The New York City socialist is ‘part of a vision for the future,’ former president says
Former president Barack Obama on Thursday told Democrats “not to impose litmus tests” for candidates as he encouraged his party to embrace socialist Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York City.
“Your task is going to be not to, not to impose litmus tests,” Obama advised Democrats during a live taping of the podcast Pod Save America. “We had Abigail Spanberger win, and we had Zohran Mamdani win, and they are all part of a vision for the future.”
Obama’s comments could mark a turning point for the Democratic Party as its establishment begins to embrace its far-left contingent. Mamdani as a New York state assembylman called for “seizing the means of production,” and he declared during his Tuesday victory speech that “there is no problem too large for the government to solve.” During the campaign, he advocated for government-run grocery stores and taxpayer-funded busing, childcare, and rent freezes. He also called for increased taxation of white people.
Mamdani during the campaign said he stands by “the idea” of the anti-Semitic phrase “globalize the intifada,” which calls for violence against Jews and the State of Israel, leading to deep concern among Jewish New Yorkers.
The U.S. Holocaust Museum in June condemned Mamdani’s attempts to “sanitize” the slogan. “Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner,” the museum stated. “All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.”
Obama is not the only establishment Democrat to get in line with Mamdani. After months of pressure from progressives, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) backed the socialist shortly before the November 4 election.
Mamdani’s victory, meanwhile, has emboldened extremists such as anti-Semitic streamer Hasan Piker, who has denied Hamas’s atrocities against Israel, and former congressman Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.), who declared that “socialism is not a dirty word” since Mamdani won.
Following Obama’s appearance at the Pod Save America taping, the podcast’s hosts also interviewed Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas), who has carved out a reputation as one of her party’s most radical voices. Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Crockett called him a racist and lamented that only “two Caucasians” in Congress voted against a resolution honoring him. She has also mocked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R.), who is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair, as “Governor Hot Wheels” and attacked Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds because of his interracial marriage.
Read the full article here
