The Brendan O'Neill Show Eli Lake: Zohran Mamdani’s woke intifada
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Oct 30, 2025 
Eli Lake, a columnist at The Free Press and host of the Breaking History podcast, dives into the complexities of modern socialism. He explores Zohran Mamdani's potential impact on American socialist politics. Lake contrasts the rise of 'hipster' socialists with traditional working-class beliefs and discusses the historical tension between democratic and revolutionary socialism. He examines the implications of Mamdani's anti-Israel stance on his support, and the troubling dynamics of radical movements today, advocating for open debate over censorship.
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Socialism's Historic Moment In NYC
- Zoran Mamdani represents the apex of a newly influential American socialism movement gaining mainstream municipal power.
- His potential mayoralty marks an historic ideological shift for US left-wing politics beyond past DSA margins.
Radicals Overtake Big-Tent Lefts
- Radical factions tend to overtake broader left movements when allowed into the tent without purges.
- This historical pattern explains tensions between pragmatic social democrats and revolutionary elements in the DSA.
DSA's Demographic Shift Fuels Radicalism
- The DSA's rapid growth after 2016 shifted its demographics toward younger, overeducated activists from urban areas.
- That change pushed the organization toward more radical positions on domestic and foreign policy.