Two strategists connected to the Clinton and Obama administrations have condemned the rise of socialism in the country, predominantly through New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Former Clinton adviser Mark Penn voiced strong opposition to Mamdani’s tax plan and his publication of a database base on a resident’s home value. “The idea of the tax was basically to create massive taxation without representation,” he wrote on X. “The people being taxed — non residents — by definition don’t vote and so the political genius was to create and discriminate against a class of people who do not vote. That by itself might be unconstitutional. And they also don’t use the schools, much garbage, much of any of the city’s services. So taxing them actually makes little sense as you drive away people who were contributing but not using the services.”
“Now many will recall that persecutions frequently begin with a list — a list that can be used by the authorities and that is where Mamdani started — and he published it to boot. And smiled about it as though those high-value owners deserve what’s coming to them,” Penn explained, noting, “But with a million people on his tax hit list, welcome to the lie of socialism – it starts with the idea that only ‘they’ are going to get it — a small group of 30,000 homeowners — and before you know it you are on the list.”
Former Obama White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has come out against the Democratic Socialists of America’s platform. He said on X, “You can be focused on winning tough races, flipping red seats blue. Or you can be focused on abolishing prisons and… the Senate and Supreme Court? You can’t do both.” Emanuel instead advocated for a more traditional approach from Democrats. “I’m for winning this November and ending Trump’s corruption – and I’m also for putting an end to all the distractions from the DSA,” he added.
Jamie Metzl, a former member of President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council, has also called the DSA a “fundamental threat” to the nation.
