It's the Brian Larry Show on WNYC.

Good morning again, everyone.

Coming up later this hour, your 30-second eulogies for the penny on the week when the last ones were minted or make up a new

phrase to replace ones that use the word penny that's coming up. But first, New Yorkers and

others are continuing to ask, what does it mean that mayor elects Aran Mamdani calls himself

a democratic socialist? What will that mean in practice? Now, we know from

polls and from our callers that the word socialist is not as toxic in American politics as it was

during the Cold War when the main threat to democracy in the world was perceived to be the USSR,

the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Younger Americans don't have that in the world was perceived to be the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Younger Americans don't have that in their experience and are frequently down on capitalism,

which I don't have to tell you.

They experience as failing to provide them a path to financial stability as much as it did

for their parents or grandparents or maybe never did on mass

for African Americans and other economically marginalized groups. So the word socialism was not

a disqualifier, obviously because Mamdani got elected, and arguably it was even a political plus.

And maybe that's why antagonists of Mamdani have ascribed other labels to him and his politics.

Jamie Diamond, we talked about this earlier in the week, CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase,

described Mamdani as, quote, more a Marxist than a socialist back in July of this year.

I guess he thought socialist was becoming benign. He had to up the ante.

Then there's President Donald Trump, who's repeatedly called Mamdani a communist.

You've heard this probably, but here's 15 seconds of the president addressing the American

Business Forum the day after the election.

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