Here's a good question re Mamdani/TSF

[mcar]

I’d be curious what the people who condemned Kamala Harris for appearing on a stage with Liz Cheney think about Zohran Mamdani literally holding a press conference in the White House next to Donald Trump.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Two women vs two men.

End of story.

[mcar]

2. sexism. End of story. nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

69. I agree

[Polybius]

89. But if it were Biden campaigning with Dick Cheney, I'd be against that too

Is that sexist too? Now I'm anti-male?

[RockCreek]

4. damn right

[Hope22]

58. True words....... Nt

[Silent Type]

3. I'm glad Mamdani met with trump, same for Fetterman and other Democrats.

[mcar]

5. OK. Did you criticize VP Harris for campaigning with Liz Cheney?

[Silent Type]

6. Absolutely not, smart move despite any misplaced backlash.

[mcar]

10. Thanks

[Cha]

7. Well Traitor being the Polar Opposite

of Liz Cheney.. I'd say it's Time they had some Self Reflection if they should have No Problem with that.

[Tribetime]

8. I was all for Harris and Cheney. I'm not sure about this meeting, but

What I've seen so far from Mamdani I will give him benefit of doubt for now but I'm curious as to why meet with that ahole

[mobeau69]

103. To split maga even more. Good move.

[maxsolomon]

9. You'll have to find someone who condemned Harris for appearing with Cheney.

[mcar]

11. Lots of people on this very site did so at the time

[maxsolomon]

12. Let me rephrase:

You'll have to find someone still willing to admit they condemned Harris for appearing with Cheney.

[mr715]

13. I'll bite.

I thought it was a bad idea and she lost.

[mcar]

18. And what do you think of today's meeting?

[mr715]

21. I think Mamdani made a fool of Trump nt

[mcar]

27. So it was good for Mamdani to meet with Trump

but not for Harris to meet with Cheney? Cool.

[W_HAMILTON]

29. There seems to be no principles-based rationale for these attacks/praises...

...other than some dislike figures they deem to be aligned with the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad DNC Establishment (tm) and thus find ways to criticize them no matter what, but they like those that they view as being anti-DNC Establishment (tm), so they find ways to praise them no matter.

If most Democrats had come out against a young DSA candidate primarying Hakeem Jeffries and were seen yucking it up with Trump in the White House, they would be excoriated by a certain segment of the left; but Mamdani is on their team, so, it's all okay. They even say that Mamdani """tamed""" Trump -- won him over! The only way you win over a supreme narcissist like Trump is by kissing his ass. You can bet if he kept up the same rhetoric and attitude he had towards Trump during his campaign, Trump would not have been all smiles.

But that's fine. Maybe these people will learn that that is how you have to be if you want to be successful at governance and they will stop vilifying those other Democrats that have to play the same game. In a democracy with the checks and balances that we have, you can't just be a grouchy curmudgeon and expect to get any of your policies enacted if most of your colleagues dislike you. You often have to work with people you don't agree with.

[Scrivener7]

79. Except there was no terrible, unprincipled faction of DUers attacking Harris for campaigning with Cheney.

That simply didn't happen.

The response on DU to Cheney campaigning for Harris was overwhelmingly positive. See my post #62 for examples of threads from that time.

This whole thread, and your post, are complaints about an imaginary monster.

[W_HAMILTON]

80. I didn't limit it to just DU since there certainly were those attacks on other social media.

If my very specific criticism doesn't apply to you or whoever else, then it doesn't apply.

[Scrivener7]

81. Lol!

[mr715]

33. Well, Mamdani is Mayor Elect

Harris was campaigning. She chose to campaign with Cheney. It was a calculation that she thought would grow her coalition. It did not.

Do you fault Joe Biden for meeting with Trump?

[mcar]

67. That is some serious hair splitting

Well, one is mayor-elect meeting with a pedophile felon who is trying to destroy the country. The other was the nominee meeting with someone who stood on principles and got drummed out of her party as a result.

