Former President Barack Obama told Zohran Mamdani “your campaign has been impressive to watch,” and suggested that he was invested in Mr. Mamdani’s success beyond the election.
Former President Barack Obama called New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Saturday, praising his campaign and offering to be a “sounding board” into the future.
The private, roughly 30-minute phone call, which has not previously been reported, was described by two people who participated or were briefed immediately on what had been said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation.
Mr. Obama said that he was invested in Mr. Mamdani’s success beyond the election on Tuesday. They talked about the challenges of staffing a new administration and building an apparatus capable of delivering on Mr. Mamdani’s agenda of affordability in the city, the people said.
Obama needs to fuck off. Democrats will do everything they can to co-opt what he’s created, ride his coattails through the midterms, then neuter the entire thing.
I assure you, Mamdani’s campaign team does not idolize Obama and isn’t going to campaign with him. But what’s wrong with building coalitions and sharing ideas with other camps?
Democrats don’t share ideas they take over movements for their own gain then toss them aside when they are done
The DSA will outlive Mamdani. Even if he fails and the ideas he campaigned on are half-heartedly implemented by neo-liberals, the movement behind Mamdani and the hundreds of candidates under him across the country won’t just disappear.
It will be interesting to see who the democratic nominee in 2028 will be.
If mamdani doesn’t let himself get neutered by the advice, it is very much a good thing to have a former president throwing support behind him. And it would be his choice.
Look you guys! I found the time cop!
This very special hour of the year has revealed you.
Posted on the 8th December 2025 if my maths is correct
I think it’s good that Obama, and in effect the establishment that he represents, is standing up to the tidal wave of threats against mamdani, kind of calling their bluff. It also helps to normalize his legitimacy as a politician on the national level.
What?
The current DNC chair has a better progressive track record than Obama.
And Martin didn’t wait to hype up Mamdani either. He won’t endorse before a primary is settled, but within days he was saying Mamdani is what the party should be because that’s what Dem voters want.
Obama’s big progressive claim to fame, is a more progressive version of a health are bill than Mitt Roment was gonna pass.
And what is this about?
Obama abandoned the DNC rather than put someone who would run it how he wanted at the helm, which led to a bankrupt but neoliberal DNC who took Hillary’s offer of funding for control of the DNC during the primary.
Which blocked Bernie.
And led to Hillary losing in the general to trump.
For fucks sake “co-opt what he created”…
Do you know how much better we would be if Obama had just named anyone who wasn’t a neoliberal as chair of the DNC in 09 or 13? We’d be coming off two Bernie terms and probably in AOCs first right now.
Covid would have been handled rationally, healthcare actually sorted. Climate change and wealth inequality addressed, even police abuses.
It ain’t simple cause/effect but it’s not rube Goldberg either, people should be able to put this together