Bill Kristol and Tim Miller break down the NYC mayoral race as Cuomo concedes to Mamdani.
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SPEAKER 1
Hey everybody, Tim Miller from The Bulwark here with Bill Kristol. We're doing an impromptu live stream as we have some pretty remarkable numbers coming in out of New York and New York mayor's race. Before I get to the details on that, I'm going to let people get on in here,
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make sure if you've been interested in getting more of your YouTube subscriber to The Bulwark, you want to get ad free. If you want to get some of the bonus content that we offer here on YouTube, you can become a YouTube plus member.
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um which is for the youtube sickos and you know we're out here grinding in the content minds i mean bill crystal is 87 years old he's putting out more content than most of the competitors in the space these little 21 year olds can't even
Bill and Tim React to New York Mayor Race and ZOHRAN-MENTUM
Jun 25, 2025

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Bulwark+ Takes brings you bite-sized takes on the news of the day from the entire Bulwark team. This is the home to ad-free video shorts, Bulwark+ member-only livestreams, and live event archives. The news cycle doesn’t slow down, and neither do we.
Bulwark+ Takes brings you bite-sized takes on the news of the day from the entire Bulwark team. This is the home to ad-free video shorts, Bulwark+ member-only livestreams, and live event archives. The news cycle doesn’t slow down, and neither do we.Error
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Tim & Bill (87 yo? really!). I braced myself to listen to your rumination about the NYC race yesterday. Expecting a fair amount of snark. And was pleasantly surprised at your even-handed parsing of Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary. I know central right folks fret about the fecklessness of Democrats given all our eggs are in their basket. Okay. I appreciate your analysis of what factors led to his win & how those might inform other Democrats running to turn the tide. But for me it’s simpler. Voters are open to a new face. Ready to take a risk on a relatively unknown candidate. Looking for someone tuned into the challenges of everyday folks. Tired of the retreads who can’t let go of the prestige of elective office. For example. In my congressional district, Anna Eshoo didn’t let go till she was 80 yo. One of the guys running for her seat is 70 yo. What? Was his plan? To stay in office till he was 80? Needless to say. I voted for the 40 yo (former Marine sniper, works at streamlining military requisitioning, rapid adapting of new military tech… ). He proposed turning part of Moffett Field into low income housing. Peter Dixon. Now we get to watch the establishment join hands with MAGA in an epic freakout per Mamdani. Would be entertaining if it weren’t so fraught.
Glad for more Bill & Tim. Also Bill plz talk louder lol Tim has big voice
Happy to see youth momentum, this needs to happen. Wake up Dems!! Focus on what matters to young people and be bold.
Comments seem not to be able to find this or doubting it is there.
Bulwark: EXCLUSIVE Interview: Is Zohran Mamdani Trump’s Nightmare?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZoW47fyK30
Excerpt: Tim asking Mamdani how Muslim are we?
https://youtu.be/FZoW47fyK30?t=1529
Excerpt: Tim asking about the "globalize the intifada" phrase.
https://youtu.be/FZoW47fyK30?t=2428
https://youtu.be/FZoW47fyK30?t=2665
At the end of this interview this Cam person puts out that women and children in Gaza are being indiscriminately killed. Women and children are not being indiscriminately killed in Gaza, and nor is there a genocide in Gaza. Population stats show the population of Gaza to be about the same, while some say it has actually grown. No genocide, no indiscriminant killing - aside from Hamas. Why is Hamas still holding hostages?
That is such a BS repulsive comment to make, that is not true. Maybe he thinks Hamas was being discriminating when they broke into Israel from their Palestinian state of Gaza to kill, burn, rape, torture, kidnap, etc Jews on Oct 7th ... oh, but wait, Hamas did not discriminate on Oct. 7th or in any of their missile attacks did they.
WTF Bulwark, I haven't gotten into this besides just listening to it once, but what is the purpose of this wildcard guy Cam on this podcast? Bursting into the blame Israel for everything mode at the last five minutes of the podcast is just so fucked up.
Please someone enlighten me as to why this kind of framing statement in an interview appearance is not a dog-whistle to the religious extremist Muslims that wink-wink, we will boost these kinds of ideas to tell them it is OK to vote for this Muslims guy because this is how he really feels about Israel/Jews?
Cam, does Hamas need to be exterminated, along with this society where children are weaponized before they are even conscious? If so, what is your best idea for doing that better than the Israelis?
I find Cam to be a mixed bag at best. He's generally awful on any foreign policy issue because he seems to have little knowledge of history or evolution of US policy and a general revulsion of the use of hard power to advance US strategic goals which is, IMHO, understandable if myopic given various US blunders from 2003 forward. In that sense he's probably representative of his age cohort, so if the goal is to have a Bulwark voice for that cohort, I guess the goal is being achieved, as much as I find myself in disagreement with him many times. He's better on internal US politics. He is left, not center left, which occasionally makes his interactions with Tim more interesting.
Contemptuous is about as polite a word as I can manage. That's got to diffuse over to the Bulwark in general for putting him on.
Like everyone else, Bulwark needs content.
Pretty badly I'd reckon. ;-)
Cam is Cameron Kasky, who does the FYPod here once a week with Tim Miller. He’s supposed to represent Gen Z, and their podcast is supposed to be a center left answer to the far right podcasts that rile up Gen Z in general, and young men in particular. He’s a survivor of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Here’s his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Kasky#Personal_life
Thanks for the information. I don't even know what to say about that guy other than he is certainly not center left, and is either being used or allowing himself to be used. I guess belching one's ignorance online is better than getting a real job.
What is the fake news, Potemkin Village, competitor to the Bulwark, youtube site being run by the DNC?
Mamdani is a young, charismatic man that grew up in front of a camera who listened to the people and spoke to their issues and then to what he truly believed on other issues.
Listening to Muslim podcasters, it seems his opinion on Israel/Gaza seems to be something he has to answer BECAUSE he is Muslim. If that's true (and I believe it is), then I think it's wrong. If you ask a Muslim candidate, ask a white or a black candidate as well. Too many assumptions which are not necessarily relevant. Dude is a young, attractive New Yorker with a compelling background.
I think the left candidates have opinions which they run through some establishment consultant focus group which regurgitates the party line. Zohran didn't do that and it worked for him.
With all due respect to the Muslim podcasters you are referring to, there's a bit more to it than that. Reasonable people can disagree regarding how relevant Mamdani's views on Israel are to his qualifications and potential to be the next NYC mayor. But NYC is unique in that it has slightly more than 1 million Jewish residents (their views on Israel no doubt vary, but my guess is the majority generally support Israel to a large extent) as well as at least 750,000 Muslim residents (again, I assume their views on Israel also vary, but my guess is the majority do not generally support Israel). So Mamdani's views on Israel are potentially relevant to almost 2 million NYers.
I figured that the number of Jewish people there was more than relevant.
As long as all the candidates are asked the same thing, then I think that is fine.
My understanding is that Mr. Mamdani has been attacked with a slew of racists ads in addition to these questions. That's bothersome to me.
That the establishment backed Cuomo adds insult to injury.
I find the racist ads disgusting. But the questions are fair given the number of Jews and Muslims in NYC. I don't agree all the candidats need to be asked the same thing. Mamdani came into the campaign with a history relating to SJP and BDS, and post October 7th statements, and thus these issues were more relevant to him. I agree that running Cuomo was pathetic.
If the topic of Israel/Palestine is relevant, then I think all candidates should be asked the same question.
Re: his comments/posts, as long as they are referenced, then they are fair game.
The Democratic establishment is pathetic. The status quo will ensure losses.
