Posted on 11/06/2025 1:53:05 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
After New York City’s race for mayor catapulted Zohran Mamdani from state assembly member into one of the world’s most prominent progressive voices, intense debate swirled over the ideas at the heart of his campaign.
His critics and opponents painted pledges such as free bus service, universal childcare and rent freezes as unworkable, unrealistic and exorbitantly expensive.
But some have hit back, highlighting the quirk of geography that underpins some of this view. “He promised things that Europeans take for granted, but Americans are told are impossible,” said the Dutch environmentalist and former government adviser Alexander Verbeek in the wake of Tuesday’s election.
Verbeek backed this with a comment he had overheard in an Oslo cafe, in which Mamdani was described as an American politician who “finally” sounded normal.
“Normal. That’s the word,” Verbeek wrote in his newsletter, The Planet. “Here, taking care of one another through public programs isn’t radical socialism. It’s Tuesday.”
That view hit on the wide differences in how Mamdani’s promises are seen by many across the Atlantic. “Europeans recognize his vision about free public transit and universal childcare. We expect our governments to make these kinds of services accessible to all of us,” said Verbeek. “We pay higher taxes and get civilized societies in return. The debate here isn’t whether to have these programs, but how to improve them.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Why do we care what Europe thinks?
My family and in-laws families left there generations ago. For a severe reason, coming to a strange place in terrible conditions
Well and look at where it has gotten the Europeans.
Well and look at where it has gotten the Europeans.
Yeah, our country is a “quirk of geography”. Idiots.
And I’m not aware of any European country that has adopted “democratic socialism”.
We have 42 million Americans on Food Stamps. Does the Netherlands have that?
We have a national debt of about $40T. Does France have that?
We have a military that can take on Russia, China, and anybody else on the planet. Can Germany do that?
Providing endless free stuff to a US population with a significant percent of non-functional people isn’t possible, along with out other burdens.
Of course they would ... they are all socialist > fascists> communists governments. What would you expect from godless, soul less third world governments with not bill of rights for the ruled.
Um, I think something’s happened to their ‘civilized societies’ in recent years...
And that’s why these people are going extinct.
what would a bunch of Europeans know about “normal”? Tired of their meddling.
Yes they get free things. Try to buy a house.
Here, taking care of one another through public programs isn’t radical socialism.
Socialism and communism are both economic systems focused on shared ownership of the means of production.
20 blocks of brown stone about 900 feet long and 30 feet high with 50% coverage.
20*2*900*30*.5
20*900*30
540,000 square feet of brown stone
Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, Upper East Side, Upper west Side
2,700,000 square feet of brown stone
Yeah, and Europe is such a success story.
Listen up, Verbeek. Here in the States the government takes filet mignon style taxes and gives back spam or nothing at all (i.e. bullet train in California). Our "leaders" are completely untrustworthy and entirely predictable.
Yes, amd America, even with some States and Cities adled os FAR superior.
Europeans are idiots. Nothing new about that.
How’s Europe doing by the way?
And they live in crazy, failing societies.
My son just turned 18, graduated from high school, and got a full time job this year. He still lives at home with us and is buying himself all kinds of electronic stuff, going to hockey games, etc. He at least understands why my wife and I can’t spend as much on junk as he does - we are subsidizing his ability to spend on nonessentials.
Well, he has much better comprehension than this twit. The USA has been subsidizing Europe’s military defense for the past 80 years — that might well have something to do with the fact that European countries can afford to spend tax revenues on such social programs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.