MAGA to the right of us, MAGA to the left

Zohran Mamdani's ideas are Bernie. But his political maneuvers are Donald. The similarities between the Democratic Socialist running for New York City mayor and President Donald Trump — as well as their respective bases — are fascinating. Like Trump, Mamdani's playbook is heavy on culture and grievances that have little to do with the offices they are seeking. Like Trump during his first campaign, Mamdani is a charismatic figure with no relevant experience running a massive government. Both said extreme things that were perfume to their far-right or far-left bases, the voters who can dominate primaries. But once they faced a broader electorate, they had to clean up their messages. Trump reposted QAnon memes on his Truth Social site in 2022. But during the 2024 campaign, he avoided mentioning the lunatic conspiracy theory while refusing to disavow it. That's Mamdani's approach to his controversial rhetoric against Israel. He refuses to disavow the slogan, "Globalize the Intifada." "Globalize" suggests the battle should not be limited to conflicts in the Middle East but spread to the streets of Paris and New York City. Not long ago, Mamdani called the New York City Police Department "a rogue agency" and "wicked and corrupt." He vowed to cut police funding "annually towards zero." (That 13 law enforcement unions have endorsed his opponent, current Mayor Eric Adams, is no surprise.) Many Democrats believe this defund-the-police business, popular only in the fringiest left precincts, was responsible for the Democrats' losing control of the House in 2022. It notably caused loss of support among needed moderates, especially in "communities of color." "'Defund the police' almost cost me my race because of an attack ad," Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger said. "Don't say socialism ever again," she added. Mamdani has since executed a U-turn on the matter — or to make that seem. He told a recent business group that no, "I will not defund the police. I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role." Good that he noticed. To put further space between this and past statements, Mamdani said that if elected mayor, he might keep Adams' popular police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, in that job. "I believe that it's premature to make any personnel commitments at this time," he said, "but it's a consideration that is real? —and it's in keeping with the city that we're fighting for." Consider the word "consider." That's what Trump uses to make people think he's going to do something he has absolutely no intention of doing. Exhibit A: his previous promises to "consider" releasing the Epstein files. One thing the MAGA right and MAGA left have in common is a vague understanding of economics, specifically the law of supply and demand. Trump frequently blamed Joe Biden for rising energy costs, when the price of gas was simply recovering from the COVID-era crash. Workplaces had closed, and Americans did far less driving. Mamdani vows to freeze rents on approximately 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. Doing that would cause the opposite to happen. Landlords don't win any popularity contests, but history shows rent control greatly discourages the building of new apartments and maintenance of older ones. Rents are high because supply has not kept up with demand. Atlanta used to be a magnet for urban Americans seeking more affordable housing. That influx has stalled as the demand for housing caused Atlanta's prices to skyrocket. Home prices in Atlanta have doubled since 2012, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Cult-like followings can get drowned out when the normies show up for the general election. That happened to Trump in 2020. Let's see what happens in New York's upcoming mayoral race. Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop.