June 30, 2025 • 7 mins
Mike Kelly joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about Zohran Mamdani and how his primary win has impacted the Democratic party nationwide.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's talk to Mike Kelly. Mike Kelly is an award
winning columnist for North Jersey dot Com and The Record.
The story nationally and locally right now. I just saw
it everywhere this weekend. Is your hand, Mom, Donnie. He's
taken the nation by storm. But what does that mean
for the Democratic Party? Is this their blueprint going forward? Mike,
(00:22):
because some seems some seem to show some trepidation with that.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
What do you think, well, good morning morning. Yes, I
think Democrats all over the country are sitting there looking
at the in the mirror and going now what for
you know, last November it was Kabla Harris in it,
you know, just complete meltdown and uh and now we've
(00:48):
got you know, this this new mayoral kid. You know,
I was thinking over the weekend. Do you remember the
Tom Hanks movie Big where he's a little boy he
suddenly becomes big ye and goes into the goes into
the toy store and starts giving all kinds of advice
on the kinds of toys that children will like to
play with.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
That.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I'm sorry, but that's what I think. So Hi Mandabai.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Is like, it's like Big here in politics and and
on a serious note, he has completely, you know, overturned
the traditional democratic way of doing things or getting elected
in New York City, and I think that's going to
(01:34):
spill over the borders into my state of New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We have a gubernatorial race in Virginia, and then you know,
the year after that into the into the congressional races.
I think this is a real, you know, it's one
of those earthquake moments.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I think it is an earthquake moment because he is
so radical, he's so to the left. But you have
to give him credit. He doesn't lie about any of that.
He's he's full front, telling you exactly the way he thinks.
A lot of how he thinks is scary, and I
loved your analogy, But I think this is more than
that just somebody that came out of nowhere, a little
boy becoming big. I think, really there was This has
(02:13):
all been planned. I mean, he's got a lot of money,
he's got a lot of support. I know he has
mommy's money and he's running on that. I guess it
is a little boy reference if you're running with mommy's money.
But he has an organization out there, like I've never
seen before. There's something else going on with this race.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Well, that's the other point I wanted to make. He
is the new kid on the block and the new
flavor of the week. Let's all be honest about that. However,
he's also done things in a very much old fashioned way.
He went out and he organized voters, He organized the
campaigns there, he organized a get out the vote drug
(02:54):
and I think, you know, I don't know if your
listeners realize how important that is in getting elected, especially
in New York City, where you really have to go
knocking on doors and getting people out. That's what we
call local local politics. And you know, it happens in
districts all over the country for successful people. And this
is this is his methodology, and to his credit, he
(03:18):
figured it out. He knows how to do it, you know.
Getting back to his politics, though, I think it's going
to be very interesting to see how a Muslim mayor
is elected in a city with a large number of
Jewish voters. If he's elected, I want to I'm going
(03:38):
to be very interested to see how that transforms the
Democratic Party and actually transforms the way Democrats operate in
New York City.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Mike if he gets elected, he can't do anything he
says he's going to do. That's the dirty little secret
in this whole thing. He can't do any of it,
and he somehow skates on this.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I think you're right. I mean, you know, the idea
of free buses sounds great, but who's going to pay
for the idea of government run grocery stores? Well, I
don't know about that, you know. I if the government
could just get you know, the DMV get going correctly,
to just stick to that, okay, license plates, driver's licenses,
(04:22):
you know, filling the potholes. Now they want to on
grocery stores. But you know, it's one of those kinds
of things though, that gets people to the polls, and
you know, free bus rides, sure vote, you know, that
kind of thing. That's what that's he that's what's attractive
about this guy. What I think. Whoever challenges him, and
(04:43):
it looks like Andy Cuomo is going to try to come,
you know, come back from the dead here once again.
They really got to drill down on the practicality of
what he wants to do.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Well, they have to, I mean they try to all
the time, and he just seems to skate on it,
and I'm not sure why the allowing him to do that.
I think they just love the story behind it. I
want to get back to the fact that where I
don't think this is grassroots as as you think. We
were talking to a citizen journalist that has this website
of about a two months ago when Mom Donnie was
(05:16):
still just starting to make waves and he was at
a TESLA protest and he saw Mom Donnie there and
he tried to talk to Mom Donnie, and as soon
as he said something negative, there were all of these
people they had different color vests for their jobs, going
over to him, escorting him away, and then they had
these big guys security come up on him. That is
(05:36):
an organization, and that was early on. So I really
have a mistrust to how grassroots this is. There's something
else to this guy. There's something else happening that he
was too well organized and too well funded very early on.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Mike, Well, I've seen that happen a lot as a
journalist over the years. You know, we all think of
the left as you know, open minded and that sort
of thing. Now they're not. They're they're just as they're
just as controlling as anybody else's in many cases, and
you know, you ask a tough question in a you know,
uh uh, you know, a left wing press conference or
(06:17):
that sort of thing, suddenly you get you know, uh,
you know, you get the evil stare and that sort
of thing. And in this case, I'm not surprised that
you know, staffers from Mondami uh sort of surrounded this
guy and and tried to harass him or that sort
of thing. This is this, This is what happens I
think with with tough journalists and trying to ask questions.
(06:37):
If this continues, I want to see what the New
York Press Corps is going to do about it. I mean,
they used to be tougher, to be honest with you.
I'm not sure how tough they were on this guy
when he was rying. So we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You're right, they failed. They failed so far. Luckily they're
only halfway through the test, but so far you'd have
to get him a failing grade. Michael. I mean, Mike,
always great to talk to you. Thank you so much.