Do you fault Joe Biden for meeting with Trump?

You mean the outgoing president meeting with the (barf) president-elect? Of course not.

BTW, I don't have a problem with Mamdani meeting the convict/pedophile. I do have a problem with those who are praising him to the heavens but who criticized VP Harris for doing a rally with Liz Cheney.

[mr715]

68. Are you from NYC?

Asking because Trump is doing some serious harm to NYC and can do a lot more. It is Mamdani's job to limit this.

[mcar]

71. I'm not and I don't disagree

As I noted, my OP is about the, shall we say, double standard with regard to how each was treated by some on the left, not the benefit of Mamdani's visit.

[mr715]

73. I appreciate your perspective.

And your respectful articulation of this. I don't see a double standard, I see two different scenarios.

I do not think we will see eye to eye on this, and that is okay.

[mcar]

74. Thank you for your reply

[Polybius]

90. Meeting with and campaigning with are two different things, you know n/t

[Cha]

115. So? Liz Cheney Denounced Fascist Fuck Traitor

For trying to Overthrow the US Government.

[Polybius]

121. So?

Campaigning with her got zero Republican votes, and only pissed off some of us. She's hated by Republicans.

[Mossfern]

31. How so?

n/t

[mr715]

34. Did you watch? nt

[Mossfern]

38. Some of it

Again.
How did the meeting make a fool of Trump?
What I did see is Trump sitting instead of standing -I wondered about his health from that, but not that he was made a fool.
I'll watch again, but it would be greatly appreciated if you clarified your comment.

[mr715]

40. Certainly:

Forgive me for not having exact quotes so I'll try to bullet point my big take aways

1) Trump sat, looked sick, and Mamdani glowed - standing straight upright without moving and shaking his hand downward dominantly
2) Despite an exclusive right wing media presence, not a single time did Mamdani flub a question.
3) When asked if he still considered Trump a fascist, Mamdani did not deny it and instead Trump said, "Eh, its okay, say yes its easier."
4) When asked if he still considered Mamdani a jihadist, Trump said no he is a rational person that "wants to make New York great again", and thus undercut Stefanik's campaign for governor.
5) Mamdani brought up energy costs in NY and Trump spoke about Con Ed's fleecing of NYC citizens. That is a theoretical policy win if we can get focus on that local issue.
6) Mamdani did not discuss anything but his policies and specifically affordability and recruited Trump to at least pay lip service to it because he was charmed by Mamdani
7) "A very old fashioned word, groceries"

Edit: And if you want indirect evidence, look at the narrative on media sources on "who won". And, even better, look at Fox News completely devoid of a message. And, even better better, look at the AI videos of Trump arresting Mamdani after he left the office. If Trump's voters think this helped him, they wouldn't be posting that stuff.

[Mossfern]

49. Reference the fable

of the Frog and the Scorpion.

[mr715]

52. I don't see how that distinguishes one from the other.

Last edited Sat Nov 22, 2025, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Kamala Harris campaigning with Liz Cheney is also a frog and scorpion issue. There are no good Republicans. They do not exist anymore.

The only difference is Mamdani waited until he got across the river to talk to the scorpion. Harris didn't. One got across the river, one did not.

[lapucelle]

96. "Standing upright without moving" reminds me of a soldier standing at attention.

I don't understand the "the downward dominant" handshake thing, though.

[lapucelle]

97. In what way are Con Ed rates a theoretical policy win?

Mamdani is still a member of the NYS legislature, so surely he realizes how big an issue pipelines are in Albany AND that energy rates (including Con Ed rates) are set at the state level by the New York State Department of Public Service through the New York State Public Service Commission.

Mamdani has given Trump an opening to continue to claim that Governor Hochul, NYS Democrats, and the NYS DEC are standing in the way of lower energy costs by failing to approve the massive Constitution pipeline project.

