I’ll be the first to say that I love a good Kurt Russell movie just as much as the next man.
If I’m at the crib and I’m flipping through the channels and Kurt’s 80s mullet is on screen, that’s what’s going down.
But my God people, Escape from New York was supposed to be a movie, not a horrific historical documentary of what happened to what was once one of America’s greatest cities.
As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, New York City is poised to elect Zohran Mamdani, a 30-something young Muslim, Ugandan born communist to sit at the helm of its city.
In a somewhat surprising twist, Mamdani maintained a consistent and popular lead over former governor Andrew Cuomo, who was largely expected to be the favorite in the race despite his fall from grace.
Unfortunately for Cuomo, and the rest of New Yorkers who haven’t lost their minds, Mamdani’s momentum was so great that his primary victory was all but assured. It was enough that Cuomo conceded earlier than expected, which was no great shock to those watching the carnage unfold.
I’m sure there are a few of you out there who are probably thinking, “this guy can’t be that bad, can he?”
Rest assured, you can believe the hype, as Mamdani is a nightmare waiting to happen.
As anyone who regularly follows politics knows, there’s a lot of hyperbole and exaggeration that get thrown around in the game.
“This is the most important election of our lifetimes” and “this candidate is an existential threat to all we love and hold dear” are just some of the things we all hear and just accept. Most of us know full well that the American system is incredibly durable and that the political pendulum has always swung between the parties.
However in this instance, it’s not hyperbole to say that if Mamdani is elected, and he does what he promises, New York may never be the same.
Mamdani is a member of not just the Democrat Party but the Democratic Socialists of America, which is effectively a communist political movement masquerading as a regular democrat operation. If any of that sounds familiar, it’s because he’s of the same make, model and mind as Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and her Sith Lord Master, Bernie Sanders, which should already tell you everything you need to know about what he represents, and what he plans to do as head honcho of the city.
But just in case it isn’t clear enough, Mamdani is a proponent of using government run grocery stores, taxing white New Yorkers especially harshly to correct historic injustices and looking the other way when someone burglarizes your home and other evil and insane things.
And this is the guy that is the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City.
Perhaps newly independent former mayor Eric Adams will be able to mount some sort of defense. However, if I were a betting man, I’d say that given all of his controversies and his associations with the Trump Administration, Adams won’t be able to make a difference.
And if that’s the case then, as so many of the kids today often say, New York City is cooked.
No Cap.
So why is all this relevant to those of us not living in the soon to be dystopian landscape. It’s relevant because for all the feeling we may have that the day has been won and leftism set back, the culture war has yet to be won.
Honestly, I’m like a lot of you reading this column. I say, that New Yorkers are going to get exactly what they deserve for voting for this absolute nonsense. I’m a big proponent of voters reaping the consequences of their actions and learning hard lessons about the kinds of leaders history repeatedly has warn us about through centuries of documented destruction.
However, that this guy was voted in by wealthy college mis-educated voters that think they have a sane grasp on the world and how it ought to work for those they disdain is cause for nationwide concern.
Unfortunately, when this inevitably turns out to not be the case, those people have the ability to simply up and leave the city if things get bad enough. And of course, they’re likely to take their terrible politics, mindset and voting habits to other places to create the cycle of foolishness all over again.
It’s a real self perpetuating cycle of destruction that does pose a legitimate threat to the American way of life, which, cannot be in good health if people like Mamdani and the AOC wing of the democrat party are on the ascent.
Washington County native Arthur Howell is a staff writer at The Beacon. He can be reached via email at arthur@roanokebeacon.com.