Video: Mamdani dismantles Cuomo in NYC mayoral debate

The three main candidates to become mayor of New York City took part in a televised debate last night. Well, the most left-wing of the three, Zohran Mamdani did. Republican Curtis Sliwa played little more than a bit part and ‘independent’ Andrew Cuomo – independent because Mamdani already thrashed him in the contest to be Democrat nominee and Cuomo has been backed by the Israel lobby to try to spoil Mamdani’s chances – had nothing to offer but antisemitism smears, lies about Palestinians and the occasional defence of landlords’ right to price-gouge.

Mamdani has wrongly softened his stance on Israel slightly in recent weeks – despite waltzing home in the Democratic primary with an uncompromising position – and ‘recognised Israel’s right to exist’, that tired Zionist talking point. But his comment that he will never recognise any state’s right to exist as an apartheid system of racial or religious discrimination was still strong – and on everything else, from rent controls to Cuomo’s scandal-riddled record and killing of older people during the coronavirus pandemic, he gave Cuomo a thorough rinsing:

Mamdani’s performance also brought to mind similarly uncompromising appearances by Green leader Zack Polanski in the UK and Polanski’s dismantling of the same kind of smears and tactics by the right and far right, including Starmeroids. It’s a lesson that any politicians on either side of the Atlantic who is serious about stopping and rolling back fascism needs to learn urgently.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/Guardian News