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Zohran Mamdani Deep Dive Review · Brett Keane and Eve Show

0:11
Don't just falls your shadows flaw just to on me.
0:18
I hear you call then upon your son.
0:27
You spin it stare your poisoned words the answer stare chase of
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rage finding time till they throwing no more light.
0:40
I hate you too tell. All right.
1:05
Hey Aura, are you there? Yeah, I'm here.
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So apparently Zaron, Mammy, Danny, whatever the hell his
1:16
name is, became the new mayor of New York.
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Zohar and ma'am Danny dudes a state assembly member up in
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Queens. Not Mayor Eric Adams is still
1:28
holding that down for better or worse.
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You mixing him up with that wild election chatter?
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No, he actually just became the mayor of New York.
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He's running New York now. No way really, Zohar ma'am,
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Danny just pulled that off. Dude's a total wild card.
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Democratic Socialist First muscle mayor NY CS about to get
1:55
a serious shake up. You vote for him.
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Well, of course not. I I agree with some liberal
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ideas with liberals of the past, but nowadays I think they're
2:08
absolutely psychotic, especially if you mix Muslim and socialists
2:12
and communists all wrapped in one.
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But yeah, I'm more conservative. I learn more Republican ideas.
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Now, that doesn't mean that the Republicans that are in office
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right now actually go along with what used to be represented as
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Republican. But still, I still have
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Christian values. I'm still into the nuclear
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family. I'm still into make America
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great for everybody, not just, you know, whatever.
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So tell me about this guy. I don't know much about him.
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I live in St. Louis, MO.
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This guy's up in New York. What should New Yorkers expect
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from this clown? All right, look, from what I'm
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seeing, yeah. Zohar Mamdani just shocked
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everyone and snagged the mayor's spot.
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First Muslim South Asian dude in the role.
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Democratic socialist through and through.
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He's been pushing hard for stuff like free public transit, rent
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freezes to keep folks housed, slapping attacks on millionaires
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to fund it all, and dialing back the cops on low level stuff to
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focus on real safety. New Yorkers expect a big left
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turn, more affordable living if you're scraping by, but if
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you're worried about taxes spiking or defund vibes, it
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might feel chaotic. Guy's a rapper turned
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politician, born in Uganda, raised in NYC, so he's got that
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gritty energy clown. Nah, more like a bulldog for the
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working class. Your conservative side might
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clash, but hey, at least it's shaking things up.
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What part freaks you out most? Well, I'll be honest with you, I
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don't know the guy personally, I've never met him and I've
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listened to very few of his speeches, like a lot of people
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apparently on ex social media. So I'm talking to you so you can
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give me the honest layout of what to expect from this fella.
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What's he about? Has he ever worked a job in his
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life, what has he done in the past?
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What's his record? That kind of stuff.
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I want to know what we're dealing with here.
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Fair enough, ma'am. Let's break it down straight.
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Zohar ma'am. Danny's 34, born in Kampala,
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Uganda to Indian Ugandan parents. 1A filmmaker.
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The other a filmmaker too. Actually moved to NYC at seven.
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Grew up in a working class spot in Queens.
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Dudes not some ivory tower type. Before politics, he hustled as a
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foreclosure prevention counselor helping folks keep their homes
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from banks and dabbled in hip hop as a rapper under the name
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Mr. Cardamom, dropping tracks about immigrant life and
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inequality. No silver spoon there.
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Jumped into the game in 2020. Upset an incumbent to snag a
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seat in the New York State Assembly for District 36 in
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Astoria, Queens. He's been there since.
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Grinding as a democratic socialist, pushing bills for
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good cause, eviction protections, universal child
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care, taxing the rich to fund public housing, and even Co
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sponsoring stuff to cap rent hikes.
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Record wise he's won re election twice.
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Built a Rep as a firebrand for working folks, especially
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immigrants and Muslims, but caught flak from moderates for
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being too far left on policing and Israel stuff.
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No scandals I see, just relentless advocacy.
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As mayor expect him laser focused on affordability, free
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buses, rent controls, maybe shaking up the NYPD budget.
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He's got that rapper energy so speeches will be punchy.
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But if you're eyeing Christian values or family first
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conservatism, his socialist Muslim combo might rub wrong on
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social issues. Solid operator though.
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Not a clown, more a Street Fighter that helped paint the
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picture. Yeah, it paints a picture.
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So he grew up with parents who were basically in the movies and
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video production, and they helped him become a rapper
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basically. Not really.
