That one New Yorker = me.
I have my idealistic side and my practical side. Actually, there are no sides; both ideals and practicality roll around each other in my brain and whatever other body parts they visit.
I always spend time considering candidates. I vote for candidates who are intelligent about government and who appreciate what government can do — and how it can do it. Creative enthusiasm is welcome; cynicism is not.
I prefer to vote for lawyers because a large part of governance is legislation. I won’t vote for businesspeople: capitalism and government are separate worlds and should never be conjoined. Enjoined, yes. Capitalism is in essence amoral; democratic government is the ethical consenses of the people.
Experience in governance is important, given that New York City seems from my point of view to be a complex municipality. I couldn’t manage it. (I wouldn’t want to manage it, either.)
And then there are ideals. My candidates have to show me values similar to mine: concern and empathy for people who are unfortunate, and the willingness to lean toward them, to offer meaningful assistance and humanity. Rule of law, equal rights and justice for all, and everyone who is qualified to vote in elections, can vote.
I have grander ideals, too but I never look for or expect a candidate to hit all my celestial items; high level competency, fairness, decency and justice will do.
I don’t care about charisma, looks, religious beliefs, race, big money or age — unless any of these characteristics looks likely to get in the way of fair and competent governance.
Ranked choice voting caused me to learn about and listen to all the candidates. It’s hard to be knee-jerk when you have five choices to make; I made those choices.
Zohran Mamdani was not among my ranked choices. His ideals are excellent, his enthusiasm is terrific. He has had no political experience in the City and his efforts in the State legislature were minimal.
So how do I feel today?
I feel fine. Mamdani is an interesting, intelligent, educated, exciting guy, with some creative ideas to address the core problems of my city — which are probably the same core problems of any city. I like democratic socialism as a political label, and as an ideal for my world.
I’m looking forward to Mamdani’s mayoralty (and equally forward to the end of Adams’), as he learns how he can put his ideals into practice.