The power of articulate passion in politics
Zohran Mamdani.
Who? What the heck is going on in New York City?
We see a spark of articulate passion on the political stage. We can learn something.
I began writing this blog almost 10 years ago, back in August, 2015, after my wife and I attended a fundraising event for Hillary Clinton. We each paid $2,600 for the privilege, and we needed to drive to Portland to see her. I stood six feet from her in the lovely garden of a wealthy person's house, on a lovely day. I heard her speak for an hour. She listed her plans and policies, which sounded reasonable to me: sensible, practical, center-left policies. She was a notch or two more liberal than her husband, Bill.
My takeaway, though, wasn't policy. It was about her presence. Her presentation. I noticed that she wore slipper-like shoes, that she stood having her photo taken with guests and speaking for two hours and 15 minutes without touching a nearby stool. She had stamina, something that Trump tried to make an issue a year later. But most important, I noticed that I was somewhat bored by her speech.
I reflected on my reaction. I tried to adjust the scale to account for my own position in the spectrum of voters. I was a fan -- fan enough to have attended a maximum-gift fundraiser. I have attended events headlined by Bill Clinton.
For goodness sake, I had actually paid an artist to paint a portrait of the Clintons back in 1994, a painting that I have had in my living room for 30 years. If I wasn't thrilled by her, who would be, I wondered? There was no excitement or pizzazz in her talk. She was missing something. That convinced me to go to New Hampshire and other early-primary states to watch political speeches by other candidates and to write about them. And so this blog.
I was up close to watch Trump, Rubio, Cruz, Huckabee and over a dozen other Republicans.
I was up close to watch Hillary, Biden, Sanders, Harris, Warren, and over a dozen other Democrats.
I wrote frankly that Joe Biden could read an OK speech from a teleprompter with a weak voice, but that he could not "sell" anything. He sucked the energy out of whatever he talked about.
I don't vote in New York City, and I don't have a feel for the issues of wealth, cost of living, crime, transportation, and liveability of the city, so I won't judge Zohran Mamdani as a candidate. He has said things about Israel, Hamas, police, rent freezes, and wealth taxes that I disagree with, and I don't think he is a successful model for Democrats hoping to win majorities in the two houses of Congress or the White House.
But he has something Democrats should observe. He has the spark. He is fast, articulate, and interesting. He looks confident. He can sell. On that scale of political presentation, he is the opposite of Biden. Here is a very short clip of him:
I recognize that governing is not show business. But it is a little bit show business, and Donald Trump is the proof of that. Governing in a democracy is about the will of the people, and that makes the politician's job one of salesmanship and persuasion. We aren't electing a package of policies. We are electing a person who can get us to believe he or she should lead us. A political leader is a salesperson.
Democrats will be on the losing side of elections until they wake up to the necessity of candidate that voters find interesting and personally appealing. Again, I don't think Mamdani is the guy. But he has the spark and confidence Democrats should demand in a leader. He demolished poor Andrew Cuomo. New Yorkers overlooked a lot of policy disagreement in order to vote for Mamdani.
Mamdani has the spark, that's for sure. And by partnering and cross-endorsing with Brad Lander, he helped (a bit) to reduce the negatives some voters feel with regard to Muslims.
I'm delighted he's shaken up the Democratic establishment, and panicked Republicans.
While articulate passion helps candidates get elected, and while passion helps an incumbent get things done, it does not guarantee that the right candidate gets elected, or that the right things get done. Passion can be an obstacle to reason and judgment; it can get the wrong things done.
Clinton was the most qualified presidential candidate of this millennium; maybe ever. It's a tragedy she was too much of a nerd for the electorate. I mean, too much of a nerd for the Electoral College.
Mamdani was clearly supported by young voters, which gives me hope for our country. For years, Americans have said they want health care for all! Daycare for working families! A living wage, not a "minimum wage" which requires two to work 50-80 hours a week to survive. I laugh when I hear anyone say we are the "richest country" in the world, when that wealth is only for the top 2%, while more than 50% on the bottom struggle to survive.