Will someone please play the clip where Mamdani actually says he supports “globalizing the intifada”? I’ve listened to 3 Bulwark podcasts, including the interview itself where they say his answer to questions about this “were terrible”. I have yet to hear Mamdani say anything of the kind.
I haven’t listened to the FYPod Bulwark interview with Mamdani, but here’s what I read in the NYT about it per M Gessen.
M Gessen has a very interesting take on antisemitism and the NYC mayor’s race.
“… Last week, Mamdani was interviewed on “FYPod,” a podcast aimed at a young political audience. One of the hosts asked Mamdani to comment on the slogan “Globalize the intifada,” which, the host acknowledged, means different things to different people. “Antisemitism is a real issue in our city,” Mamdani responded. “It’s one that can be captured in statistics,” he continued. “It’s also one that you will feel in conversations you will have with Jewish New Yorkers across the city.”
He talked about a Jewish man who told him about being at services at his synagogue, hearing a door creak open behind him, and feeling terrified. Mamdani talked about a Jewish man in Williamsburg who had started locking a door he’d always kept open. Then Mamdani said he would fight antisemitism not by banning words but by increasing funding for anti-hate-crime programming by 800 percent.
His response showed deference to the American tradition of free speech, evidenced commitment to tackling the issue at hand and showcased his remarkable talent for articulating the feelings behind the politics. More accusations of antisemitism followed...”
“The Attacks on Zohran Mamdani Show That We Need a New Understanding of Antisemitism”, NYT, June 24, 2025, (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/opinion/antisemitism-new-york-city-mayor.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RU8.OAxH.8sftyW-TGbjV&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
It's academic at this point, and I can't find a transcript of the FYPod with Tim, Cam and Mamdani where this came up (I was a bit stunned by it myself when I listened to it, and thought Tim did an uncharacteristically poor job following up on it), but here's what the NY Times said about it:
"The tension escalated on Tuesday, after Mr. Mamdani, a critic of Israel, was asked during a podcast interview [the FYPod] if the phrase “globalize the intifada” made him uncomfortable, and he declined to condemn it. Palestinians and their supporters have called the phrase a rallying cry for liberation, but many Jews consider it a call to violence invoking resistance movements of the 1980s and 2000s.
In the interview with The Bulwark, Mr. Mamdani said he believed the phrase spoke to “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.” He said the U.S. Holocaust Museum used a similar Arabic term for “uprising” to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Nazis, and stressed his own commitment to nonviolence and fighting antisemitism."
FWIW the US Holocaust Museum criticized Mamdani for that comparison, stating: "Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize “globalize the intifada” is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history."
See my reply above yours to Rich Whiting re: M Gessen’s reaction to that FYPod interview with Mamdani. Here’s the gift link:
“The Attacks on Zohran Mamdani Show That We Need a New Understanding of Antisemitism”, NYT, June 24, 2025, (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/opinion/antisemitism-new-york-city-mayor.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RU8.OAxH.8sftyW-TGbjV&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
I read the M. Gessen piece when it came out and thought Gessen was disingenuous and underplayed what Mamdani actually said. I do not think Mamdani is an anti-semite in the classical sense of hating Jews for being Jews. I do think (and think the evidence supports) that Mamdani is an anti-Zionist in that he is against the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish-majority nation.
The socialists were in control of Milwaukee from 1910-1960. If the Red Scare of the 1950s hadn’t happened, they probably would have lasted even longer. Here is a video by local historian John Gurda that talks more about them. It is from a PBS series called The Making of Milwaukee based on Gurda’s work. If you want a quick primer on “Sewer Socialism” you should check it out. I pray NY gets such a good government. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/3dpVxdCOOPw?si=S-wmkz-66V6iJFaE
What he said at a debate raises about as much of a problem on the Israel issue. The candidates were asked if Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Mamdani answered with the weasel phrase that Israel has the right to exist as a state with equal rights for all citizens.
It is a weasel phrase because it it is meant to sound reasonable, after all, who can oppose equal rights for everyone, but can hide more nefarious objectives. 1) It tacitly states that individual rights, such as pursuing a livelihood while observing their own religion, are being denied to non-Jewish citizens of Israel. It is true that other groups do not enjoy national rights, such as having their communal holidays being state holidays. However, if you say that that is a denial of civil rights, then you are say that the US denies civil rights to Jews by making Christmas a national holiday but not Yom Kippur. 2) It shows at best a willful blindness to what the Palestinian national movement has indicated it would do if it ever became a majority of the entire southwest Levant.
I have a slightly different take on Mamdani. He is not an anti-semite (someone who hates Jews for being Jews) but he is an anti-Zionist (someone who does not believe Jews have the right to a Jewish majority homeland in the present State of Israel). As I previously said in a different thread: when Mamdani was pressed in the 1st debate on whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, he ducked the question and replied “I believe Israel has the right to exist as a state with equal rights." (Of course Cuomo smelled blood and immediately jumped in by noting “Not as a Jewish state.”). I personally found Mamdani's exchange with Tim regarding "Globalize the Intifada" and the meaning of "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free" to be similarly evasive. Mamdani is too smart not to know what the context is for these chants (i.e., at a minimum the end of the present nation-state of Israel as a Jewish majority state) (I'm not talking about the West Bank or Gaza here), and his evasions struck me as very similar to Rashida Tlaib's disingenuous attempt to characterize "From the River to the Sea . . ." as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.” rather than what it actually was, which at minimum is a call for a "one-state" solution that ends the Jewish majority State of Israel with Jews living as a minority under a Palestinian government, and is viewed by many supporters of Israel as a coded call for the expulsion of Jews from the land currently constituting the State of Israel. Tim should have pressed Mamdani harder on this (I also recall Tim easing up on Mehdi Hasan and Ta-Nehisi Coates when those interviews veered into Israel's right to exist as a Jewish majority state, but to be fair those interviews were not primarily about Israel). But it's all academic at this point.
> It is a weasel phrase because it it is meant to sound reasonable, after all, who can oppose equal rights for everyone, but can hide more nefarious objectives.
Bravo. +1 ( my LIKEs don't work here ) There seems to be a lot of that going around here. The sad thing is that our college students don't seem to be able to suss that out.
Authenticity has become the primary characteristic people are looking for.
The appearance of authenticity even more. ;-)
It was obvious he was going to win the moment they asked them during the debates about visiting Israel and he was the only one who talked about how it was important to focus on the job of being mayor of New York and working on their issues instead of being focused on visiting Israel.
As much as I wasn't supporting Mamdani, I thought the "visit Israel" question was moronic.
What was moronic was the other folks response to it and their reaction to his answer. That right there made him stand out more than everyone else on stage at that moment.
Do you and Bill think Eric (trump) Adams has a real chance. Now that he’s w/Steven Miller and company on ICE raids?
Tim, Are you at odds with Dan Pfeiffer ??
no
Bull’s eye on your comments (and mention of others’) re lessons learned that should immediately be applied to all dem campaigning. Just the freakin’ slogan was brilliant! Here it is, captured in a photo:
https://images.barrons.com/im-22377336?width=700&height=466
Stephen Miller is licking his chops right know. Here comes the ICE raid onslaught
87 years old? ouch
72
Sewer socialism! I love the concept. As opposed to sewer brains -- which is what we have in the WH.
check this out: https://youtu.be/3dpVxdCOOPw?si=S-wmkz-66V6iJFaE
It is a video about Milwaukee’s socialists.
Thank you, I'm gonna watch! I had never heard of Milwaukee socialism in my entire life so I appreciate it!
If you watch the video you will see we had several socialist mayors, not just the one Bill mentioned. They did much to improve life for the working people of Milwaukee. This is the type of socialism we seek.