Mike Kelly as an award winning columnist for The North
Jerseysey dot Com and the Record, but he likes to
(07:09):
be called Michael
Let's talk to Mike Kelly. Mike Kelly is an award
winning columnist for North Jersey dot Com and The Record.
The story nationally and locally right now. I just saw
it everywhere this weekend. Is your hand, Mom, Donnie. He's
taken the nation by storm. But what does that mean
for the Democratic Party? Is this their blueprint going forward? Mike,
(00:22):
because some seems some seem to show some trepidation with that.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
What do you think, well, good morning morning. Yes, I
think Democrats all over the country are sitting there looking
at the in the mirror and going now what for
you know, last November it was Kabla Harris in it,
you know, just complete meltdown and uh and now we've
(00:48):
got you know, this this new mayoral kid. You know,
I was thinking over the weekend. Do you remember the
Tom Hanks movie Big where he's a little boy he
suddenly becomes big ye and goes into the goes into
the toy store and starts giving all kinds of advice
on the kinds of toys that children will like to
play with.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
That.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I'm sorry, but that's what I think. So Hi Mandabai.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Is like, it's like Big here in politics and and
on a serious note, he has completely, you know, overturned
the traditional democratic way of doing things or getting elected
in New York City, and I think that's going to
(01:34):
spill over the borders into my state of New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We have a gubernatorial race in Virginia, and then you know,
the year after that into the into the congressional races.
I think this is a real, you know, it's one
of those earthquake moments.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I think it is an earthquake moment because he is
so radical, he's so to the left. But you have
to give him credit. He doesn't lie about any of that.
He's he's full front, telling you exactly the way he thinks.
A lot of how he thinks is scary, and I
loved your analogy, But I think this is more than
that just somebody that came out of nowhere, a little
boy becoming big. I think, really there was This has
(02:13):
all been planned. I mean, he's got a lot of money,
he's got a lot of support. I know he has
mommy's money and he's running on that. I guess it
is a little boy reference if you're running with mommy's money.
But he has an organization out there, like I've never
seen before. There's something else going on with this race.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Well, that's the other point I wanted to make. He
is the new kid on the block and the new
flavor of the week. Let's all be honest about that. However,
he's also done things in a very much old fashioned way.
He went out and he organized voters, He organized the
campaigns there, he organized a get out the vote drug
(02:54):
and I think, you know, I don't know if your
listeners realize how important that is in getting elected, especially
in New York City, where you really have to go
knocking on doors and getting people out. That's what we
call local local politics. And you know, it happens in
districts all over the country for successful people. And this
is this is his methodology, and to his credit, he
(03:18):
figured it out. He knows how to do it, you know.
Getting back to his politics, though, I think it's going
to be very interesting to see how a Muslim mayor
is elected in a city with a large number of
Jewish voters. If he's elected, I want to I'm going
(03:38):
to be very interested to see how that transforms the
Democratic Party and actually transforms the way Democrats operate in
New York City.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Mike if he gets elected, he can't do anything he
says he's going to do. That's the dirty little secret
in this whole thing. He can't do any of it,
and he somehow skates on this.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I think you're right. I mean, you know, the idea
of free buses sounds great, but who's going to pay
for the idea of government run grocery stores? Well, I
don't know about that, you know. I if the government
could just get you know, the DMV get going correctly,
to just stick to that, okay, license plates, driver's licenses,
(04:22):
you know, filling the potholes. Now they want to on
grocery stores. But you know, it's one of those kinds
of things though, that gets people to the polls, and
you know, free bus rides, sure vote, you know, that
kind of thing. That's what that's he that's what's attractive
about this guy. What I think. Whoever challenges him, and
(04:43):
it looks like Andy Cuomo is going to try to come,
you know, come back from the dead here once again.
They really got to drill down on the practicality of
what he wants to do.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Well, they have to, I mean they try to all
the time, and he just seems to skate on it,
and I'm not sure why the allowing him to do that.
I think they just love the story behind it. I
want to get back to the fact that where I
don't think this is grassroots as as you think. We
were talking to a citizen journalist that has this website
of about a two months ago when Mom Donnie was
(05:16):
still just starting to make waves and he was at
a TESLA protest and he saw Mom Donnie there and
he tried to talk to Mom Donnie, and as soon
as he said something negative, there were all of these
people they had different color vests for their jobs, going
over to him, escorting him away, and then they had
these big guys security come up on him. That is
(05:36):
an organization, and that was early on. So I really
have a mistrust to how grassroots this is. There's something
else to this guy. There's something else happening that he
was too well organized and too well funded very early on.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Mike, Well, I've seen that happen a lot as a
journalist over the years. You know, we all think of
the left as you know, open minded and that sort
of thing. Now they're not. They're they're just as they're
just as controlling as anybody else's in many cases, and
you know, you ask a tough question in a you know,
uh uh, you know, a left wing press conference or
(06:17):
that sort of thing, suddenly you get you know, uh,
you know, you get the evil stare and that sort
of thing. And in this case, I'm not surprised that
you know, staffers from Mondami uh sort of surrounded this
guy and and tried to harass him or that sort
of thing. This is this, This is what happens I
think with with tough journalists and trying to ask questions.
(06:37):
If this continues, I want to see what the New
York Press Corps is going to do about it. I mean,
they used to be tougher, to be honest with you.
I'm not sure how tough they were on this guy
when he was rying. So we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You're right, they failed. They failed so far. Luckily they're
only halfway through the test, but so far you'd have
to get him a failing grade. Michael. I mean, Mike,
always great to talk to you. Thank you so much.
Mike Kelly as an award winning columnist for The North
Jerseysey dot Com and the Record, but he likes to
(07:09):
be called Michael
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