Young, socialist, Muslim NY mayoral candidate is the start of a revolution
In backing Mamdani, 33, a Muslim democratic socialist, voters chose representation that's both lived and loud. New Yorkers chose someone to defeat former governor Andrew Cuomo, a political heir with a history of sexual harassment allegations. They chose someone who would help them afford to live in the city they love. Someone who TikToks speaking Hindi, clipping Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, and has Emily Ratajkowski wearing a 'Hot Girls for Zohran' T-shirt. Someone who uses the term 'genocide' when discussing the Middle East. Mamdani is upending politics, and it isn't a surprise to me.
I'll admit my bias. I'm a 28-year-old Indian Australian corporate lawyer with a lot of HECS debt and no real assets. I get called 'Greg' once a fortnight because my name appears 'Garg, Tushaar' in Outlook. So when Mamdani corrected Cuomo for butchering his name again, spelling it out, letter by letter, he had me dead to rights. 'The name is Mamdani', he told New York and Cuomo.
Unlike the Australian dream, the American dream isn't built on owning the home you live in. But even renting is becoming untenable in many major cities. New Yorkers now spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. For every 100 low-income households in New York, there are just 36 affordable rentals.
In an early debate, the Democratic mayoral candidates were asked what they each pay in rent. Adrienne Adams owned her home. Cuomo? $US7800 ($11,846) per month. Mamdani? $US2,300 per month. Unable to own the homes they live in or spend close to $US2000 a week on rent, many young voters identified with Mamdani. This support only grew as New York's Robin Hood unveiled plans to tax the rich and build for the poor. Mamdani plans to place an additional 2 per cent tax on those earning over $US1 million and increase corporate tax rates. He will also freeze rent for more than 2 million tenants and fast-track 200,000 new affordable homes.
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In Sydney, the picture is just as bleak. Over the weekend of March 15-16, Anglicare found that of 13,334 private rentals advertised across Greater Sydney, only 21 were affordable for a single person on minimum wage.
If you're a young professional hoping to live anywhere near Sydney city, you'll need to pile a generous premium on top of the asking price, just to be in the running for a rental. At my age, the hip-pocket nerve is the most sensitive, and it's starting to pinch.
Mamdani spoke to voters who are tired of seeing their faith politicised. Unsurprisingly, he resonated with New York's large Muslim population. More significantly, he began gaining support from across the aisle, including parts of New York's Jewish community, the largest outside of Israel. This kind of cross-cultural support is rare in today's political climate, where campaigns thrive on division and xenophobic rhetoric.
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32 minutes ago
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Senate passes massive US tax cut and spending bill
US Senate Republicans have passed President Donald Trump's massive tax-cut and spending bill by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $US3.3 trillion ($A5 trillion) to the national debt. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he aimed to meet that deadline. The measure would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $US930 billion ($A1.4 trillion) of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans, and repeal many of Democratic former president Joe Biden's green-energy incentives. The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation's fast-growing $US36.2 trillion debt, would raise the federal government's self-imposed debt ceiling by $US5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default. The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans - Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky - joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill. The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill's price tag and its impact on the US healthcare system. The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close. A White House official told reporters that Trump would be "deeply involved" in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill. "It's a great bill. There is something for everyone," Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. "And I think it's going to go very nicely in the House." Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives' demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers' concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas. A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate's plan. The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, the former Trump ally who has railed against the bill's enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year's midterm elections. House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill. "This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. "It's the largest assault on nutrition in American history." US Senate Republicans have passed President Donald Trump's massive tax-cut and spending bill by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $US3.3 trillion ($A5 trillion) to the national debt. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he aimed to meet that deadline. The measure would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $US930 billion ($A1.4 trillion) of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans, and repeal many of Democratic former president Joe Biden's green-energy incentives. The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation's fast-growing $US36.2 trillion debt, would raise the federal government's self-imposed debt ceiling by $US5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default. The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans - Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky - joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill. The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill's price tag and its impact on the US healthcare system. The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close. A White House official told reporters that Trump would be "deeply involved" in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill. "It's a great bill. There is something for everyone," Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. "And I think it's going to go very nicely in the House." Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives' demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers' concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas. A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate's plan. The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, the former Trump ally who has railed against the bill's enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year's midterm elections. House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill. "This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. "It's the largest assault on nutrition in American history." US Senate Republicans have passed President Donald Trump's massive tax-cut and spending bill by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $US3.3 trillion ($A5 trillion) to the national debt. