I grew up in a working-class town where people worked as mechanics, construction workers or landscapers. Most of the people I grew up with, including my family members, voted for Trump in 2016 and 2024. Also, I spent four years in the U.S. Air Force, where I was stationed in Florida, surrounded by Trump supporters. This experience and my upbringing have given me a unique perspective on the current political landscape.
There’s a disconnect I see between my educated liberal friends and the Republicans I knew back home. Liberals believe that the Democratic Party is the party that looks out for the needs of the workers and the marginalized. However, this is not how many Americans view the Democratic Party. Instead, most view the party as being dominated by educated elites. They are the party of doctors, lawyers, professors and other such educated professionals. They are not the party that looks out for the needs of the workers and the marginalized, but instead, the party that represents the institutions. The Democrats believed that through political correctness and academic jargon, they could keep Obama’s coalition alive without addressing the material conditions of the proletariat. They were mistaken, and Donald Trump brought the wage-earning masses over to MAGA.
Another point of disconnect is how liberals view the MAGA party. Many view Trump as a racist white billionaire who is just looking out for the needs of his billionaire buddies, but most of America views him as a candidate who is against the institutions. They believe he is the leader who will fight back against the educated elites who are to blame for the material conditions of the masses. This is not to say that Trump and the MAGA movement are actually the party looking out for the needs of workers. Trump is simply a populist demagogue who has successfully weaponized the grievances of the proletariat. I agree with my liberal friends that Trump is trying to keep wealth in his own pockets and in the pockets of his billionaire friends. However, I also agree with Republicans when it comes to the Democratic Party; they are a party unwilling to address the needs of common people because they are unwilling to change the institutions they benefit from.
If the Democrats are looking out for the technocrats, and the Republicans are looking out for the broligarchs, who is left to look after the needs of the hardworking Americans? One of the political tragedies of my lifetime took place during the 2016 election. I am not referring to Trump winning the presidency (which is surely a tragedy), but I am instead referring to Bernie Sanders’ loss to Hillary Clinton. Sanders has been one of the few politicians who is honest when he says he is looking out for the needs of the everyday American. I remember hearing him speak about wanting to give Americans free healthcare, free education and wanting to keep money out of politics. These were the sort of radical ideas that made me hopeful of a brighter future in this country. Then he lost, and Trump won. Things seemed dark and hopeless until this year’s New York mayoral race.
Zohran Mamdani — building on the legacy of Bernie Sanders — is running for mayor of New York City, and he presents the same ethos and spirit that gave me hope back in 2016. He has the same socialist democratic policies as Sanders, along with a modern, creative and innovative campaign that captures the attention of a whole generation. You can find him on the streets of New York speaking to everyday Americans and asking them what they need and expect from the next mayor. His agenda includes initiatives such as freezing rent prices, providing no-cost childcare, establishing city-owned grocery stores and other policies centered on the common people.
A lot of the news I see today fills me with overwhelming despair. Even so, seeing Mamdani’s campaign has restored hope and given me a real vision of a better future. I watched a video of Mamdani and the Wu-Tang Clan, a ’90s hip-hop group from my childhood. It has been surreal to see Mamdani talk to and work with the same rappers I knew who rapped about the struggles of living impoverished in New York City, and now there is someone who is listening to the music and is ready to do something about it. In New York, the people finally have a chance to reclaim their government.
There are two lessons we can draw from this. Firstly, we need to hold the Democratic Party accountable. It is not enough to speak with a politically correct eloquence; we need to see concrete ideas that will improve the lives of working-class people. Secondly, I believe the Democratic Party has a wing inspired by Sanders, which diverges from the traditional Democratic Party. It is a wing that is actively trying to change the material conditions of everyday Americans, and it needs our support. We can create a real movement of left-wing politics that we have never seen in this country.
Finally, for the educated elites of the future, never forget that you are in the service of those who did not have your opportunities. I wish prosperity and success for all of you, but our education should lead us to create a better country for everyone. That is how you win: improve the lives of others.
Contact Edgar Zatarain at zatarain@oxy.edu