What does Mamdani think Trump can do to lower Con Ed costs? All Trump will do is use the pipeline issue like a cudgel against Governor Hochul in an election year.

[mr715]

102. "Theoretical"

I doubt Con ed is known throughout the country, but having a discussion about big corporations/monopolies stealing from the middle class is a discussion I want the GOP to have. On camera.

With respect to Trump and Hochul - this presser basically ensured Hochul will be reelected, as Trump pulled the floor out from under Stefanik.

Trump got played.

[lapucelle]

104. That's not policy, theoretical or otherwise.

Policy includes plans and steps to accomplish goals.

Everyone agrees that utility rates are too high. The "it's because of corporate greed" message will be counted by the "it's because of government regulations" message.

Trump has been messaging on the high cost of energy (blaming it on environmental regulations) since well before the NYC mayoral election. Kathy Hochul met with Trump last March to discuss it. We're still at the same impasse as to how to address the problem, and Trump's meeting with Mamdani didn't change that.

https://abc7ny.com/post/new-york-gov-kathy-hochul-meet-president-trump-white-house-discuss-range-topics/16019165/

------------------------------

I'm not really seeing how Trump got played, unless of course, it was by that "dominantly downward " handshake thing you mentioned. I'm still not sure how that works.

[mr715]

105. OP Is discussing a false equivalence between

the Mamdani Trump meeting, and criticism of Harris campaigning with Cheney.

My position is this is an apples to earthworms comparison.

I agree that politics has to ultimately produce outcomes. We don't know the future, but we can see what the media is saying (and my own eyes). We don't know what will come of the Mamdani-Trump meeting. The question is, I think, did Mamdani sell his soul by meeting with Trump. I understand that position, and am sympathetic to it, but Biden met with Trump, Schumer met with Trump, Pelosi, etc. It is a fact that in his office, he has to be dealt with. Plus, Mamdani did not apologize for calling him a fascist and them doubled down on next day morning shows.

We do know, however, that campaigning with Liz Cheney *did not* result in the advancement of VP Harris policy agenda. The closest analogy I can arrive at in my head is the Mamdani-Trump meeting built potential energy and the Harris-Cheney campaign expended kinetic energy. That is a crap analogy, but just trying to give you an idea of how my mind is framing this.

And everyone will agree utilities are too high. I want Republicans talking about it on the record. They are in power. Anything that gets done or doesn't get done, they own it.


In re: the handshake, I think optics matter. To my eye, Trump did not look strong. He looked weak and was lucidly articulating his support for Mayor-Elect Mamdani. That is a tough thing to spin.

I don't know the future, and I may be wrong. I acknowledge this. What I saw, though, was a diminished President and an ascendant social democrat.

[lapucelle]

110. Yes, but this subthread is about something else entirely. The claim was that Trump was made a fool of.

In support of that assertion, a "theoretical policy victory" was cited where none exists.

Trump looked diminished and old at the meeting (like he does at most events), and the contrast was especially stark due to Mamdani's youth and fitness. Trump is an oddball, and the hope is that he doesn't try to glom onto Mamdani in the same weird way that he did with Macron.

And for the record, Mayor-Elect Mamdani has made it abundantly clear that he identifies as a a Democratic socialist, not a social democrat. Mamdani is a member of NYC-DSA, and spoke at a meeting last week. I'm sure he'll let us know if there are any changes in his affiliation with the group..

[mcar]

114. My OP is a false equivalence? Do tell.

I realize you've tried to tell in your long post but you seem to have missed the point of my OP entirely.

I'm bemused by the idea that my little OP, which only sought to point out the double standard between the praise about two men meeting vis a vis the criticism of two women meeting in similar circumstances, has turned into something much different. There's a good amount of knee jerk and whatabout reactions here.

[Cha]

116. Yeah, your OP isn't a "false equivalence between the Mamdani Trump meeting, and criticism of Harris campaigning

with Liz Cheney.."

That's Insulting and Not true... anything to avoid answering the question head on.

