this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2025
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Mamdani starting to crack (lemmy.ml)
submitted 5 days ago by geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml to c/usa@lemmy.ml
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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/nyregion/mamdani-police-apology-floyd.html

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, said on Thursday that he intended to apologize for comments he made in 2020 calling the New York Police Department “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.”

He said that the remarks, which he wrote in June 2020 in a social media post in support of the defund the police movement, were made after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a month earlier.

The comments were made “at the height of frustration,” he said in an interview with The New York Times, and were not reflective of his current campaign or “my view of public safety and the fact that police will be critical partners in delivering public safety.”

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[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 65 points 5 days ago (20 children)

He believes his left flank is unbreakable, so now he's trying to shore up his right.

Except that's not how it works. The left flank won't just sit idly while their candidate appeals to their right, usually when this happens it caused reformers to hemorrhage their left. Without a clear party line on rightist deviations it'll just make voters lose faith.

And then when they lose, the left will be the ones to blame: not the rat fucking happening in the elections, not the candidate making bonehead moves, but the voters somehow.

[–] graymess@hexbear.net 24 points 5 days ago

Every conservative I've ever met has been a stubborn motherfucker who's never changed their mind about anything. Meanwhile, my leftist buds would throw their political heroes in the garbage as soon as they learn they start saying some stupid shit.

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[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 days ago

that's demsocs for you. you can't promote actual socialist policies without a strong mass movement to back it up.

[–] Bronstein_Tardigrade@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 3 days ago

Why? It's not like the piggies and their supporters are going to vote for him. All he will accomplish with an apology is to piss off his own supporters. DSA: Democratic Sellouts of America.

Takes me back to the NYPD doxxing and following DeBlasio's daughter after he tried to cut their budget.

[–] Carl@hexbear.net 32 points 5 days ago (7 children)

Mamdani's unwillingness to stand firm against the nypd, whether because he believes it's necessary to win the election or because it reflects his actual beliefs, has definitely been the most disappointing and annoying thing about him so far. Like you've gotta have better political instincts than this, bud - the NYPD aren't popular AND you're making yourself look wishy washy.

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[–] Fancy_Gecko@lemmy.ml 25 points 4 days ago (2 children)

to all dear Americans : you are not voting yourself out of this

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

not sure where i heard it, but we don't elect our saviours, we elect our opposition.

it's better to have him as opposition than anyone else.

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

In the US, the left typically doesn't win at the ballot box. It's all about what happens between elections.

[–] dx1@lemmy.ml 21 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

The very video about Palestine he got famous for, he was already full of shit in. "Israel has a right to exist... (as a state with equal rights)"? No. It doesn't. States don't have a right to exist and that state is predicated on claiming to have equal rights while being institutionalized apartheid.

This is more of the same. I left NYC, among other reasons, because it's a miniature police state, with the NYPD leading the charge. The fuck is he even going to do as mayor if he's not going to rein them in?

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

he's running to the right and; if he has any staying power; he will become another aoc or bernie.

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

By AOC or Bernie, are you referring to two people that have done a thousand times more to shift the Overton window left than you and a dozen friends will ever achieve?

I just love all the ineffective edgy leftists constantly telling the only people making progress that they're doing it wrong.

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

This is funny because the Democrat party has been going to the right despite the non-existent efforts of these two to move it leftwards and indicative of reasons why the Democrats keep losing to the likes of Trump... Over and over again

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If you don't even know the name of the party, I'm really not optimistic about your insights. The party at large has clearly shifted left, even if the old guard hasn't lost their grip yet. There is a long way to go, and this edgy bullshit is nothing but distraction from the real work.

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 minutes ago

all groups within the democrat caucus are captured by billionaires and this is such a foregone conclusion that it's become less edgy than pineapple on pizza.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I did not really mind the Palestine comments because he basically denies the state of Israel in the way he framed it. But at the pace of Zohran is going now, all that will be done when he gets in power is building like 3 government ran supermarkets.

It's not Zohver yet but it is going downhill.

[–] dx1@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I did not really mind the Palestine comments because he basically denies the state of Israel in the way he framed it.

But stated the opposite. His words (maybe slightly paraphrasing) - "Israel has a right to exist as a state with equal rights". That's not denying it. That's defining its "right to exist" within the same terms they themselves use to describe it. The correct, truthful answer is "states don't have a right to exist". We don't have time for clever riddles that play both sides.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I don't care about any words anymore I care about policies. Look at Turkey shouting big words and then supplying with Israel 30% the oil they use.

If Zohran does BDS I don't care what lip service he puts on.

[–] Chapo_is_Red@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago

The fuck is he even going to do as mayor if he's not going to rein them in?

This. If he apologizes, then we'll just be in the position of hoping he's making a fake apology and actually does shit....which isn't a good way to be doing politics

You win people over to your positions by putting them out there and defending what you believe

Moreover, this stance by him won't win anyone over and will demotivate his supporters. At best, if he apologizes then maybe the cops will fuck with him less (lmao)

[–] LaBellaLotta@hexbear.net 24 points 5 days ago

Yeah Zohran the people are baying for more public apologies, that’s the stuff. Smdh.

[–] unconsequential@slrpnk.net 25 points 5 days ago

“You won’t change them, they’ll change you.” The ultimate lesson of any reformist.

[–] Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml 21 points 5 days ago

Pathetic

[–] Thaessium@hexbear.net 18 points 5 days ago

So I didn't get this until a random Lenin text.

Lenin, paraphrased:

'If socialists should seek office in a capitalist world, they will invariably have to help the capitalist state. They will have to send protestors onto labour organizers. They will have to tow the line of the capitalist state, and see to its functions. If we are to say, we should seek office in bourgaise governments, should not socialists also be justistified, using the warped logic, at sending the [police] at protests? No, obviously, this is absurd [so basically, the only things we do in office in capitalist governments is to frusterate them and try to help destroy the capitalist state]."

[–] NuraShiny@hexbear.net 17 points 5 days ago

He should be like "I apologize for calling them racist in 2020. I should have kept doing it after, they are still fucking racist pieces of shit!"

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Don’t apologize

[–] reagansrottencorpse@lemmy.ml 15 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Hopefully he's just saying what he needs(in that regard) until in power. I won't hold my breath though.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 35 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I don't see why he would need to say that. He's leading plenty in votes. And the statement is factually accurate.

[–] dditty@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 5 days ago

And his original statement was made in 2020 after George Floyd's murder. Like come on man, pigs are f***ing racist and it was the right time to say that

[–] wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 days ago

Tbf, he could legitimately be fearing for his life.

But that's the generous take here.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago

"...I'm sorry that I didn't call them that in 2019."

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

This guy is folding like origami. Democrats will let you down every time.

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