There’s an important discussion to be had about whether there’s a statute of limitations on saying racist/antisemitic/otherwise bigoted things. I’d rather have the discussion about some rightwinger, though, so I’m not accused of bias in favor of the left.
In general, mitigating factors are:
Ambiguity in the bigotry. (Not, clearly, present here–that shit was clearly antisemitic).
Youth. Too young to drink? Teens are stupid, and that doesn’t disappear the day you turn 20. If you’re too young to hold any real power, that’s mitigating.
Time. If you said something terrible 15 years ago, that’s less bad than if you said something terrible 15 minutes ago.
Regret. A clear apology goes a decent way.
Different actions/words in the intervening time. This is most important. If you said something antisemitic 15 years ago, and nothing you’ve done since indicates any change of heart, that’s a lot worse than if you’ve done stuff since then that indicates a change of heart. Other than the “mother of Jewish children” line, which honestly I don’t give much credit to, I don’t know what this person has done that indicates a change of heart.
As I read the article, she was actively hired and then immediately resigned once her posts came to light - so, post-vetting.
One wonders how much of our gerontocracy would have been judged as unfit for office if their random thoughts as teens and young adults were published for all the world to see in easily searchable format. At least, those for the one party that still retains a sense of shame.
Right. Mamdani and his team vetted her, and she passed; then the press looked into her, and found stuff Mamdani and co missed. At least she had the decency to swiftly resign.
Do I really think it is unfortunate that someone who yelled kike at me in high school in 1973 would now, because of having said something similar on social media, be blocked from public office decades later? That is a tough one. I believe in forgiveness. But most of those in my high school class did not make bigoted remarks, so there still would be plenty of people to pick from to become government officials.
Employers should let hopefully former bigots have other responsible jobs, or else there will be high unemployment. Catherine Almonte Da Costa is a borderline case.
Would they be blocked from public office? Graham Platner got a Nazi tattoo long after high school and he’s staying in his race (I hope the Democratic primary voting crowd would disqualify someone for having a Nazi tattoo, but we will see).
I agree. I don’t think there’s a statute of limitations, but i think
things said and done in childhood (under ~14) are generally forgivable
bigotry in young adulthood can be offset by evidence of a change of heart with maturity (but still leave some stain)
bigotry after age 25 or so is pretty damning, unless there’s really really strong evidence of a change of heart.
And of course the severity of the offense always matters.
I’m glad she’s leaving. But i also think that bigotry is very common, and the only reason this was dug up is because there’s a huge machine out to get Mamdani. If you looked for bigots on the staff of the other folks who ran for mayor, I’m sure you’d have found them.
If people cannot be forgiven for past bad acts, then what is point of anyone ever changing their behavior and views?
The change has to be real, of course, and not just an act to avoid consequences. (And there is a goalpost to slide from saying some hateful things to committing physical harm.)
Politico said she “resigned after just a day on the job” in their lead sentence, but another source says that on Thursday she was “named… to serve” in his administration.
So Politico at the very least phrased it in a very misleading manner.
By July, I predict that the right wing press will indeed claim that New York City has turned into a communist hellhole; DSA types will declare that Mamdani has totally betrayed them and become a complete neoliberal fascist; and mainstream media will mostly have forgotten about him because NYC politics are not actually that relevant to anyone else.
I suppose that depends on what ticket they’re running on…
But going back to the prior posts, the director of appointments will usually be designated and start working with the campaign/transition committee, even ad-honorem, in the month before inauguration so that the new administration will be able to start making formal appointments to jobs and offices on day one.
There’s a RWNJ view that London already is, what with having, as executive mayor (with limited, largely strategic, powers) for the last ten years, a Labour Party politician (standard middle of the road, MP for years and minister in Tony Blair’s government) who is (clutch pearls) a Muslim. (DJT has some obsession with him - possibly because Khan is currently in his third term of office?)
That sounds a lot worse than Mamdani’s appointment:
Peter Ettedgui, a Bafta and Emmy-winning director, who is Jewish, has said that a teenage Farage would sidle up to him and say “Hitler was right” and “gas them”, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.
Other former pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds have said Farage directly abused them. They include Cyrus Oshidar, who said Farage would call him a “Paki” and has described as “rubbish” the claim that Farage did not act with intent to hurt.
It sounds like he was a really nasty bully as a “teen”. How old was he when all this happened?
To add to what @puzzlegal said–it’s interesting to view Farage’s actions through the criteria I suggested above:
Ambiguity in the bigotry. Nope!
Youth. Yup! That’s mitigating.
Time. If you said something terrible 15 years ago, that’s less bad than if you said something terrible 15 minutes ago. Yup! That’s mitigating.
Regret. Absolutely not. He’s accused the accusers of lying, and referred to whatever he said as “banter.”
Different actions/words in the intervening time. This is most important. There’s no sign that he’s changed his mind, only that he’s become more politically savvy.
I find this case to be a lot clearer: someone was an asshole as a kid, and continues to be an asshole as an adult, and shows no regret.
I’m guessing that if you closely examine ten people on the team of any politician, and you have access to what they said as teens and young adults, you will find at least one bigot. It’s just that if the politician is a white man from a traditional background of power, no one goes digging very hard.
