Quote of the Day

It looks like Andrew Cuomo will be running in the general election as an independent against the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani [right].

. . . I was angry with Bernie Sanders and all the other progressives who shamed us for years into shutting our mouths and supporting the Democratic nominee. No matter how horrific they were.

After being cheated out of the nomination, Bernie should have run as an independent or the Green Party nominee for president. Instead, he told his supporters to suck it up and support Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Same with AOC. If progressives wanted to exert their power in the Democratic Party, they should have run on third party lines after being cheated or they should have endorsed Green Party candidates.

You know who is already using this strategy? Corporate Democrats. When it looked like Bernie could win in 2020, some corporate Democrats started recruiting people like Mike Bloomberg to run on a third party line. Now, it looks like they will deploy it again against Mamdani.

Again, there is no future within the Democratic Party. As you can see, it’s where progressive and leftist movements go to die.

– Dorothy Lennon
via social media
June 26, 2025

Related Off-site Links:
“We Fight for Working People with No Apology”: Zohran Mamdani Beats Cuomo in New York City Mayoral Primary – Democracy Now! (June 25, 2025).
Zohran Mamdani Delivers Stunning Blow to “Billionaire-Backed Status Quo” in New York City – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, June 25, 2025).
Zohran Mamdani’s Win Triggers Colossal Meltdowns from Right-Wingers and Centrists – Mike Figueredo (The Humanist Report, June 25, 2025).
Cuomo to Stay on New York City Mayoral Ballot in November on Independent Line – Oren Oppenheim and Brittany Shepherd (ABC News, June 26, 2025).
Instead of Fearing Zohran Mamdani, Mainstream Democrats Should Follow His Lead – Robert Reich (Common Dreams, June 27, 2025).


UPDATES: Muslim Lawmakers Decry “Vile” Bipartisan Islamophobic Attacks on Zohran Mamdani – Brett Wilkins (Common Dreams, June 27, 2025).
Democratic Senator Gillibrand Goes on Islamophobic Rant Against Mamdani – Sharon Zhang (Truthout, June 27, 2025).
Is Zohran Mamdani "Good for the Left"? An Interview with Socialist Congressional Candidate Kshama Sawant – Briahna Joy Gray (Bad Faith, June 27, 2025).
Zohran Mamdani Win: Is It the Beginning of the Democrat Party Taking Over the Campaign? – Kit Cabello (Hard Lens Media, June 28, 2025).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• “No Kings”? Absolutely. But Also “No Oligarchy”
• Norman Solomon: Quote of the Day – June 16, 2025
• Peter Bloom: Quote of the Day – June 10, 2025
• Ted Rall on What It Means to Be a Leftist in 2025
• Butch Ware on His Run for California Governor and the Wider Goal of Disrupting the Duopoly
• Eric Fernández: Quote of the Day – May 14, 2025
• Progressive Perspectives on Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour
• Why the Democratic Party Is Not Going to Save Us From Fascism
• An Opportunity for Organizing Against Duopoly
• Building Solidarity on the Left
• “It Is Our Responsibility to Make a Third Party Viable”
• “The Moment Is Ripe”: Butch Ware on Building a “True Oppositional Alternative” to the Duopoly
• Fighting the Rich and Their Two Parties
• Democrat Talk on the Eve of Trump’s Return
• Breaking the Mold: Why Progressives Should Push for Marianne Williamson to Lead the DNC
• Inauguration Day Thoughts
• The Green Party’s Jill Stein and Butch Ware Give Their First Post-Election Interview
• Progressive Perspectives on Where Democrats Went Wrong in the 2024 Election
• “A New Chapter of the Democratic Party Needs to Begin”
• The Lamentable Legacy of the Biden Administration
• Jill Stein: “We Give Reasons for People to Come Out and Vote”
• We’re Witnessing a Liberal Meltdown Over Jill Stein
• Peter Bloom on the Unmasking of the “Democratic Charade”
• When Democrats Undermine Democracy
• Elise Labott on How Third Parties Can Revitalize Democracy
• Something to Think About – August 15, 2024
• Centrist/Corporatist Democrats Have Just Launched “Left Punching” Season
• “Americans Deserve Choices”: Jill Stein on Breaking Points – 4/30/24
• AOC Falls in Line
• The Cassandra of U.S. Politics on the “True State of the Union”
• Mark Harris: Quote of the Day – August 10, 2023
• Will Democrats Never Learn?
• Heather Cox Richardson on the Origin of the American Obsession with “Socialism”
• Bernie Sanders: Quote of the Day – June 12, 2019
• “The Next Step Is a Green Step”: Cornel West Endorses Jill Stein (2016)
• Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein: Is a “Historic Collaboration” in the Making?
• Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein: Is a “Historic Collaboration” in the Making?
• Terry Eagleton: Quote of the Day – March 28, 2011
• Playwright Tony Kushner on Being a Socialist
• A Socialist Response to the Financial Crisis (2008)
• Capitalism on Trial
• R.I.P. Neoclassical Economics
• Hope Over Fear: Voting Green