Mamdani’s Socialist Supporters Begin Learning What Real Socialism Is
New York City's socialism supporters received a preview of what life under real socialism will be as their hero Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor on New Year's Day:
—Lavish promises.
—Long lines.
—Lateness.
—Special treatment for insiders.
—Indifferent service from city employees.
—No food.
—No water.
—And, oh yes, hold your water.
Mamdani's staff billed the event as an "Inauguration for a New Era Block Party."
The event would be held "along the historic Canyon of Heroes that would have designated viewing areas for 'tens of thousands to gather and participate in the ceremony, ensuring the day belongs to all New Yorkers.'"
The "party" was supposed to show capitalist pigs how the new era of equality would be inaugurated in a Gotham style celebration of possibility, joy, and plenty of free stuff.
What they got was the same old socialist realism.
The New York Post saw the reality firsthand.
"Scores of Zohran Mamdani fans who braved freezing temperatures to celebrate the new mayor as he was publicly sworn into office Thursday were left disappointed by the bash the socialist pol had promised.
"Around 10,000 supporters stood outside City Hall during the event . . . crammed into several barricaded pens without access to bathrooms or any food concession stands."
Standing in temperatures in the mid 20s, the chilly, newly empowered socialists found themselves standing in security screening lines that lasted up to 90 minutes.
After screening, they were forced to stand behind metal barricades and watch the ceremony on big screen televisions, something they could have done at home in their warm pajamas, with ready access to a bathroom.
There in the cattle pens, the attendees weren't so lucky.
Although the Mamdani website warned attendees there would be no access to portable restrooms "due to safety concerns," what the website didn't say was that revelers without a reason to revel would have to exit the secure area to find a bathroom and then experience the security line again if they wanted to rejoin their comrades inside.
That wasn't the situation for the 4,000 insiders who received an invitation to the festivities.
Those worthies sat "comfortably in City Hall's outdoor plaza" where answering the call of nature wasn't a major production and they weren't standing the the cold.
We think the word to describe these folks is "nomenklatura," described by the Oxford Reference as, "an élite within Soviet society with special rights and privileges, such as access to special shops, hospitals, or schools."
And in the Big Apple: bathrooms.
There it was in one handy event — a preview and a warning.
And to come full circle, some attendees rejected what their eyes saw, "I'm not disappointed," said Shane Turner, a Mamdani devotee from Brooklyn. "I came here to witness history. The past four years felt like hell under the previous mayor."
We predict this time four years from now Turner will have a new definition of hell.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Mr. Reagan is an in-demand speaker with Premiere Speaker's Bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with Added Humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.