Democrats after Tuesday’s primaries in New York: “Socialism is having a moment.”
Democrats after hearing what some of the socialists actually believe: “Hold on. Maybe not that kind.”
That was more or less the mood online after a slate of far-left candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their races. But no one captured the whiplash quite like “The View,” where Joy Behar celebrated the results before getting a closer look at one of the candidates’ positions and suddenly sounding a lot less enthusiastic.
In three New York City congressional districts — the 7th, 10th, and 13th — candidates supported by Mamdani defeated more establishment-friendly Democrats. Two of those candidates beat incumbents. In the 7th District, Claire Valdez defeated Antonio Reynoso for the seat being vacated by Rep. Nydia Velázquez. In the 10th, former New York City comptroller Brad Lander upset Rep. Dan Goldman in a race where Israel became a central issue. And in the 13th, Darializa Avila Chevalier narrowly beat Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Mamdani was thrilled. Speaking at Lander’s victory party, he said candidates like Lander and the others “bring a vision of politics that is more than what we’ve seen for so long,” according to CNN.
Behar seemed to share that excitement on Wednesday’s episode of “The View.”
“Obviously, New Yorkers aren’t watching Fox constantly and so they’re — and they’re not afraid of the term Democratic socialism,” she said.
Then she started listing basic public services as examples of Democratic socialism.
“If I fall down, I want an ambulance. If my house is on fire, bring your hose,” Behar said. “Social Security is Democratic socialism. Partly, unemployment insurance is. The people who pick up your garbage, the people who take the fire out of your house. All of these are Democratic socialism.”
That is a familiar argument, but it also blurs an important distinction. Fire departments, ambulances, garbage collection, Social Security, and unemployment insurance have existed under Republicans, Democrats, moderates, conservatives, liberals, and plenty of politicians who would never call themselves socialists. The country did not need a socialist takeover to get fire hoses.
Behar also argued that voters are rejecting “right-wing nasty politics” and that even some Republicans are turning on Trump. In her view, that helps explain why Democratic socialists are gaining traction.
Then Alyssa Farah Griffin, one of the show’s few regular conservative-leaning voices, brought up Darializa Avila Chevalier.
“So, you just talked about these goods and services. You want the police to come. You want the fire department to come,” Griffin said.
Behar agreed.
“Well, one of your new candidates, Darializa Avila Chevalier, wants to abolish the police and all prisons,” Griffin replied. “She was asked four times, ‘How would you deal with someone who committed murder, then? What is your plan?’ And she dodged and didn’t answer.”
That changed the tone.
Griffin continued, pointing to Avila Chevalier’s past comments about major Democratic figures. She said the candidate had posted that “Obama is evil,” called Biden “a rapist and a war criminal,” and attacked Kamala Harris.
“These were not people running on an affordability agenda,” Griffin said. “These were left-wing extremists that were elected last night at the expense of moderate Democrats.”
Behar’s response was telling.
“I don’t like the way she sounds at all,” she said, before adding that Avila Chevalier is “not the party” and is only “one person.”
But that answer does not quite solve the problem. Avila Chevalier is not some random activist with no connection to the night’s results. She was one of the Mamdani-backed candidates who won. And the concerns about her views do not stop with policing or prisons. She has reportedly described America as “a f—ing disgrace,” attended a pro-Palestinian rally on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, and has spoken about “the eradication of Western Civilization.”
Even if Democrats want to dismiss her as an outlier, the other Mamdani-backed winners are not exactly moderates. Lander’s victory came in a race shaped heavily by anti-Israel sentiment against Goldman. Valdez has pushed positions well outside the mainstream, including opposition not only to TSA PreCheck but to private control of the airline industry itself.
So yes, Behar may like the sound of “Democratic socialism” when it is framed as ambulances, fire departments, and Social Security. A lot of voters probably do. But that is not all that is being sold here.
The reality check came quickly on “The View.” Unfortunately for New York voters, it came after the primaries, not before.
