This Must Be the Place
What if the only lesson of the NYC mayoral race is who will be the mayor of NYC? Because of the media saturation, it wouldn’t be the first time that a local New York City story was covered as if it represented and impacted the entire nation. I know more about Manhattan’s traffic congestion pricing than I know about my own commute (and I work from home). But these days, maybe a NYC mayoral election really does represent something more. We’ve certainly been told for months that it will shake everything from the five boroughs to Washington DC to the West Bank. Even Elon Musk has chimed in, so maybe this city election’s reach actually extends all the way to Mars. One thing is for sure. A famous adage of American elections is no longer accurate. As David Graham explains in The Atlantic (Gift Article): No Politics Is Local. “The nationalization of politics is a familiar story, especially in Congress. As the parties have become more polarized in recent years, voters have become less willing to cross the aisle or split their ballot between Democrats and Republicans—especially because animosity toward the other party is a central part of the polarization. The weakening of local media outlets, especially newspapers, has also left citizens far more informed and invested in national political dynamics than matters closer to home. In the recent past, the idea that a New York mayoral candidate’s stance on Palestinian rights might affect his prospects would have appeared peculiar. And the idea that his platform on rent control could sway U.S. House votes in Texas or Nevada—as Republicans hope and centrist Democrats worry—would have seemed downright preposterous. Today, dismissing either of those isn’t so easy.” In my neck of the woods, the most controversial measure on the ballot will determine whether or not a portion of a local park will be converted to make way for affordable housing. I’m just praying Trump posts his preference about this measure on Truth Social so I’ll know for sure how not to vote.
+ In some ways, politics are less local than ever. But, inside your head, they’re as local as you can get. The New Yorker: The N.Y.C. Mayoral Election, as Processed in Therapy. “Before voters go to the ballot box, they’re sitting on their therapist’s couch—where they’re unpacking their Mamdani-induced fears and their Cuomo-fuelled stress. Or, as usual, they’re talking about Trump.” At this point, our brains could all use some local anesthesia.