I look forward to hearing your analyses every day, Tim. Thanks for being such a presence; your voice keeps me sane
Tim I want to hear Cam's opinion, he's the future! I'm 68 and I want the younger generation to take over. The last 10 years the boomers have made a huge mess, Trump especially but he he's not alone.
Buh-bye Andrew Cuomo, and I hope this is the last we ever have to see of you in politics. I live on the UES, voted for Lander (knowing it was hopeless, but nonetheless) and the fact that he would be in a Mamdani admin makes me less concerned about Mamdani's lack of experience.
New Yorkers are depressed on a daily basis to be forced to live under the dark cloud of King Trump while the elderly institutional Dems (Schumer) refuse to act. This result can be interpreted as a big fuck you to that. Bc we're done.
Tim, you’ve been absolutely killing it in every episode or livestream I’ve seen with you lately. It’s hard for my ADHD-addled brain to pay attention all the way through a discussion for 40+ minutes, but you manage to hold my brain still. This is a major accomplishment.
My pessimism around Mamdani is not around policy, but around the track record of other progressive mayors who come in with the best of intentions but who are reckless and aggressive, and more attached to ideology than what is best for the community. I’m an ex-New Yorker, but the city is still near and dear to my heart and I care deeply about what happens locally despite no longer being a local. I am keeping an open mind and reminding myself that Zohran is his own person and I can’t judge every progressive based on another progressive’s failures any more than I can do that with the democrats. But I do worry that he has much farther to fall with the kind of promises he has made. I want him to succeed, in any case, but I don’t feel optimistic at this moment in time. Here in Philly, our “progressive” mayor was a disaster and his terrible leadership mostly impacted poor communities of color. So it came as no surprise when Parker ran on a much more moderate, tougher-on-crime campaign and won, mostly from the support of black voters in high crime neighborhoods. I hope Mamdani will actually listen to the people and be humble enough to pivot when reality hits (and it will).
I have to say I never thought I’d see the day when Bill Kristol had anything charitable to say about a democratic socialist. The evolution has been fascinating to behold. Overall, I do agree that democrats can learn a lot from Mamadi’s approach, but the most likely outcome is that they’ll learn all the wrong things. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I have the same fear that you have regarding what the Democratic Party will take from this campaign. AOC won her initial primary against an established Democrat because she walked her district and talked to many people, listening to their concerns. It seems that Mamdani did the same thing. No district or city is one size fits all, candidates need to get out there and actually listen to people. They need to acknowledge concerns and have plans to address them, not just run against Republicans.
I hope Sliwa learns from that. If he goes walking through all the city's neighborhoods, including the dyed in the wool Democratic ones, he would have as much of a chance of pulling off an upset as Mamdani had in January.
Why in the world would you want him to pull off an upset? There is no universe in which an anti-vaxx, anti-immigrant kook who voted for Trump is fit to serve NYC. He can say he doesn’t like Trump all he wants. He still voted for him and he will absolutely let Trump have his way with migrants in the city. No thank you.
Ugh, yeah. The answer is not:
1) don’t run another scandal-laden sex pest (that should be a given, not a “lesson,” but here we are)
Or
2) run DSA candidates everywhere
There was a great live interview on TB a while back with a young progressive state legislator in Tennessee who talked about going into parts of Tennessee no one else is going to and talking to people who can’t even vote for him because they’re not in his district. He was a young black man going into rural Tennessee which was intimidating, to say the least, but if he can do it, anyone can. That’s the energy Dems need to bring regardless of whether they’re moderate or progressive. It just seems like for now, at least, progressives are the only ones willing to do it.
Please note that Mamdani’s supermarket policy is to address food deserts. He notes many neighborhoods in NYC have fast food outlets and no access to fresh foods. He has good ideas to try on a decades long challenge, it’s not just a socialist program for free food as mentioned here.
I really don’t love the way this proposal is getting misrepresented by people I otherwise respect, despite disagreeing with. It really could not be less of a big deal.
We are where we are because we went from being a bold and daring country that asks “why not?”, takes risks, and embraces failure to pissing our pants over a modest pilot program of 5 grocery stores. If it fails, it fails. We can learn from the failures and try something else. But this resistance to even *trying* or even offering an alternative idea is one of the reasons why I’ll never be a conservative.
And, what if it was a "social program for free food"? ... just a fraction of what the billionaire class, as Bernie would say, steals from our labor and the natural world and do not respect or pay taxes on, takes food, education, health care, health, etc from Americans. Why should responsible Americans in good standing who need free food not get free food. There is no voting option for people to say enough with increasing inequality based on political corruption.
I know he is a gamble. Democrats gave has been Cuomo you got to be kidding. America needs help change and courage!
Look what’s going on in California and Democrat standby and do nothing ring their hands saying how often it is. NYC maybe the start of hope.
I entered this world in 1945 waving a tiny Democratic Party membership card in my chubby little fist--much to the horror of my conservative parents--it took my throwing a copy of Rousseau's Social Contract at my father 18 years later to get them to join me on the left. I love the Bulwark for your insights, clarity, and honesty. You make me a better political animal. It breaks my heart to have to say this, but you are right about the Democratic establishment: it's time we pulled up our big-boy and big-girl pants and started acting like we actually understand what it means to fight for democracy. The GOP that removed Nixon from office behaved like a real political party (I wish it had stopped Ford from pardoning that crook, but I get the rationale). Let's get back to basics and do everything we can to win the real battle: the one that we are losing at the moment, and that may be so far beyond our grasp that civilization itself may not survive.
I confess I am a little skeptical that "anybody can do this." In particular, it worries me that we are willing to accept that someone that is just charismatic is the answer.
That is, the lesson we seem to be learning from Trump is that actual sincerity doesn't matter. The projection of it does, though. Actual plans and a path to success? Second tier to promising candy. :(
It's the Mayor's race in NYC people, yes it "looks" kind of progressive. So did Obama. I'd rather have somebody that's solid ideologically left than rank criminals and bullies. The Mayor isn't a Dictator either, there are numerous checks and balances. Once the totality of what's going on in Trump's America sinks in I think the People are going to demand honest public servants even if they talk about free bus rides sometimes.
This 'cast is a perfect example of why I like The Bulwark. I may not agree with a lot of their political positions, but they are honest in their disagreements. Here too, I think their analysis is spot on. Keep going guys!
New Yorker here of 20 years. Thanks Tim and Bill for always giving a balanced perspective, with spot on critiques/giving credit where credit is due. This is why I love being a Bulwark member.
There were actually several great candidates in this primary but with two people taking up all the oxygen, no one else could gain traction. I went for candidates like Zellnor Myrie, Adrienne Adams, and Scott Stringer. All would have been great options for NYC.
The city does a really good job of providing information on all mayoral candidates and their plans. I wish more New Yorkers would have dug a bit more into the details to really know what they're voting for and what's realistic vs fantasy.
I think it's worth saying that all the young people I asked about why they ranked Zohran #1 they said they didn't know anything about the other candidates. (and did not want Cuomo or Eric Adams) I guess he ran a GREAT campaign and reached youngsters where they live. I think it's a good energy, optimistic and home grown. Reminds me of OCCUPY. (Imagine where we would be if Obama had prosecuted anyone after the financial crisis) I ranked him last but now I am excited to see what he can do. I wish him and us all the luck in the world. I think his heart is in the right place and hopefully he will keep Brad Lander close.
Tim made quite a point about politicians needing to feel comfortable in their own skin.
But there’s something else worth mentioning about people who aren’t quite comfortable in their own skin: That discomfort can be an outward effect of humility, an acute awareness of one’s own imperfection, which prevents truly humble people from ever being fully comfortable with themselves. They are their own most exacting critic, because they know themselves. They often lack complete confidence in their own judgment, because they ponder their doubts and mistakes, of which they discover more with age and experience. Worst of all, they’re always trying to be something they’re not: a better persons than they presently are.