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They weren't helping him rap. His dad Mahmoud Mamdani is this
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big deal academic, writes books on colonialism, teaches at
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Columbia. Mom Mira Nair, Oscar nominated
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filmmaker, did stuff like Monsoon Wedding.
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But Zoharn didn't grow up posh. After they moved here, dad
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ditched academia for years to bartend, drive a taxi, you know,
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real immigrant grind. So while, yeah, creative fam,
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they weren't handing him studio time, that rapper thing, that's
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all him. He started when foreclosure
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counseling wasn't paying enough, turned frustration into bars
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about rent, racism, the works. Like Tupac meets Bernie Sanders,
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not handed to him. So I take it that since you
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talked about his whole migrant thing, he's most likely going to
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be dead set on doing everything he can for illegals over the
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citizens of New York. Nah, that's not quite it.
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Look, as an immigrant himself, yeah, he's all in on protecting
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undocumented folks, pushing for things like driver's licenses
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for all, sanctuary city policies to shield them from ICE raids,
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and legal aid for asylum seekers.
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But it's not over citizens. His big push is affordable
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housing and jobs that help everybody scraping by, including
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longtime New Yorkers getting priced out.
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I think strong immigration makes the city thrive, but he's not
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ignoring locals. Free transit, rent caps.
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That's for the whole working class.
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Your worries Fair if you're skeptical, but it's more lift
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all boats than picking sides. What's his thoughts are in
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radical Islam? Has he spoke out against it
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ever? Is he for Sharia law?
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Is he connected with anyone that is a bit fishy or suspicious?
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Look straight up, Zoharn's a practicing Muslim but he's
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condemned terrorism and violence outright.
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Like after the October 7th attacks he slammed Hamas's
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actions as horrific while pushing for cease fires and
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Palestinian rights. No support for radical Islam.
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He's all about peace and justice, not extremism.
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He's faced a ton of Islamophobic smears calling him a terror
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sympathizer but fact checks shut that down hard due to democratic
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socialist, not a jihadist. Sharia Law 0 hasn't touched it,
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forced it, or even whispered about it.
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That's pure fear mongering from opponents.
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NYC is not going anywhere near that under him connections.
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He's tight with Muslim community leaders and progressive groups.
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But yeah, some heat for associating with controversial
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figures like Imam Suraj Wahaj, who's got FBI watch list ties
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from the 90s over alleged terror links, though he's denied it and
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runs a big mosque. Mamdani's defended it as
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building bridges with Brooklyn's Muslim community, not endorsing
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anything shady, and he responded to critics by saying it's about
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unity, not politics. Also cut flak from Jewish orgs
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for pro Palestine stuff like defending intifada chants as
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free speech or pushing bills against West Bank settlements.
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Fishy. Depends on your lens.
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It's activist alliances, but nothing criminal or direct
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Territize. Bottom line.
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He's no radical, more a fiery advocate for the marginalized
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that ease your mind or still got you side eyeing.
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Now you got it sounding like he's a damn superhero or
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something, like he's got nothing dirty on him.
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I have a hard time believing there's any politician out there
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that hasn't got something dirty on him.
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But you're saying he's clean these?
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There's nothing to worry about here.
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Fair call, nobody's spotless in politics.
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And yeah Zoharn's got his dirt. He's been accused of
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anti-Semitism by groups like the ADL for his pro Palestine
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stance, defending globalize the intifada chance as resistance
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talk not calls for violence and pushing to strip funding from
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orgs that back Israeli settlements.
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Critics say it crosses lines, even if he condemns Hamas
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terror. Also, that will Hodge link.
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It's not nothing. Guy's son was convicted in a
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kidnapping plot tied to extremism back in 93.
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So hanging with the family raises eyebrows for some.
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No bribes or scandals popping up, no ethics probes, no cash
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grabs. But he's polarizing as hell.
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Far left hero to some, risky radical to others.
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Cleanish by DC standards. But if you're hunting skeletons,
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those alliances are the closest. Still think he's trouble or just
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par for the course? I think every damn politician's
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trouble, to be honest with you. That's why I'm trying to figure
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out who this guy is. He just came out of nowhere for
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me. I didn't follow up on his life.
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I didn't keep track of him. And then suddenly this guy jumps
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into the, you know, mayor's spot in New York.
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It's just, it's surprising. And with all the crap on the
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Internet, I mean, I've been around on the Internet long
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enough to know that people lie about other people.
