The success of the Mamdani campaign should be approached as a opportunity to do some fresh thinking on the part of Democrats, not a moment to circle the wagons, to seek shelter from the storm, to distance themselves from Mamdani. So far the jury is out.

As for Trump and the Republicans they will, without a doubt, respond in predictable ways to Mamdani’s electrifying campaign and victory, that is, cast Mamdani in the most negative light possible and make threats against him. Such cyncial, anti working class, and racist posturing on MAGA’s part is its stock and trade and should be vigorously rejected.

The place of broad left is in the organizations and coalitions that mobilized milllions for the NO Kings Day rallies. It is there that they will find the anti-MAGA coaliton in all its diversity as well as the political ground to deepen and widen the anti-MAGA protests. This doesn’t preclude its own independent initiatives, but they will take on life to the extent that they are an organic part of this mass, militant movement of millions and its organizations.

The overarching challenge of this moment is to further build a multi-class, popular people’s coalition to the point where it has the capacity to throw Trump and the MAGA movement on the defensive and ultimately decisively defeat this incubus of evil and American style fascism.

Such a turn of events and fortunes will take sustained initiatives and struggles on multiple levels. Crucial in this regard are the special gubernatorial elections this fall in New Jersey and Virginia, not to mention the elections in some major cities around the country. Their outcome will give us some measure (for better or worse) of where we stand in the overall struggle against Trump and MAGA.

Obviously, anti MAGA activists should engage in these struggles.

Sweeping negative characterizations of the Democratic Party that fail to take into account the diverse trends/groupings that exist under that tent as well as the overarching challenge of broad unity at this moment are not only analytically shortsighted, but also tactically wrongheaded insofar as they narrow down the potential and necessary opposition to Trumpism.

Right wing and fascist governments are prone to stage and manufacture provocative confrontations and crises in order to pursue those parts of their agenda that can’t be achieved by legal, democratic means. We see that happening once again in Los Angeles with Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to that city on the false and invented pretext that an “insurrection” is taking place there.