[mr715]

117. The question of

if I am a hypocrite for not wanting Kamala Harris to campaign with Cheney and that I support Mamdani meeting with sitting President Trump?

No I do not believe I am a hypocrite for holding these two separate opinions.

[lapucelle]

122. While you are wrong about the "false equivalence" claim, you are right about the energy analogy being "crap".

Energy (kinetic or otherwise) cannot be expended. Whether or not campaigning with Cheney on the "Country Over Party" events resulted in a net gain of votes is a question that has not been (and perhaps never will be) answered.

Will the meeting with Trump advance Mamdani's agenda of lowering energy costs by cutting rates? That's highly unlikely. Will it help the 2025 agenda to gut environmental protections in the guise of saving consumers money? Perhaps.

What is known is that within hours of the Mamdani meeting, Trump decided to remove refugee protection for Somalis in Minnesota.

Our useless press was so busy pursuing their "bromannce" narrative that ending TPS status for a largely Muslim community got very little coverage yesterday as Mamdani made the triumphant rounds of the Sunday shows.

Trump says he is ending temporary deportation protections for Somalis in Minnesota

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he was immediately terminating temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, accelerating the end of a program that began in 1991 under another Republican president.

snip==========================

"I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota," he said. Trump called Minnesota a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity" under Democratic Governor Tim Walz, an apparent response to unverified media reports, shared by several Republican lawmakers, that the Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia had benefited from fraud committed in Minnesota.

Walz responded on X, saying, "It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject."

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota also responded on X, writing, "Another late night threat by Donald Trump, and this time he’s going after people in just one state w/ legal status. Maybe the President should spend his evenings working on bringing down costs instead of targeting Somalis who have been in our country for years."

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-is-ending-temporary-deportation-protections-somalis-minnesota-2025-11-22/

[mcar]

17. Got it. Thanks.

[sheshe2]

14. Same thing happened when Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger...

were chosen for the J6 committee. Lots of outrage back then.

[Scrivener7]

65. I randomly pulled up two threads from the time, and DUers were very enthusiastic about both

of their appointments. That jibes with my recollection of the reaction here.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215660830
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215581056

Maybe you can link to the posts that reflect "lots of outrage" at the time.

[Cha]

118. They don't understand it was Better to have

some Rs on the Committee so it could be Bi-partisan instead of just Dems Against those who Tried Overthrew our Government..

It was perfect...

[sheshe2]

119. And today?

They are still standing with us.

[Cha]

120. Yes Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger

are True Patriots to the USA.

Too bad so many Rs went Fascism and Freaking grovel at the smelly feet of the Neo Nazi who works for the Russian Putin.

[Cirsium]

15. Seriously?

You are equating those two things? Campaigning with a right winger equivalent to the mayor-elect of New York City having a brief meeting with the president of the US (and owning him)?

[mcar]

19. ...

[Cirsium]

23. ...

[mr715]

48. ...

The pause is pregnant.

[mr715]

36. Campaigning and losing

It would be different had she won. It was a tactical decision to employ Liz Cheney, war criminal, to try to broaden our coalition to include "disaffected republicans". That was dumb tactics because there were only 2 people that would vote for Harris due to Liz Cheney's endorsement: Liz and Dick Cheney.

Politics is about product. Had Harris won the Presidency, I wouldn't be questioning that tactic. I'd suck it up and say well, I guess the distasteful Cheney is part of our tent now. However, this didn't work. So we campaigned with a war criminal for no benefit.

Mamdani was called to a meeting at the White House and seems to have enchanted Trump into, at least, torpedoing Elise Stefanik's campaign.

I am amazed there is so much blind support for misguided, losing tactics because it allows people to avoid self-reflection.

There is a big difference between two people running for President and the President summoning a mayor.

Am I anti-establishment? Not particularly, but if the establishment can't win then I feel as though bellyaching about how bad Trump is, is just grief masturbation. Want to fight back? Win. Want to win? Don't campaign with war criminals.

