his chief economic adviser at Downing Street, a move aimed at stabilizing the country’s fragile economy and averting a potential budget crisis.
Shafik, an economist of Egyptian origin with dual British and American nationality, has held senior roles at the Bank of England, the IMF, and the World Bank.
She later led the London School of Economics and was elevated to the House of Lords in 2020.
Her tenure in the United States was more turbulent. Shafik stepped down as president of Columbia University in 2024 after just a year in office, amid fierce criticism over her handling of pro-Palestinian protests following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.
US officials accused her of failing to confront antisemitism on campus, while students and faculty condemned her decision to call in police to dismantle protest encampments.
Since returning to Britain, Shafik has played an active role in policy and cultural institutions. She advised Foreign Secretary David Lammy on international aid reform, has chaired the Victoria & Albert Museum since January, and led the “Economy 2030” inquiry for the Resolution Foundation, where she argued for reforms to the UK’s system of wealth taxation.
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Israel Mulls West Bank Annexation in Response to Moves to Recognize Palestine
The Jordan Valley. Photo: Юкатан via Wikimedia Commons.
Israel is considering annexation in the West Bank as a possible response to France and other countries recognizing a Palestinian state, according to three Israeli officials and the idea will be discussed further on Sunday, another official said.
Extension of Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank – de facto annexation of land captured in the 1967 Middle East war – was on the agenda for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet meeting late on Sunday that is expected to focus on the Gaza war, a member of the small circle of ministers said.
It is unclear where precisely any such measure would be applied and when, whether only in Israeli settlements or some of them, or in specific areas of the West Bank like the Jordan Valley and whether any concrete steps, which would likely entail a lengthy legislative process, would follow discussions.
Any step toward annexation in the West Bank would likely draw widespread condemnation from the Palestinians, who seek the territory for a future state, as well as Arab and Western countries. It is unclear where US President Donald Trump stands on the matter. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not respond to a request for comment on whether Saar had discussed the move with his US counterpart Marco Rubio during his visit to Washington last week.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the prime minister supports annexation and if so, where.
A past pledge by Netanyahu to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley was scrapped in 2020 in favor of normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the Abraham Accords brokered by Trump in his first term in office.
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States said on Friday it would not allow Abbas to travel to New York for the United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Israeli forces pounded the suburbs of Gaza City overnight from the air and ground, destroying homes and driving more families out of the area as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was set on Sunday to discuss a plan to seize the city.
Residents of Sheikh Radwan, one of the largest neighborhoods of Gaza City, said the territory had been under Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes throughout Saturday and on Sunday, forcing families to seek shelter in the western parts of the city.
The Israeli military has gradually escalated its operations around Gaza City over the past three weeks, and on Friday it ended temporary pauses in the area that had allowed for aid deliveries, designating it a “dangerous combat zone.”
“They are crawling into the heart of the city where hundreds of thousands are sheltering, from the east, north, and south, while bombing those areas from the air and ground to scare people to leave,” said Rezik Salah, a father of two, from Sheikh Radwan.
An Israeli official said Netanyahu’s security cabinet will convene on Sunday evening to discuss the next stages of the planned offensive to seize Gaza City, which he has described as Hamas’ last bastion.
A full-scale offensive is not expected to start for weeks. Israel says it wants to evacuate the civilian population before moving more ground forces in.
HAMAS SPOKESPERSON TARGETED
Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Israeli forces had targeted Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson of Hamas’ armed wing. Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Abu Ubaida was killed. Two Hamas officials contacted by Reuters did not respond to requests for comment.
Gaza health authorities said 15 people, including five children, were killed in the attack on a residential building in the heart of Gaza City.
Abu Ubaida, also known as Hozayfa Al-Khalout, is a well-known figure to Palestinians and Israelis alike, close to Hamas’ top military leaders and in charge of delivering the group’s messages, often via video, for around two decades, delivering statements while wearing a red keffiyeh that concealed his face.
The US targeted him with sanctions in April 2024, accusing him of leading the “cyber influence department” of al-Qassam Brigades.
In his last statement on Friday, he warned that the planned Israeli offensive on Gaza City would endanger the hostages.
On Saturday, Red Cross head Mirjana Spoljaric said an evacuation from the city would provoke a massive population displacement that no other area in the enclave is equipped to absorb, with shortages of food, shelter and medical supplies.
“People who have relatives in the south left to stay with them. Others, including myself, didn’t find a space as Deir Al-Balah and Mawasi are overcrowded,” said Ghada, a mother of five from the city’s Sabra neighborhood.
Around half of the enclave’s more than 2 million people are presently in Gaza City. Several thousand were estimated to have left the city for central and southern areas of the enclave.
Israel’s military has warned its political leaders that the offensive is endangering hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have intensified in the past few weeks.