Veteran columnist Mike Kelly has reported from almost every corner of New Jersey and the globe, including Iraq, Africa, Cuba, Malaysia, Israel (the West Bank and Gaza) and Northern Ireland. He has covered many major stories, including the 9/11 attacks, the Clinton impeachment, Hurricane Katrina and the Bridgegate scandal. He is also the author of three, critically acclaimed non-fiction books. His website: www.mikekellywriter.com
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a podcast from dou Wor. Here again is
Larry Menti with the woor Saturday Morning Show. Welcome back
Zorin Mam Donnie. A Muslim socialist bordering on a communist
from Uganda, is on the cusp of becoming New York
City's next mayor after a shocking easy win in the
(00:22):
Democratic primary. Does he provide a playbook for other Democrats
to win across the country. North Jersey dot COM's award
winning columnist Mike Kelly wrote a column about that. The
story nationally and locally right now. I just saw it
everywhere this weekend is Zorhan, Mom, Donnie. He's taken the
nation by storm. But what does that mean for the
(00:47):
Democratic Party? Is this their blueprint going forward? Mike? Because
some seems some seem to show some trepidation with that.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
What do you think, well, good morning morning. Yes, Uh,
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 Kamala Harris in it,
you know, just complete meltdown and uh and now we've
(01:17):
got you know, this new this new mayoral candidate. 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 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 1 (01:36):
That.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I'm sorry, but that's what I think. So him Mandati
is like, it's like Big here in in politics. Uh
and and and on a serious note, he has completely,
you know, overturned the traditional democratic way of doing things
(01:59):
or getting elected in New York City, and I think
that's going to spill over the borders into my state
of New Jersey. We have a gubernatorial race in Virginia
and then you know, the year after that into the
congressional races. I think this is a real, you know,
it's one of those earthquake moments.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
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 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 all
(02:42):
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 going on with this race.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
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 a
campaign staff, he organized a get out the vote drive,
(03:21):
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 politics. And you know it happens in districts
all over the country for successful people. And this is
(03:42):
his methodology, and to his credit, he 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 law arge number of Jewish voters.
If he's elected, I want to I'm going to be
(04:06):
very interested to see how that transforms the Democratic Party
and actually transforms the way Democrats operate in New York City.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
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 somehow he somehow skates on this.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I think you're right. I mean, you know, the idea
of free buses sounds great, but who's going to pay
for it. 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, drivers' licenses,
(04:48):
you know, filling the potholes. Now they were 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, I'll 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 it looks like
(05:10):
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 (05:20):
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 they're 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 a citizen journalist that has this
website of about a month two months ago when Mom
(05:42):
Donnie was 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 them. That
(06:03):
is an organization, and that was early on. So I
really have a mistrust to how grassroots this is there,
there's something else to this guy. There's something else happening
that he is. He was too well organized and too
well funded very early on.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
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
(06:43):
that sort of thing, suddenly you get you know, uh,
you know, you get the 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 tough journalists and trying to ask questions. If
(07:04):
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 wrying. So we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
You're right, they failed. They failed so far. Luckily they're
only halfway through the test. But so far you'd have
to give him a failing grade. Mike Kelly, Award winning
columnist from North Jersey dot Com. This has been a
podcast from wor
This is a podcast from dou Wor. Here again is
Larry Menti with the woor Saturday Morning Show. Welcome back
Zorin Mam Donnie. A Muslim socialist bordering on a communist
from Uganda, is on the cusp of becoming New York
City's next mayor after a shocking easy win in the
(00:22):
Democratic primary. Does he provide a playbook for other Democrats
to win across the country. North Jersey dot COM's award
winning columnist Mike Kelly wrote a column about that. The
story nationally and locally right now. I just saw it
everywhere this weekend is Zorhan, Mom, Donnie. He's taken the
nation by storm. But what does that mean for the
(00:47):
Democratic Party? Is this their blueprint going forward? Mike? Because
some seems some seem to show some trepidation with that.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
What do you think, well, good morning morning. Yes, Uh,
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 Kamala Harris in it,
you know, just complete meltdown and uh and now we've
(01:17):
got you know, this new this new mayoral candidate. 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 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 1 (01:36):
That.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I'm sorry, but that's what I think. So him Mandati
is like, it's like Big here in in politics. Uh
and and and on a serious note, he has completely,
you know, overturned the traditional democratic way of doing things
(01:59):
or getting elected in New York City, and I think
that's going to spill over the borders into my state
of New Jersey. We have a gubernatorial race in Virginia
and then you know, the year after that into the
congressional races. I think this is a real, you know,
it's one of those earthquake moments.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
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 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 all
(02:42):
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 going on with this race.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
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 a
campaign staff, he organized a get out the vote drive,
(03:21):
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 politics. And you know it happens in districts
all over the country for successful people. And this is
(03:42):
his methodology, and to his credit, he 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 law arge number of Jewish voters.
If he's elected, I want to I'm going to be
(04:06):
very interested to see how that transforms the Democratic Party
and actually transforms the way Democrats operate in New York City.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
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 somehow he somehow skates on this.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I think you're right. I mean, you know, the idea
of free buses sounds great, but who's going to pay
for it. 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, drivers' licenses,
(04:48):
you know, filling the potholes. Now they were 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, I'll 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 it looks like
(05:10):
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 (05:20):
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 they're 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 a citizen journalist that has this
website of about a month two months ago when Mom
(05:42):
Donnie was 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 them. That
(06:03):
is an organization, and that was early on. So I
really have a mistrust to how grassroots this is there,
there's something else to this guy. There's something else happening
that he is. He was too well organized and too
well funded very early on.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
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
(06:43):
that sort of thing, suddenly you get you know, uh,
you know, you get the 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 tough journalists and trying to ask questions. If
(07:04):
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 wrying. So we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
You're right, they failed. They failed so far. Luckily they're
only halfway through the test. But so far you'd have
to give him a failing grade. Mike Kelly, Award winning
columnist from North Jersey dot Com. This has been a
podcast from wor
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