Key to the MSNBC critique of the Republican Party in the Trump Era has been the implication that if Democrats ever nominated an insane person, they would stand on principle and put country over party. On Friday’s edition of All In, Chris Hayes proved that to be a pack of lies as he demanded Democrats who have “said really vile things” about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani fall in line because all Mamdani wants is to make life more affordable.
While most people were having fun with their 4th of July celebrations, Hayes was doing stand-up comedy by pretending Mamdani’s bumper sticker slogans about affordability should be treated the same as his actual policy proposals of high and racially-motivated taxes, rent control, government-run grocery stores, or his history of wanting to seize the means of production:
Even some establishment Democrats have refused to back their party's choice or said really vile things about him, despite the overwhelming enthusiasm for his candidacy here in New York. But if there's one thing Mamdani has demonstrated over the course of this campaign so far is he's pretty good at just kind of sticking to his principles and message discipline. He doesn't bow down in the face of pressure, but then he keeps pivoting back to the center of what he campaigned on, which is affordability. And that is exactly what a lot of Democrats, again, across the ideological spectrum, have been both talking about and are looking for right now.
Hayes then urged Democrats to get with the program, “Lydia Polgreen had a good piece in the New York Times this week, writing, quote, ‘Mamdani’s win is a rebuke of the strategy, such as it is, that many leading Democrats have advocated in the face of Trump's shock and awe attempt to remake the presidency and the country in his dark image. Haplessly veering between not getting distracted by Trump's lawless actions and signaling their moderation in the face of Trumpian antics as their base marches in the streets. Democrats are missing the core political reality of our time.’”
After introducing his guests, Hayes led lefty podcaster Emma Vigeland with a statement rather than a question, “I want to start with the response to Mamdani and what you make of it. In some ways, he’s, sort of, created in a lab to make Republican and conservative politicians absolutely lose their mind, and they have not disappointed. But there's also been broadly, a lot of pretty insane reactions.”
For Vigeland, someone downplaying October 7 or wanting to “globalize the Intifada” isn’t anti-Semitic, but calling someone out on related comments is racist, “I think you're absolutely right. I mean, just think about this for a second. The fact that so many people see Zohran Mamdani, a man who is born in Uganda and of Indian heritage, and they immediately go to anti-Semitism or Hamas, what else can you call that?”
Vigeland rolled on:
And as you just said, Chris, this is not just Republicans. Republicans, of course, we expect that. So many of the arguments that I'm hearing against Mamdani now, I feel like I could have heard them against Obama in 2008 when he won the nomination where it's just this constant stream of racist attacks. And unfortunately, though, we saw from politicians like Kirsten Gillibrand and others some really unfortunate Islamophobic racism directed at Mamdani and it’s just incredible to me to see how, despite the fact that Democratic voters—now, CNN showed this the other day, that they sympathize with Palestinians by more than 43 points at this point—that you still see this reflexive reaction because of his faith from members of this—of the party here trying to shut him down and trying to negate his message.
She would also go on to claim that Mamdani’s youth shows Democrats worrying about the young male vote the way forward. The truth is New York City is the biggest city in the country, so what goes on there matters, and Democrats just nominated an anti-Semitic Marxist to be their nominee, and now MSNBC faces a choice: they can either do what they’ve demanded Republicans do for years and stand up to him or insist he’s a lovely guy who just wants to give out free bus rides. So far, they’ve failed spectacularly.
Here is a transcript for the July 4 show:
MSNBC All In With Chris Hayes
7/4/2025
7:14 PM ET
CHRIS HAYES: And it hasn't just been that. Even some establishment Democrats have refused to back their party's choice or said really vile things about him, despite the overwhelming enthusiasm for his candidacy here in New York. But if there's one thing Mamdani has demonstrated over the course of this campaign so far is he's pretty good at just kind of sticking to his principles and message discipline. He doesn't bow down in the face of pressure, but then he keeps pivoting back to the center of what he campaigned on, which is affordability. And that is exactly what a lot of Democrats, again, across the ideological spectrum, have been both talking about and are looking for right now.
Lydia Polgreen had a good piece in the New York Times this week, writing, quote, “Mamdani’s win is a rebuke of the strategy, such as it is, that many leading Democrats have advocated in the face of Trump's shock and awe attempt to remake the presidency and the country in his dark image. Haplessly veering between not getting distracted by Trump's lawless actions and signaling their moderation in the face of Trumpian antics as their base marches in the streets. Democrats are missing the core political reality of our time.”
Emma Vigeland, co-host the Majority Report with my buddy Sam Seder. Faiz Shakir is a senior adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders and the executive director of More Perfect Union. And they join me now.
Emma, I want to start with the response to Mamdani and what you make of it. In some ways, he’s, sort of, created in a lab to make Republican and conservative politicians absolutely lose their mind, and they have not disappointed. But there's also been broadly, a lot of pretty insane reactions.
EMMA VIGELAND: I think you're absolutely right. I mean, just think about this for a second. The fact that so many people see Zohran Mamdani, a man who is born in Uganda and of Indian heritage, and they immediately go to anti-Semitism or Hamas, what else can you call that?
And as you just said, Chris, this is not just Republicans. Republicans, of course, we expect that. So many of the arguments that I'm hearing against Mamdani now, I feel like I could have heard them against Obama in 2008 when he won the nomination where it's just this constant stream of racist attacks. And unfortunately, though, we saw from politicians like Kirsten Gillibrand and others some really unfortunate Islamophobic racism directed at Mamdani and it’s just incredible to me to see how, despite the fact that Democratic voters—now, CNN showed this the other day, that they sympathize with Palestinians by more than 43 points at this point—that you still see this reflexive reaction because of his faith from members of this—of the party here trying to shut him down and trying to negate his message.