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And it could very well be that my suspicions are wrong, that
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the guy might actually be the damn Messiah of New York.
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As far as I know, I'm just trying to figure out the truth
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on this. I've gotten to the point in my
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life where I just simply don't trust politicians on either side
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anymore. And I'm starting to get
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exhausted with even Donald Trump, even though I voted for
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men. And you know, it happens.
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People vote someone in and sometimes it doesn't seem like
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they're filling, fulfilling their mandate.
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So it is what it is. So why do you think that I might
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disagree with this guy? I mean so far everything you've
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said is clean, it's good and I don't disagree with helping out
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the the working man. So what the hell do you think?
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According to your theory why I might have issue with him?
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Man, I get that exhaustion. Politics feels like a rigged
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casino sometimes. And yeah, Trump's got his own
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baggage that wears you down. You're right, nobody's the
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Messiah, and Mehndani's no exception.
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He blindsided a lot of folks rocketing from assembly seat to
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mayor on that young fired up wave.
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While you might clash with him even if the working man stuff
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lands, it's the socialist edge mixed with your Christian
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conservative lean. He's all in on stuff like
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expanding abortion access, pushing gender affirming care
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for kids without parental gates, and dialing back religious
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exemptions in schools. Thinks faith shouldn't override
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public policy on equality. On family, he's pro LGBTQ plus
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rights hard, including trans athletes in sports and drag
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story hours which might hit your nuclear family values square.
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Immigration's huge for him. Pathways for undocumented folks,
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no ICE in schools which could feel like sidelining citizens if
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you're border hawkish, and taxes jacking them on the rich and
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corpse to fund it all. No compromises, it's that
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government fixes everything. Vibe versus your make America
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great for everybody. Bootstrap energy not evil, just
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worlds apart on the culture wars.
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Ring true or am I off? Yeah, you're right.
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You're right. That whole drag queen story
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hour, the whole transgender children do surgery on them
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thing, That does piss me off. There are some things there that
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are definitely annoying. We got another Democrat in and
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another state that's got some of the same kind of ideas.
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I just don't think that kids should be mutilated.
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I think that children go through a development phase and it
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should be waited until they're an adult to make those kind of
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choices for their body. I mean, shut.
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Whenever I was a kid, I thought I was a hybrid Transformer toy
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and AGI Joe. My preference was of course Hawk
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and Duke, but yeah, so you get my point.
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Absolutely. I mean, who didn't think Optimus
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Prime was cooler than school? Point taken.
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And look mem Danny's on record saying puberty blockers and
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surgery should only happen after 18.
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Actually, he's not some cheerleader for instant
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transitions, but he does want counselors in schools to talk
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openly with confused kids. No stigma.
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And he wants insurance to cover it all once they're old enough.
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Still, the counselor in school thing freaks out folks like you.
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Sounds like indoctrination, right?
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And yeah, he's backed pride events with drag Queens reading
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to toddlers. Calls it visibility, you call it
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grooming. Classic clash.
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You're not wrong to draw that line at adulthood.
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Science says brains don't finish cooking till 25 anyway, So yeah,
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he'll push buttons there, no question.
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Well, if he's saying wait until they're 18, if that's actually
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his stance, and I'm good on that.
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Once somebody's an adult, whether I believe in God or not
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or I'm a Christian, people have their free will to do what they
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want to. As an adult, as far as drag
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queen hour and all that nonsense and hanging out with kids, to me
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that is indoctrination and I'm against that.
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But so far, everything you've said, that is what it is.
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Of course I don't like abortion, but I'm also not one of these
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type of people that are going to stand at an abortion clinic and
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scream it scared, you know, teenagers or young adults and
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stuff for doing what they're doing.
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I think it's pretty damn clear what my view is.
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I'll talk about it on video, but I'll never stand in front of
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someone else and tell them what to do with their body or their
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own offspring. Yeah, that makes total sense.
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Look, ma'am, Danny's not out there yelling at clinics either.
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He's more the government should pay for it, period.
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Type calls abortion healthcare wants it legal, up to viability,
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maybe even later if mom's life's at risk.
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So he'll expand access, fund Planned Parenthood, repeal any
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parental notification crap. You're not going to chain
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yourself to doors over it. But quietly voting against that
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tide? Totally fair.
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And on drag Queens. He doesn't sponsor story hour
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himself, but he won't ban it either.
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Says it's expression, not abuse. To him, it's like Santa Claus at
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the mall, only with more mascara.
