Two Muslim male politicians, Abdul El-Sayed and Zohran Mamdani have recently charmed their way into the hearts of a generation of young Americans who feel betrayed by leaders, Republican and Democrat, for marching to the drums of the foreign government of Israel, unashamedly promoting the genocide of Palestinians, and sending terrorizing militias into their communities. But just as the dejection and powerlessness was beginning to seem like the new normal, Mamdani and El-Sayed blazed a trail that spread like wildfire. Both have been uncompromising in their stance on Israel and aid for foreign wars, and both have tried to bring focus back to the material, local issues that plague regular Americans.
With these two in the drivers’ seats, gone were the drab campaign ads, pandering TV interviews and mealy-mouth promises. Instead, we got short-form videos showcasing everything from blistering comebacks in newsrooms to sappy speeches about their wives to cooking and eating videos. El-Sayed gave us witty, whip-smart, dad and doctor all the while flexing his impressive muscles in a tight shirt. Mamdani’s videos capture constant motion, a man restless for change. He’s biking, rapping, laughing, dancing, vigorously shaking hands, and often, eating. This is a new type of masculinity espousing a politics of care, tenderness, empathy and service while also playing to stereotypes of overt heterosexual manliness.
Their attitude is infectious and many of the young male politicians who have been voted into Democrat jobs have followed their example. Georgia’s Jon Ossoff’s campaign capitalized on his good looks. And backlash against Texan James Talarico for not being “manly enough” only won him more millennial fans. The blue wave is a young wave, and the crop of youthful politicians naturally infuses eros and desirability into politics.
In our fun chitchat on this topic, Madhuri and I discussed how age and masculinity and charisma reverberate in the halls of power. But as the excitement about the blue tsunami and it’s many historic firsts starts to recede, we were left with more questions than answers. There is no real sense of what unites the Democratic party, and the diversity of agendas and approaches within the group of elected candidates will be hard to cohere. How will this party, committed to centrism, prone to war-making, and beholden to corporations, harness this burst of energetic momentum? Trust in the Dems is certainly not high and the uncertainty feels tangible.
But cautiously, anxiously, we celebrate…
Love and solidarity❤️🔥
Bhakti Shringarpure
From last week
What does it mean when the biggest newsrooms in the world (BBC, CNN, New York Times and others) aid and abet the genocide of Palestinians? We have been asking this question for the last three years but Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights, delivered a scathing, powerful and evidence-filled report on what she called a “mediacide.” Our debrief below: