On The Source with Kaitlan Collins (CNN, October 14, 2025), Michael Scherer of The Atlantic defended New York politician Zohran Mamdani, insisting he’s not a communist but a Democratic socialist.
Scherer said:
“Everyone thinks Mamdani is going to win at this point. You’d need an act of God or something to bring Cuomo back at this point. I think the president is champing at the bit. It’s another place where he can demonstrate this fight going into the midterms next year. And he can call Mamdani a communist.
Mamdani is not a communist. I mean, we should say that every time he says it — he’s not a communist. That’s not his position. He’s, you know, a member of Democratic socialists. But he’s also been meeting with business leaders in New York in recent weeks. He’s making peace with the business community…”
Scherer’s defense suggests that meeting with business leaders somehow proves moderation — as if talking to the very people his policies would overtax makes him “reasonable.”
But there’s no real line between communism and Democratic socialism. Democratic socialism is just more deceptive — a rebrand meant to sound softer while leading to the same result: government control, higher taxes, crushed enterprise, eroded capitalism, and less freedom.
Communism didn’t disappear — it just started calling itself “Democratic socialism.”
Mamdani has invoked the slogan “seize the means of production,” proposed city-run grocery stores, and pushed for sweeping public control over transit, childcare, rent, and housing. His plan includes fare-free buses, rent freezes, taxpayer-funded daycare, and higher corporate and wealth taxes to fund it. He’s endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, which calls for ending capitalism and replacing it with democratic socialism.
He’s also proposed banning ICE from city facilities and providing taxpayer-funded legal representation for immigrants facing deportation — putting ideology over law. It’s the same socialist playbook as his economic agenda: reject rules you don’t like, replace enforcement with handouts, and force taxpayers to foot the bill.
From the economy to the border to the streets, Mamdani delivers the same disaster: higher taxes, state control, lawbreakers rewarded, and less safety for everyone.
Whether you call it “Democratic socialism” or “communism,” the goals are the same — centralized planning, redistribution, state power over private enterprise, the replacement of individual ownership with collective control, and freedom destroyed. It’s an ideology that kills incentives, stifles innovation, dismantles capitalism, and hands major decisions — from business to housing to childcare — to bureaucrats instead of citizens.
Scherer acts as if only Mamdani and Cuomo matter in the mayor’s race. But there is another choice — a real New Yorker who’s lived the fight, not just talked about it on TV.
That candidate is Curtis Sliwa — and he’s exactly what this city needs.
For decades, Sliwa has patrolled New York’s streets as founder of the Guardian Angels, protecting neighborhoods the political class ignored. While elites debate ideology, he deals in reality — safety, affordability, and sanity.
His 2025 platform focuses on restoring order and pride in America’s largest city:
- Put cops back on the street and end soft-on-crime policies that turned New York into a haven for repeat offenders.
- Lower property and business taxes to keep families and small businesses from leaving.
- Clean up the subways with more patrols and zero tolerance for violence.
- Defend parental rights and school choice, ensuring kids get a real education instead of political indoctrination.
- Bring accountability back to City Hall by cutting waste and exposing corruption.
Sliwa isn’t a career politician — he’s a lifelong New Yorker who’s lived the city’s chaos and never stopped fighting for its people. While Mamdani talks about redistribution, Sliwa talks about restoration — bringing back safety, sanity, and stability to every borough.
Make NYC Safe Again — with Curtis Sliwa.
👉 Learn more at http://SliwaForNYC.com