Zohran Mamdani and the socialist spark

By VIVEK PARAT

The triumph of Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral election is far more than a local political footnote; it signals a profound shift in the American political landscape. This victory, secured by a Democratic Socialist, suggests that the United States is at an inflection point where economic and technological anxieties are rapidly fuelling a demand for systemic, if not revolutionary, change. The established capitalist order, long considered unassailable, is now facing a potent challenge, driven by forces ranging from artificial intelligence to crushing wealth disparity. This phenomenon is rapidly paving the way for the deep rooting of socialist ideals in America.

The conversation around socialism in America cannot be divorced from the rapid ascent of AI. As AI technologies automate white-collar and service-sector jobs, the threat of mass unemployment and severe economic disruption looms large. This impending technological shock is intensifying the public’s economic insecurity, creating a fertile ground for radical political ideas.

AI promises to concentrate unprecedented wealth in the hands of a few tech billionaires and large corporations, while simultaneously displacing a multi-million-strong working population. This process accelerates economic inequality. When the basic security of employment is taken away by machines, the public naturally turns to the state to guarantee their fundamental needs, a classic socialist demand. The challenge of a job market destabilised by AI acts as a soft catalyst for a revolution – not of violence, but of policy and economic structure. Mamdani’s agenda, which advocates for housing, universal transit, and income security, is implicitly a response to the very real and present danger of a future where AI renders human labour obsolete for profit.

The calls for change are amplified by crippling, historical levels of wealth disparity. The staggering concentration of wealth among the top 1% has rendered necessities like healthcare, education, and housing inaccessible to the average American. This systemic failure has eroded public faith in the existing economic structures, leading many – particularly the youth – to view the current capitalist model as fundamentally broken and rigged in favour of the elites.

Mamdani’s commitment to raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations – the very entities benefiting most from the current system and, ironically, from AI – is the political embodiment of this popular demand for economic redistribution. The success of his campaign, despite the intense, fear-mongering opposition from Wall Street and the conservative media, confirms that the working class is willing to back leaders who promise a break from the centrist policies that have exacerbated these inequalities.

The current atmosphere in the US suggests that a radical political and social transformation is becoming increasingly likely. The contributing factors are manifold: Firstly, political polarisation has led to institutional paralysis. The deep, ideological chasm between the Democrats and Republicans means the government is incapable of solving urgent crises, be it healthcare or climate change. This failure to govern breeds popular contempt for the established system.

Secondly, the rise of extremist fringes on both the far-Left and the far-Right indicates a widespread rejection of the centre. While Mamdani’s victory embodies the peaceful rise of the Democratic Socialist Left, the simultaneous rise of Trump-aligned ultra-conservative movements demonstrates a national readiness to discard traditional democratic norms in favour of radical alternatives.

A new blueprint

The success of Mamdani, an Indian-origin Muslim politician, carries profound relevance for the global Indian diaspora and post-colonial nations like India. His victory proves that a platform that is centred on economic justice and working-class empowerment can transcend ethnic and religious divides.

Mamdani’s policies – free public services, strict market controls like rent freezes and city-run grocery stores – are socialist solutions aimed at ensuring that essential services are treated as universal rights rather than market commodities. This democratic socialist blueprint, succeeding in the citadel of global capitalism, offers a path for other nations that are struggling with similar inequalities and the disruptive force of AI. It suggests that the most effective antidote to the job losses and wealth concentration caused by AI may well be a robust, democratically enforced socialist safety net.

Zohran Mamdani’s ascendancy is a potent symbol that the old order in America is unsustainable. The convergence of crippling economic inequality and the technological upheaval brought by AI has laid the groundwork for a profound and systemic shift. This transformative change in the Big Apple may blossom into a national movement, compelling America to confront the uncomfortable truth that its capitalist experiment, left unchecked, has led to a crisis that demands a revolutionary political solution.

The writer is a technology- policy analyst and the author of Ones and Zeros: Data Eyes on Privacy. He serves as Additional PA to the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.