The prospective emperor Mamdani has no clothes

Do you recall the children’s tale about the emperor’s new clothes? Two impostors pose as tailors and convince a vain king that they’ve crafted him a set of stylish, invisible clothes, but they actually send him into the streets wearing nothing at all.

The king is so caught up in their false promises that he believes the fraudsters and, amazingly, no one — not his officials nor his servants nor his subjects — has the courage to speak up and tell him the truth. In fact, they pretend to admire his outfit. Finally a child blurts out the obvious, that the emperor has no clothes.

The tale speaks volumes about the human condition. Throughout history we’ve witnessed many a bad idea gain traction, not because it was worthy of praise, but because people lacked the resolve to contradict popular opinion.

That’s what’s happening right now in New York City with mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Party.

For years, New York’s Democratic leaders have been reading from a familiar script: They champion so-called progressive values, all the while insisting that they are still the party of the middle ground.  With Mamdani’s recent victory in the Democratic mayoral primary and his unapologetically extreme  platform, it’s clear that this claim to the middle is now a thing of the past.

Let’s face it: Mamdani’s rise isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s part of a troubling movement that’s been growing in the Democratic Party for some time. His vision for the city is not progressive, but rather a significant leap from the party’s traditional center-left stance to outright socialism — and the fact that the party has leapt with him should concern everyone.

Mamdani would massively expand government and force burdensome costs onto taxpayers, slamming job growth and driving businesses out of our state. He’s called for rent freezes, free buses, city-owned grocery stores and tax hikes on wealthy “white” New Yorkers, using rhetoric that divides people by race and income. And his answer to the city’s crime? Repeated calls to defund the police while embracing sanctuary policies.

But the danger isn’t just his extremist economic and social policies. He also pushes hateful, antisemitic rhetoric that has no place in our country. Long before he was an elected official, Mamdani cofounded his college’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine — a radical far-left group known for being aggressively anti-Israel. And worse, he has publicly defended the phrase “Globalize the intifada” — a slogan associated with violent uprisings and attacks on Jews. Decent people, regardless of politics, condemn this language for what it is: a hateful call to violence against a religious group.

Yet instead of opposing this recklessness, Democratic leaders have embraced Mamdani, while others have downplayed or tried to sidestep responsibility for these policies the party now owns. Their fear of alienating its extremist base has them hiding in a corner, forfeiting their right to call themselves moderate. A handful have spoken out — and I commend them for it. But their voices are isolated, drowned out by silence where there should be a chorus of outrage. Make no mistake: Mamdani won the primary, which means he’s no longer on the fringe, but rather the standard- bearer for his party. That is the sad truth we face today.

Let’s pause and contextualize what this means. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks — a solemn time to honor the lives lost and reflect on the tragedy that reshaped our city and nation. Electing Mamdani as mayor would mean putting New York City in the hands of someone who actively defends the hatred that fueled those horrific attacks. That would dishonor the memories of every victim. Why aren’t people shouting their indignation from the rooftops?

While it seems that Republicans are routinely asked to denounce members of their party for every controversial remark, Democrats face no such demands when it comes to a divisive figure like Mamdani. Despite his well-documented history of hateful rhetoric and radical proposals that have failed wherever they were tried, there has been virtually no pressure from the mainstream media for Democratic leaders to publicly denounce him.

It might be pointless, anyway. As hard as it is to accept, perhaps this is where New York Democrats have finally decided to stake their ground.

I hope not. Because I’m waiting for someone brave enough to tell their emperor he has no clothes and expose him for the fool that he really is.

Jack Martins represents the 7th State Senate District.