Mamdani’s first 10 days: getting things done despite right’s dystopian fantasies

The New York mayor’s popular moves on rent and free childcare defied rightwing predictions of a far-left hellscape Rightwing politicians and media issued grave warnings about Zohran Mamdani. The election of the democratic socialist would, according to some, cause a spike in crime, and a reduction in freedom, prompting rich people to flee the city and leading to, in the words of one conservative thinktank, “collapse, dependency, and political repression” in the manner of “Venezuela” and “Cuba”.