Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, already faces intense scrutiny, even before taking office in one of the country’s most scrutinized political jobs. Republicans have cast him as a liberal boogeyman. Some of his fellow Democrats have deemed him too far left. Progressives are closely watching for any signs of him shifting toward the center.

On Jan. 1, he will assume control of America’s biggest city under that harsh spotlight, with the country watching to see if he can pull off the big promises that vaulted him to office and handle the everyday duties of the job. All while skeptics call out his every stumble.

For Mamdani, starting off strong is key, said George Arzt, a veteran Democratic political consultant in New York who worked for former Mayor Ed Koch.

“He’s got to use the first 100 days of the administration to show people he can govern,” he said. “You’ve got to set a mindset for people that’s like, ‘Hey, this guy’s serious.’”

That push should begin with Mamdani’s speech on the day of his inauguration, where Arzt said it will be important for the new mayor to establish a clear blueprint of his agenda and tell New Yorkers what he plans to do and how he plans to do it.

  • FiniteBanjo@feddit.online
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    1 day ago

    Yeah, as much as Mamdani’s former statements about the 2024 election and overt support from tankies makes me apprehensive to him, it’s good to remind ourselves that the alternative is people like Cuomo and Sliwa.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      Which statements would that be?

      As for tankies supporting him, that doesn’t make HIM a tankie any more than conservative members of minorities supporting Trump makes him not an oppressive bigot 🤷

      • FiniteBanjo@feddit.online
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        22 hours ago

        99 out of 100 times if it’s good for China it’s bad for the rest of us. Behind only Iran, NK, and Russia, their closest military allies, they’re one of the most malicious and aggressive nations on earth. When a Tankie supports something, I approach that thing with a newfound sense of skepticism.

        Mamdani said “As proud Democrats and elected officials and New Yorkers,” Mamdani declared, “we endorse the Leave it Blank campaign.”

        • Baron Von J@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          How does an endorsement of the Leave it Blank campaign equate with being a tankie? Leaving a primary ballot blank makes it completely unignorable that there are active voters who don’t support the candidates. It’s the actual way to send the message that non-voters like to fantasize they’re sending.

          edit: added a missing "voters"in the second sentence