Hitting Left: Episode #255
The Mamdani Campaign: How close is this race? There will be a world of pressure on Adams to drop out, especially as Mamdani consolidates more support for his mayoral bid.
The Klonsky brothers, Fred and Mike, are back together again on the January 25th edition of Hitting Left. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Zohran Mamdani’s run for Mayor of NYC. While Mamdani, a progressive socialist, is currently leading in the polls in this four-man race, a lot can happen leading up to the November election.
This race isn’t just about New York. It has global implications and is being watched from Jackson Heights to Johannesburg to see how power responds when movements demand more than symbolic change. It’s also about the soul of the Democratic Party. Will it double down on corporate centrism, or evolve into something that actually represents poor and working-class families?
You can listen to the entire episode of Hitting Left here:
Hitting Left Music
The National Guard stands around his door
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
On this day in 1965, Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival, and his folky fans (including Pete Seeger) were distraught and irate. But I loved it. So, of course, I had to play Maggie’s Farm — the first song the band played that fateful day at Newport — at the break. It’s especially appropriate given Trump’s mass firing and cancelling of his media critics. Maggie’s Farm isn’t just anti-capitalist—it’s anti-cowardice. It’s a reminder that resistance isn’t polite, and satire isn’t safe.
Tune in Hitting Left, this Friday, August 1st, when I’ll be talking protest music, baseball, and the radical ‘60s movement with old friend and radio guy, Dick Flacks.
Dick was a founding voice of the New Left, co-author of the Port Huron Statement, and a lifelong scholar of social movements and democratic possibility. He’s also the host of Culture of Protest, a weekly radio show that’s been amplifying the soundtrack and stories of resistance since 1982.
Coming at you live on WLPN 105.5 FM in Chicago and streaming on lumpenradio.com.