Want to understand modern politics? The Republican party is not our friend.

[yardwork]

44. Well said.

I'll bet you teach logic to your students.

[mr715]

47. I did, in fact!

When I taught middle school in NYC, I taught my kids logic as our first unit on the scientific method - deductive and inductive thinking.

Premises matter. "If Harris had won, then I would not criticize her campaign."
"If I am criticizing her campaign, then Harris did not win."

[yardwork]

57. I wish logic was taught every year in schools.

[mr715]

63. Chess.

I think it'd help close the achievement gap more than useless after school test prep sessions or new standards that make no sense.

Teach kids to think strategically from age 6 and you'll raise iron minds.

[Iggo]

127. That last bit.

[Scrivener7]

16. This doesn't seem to have had the intended effect.

[mcar]

20. What effect is that?

[mr715]

37. I assume to shame me into thinking Harris won because of Liz Cheney nt

[Nixie]

22. I also was just wondering if meeting with Trump was okay now.

I remember all the flak about other journalists and elected officials meeting with him. Oh well.

[mr715]

43. It isn't great, but it is a necessity. nt

[Ping Tung]

24. *Shrug* 4 pols pretending to be civil to their opposites.

It makes better headlines than silly things like policies that actually affect non-celebrities.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Why was Trump sitting down?

Unusual to hold presser in Oval Office. Usually on separate chairs somewhere. Or did Trump demolish that space too?

[JI7]

28. I think both did the right thing for right reasons

but some of the things being said are just crazy like comparing Mamdani to Obama and thinking he changed Trump's views.

Trump is always positive about people that meet him and are nice to him. I think Mamdani's reasons were just about tryng to stop Trump from doing things like sending the military there or whatever else he does against people he holds grudges sgainst. I don't think he thinks Trump is actually going to work with him on policy. It's more about just preventing as much harm as possible mostly by leaving him alone.

[leftstreet]

30. Mamdani didn't meet with Trump while campaigning

The comparison here doesn't work

[W_HAMILTON]

32. No one's buying that.

If anything, meeting with Trump AFTER all the (justifiable) negative things Mamdani said about the man while he was campaigning is worse.

Let's get real: if most every other Democrat had done that, they would be criticized by many of those defending Mamdani here. But because they consider Mamdani part of their team, they support him for doing things they would criticize other Democrats for doing.

And that's fine, as long as they aren't hypocrites and instead show the same courtesy to other Democrats going forward.

[leftstreet]

39. It's the wrong question

Should Harris have waited to meet with Liz Cheney *after* she won the election?

Would Mamdani face criticism had he met with Trump *while* he was campaigning?

[W_HAMILTON]

51. Kamala would have been criticized regardless and Mamdani would be supported regardless...

by the specific people I'm referring to -- they have already put them into their """good""" and """bad"""" boxes.

[leftstreet]

54. Okay n/t

[yardwork]

42. I disagree with that take. See mine below.

[mr715]

45. Hey, didn't Eric Adams meet with Trump DURING the campaign?

Do you not see a difference there?

[W_HAMILTON]

55. No, because damn near no one liked Adams to begin with and he wasn't going to win regardless.

[mr715]

56. Eh, sorta

You are mostly right. He did go, but as an independent.

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-mayor-eric-adams-president-trump-meeting/

[W_HAMILTON]

59. And it looks like Adams actually met with Trump not during his campaign, but while he was mayor.

Adams met with Trump around 5/9/2025 but he didn't launch his reelection campaign until around 6/26/2025.

But like I said, his situation isn't comparable because of all the other issues surrounding him (being disliked to begin with, accusations of criminal activity, Trump's DOJ successfully requesting to dismiss his case, etc.).

[mr715]

60. Yes, correct.

I misremembered. In my defense, there was a lot of impropriety to keep track of.

