FLASH
Shkruar nga Federico Rampini
Mamdani's program is not a simple ideological manifesto: "socialism in New York" has the potential to become a reality. Many young people see the concrete possibility that this metropolis will become "their" laboratory, the place where another America takes shape...
This is my fourth election for mayor of New York. I've never seen anything like it. "Hurricane Zohran Mamdani": impressive.
Given the high turnout forecast, I took advantage of the early voting opportunity. But on Saturday, 3 days before Election Day, I had to wait in a long line at the polling station.
Before I got there, I passed groups of his campaign volunteers on the street: young, multi-ethnic, enthusiastic and smiling. This 34-year-old of Indian-Ugandan descent has had a generational effect. Young people in America are a mobile and unpredictable electorate: they have often been absent; in 2024, they have shifted towards Donald Trump. Mamdani’s rallies leave no doubt: this is “their” election.
Muslim mayor
Young men and women are the marching army that promises this historic event: the election of the first Muslim mayor. In the city martyred on September 11, when 3,000 innocents died in the Al Qaeda attack. In the largest Jewish metropolis outside the State of Israel. Muslim mayors already exist in several Western cities: London and Rotterdam; in the United States, several municipalities in Michigan. But New York is special; if the polls are confirmed, the global impact will be unique.
The mayor of New York would become the first politician to rise from the Gaza Generation to a position of this importance and visibility. An anecdote illustrates this global resonance: a few days ago, I met Sheikh Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, in Manhattan for a debate on the Middle East. As the main mediator between Israel and Hamas, he too had to answer the question: what impact will Mamdani’s election have on the Arab world? Beyond his origins, religion, and pro-Palestinian stance, Mamdani has a “socialist” agenda: at the heart of global capitalism, at the headquarters of Wall Street.
This is another reason why young people feel like they are at the center of a revolution. I have to go back to 2008, to the subprime mortgage crisis and Barack Obama’s first election, to find such an atmosphere of excitement. Today, the big crisis, rather than mortgages, is the Trump presidency. Mamdani’s base is convinced that his victory will provide the strongest possible response to Trumpism.
When we know the result, if the prediction is confirmed, it will be time to examine the feasibility of his radical program: a freeze on rents and evictions, free preschools, schools and childcare, free public transport and supermarkets run by the municipality to combat the high cost of living. Italian voters who might easily take these promises should remember that a mayor in American federalism has wide powers: he is the police chief, manages the schools and has wide fiscal autonomy.
Mamdani's program is not a simple ideological manifesto: "socialism in New York" has the potential to become a reality. Many young people see the concrete possibility that this metropolis can become "their" laboratory, the place where another America takes shape. A national debate is already underway about whether Mamdani's line is the future of the entire Democratic Party. A friend of mine, Carlo Invernizzi, also a dual citizen, analyzes Mamdani's success with a "scientific" approach, while teaching Political Science at Columbia University and City College.
concern
He notes that his campaign has been “extremely disciplined” in its messaging, focusing on the dominant theme: “the high cost of living and, in particular, the difficulty of accessing housing.” But he is already sensing the first signs of concern among his student population. As victory approaches, Mamdani has begun meeting with all the powerful figures in the city, especially bankers, who promise to “help” him.
The smartest among them see the same danger as Obama, who started out as a revolutionary, then became much more moderate and inclined to compromise. But these will be the consequences. Meanwhile, New York is enjoying anxious anticipation and worldwide attention. /Adapted from Corriere/
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