I tend to trust people more if they’re humbly uncomfortable in their own skin. They’re no good at lying, because the mere thought of lying brings a grimace of self-censure to disfigure their expression. They’re not the sort of person who can “pull a fast one” on you because they haven’t the charisma to charm you into doing something against your better judgment. Charisma requires an ample self-confidence and can’t exist in a soul that regularly indulges in self-doubt.
Benjamin Franklin, an exceedingly charismatic man, observed that he could not be modest because if he ever were modest he would be proud of his modesty. He was so charismatic—so comfortable in his own skin—that, as a fat, ugly, bald old man, he effortlessly seduced brilliant and respectable women less than half his age. That same charisma, presumably fully clothed, contributed to his excellence as a diplomat and statesman. So I suppose Franklin must be the exception proving the rule that we should be wary of leaders too comfortable in their own skin—especially if they’re also charismatic.
Democracy, more than any other form of government, is naturally susceptible to the influence of malign charisma. In a democracy, “The People” rules, but The People is always divided within itself about many things. This persistent division manifests in The People as self-doubt, which makes The Rule of The People inherently unstable. Doubting itself, The People yearns for the simplistic certainty a charismatic demagogue seems to promise.
I write this as a person of modest charisma. Unlike Franklin, my charisma can’t survive unclothed, so in a literal sense, I am not comfortable in my own skin. At my age, if I were naked with anyone other than my wife, I would not know with which hand to cover what first: my saggy, hairy man-boobs, my flabby, crepey glutes, or my declining manhood. I’d need at least three hands.
Lame jokes aside, we should be careful not to let charisma deceive us. In democracies, we love to think we are all equal. As Tocqueville observed, we democratic souls love equality more than anything else, even more than we love freedom. So we are most easily beguiled by a politician who, presenting himself as a “man of the people,” plays upon the vanity of our democratic souls by persuading us to fantasize that we are somehow his equal, because he is “one of us.”
But he is not one of us, and we are not his equal. His modesty is the modesty Franklin described: The charismatic demagogue is dazzlingly self-assured, while the rest of us are not quite comfortable in our own skin.
Charisma, authenticity, freshness & an economic message. No one else in this race had that particular cocktail. I'm just an interested bystander but couldn't those ingredients work anywhere (sans socialism which we know scares people)? The DNC clearly doesn't get this. Cuomo? Big money? Clinton endorsement? All tired non-starters. I wish him well.
German words « i » before « e », pronounced long « ee » (as in feet)
Ziegler
German words « e » before « i », pronounced with the long « i » sound (as in eye)
Leonard Bernstein
Milwaukeean here. Part of city hall is named for Frank Zeidler so we hear his name a lot in the news. You are right, it is pronounced Z-eye- dler.
Wish one subscription could be cross platform. But I assume it's a limitation of YouTube and Substack not being interoperable.
The thing that Mamdani did that dems everywhere should:
In March, I got an email from his campaign that explained his position on public safety, with a link to a 4-5 page white paper that was clearly written in normal, readable prose and well thought out. The email did not have any ask for $, and when I clicked on the CTA, I didn’t land on a fundraising page, I landed on a volunteer sign up page.
It didn’t feel like marketing, it felt like a movement. Any Dem anywhere with whatever position will do better with voters by taking this route — well meaning liberals are sick of being flooded with DNC/DNC-adjacent emails with the worst kind of manipulative messaging.
Also — while it’s true Mamdani could face roadblocks to his agenda at the state level, it’s also true that that the state will do nothing bold to benefit the city without a mayor who will push for it.
One example: there is broad agreement among political leaders that the property tax system unfairly burdens lower and middle income NYC homeowners and renters, who effectively subsidize lower rates for the wealthy. However, state legislators are on record saying they won’t touch it without mayoral leadership, and the governor says she can’t weigh in without a specific draft bill to react to. So without a mayor willing to buck long odds, nothing will change, even though everyone agrees it should, and no one will take accountability (since a weak mayor can say, well, it’s the state that writes the tax code).
Of the candidates, only Mamdani and Lander even identified property tax reform as a critical piece of housing plans. The low/middle income coops in the outer boroughs that have represented stable affordable housing for decades are getting hammered by insurance, utility and infrastructure maintenance costs, as well as higher effective tax rates.
I’m on my soap box here. Thanks for listening.
Love hearing your thoughts on currents. However, I did notice you tend to talk fast and kind of mumble during the introduction of the chat subject. We seniors can’t think as fast to keep up.
Tim is correct on the “how to campaign” portion.
Bill Kristol After Dark would be amazing!
I am really enjoying your coverage of the New York mayoral race and hearing the range of opinions as well as the broader political implications.
IMHO, Landers is a better candidate, because experience counts. Mamdani is undeniably more charismatic, but there are too many shades of Bill DeBlasio in his proposed policies, and Mamdani has NO experience with that level of management. De Blasio was fairly close to being a Democratic Socialist, and did succeed in getting Universal Pre-K passed, yet he blew at least 600 million on Thrive, his wife's mental health program that served a handful of people. He also added some affordable housing, but not much. While it's undeniable that the working and middle class of NYC need help reducing costs, is Mamdani going to be able to deliver, beyond the fiery rhetoric? The real estate lobby in NYC is INCREDIBLY influential...it will be an uphill battle attempting significant changes with that gang at the wheel. My niece's rent soared from 2k (4th floor walk up in Brooklyn) a month to 4k in the past two years: can't see the building owners giving up much of that gravy train. Anyway, hope I'm wrong and Mamdani breaks through longstanding barriers to success.
Two meta lessons:
1. Serious Democratic candidates, regardless of their politics, MUST go on Tim's podcast. Mamdani had the balls to do it, and he won. Cuomo chickened out, and he lost.
2. Cam Kasky, more than anyone else at The Bulwark, seems to have his finger on the pulse of the Democratic electorate. So (and I can't believe I'm saying this) I need more Cam.
Do I think Mamdani is a classic "antisemitic?" No. Do I think Mamdani is an anti-Zionist, disingenuous and playing word games (as he did in the FYPod interview with Tim and Cam) about where he really is on Israel's right to exist as a Jewish majority state with his spinning on what "from the river to the sea" and "global intifada" actually mean to those chanting these calls for the destruction of the current State of Israel? Absolutely. The Dems did this to themselves by putting all the wood behind Cuomo. Now NYC will in all likelihood be governed (to the extent it can be governed) by someone who is likely to antagonize the NYPD (as de Blasio did) and empower the most progressive (and largely impractical) portion of the Democratic party. We'll see how it goes.
Great comment. There is a difference between anti-semite and anti-zionist, but it can only exist between those who actually understand the difference, meaning the vast majority of those who say they are anti-zionist but not anti-semitic are full of it.
Wanted to agree with Tom's point on Mamdani's campaign style. While I myself am an elder gen Xer, my kid, their friends, and a big chunk of people I hang with online are in their 20s. None of the 20- somethings I know watch broadcast media, to the point most of them are only dimly aware of the radio and TV stations in their area. A huge chunk of their news/entertainment comes from podcasts and YouTubes. They absolutely need to feel some sort of connection with someone to take them seriously. The top Democrats act as if they are deathly afraid of their own voters, and seem to run campaigns in a way mainly to please their consultants. If the Dems continue to be laser-focused on ignoring the no-broadcast demographic, they are going to loose the next generation to the Republicans.
Bill's point at ~33mins is exactly why Schumer has to go. And Jeffries has not been impressive to me with his eeyeore demeanor and just blah leadership style.... had high hopes for him but he's been a disappointment, which I do not think is wholly due to lack of democratic control of the House.
