America is divided into two countries - Trump's pro-billionaires and Mamdani's anti-billionaires
The 0.001% as an avatar for political polarization makes sense when you look at the world that tech billionaires have helped create
It's an ideological battle, as well as an economic one. Trump has pointed the finger at what he sees as unfair trade policies. Mamdani blames a tax code that he says favors the rich.
Billionaires, if you listen to politicians and their supporters, will either lead us to salvation on the mountaintop, or into the abyss.
The election of Zohran Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City is a victory for one distinct political doctrine in an election that drew the largest turnout in nearly 25 years. The majority of voters appear to believe that this young Democrat, a charismatic Ugandan-born Indian American, is best qualified to deal with a slew of problems dogging not just New Yorkers, but millions of people across the country: inequality, high rents, rising prices, and the lack of affordable housing.
It's a shot in the arm for those who believe that taxing the rich will redirect money toward working stiffs, a proposition some critics say is "wishful thinking" and would lead to capital flight. Mamdani's proposals include raising the corporate tax rate and imposing a 2% tax on incomes over $1 million. Love him or loathe him, the 34-year-old Mamdani, the Democratic self-described democratic socialist, won NYC's mayoral election. Some influencers have even dubbed him "America's Mayor."
Mamdani's rousing victory speech took aim at those at the very top of the food chain. "For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands, fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery-bike handle bars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns," he said. "These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power and yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it."