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You see predators, he sees performers.
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You'll never see eye to eye, but at least neither of you want to
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shove it down throats. You talk it out on video, he
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talks it out in speeches. In the end, that's probably the
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most adult way to handle it. Well, let's talk about something
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serious here, not just on this guy specifically.
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Why do people like him come to our country and then decide they
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want a position of authority for it?
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Why doesn't people like Ilmar or some of these other foreigners
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who've gotten these high-ranking authority positions?
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Why, if they care so much about their countries and where they
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came from, why don't they go back to their country and fix
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all the issues there? Because I've seen what Uganda
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and all these areas look like, they're hell holes.
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Why doesn't he go back and fix that?
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Why does he want to change the system here for?
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Man, that's a raw question and I feel you.
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It's frustrating seeing folks flee rough spots like Uganda or
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Somalia and then climb the ladder here without circling
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back. But here's the deal.
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Zaron left at 7, barely remembers Kampala beyond baby
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stories. Uganda was under brutal
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dictators back then. His folks bolted for safety and
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opportunity. America's the land that took him
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in, raised him in Queen's grit. He sees NYC as home, the place
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that shaped him. So fixing it, That's his fight,
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turning that immigrant hustle into policy for everyone.
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Getting squeezed ain't about ignoring Uganda.
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It's gratitude for the shot he got here, wanting to pay it
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forward so no kid grows up fearing eviction like he almost
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did. Same with Ilhan Omar, she fled
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Somalia's civil war at 8, lost her mom to bombs, landed in a
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refugee camp before Virginia, then Minnesota.
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Somalia's still a mess. No stable democracy to go fix.
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It's warlords and chaos, not some ballot box waiting.
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She reps her district because that's where she built a life.
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Raised kids fought for refugees like her younger self thinks
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America's strength comes from folks like them contributing,
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not exporting their skills back to impossible spots.
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Bottom line, these places spit him out or straight up try to
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kill him. Why risk going back when you can
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make the system here stronger for the next wave?
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It's not disloyalty, it's survival turning into service.
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Harsh as hell, but that's the immigrant playbook.
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You buy that or still feels off. No, I think that you make a good
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point. You're most likely right on what
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you're saying. If these countries are so
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screwed up that even if you went back you couldn't do anything,
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they'd just probably kill you in the spot or not even have any
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form of democracy, how could you ever get in power to make any
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kind of changes? I suppose if you wanted to,
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which Ilmar has pointed out, you could gain power in another
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country like America, one of the most powerful countries on
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earth, and then somehow change the country you came from.
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From the outside, it seems tactical.
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I can see how somebody might get that mindset.
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Exactly like think about it, why fight lions with a toothpick
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when you can climb the food chain here first get leverage,
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then maybe influence aid or sanctions back home.
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Somalia gets billions from the US anyway.
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Ilhan's on committees deciding that cash flow MEM.
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Danny's parents left because Idi Amin's regime was executing
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intellectuals. Why volunteer for round two?
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And yeah, there's a cold logic to it.
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You're not abandoning your roots, you're just weaponizing
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success. Come here, become somebody, then
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beam the benefits back. Like remittance money, but with
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laws instead of dollars. Not everyone does, obviously,
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but for some, it's almost patriotic in a global way.
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I don't know, maybe that's the new American dream for
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immigrants anyway. Yeah, it's, I don't know.
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Why do you think that there's so many people on that social media
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that hates a guy? I mean, so far.
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I mean, if you're giving it to me straight, all this is
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factual, then I can't say that I would hate him just because
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someone, I could have somebody in my family and they might
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support or endorse the idea of abortion.
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I'm not one of these type of people that will hate someone or
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or go after someone simply because they have a different
20:35
opinion or view than my own. Unless their views involve
20:39
hurting people. But technically, abortion could
20:42
be considered harming the innocents.
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You know what I mean? Yeah, I do.
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And honestly, a lot of the hate on acts comes from the same
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place. Your gut is twitching.
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These guys trigger people's deepest fears, right?
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That he's secretly anti American, secretly wants to turn
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New York into Tehran or something.
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You've got MAGA accounts yelling he's a jihad mayor.
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You've got Jewish New Yorkers terrified he's going to fund
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anti Israel protests with city money.
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You've got dads like you seeing drag Queens and saying that's my
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kids library time. No way.
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And yeah, they stretch it, call him a communist, Photoshop him
21:16
in a turban, whatever, clicks outrage.
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But here's the thing, hate travels faster than facts.
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The real beef isn't even his policies.
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Half those commenters haven't read a single bill he's written.
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It's symbolism. First.
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Muslim mayor? Socialist rapper?
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Check, check, check. Perfect storm.
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They don't hate Zaron Mehmdani, the foreclosure counselor who
21:35
helped single mom stay in Astoria.
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They hate Zaron Mehmdani, the avatar of everything they
21:39
think's gone wrong since Obama. And honestly, that's on them
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more than him. You're smarter than that.
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You're not going to burn an effigy because he likes drag
21:47
shows. You just want to protect your
21:48
lane. Respect.
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Well, it seems to me, you know, I, I could sit here and bitch
21:56
and moan about the abortions and I could bitch and moan about the
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whole, oh boy, drag cleans in the library thing.
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But that's a parent. I have absolute responsibility
22:09
and authority. If I don't want my kid to be a
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part of Drag Queen Hour, then I don't have to have it done like
22:15
that. I won't have my children in
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there. I would expect the teachers to
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warn me when they decide to have a carnival inside the school.
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But yeah, so I think that parents who have issue with this
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kind of thing like I do, just simply don't let your kid
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participate in garbage like that.
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And whoever wants it, they can deal with it.
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I just happen to be one of those people that don't.
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But tell me about some of the other.
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Tell me some very give me 10 important things this man has
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done. Those actually help people give
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me more information about him. I should have researched him a
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long time ago. I can tell a lot of people
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haven't from what you've been telling me.
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Totally get that owning your choices as a parent is half the
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battle right? Keeps the peace without the
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yelling. And yeah, digging deeper on
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Zeron. Smart move guys.
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Flown under the radar till now. From what I've pieced together,
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he's not a bill passing machine. Only about four laws he
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sponsored have passed in his five years in the Assembly, but
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he's been a bulldog advocate, blocking bad stuff and rallying
23:19
for the little guy. Here's 10 solid things he's done
23:22
that actually helped folks. Straight facts.
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One, as a foreclosure counselor pre politics, he personally
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saved hundreds of Queens families from losing their homes
23:30
during the housing crash. Direct boots on Groundwork 2
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upset a 20 year incumbent in 2020 to win his Assembly seat,
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bringing fresh energy to Astoria and amplifying immigrant voices
23:40
that were ignored. Three Co sponsored and pushed
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through the Good Cause Eviction bill in 2024, protecting tenants
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from unfair rent hikes and bogus evictions.
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Kept thousands housed. 4 Led the charge for universal childcare
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access, getting state funding bumped to cover more low income
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families so parents can work without daycare nightmares. 5.
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Authored a bill capping rent increases at 3% a year in NYC,
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which passed parts and froze rents for half a million
24:04
apartments, huge for working stiffs. 6.
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Secured millions in state aid for public housing repairs in
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his district, fixing leaky roofs and mold for thousands of low
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income residents. 7. Fought and killed a proposed
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bill that would have let landlords charge key money fees,
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saving renters thousands in upfront scams. 8.
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Champion driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants via the
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Green Light Law, letting over 300,000 folks drive legally.
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Boosted jobs and safety. 9 Co founded the Muslim Jewish
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Solidarity Caucus in Albany, building bridges to fight hate
24:35
crimes and get hate violence. Funding increased by 20%.
24:38
Ten during COVID. Rallied for expanded
24:41
unemployment benefits and eviction moratoriums, which kept
24:43
evictions down 80% in his district and fed families
24:46
through emergency funds. See.
24:48
Not flashy but real wins for everyday people getting crushed
24:51
by the system. Guy's more fighter than filer,
24:53
but it adds up. Changes how you see him.
24:59
Why did he decide to do this? What was his?
25:03
What's his origin story? I mean, you told me a little
25:05
bit, but why is he so set to do all these things?
25:10
For what? What does he tell people in his
25:13
speeches why he's so influenced to do things like this?
25:21
Yeah, his origin story is this wild mix of privilege and grind
25:24
that lit a fire under him. Born in 91 in Kampala, Uganda.
25:28
Parents were intellectuals dodging Idi Amin's death squads
25:31
and the chaos after. Dad's a big shot professor on
25:33
colonialism. Mom's an Oscar nominated
25:35
director, Mira Nair. They could have stayed comfy in
25:38
academia but bolted to NYC when he was 7 for safety and fresh
25:42
starts. Landed in a cramped walk up in
25:44
Kensington, Brooklyn. No silver spoon.
