That's what I mean when I say "experiencing at the same time."Mamdani took advantage of that.He ran for office because he lived in New York and thought the city needed to be cheaper.After that, he talked about how different groups of people go through that.He made campaign videos in Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, and Spanish.They all said the same thing: free buses, rent freezes, universal childcare, and making New York a great place to raise kids and start a small business.After that, he put his own spin on it.He said in Arabic that his opinion that the knafeh, a Middle Eastern dessert, tastes better on Steinway Street in Queens than it does in New Jersey is more controversial than his political comment.Finding the right balance is hard.

Adding the languages of groups that aren't included is a way to give people more power.After he won, he said the Arabic phrase "ana minkum wa alaikum" in his speech."I am of you and for you" means "I am of you and for you." He also said that "Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas" were the people who had been "forgotten by the politics of our city.""Taxi drivers from Senegal and nurses from Uzbekistan." "Line cooks from Trinidad and aunts from Ethiopia."

He did this in areas where a lot of working-class people live, and many of them are people of color.He used a strong metaphor to talk about a city where people work at night and meet up with friends at taxi ranks.He said that he "brought his own identity into the light" to put it all together.He was a Muslim who grew up in a world where people were afraid of Islam.He was the target of a very racist campaign, but he didn't give in to the urge to hide who he was so he could fit in and do well.He said, "I won't live in the dark anymore."

Those shadows are really big.Along with Mamdani, they also include a lot of other people who are scared, can't make ends meet, are deported, have their freedom of speech taken away, and are bullied and mistreated by the whole political establishment.Mamdani's alliance, which included people from all ethnic groups, was meant to close the big gap between people and power.Last week, when people yelled at Mamdani about what he thought about Gaza, he didn't say, "I'm talking," like Kamala Harris did when people yelled at her.This shows that he is not like the other Democrats in the establishment.Mamdani smiled and said, "My brother, I want you to be able to live in this city too."

But Mamdani's method has another part that shows how accurate identification could lead to new opportunities.He is on the fringes of politics, but not as a solitary figure seeking to escape.People who think that their identity is a way to join a group that can then hold them up as models of inclusive politics will never be very popular, and because of this, they won't be able to make changes.To think of the racial, economic, and political lines as places where the majority can come together and talk about justice instead of being a victim is to create coalitions and set everyone free.It is to show voters that the problem is not just some kinds of racism or bigotry, but a whole system that keeps out everyone who doesn't have money in any form.

The message is for both the white parents with college degrees who can't pay for childcare and the immigrant cab driver who can't pay rent.In a strange way, though, Mamdani was a great example of the American "melting pot." This is a community of immigrants who are at the sharp end of capitalism and are starting to see all the ways in which the country is not living up to its goals.The right and his own party have both attacked Mamdani in different ways.

This shows that American liberal politics has been wrong for a long time because it cares too much about money and how people see themselves.Mamdani's success shows that everyone wants the same thing: leaders who are like them and work for them.Things that work in New York may not work the same way in other parts of the US or in other countries.