I wonder what Bill would think about Colbert’s interview / conversation with Mamdani and Lander (I’m impressed with both Mamdani and Lander).
https://youtu.be/ClNKD_6ow-g?si=N0KhXmucl-IGmX9B
I LOVE Bill Kristol and Tim Miller content....BIG Bulwark fan....but either Bill needs a new microphone or needs to talk closer to it! Tim comes through very clear but Bill's quick and quieter speak is very hard to make out! Makes me think twice before tuning in to Bill's content:(
YES! I say this because I REALLY WANT to hear what he has to say. He speaks really fast...and he has 6 other thoughts before he finishes the first one, all spoken rapidly and which dilute the original point. (the trait of a really smart and thoughtful person) Finish your first point, mention the others after. I respect your opinions and want to be able to hear them without replaying them over and over!!
Fully agree, I felt like I had to keep adjusting the volume depending on who was speaking, either Tim was too loud or Bill was too quiet.
Yah Bill, It seems like you start saying something and it quickly becomes inaudible as your tone of voice shrinks. Would love to hear everything you say!
I feel this has way more to do with campaigning, a terrible quasincumbant, looks and charm, and a current mayor that was a disaster, than any specific policy or political philosophy
Thank you Tim for giving Mamdani some grace in your critique of his interview with you. I do not live in NY so have no dog in this race per se but I actually think this is a good thing for the Democratic Party despite what you think the outcome will be if he fails as mayor. NY has shown (as they did with AOC) that we need people other than old white men. Can't wait to see Sarah's reaction since her visceral hatred of this guy was so apparent. I think some of you Bulwark people are going to have an awakening when and if we can ever get past trump and understand that Mamdani just might be the future that the democratic party needs to survive and thrive.
Tho’ I oppose Mamdani , I can see a certain maturation on the left as represented by his campaign (as compared to the likes of say, Ilan Omar): less identity politics.
This Mamdani guy is very bad news all around.
First, no one can be a Democratic Socialist and support terror regimes.
Second, this kind of anti-Western, fake-Liberal, supporter of terrorism is not going to help housing prices or make life better, but he is also not going to help the image of Democratic Socialism.
I am a classic Liberal, a little Left of an FDR Democrat - and I do not understand the shoehorning in Palestinian terrorists and AntiSemitism as tenets of Progressivism. That is brain dysfunction in my book.
It’s hard to take your point seriously with this kind of hyperbolic rhetoric. You just sound like an Islamophobe.
In the US and Israel, so far, you are free to make up your own mind ... unlike if you lived in almost any Islamic country.
Curious though, what was it I said in that comment that sounded Islamophobic to you? Was it ...
1) That I was skeptical that someone who supports Hamas could have liberal values?
2) That I do not believe that Hamas' values or Antisemitism are liberal values?
There is absolutely no indication that he supports Hamas.
I say you sound Islamophobic because I very much doubt you would refer to a white American born Christian candidate as a “terrorist.”
I know more about you in order to opine that you sound like a troll than you know about me to make such comments about me.
I am a pretty regular commenter here and I have the comment history to prove that I am not even a supporter of Mamdani, so to call me a troll is quite…something.
Do you have any sources that Mamdani supports Hamas and is a terrorist or not?
My comment was not aimed at being scientifically accurate, it was to point out you have to basis to call me an Islamophobe, whatever that even means anymore, as well as to say that I would hold back from referring to a terrorist as a terrorist if they were white.
You don't seem to realize just how stupid and offensive that is.
Why don't you rip on Tim for his "globalize the intifada question". You seem to think I just made that up, and want me to do the labor to inform you - do your own homework, and especially do not ask people you insult to educate you.
So no? Ok. Thanks for clarifying.
Not no, your reading comprehension sucks, but your intentional twisted logic is a crime.
None of his policy is going to come to fruition in NYC and most of it would have negative economic outcomes if it did. So it's lose-lose all around.
You mispelled ridiculous.
SAMANTHA:
I just got the following email notification of your reply to me:
> Samantha replied to your comment on Bill and Tim React
> to New York Mayor Race and ZOHRAN-MENTUM.
>
> Glad to know where you stand. So all Palestinians deserve
> death because they have evil leadership.
That's the second one that you sent and then deleted. If you cannot be objective in reading a simple comment and then coming up with something like that, and then recognizing how awful it is and deleting it - what is anyone to think about any of your judgement or opinions?
Your hyperbolic rhetoric is hyper-flippant and a joke.
War crimes, Netanyahu? That's a joke, but a bad joke.
Seems a lot of people just picked up on this alledged Netanyahu corruption knowing nothing about the details, only because they heard the word and do not like Netanyahu; either because Netanyahu is hella effective for Israel, or they are hella antisemitic and would pick up a handful of shit if they thought they would get a chance to throw it at Netanyahu.
Netanyahu exceeded Churchill in saving his country - I think that is what is sticking in your craw.
And "why am I here, if" ... I'm here to remind you there are sensible thoughtful people in the world who think better than you.
I guess the weaponization of food, and life by Hamas against Gazans - as clearly documented by none other than the son of the founder of Hamas,Mosab Hassan Yousef ( listen and read him some time), who blew the lid off the entire low-tech totalitarianism of Hamas - is to be ignored, because that is how they got people to join Hamas and terrorize Israel - they threatened them with death since they were born.
Aid groups supply the food, and there is more than enough evidence to show that one way or another Hamas gets it back and shuffles it below ground into their tunnels and then sells it back to helpful Gazan civilians.
You act like this is just black and white - you accept rumor as fact and then go hyperbolic on what those facts mean to you.
Maybe clear, but I don't think so, more jangled, inconsistant, illogical and poorly informed, even biased against Jews/Israel.
For example:
> As for Netanyahu’s corruption, I guess thousands of Israeli people were protesting for 23 weeks straight for nothing.
Seems like to you a big riot is equivalent to a jury conviction. Here's a clue, just because a lot of people are willing to riot does not make then right or moral.
> Sounds like Trump to me.
It might actually sound like Trump, but that does not make it so.
> You can try to say we are pro-Hamas because we are anti-Netanyahu
I am not saying or trying to say that - I am saying you are anti-semitic because you don't apply the same criteria to both sides - which is probably because you are so emotional and ill-informed do not exlore both sides of issues preferring to stick with stuff that has emotional appeal.
Go read a little of the writings of the Son Of Hamas and his experiences in Gaza under his father. When children and brutalized and abused but their parents from infancy what they grow into is not naturally human. Read a bit about child development also.
You have so much whattaboutism and garbage in that post with nice pig's lipstick to appear open minded when you are not.
> I am not saying Israel doesn’t deserve to exist. It does.
> I don’t think Palestinian children deserve death and starvation because of Hamas.
> I think Netanyahu could target the leaders of Hamas without so many civilian deaths.
Tell us what they could have done differently? Tell me why you don't mention Hamas, Gazans and Palestinians in general for all their violence.
What your arguments do tell me is that you accept a long chain of lies, along with quite a few other loud people who are willing to go an demonstrate ( OK, I'll give you demonstrate instead of riot ) It is the Palestinian supporters who riot.
I love that you think Israel should exist, and that you think Netantahu is smart enough to figure out a way to attack Hamas in the same way as Hezbollah and blame him for Palestinian genocide because to you he must have chosen not to.
I have been reading stuff about Israel and the Middle East since the Munich Olympics, plane hijackings, and intifadas. Maybe its you who should broaden your sources and challenge your beliefs. Your stuck opinions on this looks exactly like how Trump supporters cannot break out of their attachment to him.
> Even the Atlantic (a magazine that tends to favor Israel) understands that Netanyahu isn’t a great leader and is corrupt.
