Mamdani celebrates socialist takeover of Congress; Dem leadership panicking

Well, it didn’t take long. Now that the Democrats have captured Congress, their new far-left members are already getting ready to make a fuss and do everything they can to thwart leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, who are viewed as insufficiently radical.

Now, there’s nothing to be done about the Senate, but in the House, Jeffries has to contend with the Democratic Socialists of America and DSA-aligned candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and now two of her friends who just won election: Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez. At Valdez’s victory party when she won her primary, gathered leftists actually declared “you’re next,” at an image of Hakeem Jeffries .

But now Jeffries is responding to them. He called out those people in an interview with CNN, slamming them for …. not being diverse enough? Seriously . He said: “It was very interesting to me, as observed by others that there was almost zero diversity in that crowd.”

Omg. Sir. This is a cynical tactic and it’s not going to work! No one is persuaded by it. You can’t beat the left by saying, what, they’re not diverse enough? They don’t reflect the entire rainbow? Lame. Lame lame lame. Please stop. Jeffries is essentially appealing to wokeness to save himself, but wokeness is even less popular than socialism. This is the wrong strategy.

So, Mr. Jeffries, if you’d like to be Speaker Jeffries, you have to neutralize these socialists by actually talking about their ideas, not lamely slandering them as too white for you. Talk about how Medicare for All is an unworkable fantasy, and abolishing borders and prisons is insane. Talk about how every socialist-run country ends up becoming a dictatorship where people starve. Call them out for what they believe, not their skin color.

The fact that he goes immediately to the diversity line is not an encouraging sign, frankly. Maybe the Democratic establishment just isn’t cut out for this.

When asked whether he thought the socialist left should challenge the party’s leadership, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wouldn’t give a clear answer, but he’s clearly excited about the idea. Let’s watch.

Indeed, according to Axios, Mamdani wants to play a kingmaker role in 2028, and help pick the presidential candidate — one who will either come from, or pledge fealty to, the far-left of the Democratic Party. But their first task is to make their voices heard when it comes time to elect a Speaker. Does Hakeem Jeffries have what it takes to tell them no, their ideas are stupid, and he’s the boss? Or is he going to try to out diversity-them? We shall see.

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.