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he aimed to meet that deadline. The measure would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $US930 billion ($A1.4 trillion) of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans, and repeal many of Democratic former president Joe Biden's green-energy incentives. The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation's fast-growing $US36.2 trillion debt, would raise the federal government's self-imposed debt ceiling by $US5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default. The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans - Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky - joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill. The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill's price tag and its impact on the US healthcare system. The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close. A White House official told reporters that Trump would be "deeply involved" in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill. "It's a great bill. There is something for everyone," Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. "And I think it's going to go very nicely in the House." Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives' demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers' concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas. A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate's plan. The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, the former Trump ally who has railed against the bill's enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year's midterm elections. House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill. "This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. "It's the largest assault on nutrition in American history." US Senate Republicans have passed President Donald Trump's massive tax-cut and spending bill by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $US3.3 trillion ($A5 trillion) to the national debt. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he aimed to meet that deadline. The measure would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $US930 billion ($A1.4 trillion) of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans, and repeal many of Democratic former president Joe Biden's green-energy incentives. The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation's fast-growing $US36.2 trillion debt, would raise the federal government's self-imposed debt ceiling by $US5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default. The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans - Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky - joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill. The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill's price tag and its impact on the US healthcare system. The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close. A White House official told reporters that Trump would be "deeply involved" in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill. "It's a great bill. There is something for everyone," Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. "And I think it's going to go very nicely in the House." Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives' demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers' concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas. A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate's plan. The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, the former Trump ally who has railed against the bill's enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year's midterm elections. House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill. "This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. "It's the largest assault on nutrition in American history."
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Young, socialist, Muslim NY mayoral candidate is the start of a revolution
Zohran Mamdani just pulled off the political upset of the year in New York's Democratic mayoral primary. It was a David and Goliath moment, powered by young, working-class New Yorkers fed up with the cost of living and political neglect. Mamdani's rise signals a shift in urban politics – one that's echoing far beyond New York. In backing Mamdani, 33, a Muslim democratic socialist, voters chose representation that's both lived and loud. New Yorkers chose someone to defeat former governor Andrew Cuomo, a political heir with a history of sexual harassment allegations. They chose someone who would help them afford to live in the city they love. Someone who TikToks speaking Hindi, clipping Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, and has Emily Ratajkowski wearing a 'Hot Girls for Zohran' T-shirt. Someone who uses the term 'genocide' when discussing the Middle East. Mamdani is upending politics, and it isn't a surprise to me. I'll admit my bias. I'm a 28-year-old Indian Australian corporate lawyer with a lot of HECS debt and no real assets. I get called 'Greg' once a fortnight because my name appears 'Garg, Tushaar' in Outlook. So when Mamdani corrected Cuomo for butchering his name again, spelling it out, letter by letter, he had me dead to rights. 'The name is Mamdani', he told New York and Cuomo. Unlike the Australian dream, the American dream isn't built on owning the home you live in. But even renting is becoming untenable in many major cities. New Yorkers now spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. For every 100 low-income households in New York, there are just 36 affordable rentals. In an early debate, the Democratic mayoral candidates were asked what they each pay in rent. Adrienne Adams owned her home. Cuomo? $US7800 ($11,846) per month. Mamdani? $US2,300 per month. Unable to own the homes they live in or spend close to $US2000 a week on rent, many young voters identified with Mamdani. This support only grew as New York's Robin Hood unveiled plans to tax the rich and build for the poor. Mamdani plans to place an additional 2 per cent tax on those earning over $US1 million and increase corporate tax rates. He will also freeze rent for more than 2 million tenants and fast-track 200,000 new affordable homes. Loading In Sydney, the picture is just as bleak. Over the weekend of March 15-16, Anglicare found that of 13,334 private rentals advertised across Greater Sydney, only 21 were affordable for a single person on minimum wage. If you're a young professional hoping to live anywhere near Sydney city, you'll need to pile a generous premium on top of the asking price, just to be in the running for a rental. At my age, the hip-pocket nerve is the most sensitive, and it's starting to pinch. Mamdani spoke to voters who are tired of seeing their faith politicised. Unsurprisingly, he resonated with New York's large Muslim population. More significantly, he began gaining support from across the aisle, including parts of New York's Jewish community, the largest outside of Israel. This kind of cross-cultural support is rare in today's political climate, where campaigns thrive on division and xenophobic rhetoric.