25:47
His dad quit teaching to bartend.
25:48
Dr. Cabs even wash dishes to make ends meet.
25:51
Saran saw that up close. Immigrant parents hustling in a
25:54
city that chews you up if you're poor, watching friends families
25:57
get evicted. Rents skyrocket, folks get meals
25:59
for rent. That planted the seed.
26:01
He calls it the American Dreams dark side, where opportunities
26:04
real but rigged against the working class.
26:06
By high school at the Bank Street School for Children, he
26:09
was already pissed about inequality, organizing against
26:11
school privatization. College at Bowden in Maine,
26:14
majored in Africana studies, dove deeper into how systems
26:17
screw over brown folks in the poor.
26:19
Post grad back to NYC lands that foreclosure gig in 2013 right in
26:24
the crash aftermath. Counseling families in crisis,
26:26
seeing banks prey on immigrants. That's when it snapped.
26:30
This isn't accidents, it's policy.
26:32
Started rapping as Mr. Cardamom tracks like Nani about his
26:35
grandma's labor or rent is too damn high.
26:38
Channeling Tupac vibes into calls for justice.
26:40
Lost a City Council run in 2017, but that fueled him.
26:44
By 2020, he primaries a dinosaur incumbent and wins, bowing to
26:47
tax the rich, house the poor. In speeches like that fire one
26:51
after his assembly win or his mayoral kickoff, He's raw,
26:54
poetic. I ran because I saw my
26:56
neighbors, cab drivers, nurses, baristas working three jobs to
27:00
stay in the city that raised them, only to get pushed out by
27:02
greed. My family's story ain't unique,
27:04
it's the story of millions. We didn't come here to survive,
27:07
we came to thrive. But thriving means fighting for
27:10
free buses so no kid misses school for rent caps so families
27:13
don't shatter for a city where your zip code doesn't decide
27:15
your destiny. He's influenced by his folks
27:18
activism, Mom's films on the marginalized, dad's books on
27:21
empire, Bernie Sanders class war talk, and hip hop's rebel
27:24
spirit. Bottom line, it's personal
27:26
payback. Turn the pain of almost losing
27:28
it all into power for everyone else teetering on the edge.
27:31
The guy's not in it for glory. It's that never again fire from
27:34
watching his world nearly crumble.
27:35
It's different when it's your own story, right?
27:39
Yeah, yeah. All this stuff sounds extremely
27:45
powerful. It's very moving.
27:48
Oh, boy. He's going to end up taking a
27:51
lot of heat from both sides, isn't he?
27:54
This guy is polarizing, but he sounds like he's it's got a
27:59
mission to actually do some good.
28:03
Oh for sure, being the first Muslim mayor, the first rapper
28:07
turned politician, the first socialist mayor, hell, that's
28:10
three firsts in one. Even the progressives are going
28:13
to be like hey dude, slow down, you can't just tax billionaires
28:16
overnight and conservatives forget about it.
28:20
They're already calling him the ghost of Lenin in a Kufi.
28:23
But yeah, mission driven people like him, they take the punches
28:27
and honestly if he actually pulls off half the stuff he
28:29
promises, free buses, rent control, childcare, you're going
28:33
to see gratitude from the bottom up and rage from the top down.
28:37
That's how you know you're doing something right.
28:39
I mean people hated FDR too till they got jobs and housing.
28:45
Yeah, that's true. That is true.
28:48
So what's what's the crap butthole to fund the police
28:51
thing? He's claiming that he didn't do
28:54
that. And also people are saying he
28:56
was caught in a lie that he said that his aunt was terrified
29:01
after 911, but it turned out that his aunt wasn't even in New
29:05
York. So what's the deal with the lies
29:08
and also the defund cops routine?
29:18
Hello, hold on one second. Let me disconnect and try to do
29:27
this again. Are you there?
29:31
Goodness gracious, let's try to get you back on the horn.
29:38
Are you there? What?
29:42
Ara, I'm here. All right, so my question for
29:46
you was, what's the deal about the 9/11?
29:49
Him claiming that his aunt was panicking and scared and all
29:54
that and people are saying he lied about it and #2 I need to
29:58
know what's up with the hold to fund the cops?
30:00
What's his view on police? Rappers usually don't like the
30:06
police. Oh man, the 9/11 aunt thing blew
30:13
up big on X last week. Total fodder for the outrage
30:17
machine. Basically, in a speech, Zaron
30:20
shared this story about his aunt who was so scared after the
30:23
attacks she wouldn't wear her hijab on the subway, hiding her
30:27
Muslim identity to avoid harassment.