[Mossfern]

46. Agreed

rec'd

[Cirsium]

70. Many Democrats have met with Trump

You suggest that progressives are being hypocritical because of tribe loyalty. Many Democrats have met with Trump, including Pelosi and Schumer. Wouldn't it be hypocritical to attack Mamdani and not them?

This line of attack against Mamdani (and progressives in general) is extremely weak.

I still don't see what the mayor-elect of New York City meeting with the President of the US has to do with a Democrat campaigning with an extreme right winger.

[W_HAMILTON]

75. I haven't attacked any of said politicians.

I'm pointing out how a certain segment of progressives -- I am a progressive myself, but not THAT type of progressive -- most certainly would have spun this as something nefarious if any of their non-fan favorite Democrats were yucking it up with Trump.

THAT'S the hypocrisy here.

Again, hopefully going forward they give the same benefit of the doubt to Democrats that they view as not being on their team.

[Cirsium]

77. Sure

You are attacking fellow rank and file Democrats, although not in a very straightforward or transparent way. I think you are obviously projecting with the "hypocrisy" charge. You don't criticize those who support Schumer, despite him meeting with Trump, yet are attacking those who support Mamdani despite him meeting with Trump. See? A double standard, determined by your allegiance to your tribe, the tribe of "we oppose everything those people calling themselves progressives say and do, which make us the real progressives." Has there ever been a clearer example of that old canard about "the pot meeting the kettle?" Speaking of wordplay, canard rhymes with petard, as in "you just got hoisted by your own petard." Maybe "people in glass houses" while we are at it.

[Scrivener7]

82. Not the hypocrisy HERE. As you have agreed, it didn't happen here, and you have

been referring to other social media and not DU throughout this conversation.

Which is bizarre, but whatever.

[W_HAMILTON]

87. It has happened here as well, as you yourself cited in another post.

It's just that it was much worse on other social media platforms.

[Scrivener7]

91. Again - this whole thread is a complaint against an imaginary monster.

And an attack on Harris that didn't happen here.

[W_HAMILTON]

92. No, it isn't. These sorts of disingenuous attacks are what brought down Hillary and Kamala.

Trump and his MAGAts are a minority.

When we vote, we win.

There's a reason why Trump and his Republican/Russian buddies invested so much in dividing the left, because that was the only way they could win.

All I am asking is that everyone give good Democrats the same benefit of the doubt they are showing Mamdani here -- is that too much to ask?

[Scrivener7]

94. And what I'm saying is that you and others in this thread are imagining enemies among your fellow Democrats

because of beliefs in things that never happened. Lots of tongue clicking and righteous indignation about all those terrible Democrats that did terrible things. "Lots of people on this very site." Only those things didn't happen.

And "when we vote we win?" Who are you telling this to? Who on this site do you think isn't voting? What the hell?

I'm sure, though, that this truth is not going to get through. So have a lovely day.

[Nixie]

85. Pointing out the hypocrisy and double standards about this

Trump meeting is more than appropriate. It was one of the biggest criticisms about Cuomo just a couple weeks ago during the campaign, yet the first thing Momdani does is go meet with him.

[mr715]

93. No equivalence

Technically the first thing Mamdani did was win.

Cuomo tried to win THROUGH Trump.

[Nixie]

95. Wrong. Just substitute Cuomo for someone else and the

hypocrisy is the same. The whole attack is against “establishment” Democrats who supposedly do all manner of evil things, but it turns out that the evil things are just normal political protocols, as we see with Mamdani calling on Trump first thing,

And it was mostly Mamdani pushing Cuomo’s supposedly, allegedly working with Trump. Yet Trump was one of his first stops.

[mr715]

98. Mamdani is the establishment. nt

[Nixie]

106. I lulz'd

[mr715]

107. One of the perks of winning. nt

[Nixie]

108. Wrong again. It's a perk of a nonsensical switcheroo.

Hence the lulz.