The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
Young, socialist, Muslim NY mayoral candidate is the start of a revolution
Zohran Mamdani just pulled off the political upset of the year in New York's Democratic mayoral primary. It was a David and Goliath moment, powered by young, working-class New Yorkers fed up with the cost of living and political neglect. Mamdani's rise signals a shift in urban politics – one that's echoing far beyond New York. In backing Mamdani, 33, a Muslim democratic socialist, voters chose representation that's both lived and loud. New Yorkers chose someone to defeat former governor Andrew Cuomo, a political heir with a history of sexual harassment allegations. They chose someone who would help them afford to live in the city they love. Someone who TikToks speaking Hindi, clipping Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, and has Emily Ratajkowski wearing a 'Hot Girls for Zohran' T-shirt. Someone who uses the term 'genocide' when discussing the Middle East. Mamdani is upending politics, and it isn't a surprise to me. I'll admit my bias. I'm a 28-year-old Indian Australian corporate lawyer with a lot of HECS debt and no real assets. I get called 'Greg' once a fortnight because my name appears 'Garg, Tushaar' in Outlook. So when Mamdani corrected Cuomo for butchering his name again, spelling it out, letter by letter, he had me dead to rights. 'The name is Mamdani', he told New York and Cuomo. Unlike the Australian dream, the American dream isn't built on owning the home you live in. But even renting is becoming untenable in many major cities. New Yorkers now spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. For every 100 low-income households in New York, there are just 36 affordable rentals. In an early debate, the Democratic mayoral candidates were asked what they each pay in rent. Adrienne Adams owned her home. Cuomo? $US7800 ($11,846) per month. Mamdani? $US2,300 per month. Unable to own the homes they live in or spend close to $US2000 a week on rent, many young voters identified with Mamdani. This support only grew as New York's Robin Hood unveiled plans to tax the rich and build for the poor. Mamdani plans to place an additional 2 per cent tax on those earning over $US1 million and increase corporate tax rates. He will also freeze rent for more than 2 million tenants and fast-track 200,000 new affordable homes. Loading In Sydney, the picture is just as bleak. Over the weekend of March 15-16, Anglicare found that of 13,334 private rentals advertised across Greater Sydney, only 21 were affordable for a single person on minimum wage. If you're a young professional hoping to live anywhere near Sydney city, you'll need to pile a generous premium on top of the asking price, just to be in the running for a rental. At my age, the hip-pocket nerve is the most sensitive, and it's starting to pinch. Mamdani spoke to voters who are tired of seeing their faith politicised. Unsurprisingly, he resonated with New York's large Muslim population. More significantly, he began gaining support from across the aisle, including parts of New York's Jewish community, the largest outside of Israel. This kind of cross-cultural support is rare in today's political climate, where campaigns thrive on division and xenophobic rhetoric.
