Recently, a young friend on social media posted a short clip suggesting that the harsh rhetoric of many prominent Democrats toward Zorhan Mamdani, candidate for mayor of NYC, demonstrated why they were ineffective at "fighting fascism".
On Thursday, Ace picked up the following squabble: Zohran Mamdani's communist supporters say they're going to primary leftwing racist Hakeem Jeffries next. And then:
Jeffries' team fired back with their new, dumb insult.
Leader Hakeem Jeffries is focused on taking back the House from the MAGA extremists who just ripped health care away from millions of Americans," Jeffries senior adviser Andr Richardson told CNN.
"However, if Team Gentrification wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026," he warned.
"Team gentrification". Heh. There's some harsh rhetoric for you.
But "prominent Democrats" in NYC are not the only ones with communication problems lately.
On Thursday, J.J. Sefton provided some excellent commentary on untoward behavior by Democrats recently. J.J. featured a piece by Victor Davis Hanson which included a wide variety of such behavior, The Roots of Leftist Rage. VDH concludes:
Add it all up, and the impotent left in all its orthodox and street manifestations has become unhinged.
And why not when it rightly fears that not just its power, but the very sources of its power, are in mortal danger?
There are a couple of nutty things from California that you may have missed this week with Gavin on the podcast trail. He may not have covered all the issues, either. I have been wondering in particular if the state and local officials who have decided to require the building of low-income housing in Pacific Palisades might not want to take some tips from Zorhan Mamdani, whose ideas for "community housing"seem to be among the most popular parts of his campaign.
Together, California and NYC could show us how his ideas would work! Instead of this:
Back in February, I wrote about a new Los Angeles ordinance that had come into effect, requiring low-income housing to be erected, replacing apartment buildings that were lost.
What that meant to fire victims who'd lost their rental homes was they might never have a home to return to if the landlord rebuilt their building and they now earned too much to make the qualifications for the low-income threshold.
In effect, LA County would be making them homeless.
Also read the whole piece by Beege Welborn, which includes travails of fire victims in several communities: Y'All Got Took: There Was Never Going to Be Any 'Rebuilt' Pacific Palisades
You knew when comedian turned prophet Adam Corolla went on an epic rant from a hotel room desk, a fire refugee himself waiting on word whether he had a home or not, telling you then and there if your home was gone, it was gone for good.
Because Mayor Karen Bass, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the soul-crushing machinery of the State of California had the will and the power to ensure you would never rebuild, one way or the other.
There are a couple of videos embedded in this piece, too.
Could Zorhan Mamdani make the Democrats more popular here with his new ideas?
Think about it
Codevilla emphasized the importance of bureaucracy in fascism. I kinda think that the classic communists quickly switch over to something like Mussolini's fascist economic ideas pretty quickly if they want to survive. In the West, we may see something similar . . .
I'm ever more convinced that the reality of Soviet economic life has been mischaracterized, including by the regime itself, as "communism/socialism" – to make it seem vaguely intelligent, experimental, and foreign – when it was more like a county entirely managed by a administrative state in partnership with industry, something not entirely unknown in the US.
Have a look at the high-speed rail development in California. Thirty years of planning and work, $38B spent, and only 119 miles more-or-less completed (a 2.5 hour drive) but already falling apart before a single ticket has been purchased. It's Soviet-like in every way because that is what happens in any society – forget socialism – that is burdened by a parasitic ruling class under any ideological slogan.
"A parasitic ruling class" is right. The people who designed this fiasco ignored the hopes and dreams of various members of their own ruling class (environmental in particular). They counted on forcing through a complex project by finishing the easy part first - - but the easy part was NOT easy.
Can Zorhan Mamdami help California out here? He's into mass transit. He smiles a lot and is popular. A political show business type who wants to bring legal prostitution back to the theater district.
We have seen some theatrics by congressional democrats recently, too.
Is it too much?
WEEKEND
The Week In Pictures: Summer Vacation Edition
Music
Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend.
This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.
Last week's thread, July 5, Independence Day Weekend (with a little socialism)
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