Michael Goodwin: Cuomo remains NYCs best shot to keep socialist Mamdani from being mayor or the city will never be the same
He lost the primary by a stunning 12-point blowout, but as strange as it sounds, the ball is again back in Andrew Cuomo’s court.Is he going to run a serious campaign in the general election, or is he ending his political career with a humiliating defeat?That’s the key question for him, but it’s also vital for the November election.Cuomo’s answer is crucial because the Democrats’ full-blown socialist nominee, Zohran Mamdani, is a heavy favorite to win.If he does and is able to implement even half of his radical agenda, New York will never be the same.It’s teetering under the flawed leadership of Mayor Adams, but Mamdani is a human wrecking ball whose City Hall would make these troubled days look like a Golden Age.
His policies would destroy Gotham’s economy and shred the fragile social fabric.His plan to freeze rents on 1 million privately owned apartments would turn the housing crisis into an unfixable disaster.What private developer is going to build apartments if it means losing money on the whims of a nepo-baby mayor who never held a job in the private sector?And if government becomes the major builder, look to the perpetually troubled Housing Authority projects for a vision of the hellscape future.Mamdani’s racist plan to tax white-owned property higher than others and his support for antisemitic policies are beyond the pale.On top of his backing for the BDS movement, his refusal to condemn the odious phrase “globalize the intifada” offers tacit support for violence against Jews in Israel and around the world.He’s also a 33-year-old elitist who joined the “defund the police” mob and has talked about dismantling the jail system.
Next to him, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is a throw-away-the-key champion of law and order.New York has never had a mayor so far out of the mainstream.The closest was Bill de Blasio, and Mayor Putz was the worst leader the city had in 50 years.Which brings us back to Cuomo.
The November ballot esse...