We need to start now. Shaping the future. It means supporting our Democratic nominee in New York City's mayoral race. Zoran. Yet many Democratic members of the Senate and House representing New York [00:00:15] have stayed on the sidelines. That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind him and get behind him now. Direct shots fired. Senator Chris Van Hollen is taking those shots at Democratic leadership [00:00:32] for refusing to endorse New York City mayoral nominee Zoran Madami. Now, other Democratic lawmakers are sharing their frustrations as well. Unsurprisingly, that got under the skin of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his team. [00:00:49] Then Holland made the comments at the Polk County Steak Fry in Iowa over the weekend. They came after months of Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries repeatedly refusing to get behind the Democratic nominee in the New York mayoral race. Here are just a few times they've dodged questions about endorsing him. [00:01:10] The DNC posted in support of his campaign. You've met with him twice and stay tuned. You know, declined to endorse him. Are you out of step with your party on this issue? I don't know. I guess people are going to have to figure that out. It's pretty unusual for a high ranking Democrat like yourself to withhold the [00:01:28] endorsement of your party's nominee for, for candidate for New York City mayor. I don't think we've withheld an endorsement. We are engaging in a conversation about the future of New York City. Why? Why are you not endorsing the guy that won the Democratic primary [00:01:45] in a contested election in your backyard? Well, I look forward to sitting down and talking to him. I didn't get involved in that primary election, and I don't know him well. What do you say to people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who say that it's time for leaders like you to get behind? [00:02:00] Zoran Mamdani or risk losing the mayoral race? We met yesterday. We had a good meeting. We know each other well and we're going to keep talking. So what you're saying is you're not going to endorse him. Okay. It's just be honest about it. [00:02:16] Jeffrey's team deeply offended by Chris Van Hollen calling them out. Justin Sherman, one of his spokesmen, responded with this letter. Hakeem Jeffries will have more to say about the general election well in advance of November 4th. Meanwhile, confused New Yorkers are asking themselves the question Chris Van, [00:02:35] who so cutesy adding to their bitterness is likely the fact that during the same speech, Van Hollen called out the Democratic Party for being weak and easily corrupted. Democratic party, we've drifted too often. [00:02:51] We have come under the sway of powerful moneyed interests at the expense of working people, and we've become a party that too often trims its sails, too cautious, too rudderless, too attached to poll washed and pundit rinsed and donor dried messages. [00:03:08] What comes out of the wash is all bleached and blow dried. We also need to stop deluding ourselves that the problem is all about messaging or volume or style. We don't just need to fight. We need to fight for something. [00:03:23] We must be ready, as FDR was, to directly take on powerful special interests, whether they be Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Tech, big AI, Big banks, Wall Street, or other powerful interests who are calling to many of the shots in Washington. [00:03:44] Polls show lots of Democratic voters agree with him. July AP poll asked respondents to share the first word on or phrase, rather, that came to mind when they thought of the Republican and Democratic parties. [00:04:00] And here's what came out of it. Overall, roughly one third of Democrats described their party negatively. In the open ended question. 15% described it using words like weak, apathetic, while an additional 10% believe it's broadly ineffective or disorganized. [00:04:19] Again, Van Hollen is not the only Democrat fed up with leadership's unwillingness to endorse Madhani. Axios spoke to multiple progressive members of Congress who are growing increasingly agitated at Hakeem Jeffries for not yet endorsing him. [00:04:36] I think there's frustration, said a senior House progressive who told Axios. The issue came up multiple times during the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC retreat. Another member had this to say. We just can't keep saying we have to stand with our Democratic nominees [00:04:52] and then make exceptions when we think they're left of us. It's just inconsistent, hypocritical. Makes some of us wonder, is this a leader that truly represents me, or will this leader discard me when people think I'm too progressive? [00:05:12] Jeffries claims no member of Congress has expressed frustration to him about the mayoral race, but that's not true, according to the progressives who spoke to Axios. One said there's a number of them that are talking directly to leadership, saying you don't get to say you're a leader and not lead. [00:05:30] Look, this stuff seems very simple here. And the answer is yes. They will discard you if you're too progressive, right? They want to keep control over. Over the party. Michael, I like what Ben Holland said there. [00:05:47] It was like he was running through the forest naked, unafraid, saying whatever he wanted. And ironically, he was just saying what the actual people who consider themselves traditional Democrats are already saying. [00:06:03] Yeah. I mean, first of all, it's taken a lot of people to a minute to warm to Mamdani in New York. The other part of the conversation is that you have a Democrat in the race still in Andrew Cuomo. And you also he's a Queens Democrat. Hakeem Jeffries comes from Queens. [00:06:21] So too, does Greg Meeks, in Congress, Grace Meng in Congress. None of them have endorsed Mamdani. So there is some belief that a lot of these people didn't get to where they were without the help of Cuomo's, which is about as big a name in Queens politics as there can be right now or ever. [00:06:38] And that will fade. Certainly. Should he lose. So I think a lot of that has to do with with local politics. The other part of it is that Hakeem Jeffries would be that loyal. Pick the Democrat all the time. If it were a House race. [00:06:55] I'm not defending Jeffries here, but it's not as important for him. It's not as devastating for him not to endorse in a mayoral race. And he has the cover for Cuomo as far as Chris Van Hollen is concerned. And Chris Van Hollen on this is a great voice. [00:07:10] He was the head of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, when in I guess it was 2018 when they actually made some inroads. He is well liked. He is running for something here, and I would imagine he's running to be the next majority leader or minority leader in the Senate, putting his name in there and not ceding it just to Chris Murphy, [00:07:28] who a lot of people think would get it when when Schumer leaves. But the other side of it, the best thing that can happen to you in politics is to have somebody put who after your name, because then everybody wants to know. There was a famous time magazine cover that said Jimmy Who? With a picture of Jimmy Carter and with within months he was the nominee. [00:07:45] That that is really, really good for a politician. He's also taking some of the mantle of what Bernie Sanders would do. Holland, Van Holland, probably in his mid to late 60s. He's a younger version of a senator who could be firebrand when he wants to be. [00:08:00] And you're seeing it on display here. So people look for the void and they try and fill it. As far as Mamdani, I think Kathy Hochul, the governor, gave a lot of people cover. Eventually they're going to come around to it, especially if Cuomo's numbers don't get better in that race. As it gets closer. [00:08:15] You really think that the cover, Jimmy, who took him from a peanut farm to the presidency? Well, it certainly helped because it got people's attention, right? I mean, he they put it on buttons after it was on. They put it on hats and t shirts and everything. So Jimmy, who was a that was a big, big part of getting him national attention. [00:08:36] Every time you ring the bell below, an angel gets his wings. Totally not true. But it does keep you updated on our live shows.