Mayor-elect of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, stands out for many reasons beyond his unfamiliar name. He’s young (34), Muslim with an Indian-Ugandan background, handsome and well-dressed, intelligent, and fares well in verbal sparring matches with opponents (including President Donald Trump) and reporters. For some, he sparks memories of a young JFK or Mayor John Lindsay (1966-74).
But what really sets him apart is his proud membership in the Democratic Socialist Party, alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Regardless of the political harm (or benefit) that might pose, he states unequivocally, “I’m not afraid of what I believe.”
“Socialism” and “socialist” can evoke diametrically opposing images. Supporters of pure socialism imagine it as a step towards a utopian dream of economic equality. Opponents see visions of communism before 1988 behind the Iron Curtain under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR): lines of silent, depressed consumers waiting for stale bread and rudimentary consumer goods; critics jailed or punished; freedom, including the freedom to flee the country, restricted.
The concept of “democratic socialism” adds more confusion. The Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden) are considered examples of democratic socialism because the government is elected democratically, income inequalities are minimal, workers’ rights are protected by law, and the social safety net is designed to catch nearly everyone through universal and free health care, and other assistance. It’s no coincidence that they are consistently ranked among the top 10 in the “Happiest Countries in the World.”
Mamdani is free to define “democratic socialism” in his own terms, since no one easily fits a boiler-plate ideology. For him, democratic socialism is a movement focused on a more even distribution of wealth, a strong social safety net, and a society which allows everyone to live with dignity. He quotes MLK Jr. in his descriptions: “There must be a better distribution of wealth for all of god’s children in this country.” Mamdani says, “That’s what I’m focused on: dignity, and taking on income equality.”
Mamdani can’t change the national and international economy, but can push his proposals for housing (a New York rent freeze), transportation (free city bus service), free child care for residents, and some city-owned grocery stores which will attempt to bring down prices by removing the profit motive. It will certainly be an uphill climb, since Mamdani proposes higher taxes on the rich to expand city services. Several previous mayors started with great popular support, but left with broken dreams and a questionable political future after fickle New Yorkers turned them out.
So what does Costco have to do with Mamdani and socialism? Years ago, I wrote about “moral capitalism” which involves business decisions focused on employees and society rather than shareholder profits under “brute capitalism.” Costco, like New England’s Market Basket chain, pays it employees well and provides excellent benefits: many work there for decades. One business writer says that Costco has “one of the most loyal and productive workforces in all of retailing.” It limits markups on most products (generally, 14% of wholesale cost), and has succeeded brilliantly, with over 900 locations worldwide, 340,000 employees, and is the world’s third largest retailer (behind Amazon and Walmart) with net profits of $8.1 billion. Its stock price? Around $1,000 per share.
Although Costco (and Market Basket) avoid labels, they are the type of businesses that Democratic Socialists envision. They use the best parts of capitalism but make decisions to benefit customers and employees, rather than shareholders.
Despite its flaws, Facebook is a never-ending source of memes. One recently suggested that socialism is very poorly understood: most people wouldn’t recognize it “even if the mailman delivered their Social Security check on a road just plowed by the city, past a fire station funded by their taxes, on the way to a public school where their grandkids get a free lunch, while their Medicare-covered ambulance waited at a stoplight maintained by public infrastructure funds.” The point is that most of our government and society is an exercise in some type of socialism: we pool our talents and resources to accomplish social tasks beyond our individual abilities.
It will be interesting to see how Mamdani advances Democratic Socialism in a grasping and greedy city. He maintains that in New York, “the wealthiest city in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, working people deserve a dignified life.” If he can avoid the frightening and misleading labels, he may have a chance to make New York “a city that works for all the people.”
Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.