Progressive candidates rarely remain so after winning public office. Zohran Mamdani is no exception, but his capitulation to New York zionists angered his supporters, and the people he hoped to placate are still working to make him a one-term mayor.
âItâs been very clear, one that no Jewish person in New York City is responsible for the actions of the state of Israel and if you want to hold anybody accountable itâs the people who are making those decisions, the prime minister, the state of Israel also our complicity as American taxpayers given that we know how many billions of dollars we have sent to bomb and continue to send.â - Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of the City of New York
Zohran Kwame Mamdaniâs political rise is indeed historic. A 34-year old New York State Assemblyman, representing the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) wing of the Democratic Party, a Muslim of South Asian descent who was born in Uganda, is New York Cityâs 112th mayor. His electoral victory fulfilled a hope for progressive change in city governance and for solidarity and advocacy on behalf of Palestine. So great was the hope that many of his questionable actions and statements were explained away, while he is still the target of a well-funded campaign to undermine his administration. The attacks were especially harsh from New Yorkâs billionaire class when he undertook policies such as freezing rent increases for 1 million people living in rent-regulated apartments. But zionism was and is at the heart of attacks made against him and may be his political downfall as he attempts to placate people who hate him and will not rest until they get him out of office.
The Mamdani story was exciting and inspiring, but as always, the pressure on political progressives generally results in decidedly unprogressive policies once these candidates are elected to office. The ruling class doesnât disappear when someone they oppose wins despite their efforts. They recalibrate and double down, ensuring that the person they didnât want is unable to bring their campaign promises to fruition. New Yorkâs ruling class certainly lived up to this ignoble tradition after Mamdani was sworn in on January 1, 2026, and has been quite vocal opponents ever since. The expectations for Mamdani were tremendous and would inevitably bring disappointment, as he was unrealistically viewed as the movement leader of progressive politics, rather than as the mayor of the capital of United States capitalism, a city where Wall Street and hedge fund chieftains decide who will and wonât be able to run for office and who gets to stay when their choices are thwarted.
But recently, Zohran Mamdani took a step that makes it impossible for any progressive-minded person to defend him. The mayor attempted to placate zionists by unveiling a Strategy to Combat Anti-Semitism. New York City already had a Mayorâs Office to Combat Anti-Semitism, a holdover of the disgraced former mayor Eric Adams. With his new âanti-semitismâ document, Mamdani even claimed that Jewish New Yorkers who very publicly support the state of Israel are somehow not responsible for its actions. He repeated unproven assertions about the degree of anti-Jewish hate crimes, and gave an additional $6 million to city-funded Jewish organizations whose support for Israel is at the heart of their missions. He was then condemned by the very same groups he funded. Mamdani agreed with their unproven and dubious assertions that anti-Jewish hate crimes constitute half of all hate crimes perpetrated in New York City. The depth of what can only be called betrayal is difficult but very necessary to unpack. Despite the constant harping of people who work to make him a former mayor, it is necessary to point out this betrayal of the people who do support him in favor of those who hate him and will work to make him a one-term mayor no matter what he does.
Israel and the New Yorkers who publicly support its actions are never satisfied. The scant evidence of increases in what is called anti-semitic activity comes from organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and American Jewish Committee (AJC), and the New York Police Department (NYPD) accepts those claims at face value. UJA Federation of New York was singularly unimpressed by Mamdani genuflecting and gave the game away.
âWhile the Mayor's plan has a number of positive elements, including some increased security funding for Jewish institutions and expanding proven programs, it fails to address a central issue that the Mayor himself has perpetuated: rhetoric that demonizes and delegitimizes Israel inevitably leads to the targeting of Jewish New Yorkers.â
There you have it. Jewish groups may complain about being unsafe and demand greater police presence or funding increases for their organizations, but in the final analysis they expect support for zionism and silence about war crimes and genocide. The only definition of anti-semitism they want has nothing to do with reports of swastikas being painted on sidewalks. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition that equates anti-zionism with anti-semitism is what they want to hear from Mamdani, while also not turning down any of the extra money. The Zionist Shakedown would make the mafia blush.
The pressure on U.S. politics by lobbying groups is profoundly undemocratic and guarantees that the people rarely get what they want. Wall Street, big pharma, oil companies, and the insurance industry collude with one another and exert their force upon those who are allegedly in office to do the peopleâs business. Zionists are not alone in these corrupt practices but in New York city their support for Israel is front and center.
One organization whose funding Mamdani increased is the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). The JCRC study trips to Israel have brought â. . . over 500 elected and appointed public officials, ethnic and faith leaders, human services agency professionals, business and union leaders and journalistsâ to Israel. In New York, even local City Council Members and state legislators who have no direct influence on policy towards Israel are all expected to make these pilgrimages. Even Eric Adams is still a public cheerleader for the apartheid state.
None of these entities will give Mamdani so much as the time of day unless he does what they want and he turns his back on his mild criticisms of Israel and pledges to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. His ill-considered attempt to placate will do him no good and it pleased no one. No one can unsee this perfidy. All of Mamdaniâs social media and marketing acumen is now for naught.
Ultimately, we see how politics in this country really works. Popularity is of no concern to the rich zionists who may not have gotten the mayor they wanted, but who still have a mayor they can still control.
Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents. You can support her work on Patreon and find it on Twitter, Bluesky, and Telegram. She can be reached via email at margaret.kimberley@blackagendareport.com.
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