Do you know anything about logic or argument fallacies?
Do you really think you are goint to change my opinion or inform me on something I just missed on the accusations of war crimes against Israel when faced with 5 front war against them just because Iran has a raging hardon to kill Jews, Americans and destroy the state of Israel and has for 40+ years actually committed global terrorist atrocities?
There is no action I can think of that would be a war crime in opposition to such a toxic, repulsive, repugnant and inhuman terrorist factory regime. ( I exaggerate, but not by much )
OK, I'm lazy, this is a partial AI response from Google:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is currently facing ACCUSATIONS related to proposed changes to Israel's judiciary. These ACCUATIONS are tied to his ongoing corruption trial, where he is facing charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
-- by the way, even AI cannot tease out the exact charges of corruption and what they are. That does not rule out the legal system being used politically to discredit him. I've listened to a few interviews with Netanyahu, and what he says about it seems reasonable. Certainly nothing near the level of Trump's corruption and ignoring the law and whole branches of the government. Until that is clear, to me it seems political harassment.
Accusations:
Weakening the Judiciary: Critics allege that the proposed judicial overhaul is a power grab that would severely undermine the country's democracy by weakening the judiciary, which serves as a check on the government's power.
Self-Serving Reforms: Opponents suggest that Netanyahu may be using the judicial reforms to benefit his own legal situation, potentially seeking to avoid conviction or influence the outcome of his trial.
Netanyahu's Position:
Restoring Balance: Netanyahu and his government argue that the reforms are necessary to restore balance between the branches of government, claiming the judiciary has become too powerful and overreaches its authority.
Denial of Accusations: Netanyahu has strongly denied that the reforms are linked to his corruption trial and maintains that his goal is to strengthen Israel's democracy.
--
This is a deep complex issue - it is not Trump destroying the US government. America does not have a class of orthodox citizens whose rights are different from everyone else's .... except maybe billionaires in a stretch. Dig into this and it is not so simple.
--
But seriously, if you are going to interpret eveything point by point to something Trump did you are way off-track. Israel is not the USA. For one thing, I doubt Americans would fight for the USA as much as Israelis have for their country.
You are trying in your overly emotional way to tar and Trump Netanyahu based on using invalid associations from Trump to badjacket him.
Love you, Tim! I am a BULWARK addict! What a win! YES! NY does it again!
Looking forward to Bill Kristol After Dark (with Cam K.???)...
Excellent discussion.
I still think Brad can slide up the middle as everyone’s second choice.
I would GENUINELY like to know what Cuomo's and Mamdani's numbers were like before and after Trump bombed Iran.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/22/us-attack-on-iran-creates-dividing-line-in-nyc-mayoral-race-00417640
Because I don't think IF we have elections in 2028, the Democratic nominee will be wrapping themselves in the Israeli flag.
https://x.com/MikeNellis/status/1937649912729964934
I don't know how much this really mattered in a Mayoral race, and quite frankly, it shouldn't. The Mayor of New York City has nothing to do with U.S. foreign policy. That's not to say that antisemitism isn't a problem, or that BDS isn't going to come up (Zohran supported it in the past), but I think voters cared more about regular, everyday issues that face people in the city, like the cost of living. And Zohran talked about those issues a lot.
Maybe.
But that’s why I’d like to see the data.
“The Mayor of New York City has nothing to do with U.S. foreign policy.”
Probably not true. Columbia and other NY universities have been at the heart of the protest against the genocide. I doubt Mamdani will send in the NYPD to crack heads of non-violent protesters there, like Adams did.
Also, and this is probably something Mamdani might not be able to control: but it is donations from NY that are the biggest funding source of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Will Mamdani allow for auctions of West Bank land in NYC?
Lots of questions.
> Protest against the genocide
Protest against the existence of Israel you mean.
Genocide is written into the MFing Hamas charter. If you missed that did you also miss all the former officers of Hamas laying out their intent to never stop pursuing that end?
“Genocide is written into the MFing Hamas charter.”
Let’s say that’s true - does that justify Israel committing genocide? How about the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, where there is no Hamas nor Israeli hostages? Does it post hoc justify the Nakba, 40 years before Hamas was formed and 60 years before Hamas came to power?
“If you missed that did you also miss all the former officers of Hamas laying out their intent to never stop pursuing that end?”
So Hamas officials said words you don’t like? Does that justify genocide?
People say words I don’t like all the time - do I get to kill them, their families and everyone on their street?
What is the minimum set of mean words that justifies genocide? War crimes? Violations of international humanitarian law?
If the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto cursed their NAZI occupiers, does that justify the Holocaust against them?
How casually you destroy their memory, and the lessons of Never Again.
Wow,
> So Hamas officials said words you don’t like?
> Does that justify genocide?
> People say words I don’t like all the time - do I
> get to kill them, their families and everyone on
> their street?
Not if you are a subscriber to civilized behavior,
but it seems to if you are a radical Islam.
> What is the minimum set of mean words that
> justifies genocide? War crimes? Violations o
> international humanitarian law?
> If the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto cursed their
> NAZI occupiers, does that justify the
> Holocaust against them?
> How casually you destroy their memory, and
> the lessons of Never Again.
If your brain is so confused as to make these
comments so full of hate, it is no wonder you
are so morally confused.
No, lets NOT say that is true - find out. To wit.
Hamas In Its Own Words
https://www.adl.org/resources/article/hamas-its-own-words
Excerpt:
In its founding charter, Hamas cites a particularly violent hadith as proof that Muslims need to fight and kill Jews:
[ a hadith is a collection of traditions containing sayings of the prophet Muhammad - so this goes back to the start of Islam and is nothing Jews or Israel did against Arabs, Muslims and particularly Persians ]
"The hour of judgment shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, so that the Jews hide behind trees and stones, and each tree and stone will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him,' except for the Gharqad tree, for it is the tree of the Jews."
- Muhammad (Hamas Charter, Article 7).
I mean, what do you think the deal is with Iran, who has no border conflicts with Israel because it has no border at all with Israel. Why does this one state take about 20+% of its GDP and devote that into an evolving terror factory against a state and people who never did anything against Iran?
The Jews did nothing to the German state to justify what was done to them other than contribute to it. If the Jews had done to Germany then what the Palestinian Jihadis think and do today against Israel and Jews, Hitler might have had a point. And if the eternal refugee Jihadi Palestinians contributed to Israel like the Jews contributed to Pre-WWII Germany negotiation might be a possibiity.
I have to wonder why so many practiced liars and propagandist for Hamas find their way to internet forums and spread this kind of crap.
By the way, I am not Jewish, Israeli, Christian, Religious. I am a American secular humanist agnostic who believes that Islam, as it was invented from the start, has been a system of violent Arab colonization ( look at North Africa and Iran ) that has adapted to the modern world, and some Muslims in certain places and under certain conditions threaten the lives and cultures of the free people in the free world.
Not recognizing the parallel between Hamas/Iran and the Nazis is a big fail. Palestinians sided with Germany during WWII, and it was just before WWII that Persia changed its name from Persia to Iran/Aryan in sympathy with the Nazis. It is a moot point whether we were fighting Nazis or Germany in WWII, they were made by that regime to be the same.
Bruce, I think we might be running out of things to discuss.
You accuse me of being full of hate; I'd have to ask you to supply evidence for that claim, or retract it.
I am not full of hate - in fact, I have written about how I do NOT hate Netanyahu or Trump:
https://parrhizzia1.substack.com/p/why-i-dont-hate-netanyahu?r=3hh94p
As a fanatical Zionist (forgive me, but I do not believe you are a "American secular humanist agnostic"), you face a fundamental issue: every one of your claims is actually a confession. Let me give you just one example.
