Conversation on the Breadline

“So,” he said as we started on the first course, “everyone’s talking about this Mamdani guy. They’re all saying how crazy his policies are. You’re from New York, you’re American. Can you explain how he won the primary over there?”

“I can try,” I offered. “First of all, he’s young, he’s slick, and he ran a really solid campaign. He had 50,000 volunteers knocking on people’s doors and a strong social media presence. He campaigned hard and smart — he even held events in bars. I think you could say that he met young voters where they were at.”

“Okay, but what did he promise them?”

“So a lot of what he did is appeal to a sense of grievance. That means he told people, you deserve more, you deserve better, and the powers that be have taken away all those things you deserve. If you elect me, I’m going to wrest it back for you. That’s a very powerful tactic. It plays to people’s resentments and paints him as the hero who will deliver justice. People are very receptive to that kind of message. Trump used it, too. It works.”

“Okay, but what did he tell people they deserve? What are they resentful about?”