[H2O Man]

35. Silly.

[yardwork]

41. I'm going to annoy a lot of people by saying they're two different things.

I think it was a mistake for Harris to campaign with Cheney. I certainly didn't "condemn" her for doing it. I think it was a strategic mistake that didn't help her campaign.

The newly elected mayor of NYC meeting with the U.S. president after the election is a very different thing. Mamdani already won the election. He didn't campaign with Trump. (That was the other guy, who lost.)

Also, by all accounts Mamdani mopped the floor with Trump, who groveled. Victory.

(I do agree with those pointing out the sexism behind the condemnation aimed at Harris. I also wish people would recognize that politics is about strategy, not purity.)

Mamdani's meeting with Trump was good strategy all around.

[SunImp]

78. Mamdani

Mamdani was also invited to the Whitehouse & maybe he thought this moment would be a good time to get Trump to support his ideas for New York & to talk about the struggles of the average person there. Maybe tell Cheeto to not go crazy with ICE or send in the NG to NY once he was in office. He didn't go there to convince the few voters to vote for him or go there like Maher/Scarborough. Mamdani did butter up Trump a little bit unfortunately, but he really needs Trump's support just like Mamdani really needs Democratic leadership's support to make sure his policies succeed in NYC

I think it was a mistake for Harris to campaign with Cheney. I certainly didn't "condemn" her for doing it. I think it was a strategic mistake that didn't help her campaign.

Link to tweet

[Nanjeanne]

50. When Mamdani campaigns with Trump at numerous campaign spots I'll definitely condemn that.

[mr715]

53. Me too, for the record.

Hate to frighten some posters on this thread, but Mamdani is establishment now. We better buckle up, we might start winning.

[betsuni]

61. Spectacular double standard. Benefit of the doubt and praise for doing what many others

are violently thrown under the bus for doing as evidence of complicity and dark motivations.

A Thanksgiving miracle!

[Scrivener7]

62. I don't remember "lots of people on this very site" condemning Harris for this, so I went to the wayback machine.

Sure enough, reactions of DUers to Harris campaigning with Cheney in threads from the time seem pretty overwhelmingly positive. One or two said they thought it was a mistake, there were a couple of "fuck Cheney" comments, but by and large, the vast majority of comments are positive. There was one thread on a Nation article after the election when people were reeling and grasping at straws for the reason for the loss, and the notion that Cheney was a bad idea got a bit more play, but even in that thread, the majority rejected the idea that it was a bad move. And in threads before the election, I'm simply not seeing what you're referring to. Certainly not "lots of people on this very site."

So it seems like this is a "good question" based on a condemnation of Harris by "lots of people on this very site" i.e., DUers, that didn't actually happen.

Here are samples of three such threads.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219528519
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143316749
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219528127

[Cirsium]

72. Those pesky facts

People were enjoying yet another round of progressive bashing, and then here you come spoiling their fun with facts!

[Scrivener7]

76. There do seem to be some imaginary monsters floating around for some people.

[Iggo]

109. I was in the "Fuck Cheney" camp.

I don’t trust her and I never will. I feel the same way about Rick Wilson and that bald motherfucker who picked Sarah Palin. They’re the reason we’re in this mess.

[Scrivener7]

111. OK. But posts from the time show you were in a very small minority here. Most here were overwhelmingly positive.

And there isn't a subject in the world that everyone on DU will agree on.

The subject here is whether there was a coordinated gang of "unprincipled" DUers who excoriated Harris for campaigning with Cheney, but who are now supporting Mamdani's meeting with Cankles.

It basically boils down to people creating imaginary enemies among their fellow Democrats and labeling those imaginary enemies as hypocrites. Then demanding those imaginary enemies support "good" Democrats. It's almost funny.

[Iggo]

112. I look at Mamdani visiting the White House the same way I saw Pelosi visiting the White House.

It’s the White House. It’s not Mar-a-Lago. Now THAT would piss me off…lol.