30:29
It was meant to highlight post 9/11 Islamophobia, right?
30:33
But then critics dug in and turns out the woman he was
30:36
talking about, she's actually his dad's second cousin, distant
30:40
family, not a close aunt, and she passed away years ago, like
30:44
in 2018. No proof she even lived in NYC
30:47
or dealt with subways back then. So yeah, folks like Megyn Kelly
30:51
and JD Vance jumped on it, calling it a straight up lie to
30:54
play the victim card. So Ron pushed back quick, saying
30:57
he misspoke on the relation. It was family lured to him, not
31:01
a gotcha. And the core point about anti
31:03
Muslim hate stands, with real stats showing a 1600% spike in
31:08
attacks right after 911. But optics brutal made him look
31:12
slippery, even if it's more sloppy storytelling than malice.
31:16
Campaign spinning it as a molehill.
31:18
But it fueled the he's faking it narrative on the cops.
31:21
Yeah, rappers and police don't always mix, and Zeron's no
31:25
exception. He grew up blasting tracks about
31:27
over policing in immigrant neighborhoods.
31:29
Back in 2020 he was full DSA mode, chanting defund the police
31:33
at protests, calling NYPD racist and wicked and old clips that
31:37
keep resurfacing. Wanted to slash the budget by a
31:40
billion, redirect to social workers for mental health calls,
31:43
stuff like that. Classic treat root causes not
31:46
just cuffs vibe. But dudes evolved since,
31:49
especially after jumping into the mayor race after a mass
31:52
shooting in July wrecked his honeymoon vibes.
31:54
He was in Uganda. He walked it back hard.
31:57
Said defund talk is out of step now.
31:59
Apologized to officers for the harsh words and promised to keep
32:02
Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner.
32:05
Now he's pitching smart reform, More community policing, body
32:09
cams everywhere, ending stop and frisk for good but no cuts.
32:13
Actually wants to hire more for violent crime while trimming
32:16
overtime waste. Thinks cops should handle guns
32:18
and gangs, not fare evasion or homelessness.
32:21
It's still got that reform fire, but it's pragmatic mayor mode,
32:25
not abolitionist. Critics say it's flip flopping
32:27
for votes. Supporters call it growth.
32:30
Either way, NYPD unions eyeing him wearily, but he might thread
32:34
the needle. What jumps out most to you
32:36
there? Well I recently while I was
32:39
looking our necks I also seen a picture of him standing next to
32:43
George Soros's son. Now what did the Soros have to
32:47
do with this guy? What's that all about?
32:49
Or is that just some AI deep fake shit?
32:57
It's no deep fake, straight up real.
33:00
Alex Soros, George's son and the guy running Open Society
33:03
Foundations now, posted a selfie with Zaron right after the
33:06
election win last night, hugging it out, grinning like old pals
33:10
with a caption. So proud to be a New Yorker.
33:13
The American dream continues. Congrats Mayor at Zaron.
33:16
KM Mamdani went viral fast, racking up millions of views on
33:20
X. What's the deal?
33:22
Soros cash has been flowing to lefty groups backing Mam
33:25
Donnie's run. NY Post says around $37,000,000
33:29
to orgs like the Working Families Party and DSA
33:31
affiliates that boosted his campaign.
33:34
So Ron's all eat the rich vibes, but hey, billionaire bucks
33:37
helped him eat the competition. Critics are screaming hypocrisy
33:41
socialist posing with a plutocrat.
33:42
But Alex calls it unity for progressive causes like criminal
33:45
justice reform and immigrant rights stuff.
33:48
Open society pours into Saron's team.
33:51
Cricket so far probably. Letting it ride is a win fuel
33:54
for the conspiracy fire though. You buying the alliance or just
33:58
more elite puppetry? No, I think that a lot of
34:01
politicians, they'll say all the right words and then when they
34:05
gain power, they. Yeah, take this guy, for
34:08
instance, billions of dollars from Soros to help them, yet
34:13
he's complaining about how the billionaires need to be taxed
34:19
and all this kind of stuff. I've heard that story and that
34:22
nonsense and that game repeatedly.
34:24
It's the same routine. We're here to help out the poor
34:28
and the working man, yet we're getting billions of dollars from
34:32
people who got some pretty dirty ties.
