After New York City’s race for mayor catapulted Zohran Mamdani from state assembly member into one of the world’s most prominent progressive voices, intense debate swirled over the ideas at the heart of his campaign.

His critics and opponents painted pledges such as free bus service, universal child care and rent freezes as unworkable, unrealistic and exorbitantly expensive.

But some have hit back, highlighting the quirk of geography that underpins some of this view. “He promised things that Europeans take for granted, but Americans are told are impossible,” said Dutch environmentalist and former government advisor Alexander Verbeek in the wake of Tuesday’s election.

Verbeek backed this with a comment he had overheard in an Oslo café, in which Mamdani was described as an American politician who “finally” sounded normal.

  • Seth Taylor@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Yes. Thank you.

    The fact that even r/democrats has banned posts about Mamdani is shocking to me. (I found out from Bluesky, went to Reddit and checked and it’s true)

    This dude is normal. Full stop.

    EDIT: And yea, I was literally thinking these days “It’s nice to see Europe influencing the US for a change”

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The fact that even r/democrats has banned posts about Mamdani is shocking to me.

      I don’t see why it’s shocking. That sub is basically an enforced echo chamber for the netanyahu wing of the party.

    • Jentu@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      “It’s nice to see Europe influencing the US for a change”

      They’re even putting roundabouts in South Carolina cities!

      • Seth Taylor@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I don’t really know, to be honest. The mods there never gave off a bad vibe before. I don’t know what’s gotten into them.

        • sep@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          All of the original mods got kicked during the subreddit strikes. They are all replaced by stooges.

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    From a unitedstatesian:

    Genuinely, thank you, European politicians and public figures, for pointing out that reasonably socialized public services are considered de rigueur by the vast majority of the rest of the developed world.

    • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      It felt so weird when Tim Walz was lauded as a “gift to progressives” when he was running on a platform of “kids deserve food”.

  • not_me@piefed.social
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    2 months ago

    It is time for the Americans to wake up and strike for all the freedoms and benefits that we have enjoyed here in Europe for 50 years

  • SLVRDRGN@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    “Europeans recognize his vision about free public transit and universal childcare. We expect our governments to make these kinds of services accessible to all of us,” said Verbeek. “We pay higher taxes and get civilized societies in return. The debate here isn’t whether to have these programs, but how to improve them.”

    Yes.

  • elbiter@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Yes, it’s called Social Democracy and the countries that apply it always have the highest standards of life.

    Don’t let the billionaires bullshit you.