[betsuni]

64. Kamala says in her book she campaigned with Cheney for a day and a half.

Look how worked up people are about a day and a half. In Democrat-bashers time that must be the equivalent of months and months.

[mcar]

83. She's "far right." As opposed to the pedophile in the WH

I have a headache from rolling my eyes.

[NNadir]

66. I'm amused by the whole affair. Clearly the Orange Pedophile is struggling to hold on against an apocalypse. As for...

...the mayor elect, from what I've seen of him, which isn't all that much, he's quite a remarkable young man. He's not an old weak fart like Neville Chamberlain dealing with Hitler. He's mayor elect Mandami.

He's got a clear shine to him, and I admire his ability to talk to anyone. I do not expect his policies to be influenced, and I don't think any orange makeup has worn on him.

The whole affair to my mind, demonstrates that the Orange Pedophile is growing in his fear of weakness in the face of the pushback to his horrid rule.

[mcar]

84. From the little I saw of it's comments,

he was all about how so many reporters wanted in on this meeting. As usual, it's all about publicity for him.

[Polybius]

88. Doesn't matter if the President is Satan himself

He's the most powerful man on the planet. You can't not talk to him.

[True Dough]

99. From this morning:

Link to tweet

[mr715]

100. Not an apology. This is leadership.

This is clarity. This is the shape of politics that takes down MAGA. No capitulation needed, no war criminals need apply.

[NoRethugFriends]

101. Still pushing this crap?

[mcar]

123. I beg your pardon?

[NoRethugFriends]

124. Well maybe, just maybe, he's trying to do what's best for New York City

And it has zero to do with anything else.

[mcar]

126. OK let's do this once again

As I have stated several times on this thread, I have no problem with Mamdani's choice to meet with the felon. I really don't know why you took that from my OP.

The OP was pointing out a double standard. Here's the entirety of my initial post. I don't get the defensiveness.

I’d be curious what the people who condemned Kamala Harris for appearing on a stage with Liz Cheney think about Zohran Mamdani literally holding a press conference in the White House next to Donald Trump.

[Passages]

113. Mamdani campaigned and won on his terms and then met with Trump at his request.

Liz Cheney reached out to Harris to endorse her and then campaign together to sway moderate Republicans.

It was not successful, unfortunately.


Soon after Mamdani won, Harris made statements regarding the Israeli gov and her decisions during the campaign.

‘We Should’ve Done More’: Kamala Harris Slams Biden Admin Over Netanyahu Support and Praises Pro-Palestine Protesters
Sean James
Tue, November 11, 2025 at 5:55 PM EST
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ve-done-more-kamala-harris-225547312.html


Different candidates, different strategies.

[lapucelle]

125. What remains to be seen is whether or not Mamdani will govern on the terms that he set forth in his campaign.

Mamdani softens hard line on role of NYPD watchdog in discipline after Tisch agrees to stay on
BY CHRIS SOMMERFELDT

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is softening his stance on how much power the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board should have.

While still a candidate, Mamdani said he would as mayor empower the board — which investigates and prosecutes misconduct complaints against NYPD officers — to get the final say on what sort of disciplinary action should be taken against cops found guilty of wrongdoing. Under the current system, the board offers recommendations to the NYPD commissioner, who then gets to decide what punishment to mete out.

“What I would do is ensure that the recommendations of the CCRB be understood to be the final voice of the question of accountability,” Mamdani said in early October.

But in the wake of announcing Wednesday that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch will stay in her post under his administration, Mamdani is taking a step back from that position.

“What I believe is that the CCRB’s recommendations should be taken seriously, that we should ensure they’re able to make those recommendations time and again,” Mamdani said Thursday when asked by the Daily News if he still plans to expand the CCRB’s authority once he’s sworn in as mayor Jan. 1.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/11/20/mamdani-softens-hard-line-on-role-of-nypd-watchdog-ccrb-in-discipline-after-tisch-agrees-to-stay-on/

[Passages]

128. So far so good.