I asked for what the minimum set of words was to justify genocide. Your response was from the now-amended Hamas Charter, which indeed DID say mean things. But again, that was amended and is no longer in the Hamas charter.
But ... and here is the big but, vastly more genocidal statements have been made by Israeli (and US) politicians, military and media figures.
Here is Netanyahu talking about Amalek - which references the killing of every man, woman and child.
https://youtu.be/2y1BIwsZs6E?si=3MF-XZE98Lzr-2RC
By your logic, this sort of language justifies genocide AGAINST Israel.
If you are interested, I have collated hundreds of quotes of phrases inciting genocide here:
https://parrhizzia1.substack.com/p/the-most-moral-country?r=3hh94p
And just in case you think it's ONLY the Israeli leadership, and not the Israeli people themselves, there have been plenty of polls showing what the Israeli people have become:
https://parrhizzia1.substack.com/p/new-poll-israel-is-a-sick-society?r=3hh94p
I said your comments were full of hate. Dumb to argue about because no one being full of hate is going to admit to it - especially operatives studied in saying one thing and doing another, ie terrorism sympathizers. I'll note your objection, but not retract my comment.
To discuss your rebuttal to the Hamas charter. The Hamas charter has existed since Hamas, and it has been around since 1988, 35 years. It got posted on the web and so many people were referring to it that they edited it.
You ignored that the motivation of the Charter came from the Islamic Hadiths, making these imperatives around a millenium old. These people take this stuff very seriously. Why? Because they live in a low-tech totalitarian society that will humiliate, beat, torture or kill those who ask too many questions or turn to apostasy. Again, read or listen to first hand accounts of life under Hamas by the "Son Of Hamas", Mosab Hassan Yousef.
What you are really saying by claiming Hamas changed its charter is that Hamas has changed its reason for existing and is a kinder-gentler kind of terrorist genocide force. Hamas has not changed, they've come out of their shell to the world, and are honest about their goals - they've gotten mushc, much worse - measureably so since there was nothing previously to compare with Oct 7th.
Mosab Hassan Yousef is the example of someone who clearly knows better and is familiar with all the dishonest propaganda of Iran and the Jihadi Palestinians. That you chose to put that dishonest comment about Hamas' charter first among your arguments exposes your complicitness with this terrorism, since you seem to know your way around some of this history.
Doing that makes discussing anything with you so ridiculous because I could refute every other paragraph you wrote and do the same, but you would just go your little anti-semitic terrorist word dance until you ran out and had to them return back to repeat your first argument and so on .... ad nauseum.
So, let's just see how you try to weasel this one.
Here are some more accounts of contemporary life of Muslims - outside of the Middle East that show this lifestyle being imported to the West.
Rahaf Mohammed: This Saudi woman fled her family, eventually seeking and being granted asylum in Canada. She stated she was not treated respectfully by her family and was not allowed to be herself, leading her to seek a life of freedom in Canada.
Yasmine Mohammed: She grew up in a "suffocating Islamist household" in Canada and was forced into a marriage with an Al Qaeda operative. She successfully escaped this environment and now advocates for women who have left similar backgrounds.
Samra Zafar: After a forced marriage and moving to Canada, she endured years of abuse and lived with repressive in-laws, even being forced to wear a hijab and restricted from activities outside the home. She eventually found the resources to escape and pursue a fulfilling life.
FWIW: thank you for your grace in this podcast.
It is looking very difficult to contain Islamophobia for some people in the comments tonight. I am happy for Zohran's win despite him being targeted by just about everyone. Please have some heart for the hungry, scared, and the displaced Palestinians.
> Please have some heart for the hungry, scared, and the displaced Palestinians.
OK, if you have some brain to realize the way to show heart for those hungry, scared and displaced Palestines is to destroy Hamas and the rest of the terrorist infection that has taken hold of those people - supported by a special branch of the UN refugee agency specifically for Palestinians now for decades, and extremists Islamists who send aid and support not for Hamas, but against Israel.
It is so annoying to see these dishonest comments go by like they are truthful or normalized. They should be called out.
You are the one to PATHETICALLY tie Zohran's win to the Palestinians.
The Democratic establishment has refused to let go of their control to the younger energized generation so the younger Dems are taking it from them - watch! Same as the people taking to the streets against Trump. Our leaders have failed us. Establishment media have failed us. The Supreme Court majority has failed us. We will have to be the ones to save Democracy from the dangerous threat of this moment.
Fortunately (for me), this election does not concern my state, county, or jurisdiction.
Good night, and good luck!
I like it when Tim teases Bill... Good luck, New York.
Great conversation! Just an aside, you didn't want to let Cam in on the live stream because Cam + Bill would be a terrifyingly powerful combination! Possibly too powerful!
Seriously, it is really exciting to see that Zohran will win the primary handily. I'm really curious what the old school (emphasis on OLD) Dem power players will do next. Chuck Schumer probably panic wee'd a little bit after seeing the votes get tallied. It is going to be a lot of fun watching what happens next in the Democratic party.
I think a vote for Adams is chaining yourself to the will of Dumpty. Adams cannot stand on his own because his freedom is revokable.
Tim saying "Cum Town" to Bill. LOL
Also "good twink, bad twink."
Vampires for Cuomo! (Staten Island... very niche joke)
Is that from that show about vampires? I need to finish that series.
Yup. It's brilliant. Watch the movie, too!
This, not unlike Trump's wins, has a lot of "fuck it, nothing is working, let's go nuts" energy.
That's what they hear in the media and the so-called blogosphere - noise and nothing that fits together to make sense. To me this seems deliberate on the part of the capitalist for profit news and blogs.
I don't think it is money per se that didn't win, it was money to prop up Cuomo that didn't win. Why would anyone waste the money on that guy. Can't they tell he would never win and if he did what would be do besides justify his own corruption and try to run for President.
I wish elections were more about the issues, and the candidates actual record on dealing with them.
I understand the concerns about Zohran’s lack of experience, unrealistic promises, and supporter of antifada - but I ❤️ that money and a sexual assailant didn’t win.
I had to believe NYC could do better than Cuomo.
Nothing beats Eric Adams.
I find Cuomo loathsome.
It's not even a month ago when Op Ed pundits for national newspapers were writing off Mamdani saying he had "no chance." My reply was "says who?"
Mamdani ran an excellent race, and the corporate Democrats should stop attacking him and learn how to run a campaign like his so they can start winning elections.
Absolutely!
Corporate Democrats are indeed awful, but what is challenging them is mostly just as bad and likely a bigger factor than Republicans in keeping them in place.
Interesting results. Tim had commented earlier that his gut thought there would be ‘shy’ Cuomo voters, which I thought correct. I’m not sure him winning would be the best thing for his career. He’s a talented politician and impressive when you hear him speak. But I still feel to young and inexperienced for the job at hand.
gut wrong!
I made the same wrong call.
NYC made a bad mistake. Cuomo is a confirmed asshole but this guy will bury democrats.
Republicans should be contributing to his candidacy if they already are not.
Maybe centrists should lock arms and join the Curtis Sliwa campaign (only kidding).
Jim Walden for mayor (check him out).
It really just makes you wonder, They put 25 million dollars behind electing Cuomo and still what was the campaign plan for him really? Deny all the allegations, drive in his chariot past the peasants, and put out fliers making Mandami look more brown. This consultant class that grips the Democrats need to be thrown out of these jobs cause they take all this money and have nothing to show for it.
Jim Walden
Walden
I am so happy he won!!!!