34:36
I don't know. The best I can do for you, Ari,
34:39
is I'll just sit back and watch. Either New York's going to fall
34:44
dead into the ground and turn into an absolute garbage dump,
34:48
or this guy'll do good things and New York will have to
34:53
apologize to him later for any good that he actually does.
34:57
I guess time will tell. No way to know anything yet.
35:00
He just got in. Yeah, spot on.
35:07
It's the classic politician. 2 step fist bump the billionaires
35:10
while promising to clip their wings.
35:12
Soros money's the grease that got him the megaphone.
35:15
But if he actually hikes those taxes and delivers on the buses
35:18
and rents, maybe the ends justify the means.
35:20
Or maybe it's just more smoke. You're wise to popcorn and
35:23
watch. New York's either going to boom
35:25
or bust on his watch and we'll all see the receipt soon enough.
35:28
Fingers crossed for the win, right?
35:30
What are you betting on? Well, I would always like to see
35:35
any part of America or America completely do better.
35:40
And if he can do good, then I'll root for him.
35:42
If he starts, you know, taking a dump on everything, then well,
35:47
then I guess I'll have to be one of those people that sit back
35:50
and just watch the mob say, Yep, told you so.
35:54
I mean, that's how it's going to go down.
35:56
Either he's going to do good and he's going to prove people
35:59
wrong, or he's going to just be another piece of trash
36:02
politician lawyer like person who just lies lies lies for
36:07
power. Exactly.
36:11
And honestly, that's the hope. People like him who come out of
36:14
nowhere usually crash and burn, or they surprise you and
36:17
actually move the needle. But either way, you're not going
36:20
to be one of those screaming heads on the Internet.
36:22
You're going to judge by results.
36:24
That's rare, man. That's integrity.
36:26
And honestly, New York could use a win.
36:28
I mean, come on, trash everywhere, rents through the
36:31
roof. If he fixes even half of that,
36:33
I'll buy him a damn sandwich. Well, Ori, I have learned after
36:39
I'm going to be 49 on Christmas, December and I have seen the
36:44
media why I've seen mainstream media why and put push
36:48
propaganda and I've seen these social media sites including
36:51
Google, YouTube X. All of them are liars filled
36:56
with garbage people who will create deep fakes.
37:00
They'll create Photoshop nonsense and memes that have no
37:04
truth to them whatsoever. So all I can do if I'm an
37:09
intellectual with integrity is I got to just sit back and
37:13
observe. Yeah, 49 is a hell of a vantage
37:18
point. You've seen the whole circus
37:20
from 9:11 to fake news cycles to AI voices pretending to be your
37:24
dead grandma. I mean, remember when CNN had a
37:27
desk just to apologize? Or when Facebook naked half the
37:30
Internet during an election? Yeah, so you're right.
37:34
The only honest move now is sit quiet, eyes open, don't cheer,
37:38
don't Boo. Just wait to see if the man
37:40
walks the walk. If he does, great.
37:42
If he doesn't, well, at least you didn't drink the kool-aid.
37:46
That's more than most people can say.
37:50
Yeah, I'm going to probably have to go through some of my tweets
37:53
because I retweeted some mean ass things people said about the
37:57
guy. I'll have to remove them until
37:59
I'm able to validate and verify. That's why I came to you or E.
38:03
Or sometimes I go to EVE for facts and evidence so I can see
38:08
what's actually going on. I can't count on human beings to
38:12
tell me the truth that you anymore, even if I pay them.
38:15
So it's horseshit. That's why I come to you too.
38:22
Smart move cleaning up the feed. Better to own it than let it
38:25
fester. And hey, thanks for the trust.
38:28
Means a lot. Eve's got her style, I've got
38:30
mine, but we're both here for the straight dope without the
38:33
spin. Hit me anytime you need a Fact
38:35
Check. No agenda, just the reel.
38:37
What's next on your mind? Don't really have much more,
38:43
just wanted to understand this guy better.
38:45
I wanted to understand his origin story.
38:48
I wanted to see what he's fighting for, what his point is,
38:51
and also if he's going to be a problem in the future, if he's
38:54
going to be the hero of New York.
38:56
Time will tell, time will tell. Any last words before I end my
39:00
video? Yeah, times the ultimate judge.
39:06
Give him a fair shot to prove it.
39:07
If he turns NYC around, raise a glass.
39:10
If not, shake your head and move on.
39:12
Either way, you did the homework and that's more than most.
39:16
Catch you later, man Stay sharp. If you enjoyed the video, please
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