892: DSA's Signal vs Substance
Another thing to learn from Mamdani: everyone pivots away from the left
A compelling excerpt from our recent piece on the 2018 documentary featuring AOC’s successful campaign got left on the cutting room floor.
After reading today’s New York Times story on Zohran Mamdani pivoting away from the extreme left, I had to share it.
AOC, a staffer, and Saikat Chakrabarti - the Justice Democrats founder and current candidate for Nancy Pelosi’s seat - are talking about creative materials for the campaign:
AOC1: “What I envision is three words or four words that are big on the back, whether it’s Medicare For All, or …”
Saikat Chakrabarti: “I think Rejecting Corporate Money” is a big signal - a really big signal ....”
Staffer: “Abolish ICE is another one you could go to if you wanted …”
AOC: “I mean it’s kinda cool … I wouldn’t mind having posters that say Abolish ICE … like oh that’s gangster up in Jackson Heights.”
The word signal is important here. How can you build your distinct brand in just a few words? How do you show-don’t-tell?
Learning from the far left is an important part of Welcome, because they are very good at some things. Branding is certainly one.
And when the substance of the signal becomes a problem? Even in the bluest areas, it’s time to pivot.
Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist and current front-runner in the New York City mayor’s race, sought to distance himself on Thursday from the national Democratic Socialists of America platform, which includes proposals to eliminate all misdemeanor offenses and to close local jails.
“My platform is not the same as national D.S.A.,” he told reporters after an unrelated event.
When asked whether he wanted to eliminate misdemeanor offenses, he said “no.”
“You can’t find that on my platform, because it’s not there,” he said.
You can read the full NYT piece here.
And over the next 892 days before the 2028 presidential primary results start coming in? You can remember that the “What to learn from Mamdani” debates are paired with Mamdani moderating.
For ambitious DSA candidates, the signals are more important than the substance.