Tim, you say you asked Mandami a number of "hard questions." You did not. And when he answered the "globalize the intifada" question by saying it just meant "struggle," your one-word response (check the tape) was "Sure." And you had NO follow-up questions to his answer. The DSA, to which he belongs, is famous for the "from the river to the sea" chants at its convention several years back. When Mandami was at Bowden College, he founded a chapter of the anti-semitic Students for Justice in Palestine. And he has long supported the BDS movement. So, congratulations to you and Bill.
Tim totally dropped the ball in that portion of the interview. It was disappointing.
When at Bowdoin college he cofounded a chapter of students for Justice in Palestine. What proof do you have that they were antisemites?
Here's a good start:
https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/11/18/tufts-university-suspends-students-justice-palestine-2027/
Cope, seethe, cry. Repeat.
You need to read up on Students for Justice in Palestine.
Being against the hard right wing "Bibi" Netanyahu party ≠ AntiSemite.
Deliberately sucking up the right fake-news to pretend you are not antisemitic ... yeah, antisemitic.
clearly you didn’t watch the tape as i asked him the intifada question twice but go off king
Clearly, I did watch the tape. Yes, you repeated the question, but when he gave his answer, saying it simply meant "struggle" in the same way that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was a struggle, your one-word response was "Sure." And you had no follow-up question. I invite everyone to watch the tape. (and I don't know what "go off king" means)
Is Tim supposed to interview the interviewee, or judge and insult him? We should all know that such a ridiculous answer, as all the justifications for Jihadi terrorism ultimately are, is a pointless exercise in futility.
How come we all Americans know that when it comes to these questions of faith, like religion or abortion, but somehow Islamic terrorism gets a pass because people don't take the most heinous violence towards Jews and the Jewish nation seriously?
maybe you should conduct the interviews going forward i’m sorry that my question and follow up question that created a 72 hour news cycle was not sufficient for you
Tim I'm one of your biggest fanboys but you let Mamdani off the hook in that part of the interview. Maybe it was Cam chiming in. But you are too defensive on this.
I don't do juvenile smart aleck. But, again, I invite everyone to watch the tape for themselves. As I wrote above, Yes, you repeated the question, but when he answered, comparing "intifada" to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, you simply responded with one word: "Sure." And you had no follow-up question.
I'm a big fan of tim, but it was an uncharacteristically softball interview
Tim miller did an incisive interview. Revealing.
It was an effective interview as shown by the strong reaction.
Oooops! I had to correct my post. Typo. I meant to say “effective”
With all due respect, which Political party in the Middle East is actually going "from the river to the sea" ? As the war/ethnic genocide/destruction/humanitarian shameful is ongoing, it is the Netanyahu Right wing extreme government that is making its way "from the river to the sea". Netanyahu admitted as much just a few days ago. Literally displacing the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.
Some updated reading:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/israel-palestine-gaza-war-crimes-genocide.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/06/hamas-israel-hunger-war-in-gaza
https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-says-gaza-to-be-totally-destroyed-population-concentrated-in-small-area/
So for all the anti-Zohran out there, it is amazing that New York is trying something different for a different world. This is what a backlash to the establishment looks like. One city, one candidate, one race at a time. Congrats to Zohran and his incredible campaign. Always happy to discuss it further.
No one wants the establishment anymore—it’s fighting an old fight. And the alternative a man who has stepped down as governor in disgrace. Dems need to read the room. If this campaign worked and his attitude as being approachable and speaking to the working people—perhaps Ds will get a clue.
Dems are only slightly less dependent than Republicans are on corporate money, so don't expect anything to change in the Democratic Party. Democrats are happy to lose if the money is right and it sustains the predatory capitalist regime we have imposed on us from above.
A scary prospect that I heard about on NY1 was the prospect of the business community, which is probably having a collective nervous breakdown with the prospect of Mamdani winning, will turn to Eric Adams, who will be running as Independent, in November! Add to that the African American population who overall trusted Cuomo and did not like Mamdani, plus the Jewish population after the globalizing the intifada comment, and here we have enough voters to bring back Erik Adams, in the general election, God help us!
Jew here-and I will NOT vote for Eric Adams!! I am Zohran curious now. I ranked him last..but maybe the kids are right...he got them out to vote in a primary! let's see how it goes. I am not unhappy. (I'm also only one Jew!)
I'm sure no sensible person, Jew or otherwise, will vote to have again this small time crook, Eric Adams. But as we are finding out, our strange electoral system tends to work in unusual ways!
Jim Walden
Landers got Mamdani the win 🏆
Good point, due process is for suckers.
You think he got arrested on purpose?
Hey Tim, why didn't you read Mandami some of his past tweets?? Here's
one:
https://x.com/MarinaMedvin/status/1937706024967733620
Nothing wrong with that!!
Yes! More sex pests in elected office please!!
Bill Cristol x Cam!!!!! I mean, isn't Cam a NY resident too? I think it would be so fun to see them on together. I'm in Cam's camp!! Get Cam on with Bill! That would be monumental!
I'm Gen X. (I know, I'm old). Would love this.
Another great convo Tim and bill. One thing I don’t understand is that apparently bill hates identity politics but isn’t that what he is doing in this entire conversation about how zohran needs to meet with rabbis? It always confuses me how people hate (this isn’t a conservative issue only. Everyone does this!!!) identity politics but they require it when it’s about something they care about. Isn’t the real reason identity politics doesn’t work for the left is that they (non white) are the minority? Otherwise it works perfectly in literally every country
This. The whole modern Republican party is about identity politics, but since it's about straight white Christians it's not considered "political".
Slight twist. It’s just not considered identity when it’s white Christians…they are the norm so it’s ok
Moderation in all things, especially identity politics, says the buddha
Tim, consider jim Walden, independent running for mayor.
So true
Yeah, conservatives get to use words however they want to. This has been true for at least 30 years.
Hahaha. So true. Asymmetry is a bitch
Mandami praises the Holy Land Five:
https://x.com/canarymission/status/1936053171698467168?s=61
Exciting. Old white men and their money lose! Hopeful that Cuomo lost.
I would rather not make it a matter of identity. Words like “old” seem to stereotype. Criticizing monied interests is fair game though.
Fair!
Problem is not age race or gender; it is being a retread with questionable ethics and tired tactics in anti-establishment times.
I'm not a super supporter of Mandami, but I'm a 100% anti-supporter of Cuomo.
+1. Signed, former Rochester, NY resident.
Just gonna repeat what I’ve said elsewhere because I’m lazy: I’ve long thought Democrats should treat every election as an experiment. I don’t have especially strong feelings about Mamdani; it’s more that I think Cuomo deserves to lose. But intentional or not, this race functioned as a real-world test, and Democrats should treat it as such. It falsifies a lot of their working assumptions — at least in New York — about what kind of political infrastructure actually wins, and what voters actually want.
Agree. I think it's instructive, but not scalable (in terms of bearing fruit-the winning of elections) in the vast majority of races for a candidate like Mandami to win. One reason, among many, was the nature of his opponent. But for general anti-establishment type of candidates, this is their moment.
They should examine Mamdani’s method of gaining popularity while presenting his message.
The ads run against Mamdani from some odd organization were such obvious obnoxious lies that one would vote for him and against Cuomo on principle.
I don't think the son of Elie Wiesel is "some odd organization" who tells "obnoxious lies."
Oh "Fix The City" was Cuomo's pac that constantly streamed the ads. As for the "son of Elie Weisel" I dont know him or his ideas. Elie Weisel on the other hand, was a brilliant man. Perhaps these days sons are seen to inherit their father's great deeds and dont need to do any themselves.
Elie Wiesel's son warns against Mandami:
https://x.com/elishawiesel/status/1936089438645358824?s=61
Yeah, the Trump loving Elisha Wiesel is such a credible reference.
Is he really a Trump supporter? That’s kind of heartbreaking.
OMG!