From Waleed Shahid At Jacobin:
Mamdani’s appeal has little to do with just his youthful vibe. It lies in his answer to two questions the party keeps ducking. Can a Democrat hold attention without turning into a caricature? And once attention is captured, can it be used to make politics legible as a system that changes what people pay and how they live? His method blends traditions that rarely coexist: Bernie Sanders’s moral clarity, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s digital and movement cadence, the “abundance” instinct to build and unblock, the grounded competence of effective executives, and the narrative craft of cultural workers who know how to reach an audience. The point is not style for its own sake. It is persuasion as craft — showing that Democrats can hold the stage on the economy again, speak plainly about power, and still mean what they say.
Great article, but I’ll save you a click:
- Start with substance. Frame the problem, then propose how to solve it.
- With attention through conflict. Redirect towards your values without shying away from the fight.
- Let style serve substance. Be earnest, try to win people over.
- Meet Culture With Competence and Conviction. Use politics to show moral clarity without being sucked into the culture wars.
- Keep the Loop Small Enough to Echo. Stay on message.
A DSA candidate can’t win everywhere, but his strategy can. I hope Dems pick up the right lessons here.