By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgann.bsky.social
What is the old saying, “history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes?”
With the emergence of Democratic Socialists (DSA), I see an interesting parallel to my own family history.
In the early 1920s, my great grandfather, Edward W. Cox, was something of a political boss in Queens, N.Y. After time in the state legislature, he was elected Clerk of Queens County, a job in those days filled with opportunities for patronage — heck, if you wanted to get a drivers’ license, you needed to go to my great grandfather’s office. Jobs, food for the needy and even housing for loyal Tammany Democrats were often dispensed through the office.
In short, he had power and friends in key places, including his close friend Al Smith, who was the Democratic nominee for President in 1928. But he also found a way to make the wrong enemies and misread where the public and politics were headed.
Already not a fan of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Cox served with him in the state legislature and found him a spoiled, rich kid who rarely did the work needed for the party). FDR, admittedly, was kind of an entitled jerk until he fell ill with polio in 1921.
FDR and Smith often were on the opposite side of issues and never truly got along and struggled to work together — when FDR replaced Smith as Governor of New York, Roosevelt ignored much of Smith’s advice, leading to a further estrangement between the two. That led to my great grandfather — ever loyal to Smith — joining the feud with FDR.
After a decade in the Clerk’s office, Cox was slated for a big promotion: he got the nomination for Queens Borough President in 1929.
Two massive disruptors doomed Cox’ political career.
Three weeks before Election Day, the stock market crashed, essentially kicking off the Great Depression. Voters were spooked and looking for change — and as an old Tammany hand, Edward Cox was very much the status quo.
But the bigger obstacle: a young Congressman named Fiorello LaGuardia, who put together a fusion ticket in all five boroughs, pledging an end to machine politics. The fusion ticket swept across the city, wiping out my great grandfather and much of Tammany.
In the ensuing years, my great grandfather was offered multiple paths back to the good graces of the now evolved Democratic Party. He refused, embracing a misplaced loyalty to the old, defunct order. He never again mattered in New York politics.
So…you must saying, “there’s a point here?”
Much of the Democratic establishment is making a similar mistake to my great grandfather’s. Democratic Socialists seem to be focusing on a handful of mainstream issues: genocide is bad; everyone should have healthcare, food and a place to live; and last, radical wealth inequality is fundamentally bad for this country. I think using the “socialist” tag might be less effective than something like “The New, New Deal” which harkens back to many popular programs such as Social Security.
I’ll note rank and file Democrats are voting with their wallets right now, according to published reports Sunday, the Democratic National Committee is broke — it seems people are tired of being hit up for cash when their elected officials refuse to work on their behalf.
Despite the scare tactics Republicans are trying with their insane “Communism” rants, corporate Democrats can’t seem to get on board with the issues they generally supported a couple of decades back. They seem trapped — more concerned about “messaging” and what their consultants say than actually getting stuff done.
The DSA folks actually want to do things, make things better for as many people as possible.
Hence, why so many see why New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become so popular, so quickly. In just a few months, Mamdani has done a bunch of stuff from increasing day care, to improving bus service and so on to make the lives of everyday New Yorkers better. Not since La Guardia, has a New York Mayor been able to meet the moment so well.
If you love the status quo (is that really possible?), the DSA folks are scary. If you are barely making it — or maybe not even quite making it — the DSA folks seem like the only ones who hear you. Corporate Democrats seem to have lost that lesson, focusing on being “GOP-lite” instead of the making folks’ lives better, as the party was known for during the era of FDR and Lyndon Johnson.
There is no perfect party, no perfect faction. But I will throw in every time with the people trying to help other people. I may not agree with everything the DSA folks might want to do, but the overall goal is for a better, fairer America.
Take a minute and think about whether you (and maybe your elected officials) have the same goal.
