Congratulations to the Mamdani team. You prove a good strategy—inspiring AND educational, backed by a pluralistic coalition—can overcome $25 million in mind-numbingly huge Super PAC spending. Democracy works. It’s the most liberating, least authoritarian prone path forward. Progressives must learn from this. We need wins. We’re exhausted with symbolic gestures by sincere actors —and others. We’re TRULY at a breaking point. Every failed performance arms right-wing opponents—neoliberals included—and the left’s most poisonous, cynical elements who even now say, “Mamdani’s win means nothing.” (Seriously dude?)

Accelerationists despise wins, for many reasons. Be ready for them to destroy this and turn on him like they did AOC. They believe it delays capitalism’s collapse and their Garden of Eden epoch—for man (pointedly said). Show me an alternative demo community that doesn’t appear to de facto force women into cleaning, cooking, and birthing—

Though these Adams always seem to forget to demo the fascist death camps before the New Eden…

The recent spectacle of impeachment articles against a defiantly corrupt president—knowingly doomed in the Senate—epitomizes a self-flagellating pattern—which performance is not resulting in the intended response. It doesn’t inspire. Losses demoralize. The Bible’s wrong: “After you have suffered a little while…” (1 Peter 5:10) No one’s fired up.

Sharing lists of Democratic dissenters misses the bloody effing point. Refusing to endorse futile theatrics isn’t cowardice—it’s grim realism. Better kill the nonsense early. When the inevitable loss hits, the weeping would be worse. We have real battles to fight.

I admire Al Green and Bernie Sanders. I’m wearing a Sanders shirt right now—my security blanket. But their principled stands wither when tactics ignore systemic chains. Green’s a Texan lawyer (Born in New Orleans. I know both places well—). He has a Southern Gothic way with words. But his legalistic fervor that resonant in Texas courtrooms won’t shame a national Republican Party insulated by bad faith. This isn’t To Kill a Mockingbird. There’s no Atticus Finch moment coming—Finch lost, and his client died. Moral appeals disintegrate against hardened power. These fascists don’t care.

They never did.

Yet, there is a deeper failure. 50501 was not performative, but many of those who critique it for being that, applaud everytime someone throws down the articles of impeachment. That is confusing performative defiance with effective resistance. Forcing doomed votes—especially before pivotal elections—doesn’t “rally the base.” It crushes it. The U.S. public, starved of civic education, lacks the framework to see symbolic maneuvers as symbols. The vast majority of the U.S. public world view is shaped by literal fairy tales—Bible or Hollywood. They expect a 90-minute movie resolution. If it fails they scream, “It must be a trick!” Or “You’re not even trying!”

Sorry princess, everything doesn’t resolve itself in 90 minutes or like it does in a four color Ironman comic book.

There’s no trick. Green knew it would fail. He thought you knew too. He gravely overestimated the average U.S. citizen’s marshmallow patience, knowledge, and critical judgment. Decades of defunded schools, erased labor history, and anti-government propaganda have bred an electorate ignorant of constitutional mechanics. They see only failure—not the calculated restraint behind it. Every collapsed symbolic stand reinforces the narrative: “The system’s broken!”

This is cultural, not just procedural. The United States’ Puritan roots default to Manichean myths: absolute good vs. irredeemable evil. We crave Supermen and Sith Lords—not Star Trek’s uncomfortable ambiguities. Politics becomes melodrama: Heroes demand righteous votes! Villains block them! Democratic Party members who dissent? Judas! (Pound fist in the sand, ala Charleston Heston).

Nuance evaporates.

Real governance demands coalition-building in a landscape of grays. Purity tests—like demanding symbolic impeachment with zero conviction chance—ignore the Lucy-with-the-football dynamic: Each failed charge deepens public cynicism and empowers the opposition.

If we want to wage procedural warfare, we need to do it strategically. Forcing votes just to “go on record” wastes capital. Instead make power pay in ways that we can demonstrate our power. Subpoena unyielding witnesses. Force roll calls on popular policies. Leverage procedure to expose corruption. And crucially— compelling Republican cooperation (or reluctant Democratic unity) requires engagement beyond the choir. Refusing to speak to “racist relatives” is emotionally understandable—but politically fatal. If you’re enamored with the idea of procedural welfare pick fights you know you will win, not ones where Republicans have to rise up to be better people to get the win. I am of the opinion they will never be better people, but those of you who think all fascists need is a better explanation…sigh..

Mamdani won because he prioritized strategy over symbolism. Symbolism is salad dressing—useless without the lettuce (the substance). Per his campaign page he has sponsored 20 bills (3 became law) and co-sponsored 238. That means working across political lines. He also has concrete wins on fronts tied to the climate crisis and transportation— issues people care deeply about. He secured $100M for subway service. Launched a fare-free buses pilot and working with stakeholders from the organized and pragmatic environmental movement and grassroots community groups he stopped a dirty power plant from being built in his community’s district.

System change work is not sexy, it is effective.

‘Failure with heart’ isn’t an alternative to neoliberalism—not in a country as literal as the U.S. Until we repeal Citizens United, we need precision: educational, informative, and KIND messaging. Our communities—even “middle class” ones—are stripped of a basic civic education. New York’s informed electorate was key for Mamdani—an advantage most of us will not have, but we also won’t have a $25 million war chest being held to our figurative throats so—it balances out.

Democracy demands persuasion, however distasteful. For the left, that means ditching hollow gestures and petulant performances for disciplined, long-game strategy. Losses feed the despair we want to end. The masochism must stop—if we actually want to help people and not get off on our own self righteousness. As I asked you before, come already so we can go. We’re all dressed and ready to go.

Real helping requires inspiring ideas, accessible messaging, and material wins.