Recently, a (reputable) polling firm called me. It was about a survey on future prospects. One of the questions asked what I considered to be the most pressing problems people are currently facing. My answer was: billionaires, the ongoing centralization of the internet, and climate change.

Perhaps not the most eloquent answer, since all of these issues actually stem from the same root cause—namely, run-amok cutthroat capitalism—but off the top of my head, I couldn’t think of anything better.

Capitalism isn't failing. It's succeeding; doing exactly what it's always done.

"Liberal democracy" is failing, because it is an oxymoron. The concept of democracy being compatible with an economic system where every org is a plutocracy/oligarchy with enormous wealth (power) inequality, is a mass-delusional mental illness. It was never going to work on any meaningful timeline.

Yeah, that was the line that got to me too.

People want to be followed. Maybe there are times when the politician sees the future before the people and needs to lead. But, right now it seems like both major US political parties are stuck in the past.

What Mandami is doing is listening, not leading. That's why he's popular. He has some ideas, like city-run grocery stores. They're probably good ideas. However, what's making him really popular is doing things like making sure the streets were cleared after the snowstorms and filling potholes. That's not leadership. That's simply listening to the voters and fixing the priority issues.

EXACTLY! This patronizing, leading by "you'll understand when you grow up" dogshit is not what REPRESENTATION means.

I mean, from the outside looking in the USA has a conservative party and a fascist party. What America says is left wing politics the rest of the world calls centrist.

I'd change that to fellow citizens, there are more people than voters in a nation. Its important a voter remembers they aren't only casting that ballot to effect their own lives, but for all, including those that don't have a capacity or right to vote.

Examples include children, recent migrants, certain disabled persons.

Progressive Mandami backed candidates swept the standard dems.

Don't forget his massive hog, allegedly

Leadership isn't herding or commanding or necessary even guiding. It certainly doesn't need to be rooted in authority. Leadership can be inspiration, knowledge, observation, deference and delegation. It can mean being a role model or a teacher. I'd argue that the people who are the most effective leaders are the ones who enable others first, and lead by example. Barking orders has awful return on investment compared to building people up.

Service vs leadership is a false dichotomy. You can (and should) be a leader who serves. Mamdani is serving NYers in a leadership position. He makes the calls and has the responsibility for decisions that serve his constituents.

You make a really good point there. We dont need leaders and theyre not leaxers. Theyre Representatives. WE tell THEM what to do. Many seem to have forgotten that

don’t want to be fucking led

Unless you are going out there and campaigning or operationally actually doing some-fucking-thing; you absolutely do want someone to lead and fulfill your desires. If you personally are not making it happen then you want someone else to take the lead on it.

You are allowed to have a belligerent sense of independence; just don't fool yourself.

They are, if the primary was for lower house seats, representatives. Their job (in theory) is to represent the collective wants and needs of their constituents to congress and vote or introduce bills accordingly. Unfortunately in most Western democracies this little fact seems to get forgotten by those who are elected and party politics tends to take over.