Great review. Looking forward to reading the book. Mr. Lange knows the city' political history very well. I suspect even better than that of Mr. Mahler.
The 1988 NY presidential primary where Jackson, the candidate of the left, edged out Dukakis in the city is an interesting precursor to this year’s mayoral election. But unlike Mamdani, the base of Jackson’s support was overwhelming support from Black voters.
Racial polarization in the city was much much greater than it is today. Michael Griffin, Yusuf Hawkins, Central Park 5, Bernard Goetz, Tawana Brawley, skyrocketing cime, etc. You could feel it on the street and on the subway.
According to a New York Times/CBS News exit poll of 2,100 voters, Jackson won 93 percent of black votes. He only won 15 percent of the ballots of whites.
And the rhetoric and atmosphere surrounding the Giulaini-Dinkins races ('89 and'93) was especially ugly
Thankfully, however intense are the city’s divisions today, they are not so starkly drawn along racial lines as they were back then.
I'm someone who's lived in New York but no longer lives there now. I'm only vaguely aware of Mamdani and what he wants to do, and so on. I'm interested in the opinions of New Yorkers -- do you think he'll be a good mayor? Setting aside the question of ideology, being mayor of NYC seems INCREDIBLY difficult, and he IS pretty inexperienced. But experience cuts both ways, so I don't know. I'm curious what you think...?
Can't wait to read this. I grew up in NYC in the 80s and 90s and my political beliefs and feelings about the city are firmly shaped by the subjects of this book. Though I find the title weird.
The arc from Sharpton as pariah after Brawley to MSNBC host is one of the most remarkable political rehabilitaions in modern American history. What Lange captures well is how the crises of that era created openings that wouldn't have existed otherwise, and Sharpton understood that staying visible and maintaining relationships with greveing families gave him legitimacy when institutions failed them. The comparison to Adams is particularly insightfull because both figured out how to operate outside traditional coalition building while still accumulating power. Sharpton's evolution mirrors the broader fragmentation of New York politics where cross racial coalitions became harder to sustain. The fact that he went from Jesse Jackson refusing to acknowledge him at the DNC to becoming a kingmaker shows how much the media landscape and political dynamics shifted.
Actually, no! Ruth Messinger, who ran against Giuliani in 1997, is also mentioned. She turned a generation of liberal New Yorkers into total liars as they claimed to support her and pulled the lever for Giuliani in the voting booth.
Tawana Brawley, too, who was a child at the time. But the legacy of that hoax and Sharpton’s and others’ refusal to admit its falsity undermined the white public’s willingness to give credence to other legitimate stories of police and institutional abuse against Blacks in NYC. She’s an important name to know.
Regarding Palestine, Jesse Jackson gravitated towards sympathy for Palestinians as part of a broader third worldist politics. There really wasn't much of a Palestine movement at the time. There was a Central America solidarity movement, and CISPES (I was a member) was very well organized and maintained several dozen active members throughout even quiet times, eventually calling protests that might get a thousand people out when the issue came into focus. But the Palestine Solidarity movement was really much much more limited than that, although Central America activists were typically sympathetic. There was also liberal Zionist activism around calls to negotiate with the PLO and a two state solution. For the most part, prominent liberal Jewish intellectuals like Ellen Willis didn't like Jackson much at all. Zohran has clearly done well among Jewish voters, fairly obviously slanting younger. I wonder how many NYC Jews voted for Jackson outside of a fairly narrow left following. The idea that as a New York Democrat you can't be too pro-Israel, something Eric Adams basically affirmed again today (if he still considers himself a Democrat) far outlived this moment and continued to haunt progressive politics clear through the de Blasio years (de Blasio himself, as someone who sympathized with the Sandinistas, should've known better, but he had other priorities than challenging this orthodoxy).
I asked this question of someone above, too, but I'd be interested in your opinion as well. It seems like you're a New Yorker...? What is your outlook for Mamdani as mayor? Aside from his idealogy, he's relatively inexperienced. Do you think he will be able to handle the job and cross-pressures? It seems like an unbelievably difficult position to hold. I'm curious for the input of someone who seems to know a lot about it.
Great review. Looking forward to reading the book. Mr. Lange knows the city' political history very well. I suspect even better than that of Mr. Mahler.
The 1988 NY presidential primary where Jackson, the candidate of the left, edged out Dukakis in the city is an interesting precursor to this year’s mayoral election. But unlike Mamdani, the base of Jackson’s support was overwhelming support from Black voters.
Racial polarization in the city was much much greater than it is today. Michael Griffin, Yusuf Hawkins, Central Park 5, Bernard Goetz, Tawana Brawley, skyrocketing cime, etc. You could feel it on the street and on the subway.
According to a New York Times/CBS News exit poll of 2,100 voters, Jackson won 93 percent of black votes. He only won 15 percent of the ballots of whites.
And the rhetoric and atmosphere surrounding the Giulaini-Dinkins races ('89 and'93) was especially ugly
Thankfully, however intense are the city’s divisions today, they are not so starkly drawn along racial lines as they were back then.
I'm someone who's lived in New York but no longer lives there now. I'm only vaguely aware of Mamdani and what he wants to do, and so on. I'm interested in the opinions of New Yorkers -- do you think he'll be a good mayor? Setting aside the question of ideology, being mayor of NYC seems INCREDIBLY difficult, and he IS pretty inexperienced. But experience cuts both ways, so I don't know. I'm curious what you think...?
Can't wait to read this. I grew up in NYC in the 80s and 90s and my political beliefs and feelings about the city are firmly shaped by the subjects of this book. Though I find the title weird.
The arc from Sharpton as pariah after Brawley to MSNBC host is one of the most remarkable political rehabilitaions in modern American history. What Lange captures well is how the crises of that era created openings that wouldn't have existed otherwise, and Sharpton understood that staying visible and maintaining relationships with greveing families gave him legitimacy when institutions failed them. The comparison to Adams is particularly insightfull because both figured out how to operate outside traditional coalition building while still accumulating power. Sharpton's evolution mirrors the broader fragmentation of New York politics where cross racial coalitions became harder to sustain. The fact that he went from Jesse Jackson refusing to acknowledge him at the DNC to becoming a kingmaker shows how much the media landscape and political dynamics shifted.
instantly subscribes
Superb, as someone engaged in local politics during the era reported can’t wait …
Interesting that the only female mentioned in this entire review is Marla Maples.
Ruth Messenger is mentioned, briefly.
Ha! Fantastic note. I will admit that I didn't notice this, but you're right. Sigh.
But YOU are in the comments so that sort of counts! :)
Actually, no! Ruth Messinger, who ran against Giuliani in 1997, is also mentioned. She turned a generation of liberal New Yorkers into total liars as they claimed to support her and pulled the lever for Giuliani in the voting booth.
Tawana Brawley, too, who was a child at the time. But the legacy of that hoax and Sharpton’s and others’ refusal to admit its falsity undermined the white public’s willingness to give credence to other legitimate stories of police and institutional abuse against Blacks in NYC. She’s an important name to know.
Thanks for the note. Didn’t know about her; will do some reading.
Regarding Palestine, Jesse Jackson gravitated towards sympathy for Palestinians as part of a broader third worldist politics. There really wasn't much of a Palestine movement at the time. There was a Central America solidarity movement, and CISPES (I was a member) was very well organized and maintained several dozen active members throughout even quiet times, eventually calling protests that might get a thousand people out when the issue came into focus. But the Palestine Solidarity movement was really much much more limited than that, although Central America activists were typically sympathetic. There was also liberal Zionist activism around calls to negotiate with the PLO and a two state solution. For the most part, prominent liberal Jewish intellectuals like Ellen Willis didn't like Jackson much at all. Zohran has clearly done well among Jewish voters, fairly obviously slanting younger. I wonder how many NYC Jews voted for Jackson outside of a fairly narrow left following. The idea that as a New York Democrat you can't be too pro-Israel, something Eric Adams basically affirmed again today (if he still considers himself a Democrat) far outlived this moment and continued to haunt progressive politics clear through the de Blasio years (de Blasio himself, as someone who sympathized with the Sandinistas, should've known better, but he had other priorities than challenging this orthodoxy).
I asked this question of someone above, too, but I'd be interested in your opinion as well. It seems like you're a New Yorker...? What is your outlook for Mamdani as mayor? Aside from his idealogy, he's relatively inexperienced. Do you think he will be able to handle the job and cross-pressures? It seems like an unbelievably difficult position to hold. I'm curious for the input of someone who seems to know a lot about it.