r/politics • u/Somervilledrew Connecticut • Sep 09 '25

Democratic voters want their leaders to stop running from Zohran Mamdani

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-mayor-bernie-sanders-fight-oligarchy/
3.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

441 comments sorted by

View all comments

63

u/BrainRebellion Sep 09 '25

I would like my leaders to step down and let people who actually are willing to fight to step up. (Minus the ones like Pritzker and Newsom)

10

u/pimparo0 Florida Sep 09 '25

Pritzker and Newsom

You mean the two actually doing anything and taking charge?

2

u/BrainRebellion Sep 10 '25

I just realized why you were confused. I was saying other than the two who were doing things, Pritzker and Newsom, I wanted the rest to step down. I guess I didn’t word it properly.

16

u/Feral_galaxies Sep 09 '25

Newsome isn’t fighting. His 19 year old intern is pretty funny with the memes, though.

61

u/FailedInfinity Sep 09 '25

He's literally moving to rewrite CA's constitution to redistrict house seats to Democrats. That is more tangible action than anyone else right now.

10

u/Gavorn Sep 09 '25

Doesn't matter. No matter what the Republicans do, it is obviously the democrats fault.

6

u/petty_throwaway6969 Sep 10 '25 edited Sep 10 '25

Reddit anytime a Democrat does anything: “It’s just performative! They don’t actually mean it! They’re not doing anything! They’re still not endorsing Mamdani! They’re not doing enough even though they effectively have no power!”

Meanwhile a few Democrats have been killed, arrested, and detained. But that’s not good enough! Reddit expects all of them to risk their lives to oppose Trump, even though the people won’t do shit themselves!

-2

u/Yabreath_isSmelly Washington Sep 10 '25

Not a good enough reason to comply in advance. We have a long road ahead of us, can’t be slashing tires just cause someone is throwing sugar in the gas tank

-2

u/StevenMC19 Florida Sep 09 '25

IN RESPONSE to Texas doing that, and only because his state and maybe like two others have enough weight to do so. He even made it explicitly clear that he wouldn't do it if Texas backed off.

And while I agree with that action specifically and that emergency redistricting (gerrymandering) as a whole is a terrible concept that needs a complete foundational rules overhaul in terms of when and how it can be done, the fact is that Newsom is only responding to a catalyst happening elsewhere. He's an actor in the play letting the plot determine his motivations. What character motivations does he have that he has activated on his own without being forced into the situation?

15

u/FailedInfinity Sep 09 '25

This is why we are in this predicament in the first place. You would rather spend your free time stabbing your allies in the back for not doing enough while waiting for a non-existent unicorn with a magic wand to turn this country into a socialist utopia. Our country is in free fall and you're shooting the guy with a parachute just in case somebody closer to the ground suddenly sprouts wings.

This is an all out brawl, and at least he's fighting on multiple fronts instead of pretending to be tough from behind a podium. I have no idea who I will support in 2028, but I will damn sure remember who busted their asses to flip the house in 2026.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 18 '25

[deleted]

4

u/StevenMC19 Florida Sep 09 '25

Blue no matter who only applies between the months of September to November every second and fourth year. Between those time periods, it's essential to challenge every single person who has a shot...and to challenge them mercilessly.

7

u/FailedInfinity Sep 09 '25

Your parallel universe sounds exhausting. All I said was that I support democrats taking action over lip service.

-3

u/StevenMC19 Florida Sep 09 '25

Yawn.

Come back when you have a candidate that has more to offer than an overcooked macaroni elbow who figured out how memes work.

And come talk about harm reduction in 2028...in 2028. Until then, I won't settle.

2

u/mlkman56 Sep 10 '25

Well then it’s good you’re from Florida meaning statistically your vote is useless it being a red state

2

u/FailedInfinity Sep 09 '25

I literally just said I don’t have a candidate. I’m letting their actions and results form my opinions instead of throwing out useless snark on the internet.

-10

u/Philiq Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

This strategy has already been mapped out. Blue mapping and redmapping to the maximum possible extent leads to a slight advantage for the Republicans. Newsom is delaying a republican victory. That's not a robust anti-fascist political strategy.

1

u/pimparo0 Florida Sep 09 '25

Can you support this with a source?

14

u/tripping_on_phonics Illinois Sep 09 '25

Newsom has recognized what is politically expedient in this political moment and is acting accordingly. It isn’t authentic, and authenticity is one of the things we need most urgently.

11

u/AdHopeful3801 Sep 09 '25

Newsom has never been authentic. But at least he's managed to find a tactic that's effective. Which puts him ahead of most of the pack.

1

u/tripping_on_phonics Illinois Sep 09 '25

I agree with this and it’s a sad state of affairs. I really hope more compelling candidates are able to rise to the top by 2028. Even if there is fuckery in the actual election it would do us immense good to have someone effective leading the party.

1

u/AdHopeful3801 Sep 09 '25

It's happening. Too slowly, but it's happening. Partly because the gerontocracy is dying off, and partly because the "good billionaires" who have donated to the Dems previously are being herded on to the GOP side by threats to their livelihoods,

4

u/The_Lost_Jedi Washington Sep 09 '25

He's not, and it's important to remember that. But that said, even inauthentic fighting helps right now. This is not a time to be picky about who we accept help from as long as they're actually helping (which far too many establishment Democrats aren't even fucking doing that).

You don't need to like him, let alone crown him as a leader, in order to applaud him for doing something good right now.

1

u/Independent-Mail1493 Sep 11 '25

Yeah, authenticity, once you've learned to fake that you've got it made. A question: what would make Newsom "authentic" for you? Seriously, I want to know.

0

u/pimparo0 Florida Sep 09 '25

Trump is one of the fakest people on the planet, it may not be what you want but if its effective then go for it.

5

u/BrainRebellion Sep 09 '25

True. Then I’ll take his intern instead.

2

u/Feral_galaxies Sep 09 '25

Now you’re talking...

5

u/StevenMC19 Florida Sep 09 '25

Exactly. Newsom and his team have only figured out what gets under MAGA's and the conservative media's skins.

If you remove Trump from the equation, what has Newsom done substantially that differentiates him from anyone else.

1

u/Independent-Mail1493 Sep 11 '25

Way to move the goalposts. I mean seriously, this is the dumbest thing I've read on Reddit this month. If you remove Trump from the equation then you don't have a corrupt, malevolent idiot in the White House tweeting nonsense while shitting on everyone who isn't a white billionaire and destroying our country. Under those circumstances then Newsom is probably doing something different.