The Promises and the Perils of Democracy: Only in America

Vaհe H Apelian

Sometime ago, a friend asked me what did I think of the mayoral race in New York. I told him that I do not live in New York and I am not following the mayoral election there.  But I told him I knew of the two of the candidates, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa and that I had not heard of the third, Madani, yes, in fact that is what I wrote. But I know now better. Zohran Kwame Mamdan has emerged as the winner of the New York mayoral race.

 I knew of Andrew Cuomo as the son of the NY governor Mario Cuomo (1983-1994). The fact that Andrew was also elected governor of the state never crossed my mind, simply because it had not registered in my mind. But there was a reason his father Mario Cuomo has remained etched in my memory as governor. I attended St. John’s University during the years Mario Cuomo was the governor of the Empire State. Coincidentally the governor of California, the Golden State, during those years was George Deukmejian (1983-1991), who also was a graduate of St. John’s University. Both had received their law degree from that revered institution, making the governors at the time, of the two populous and maybe most influential states, New York, on the Atlantic Coast; and California, on the Pacific Coast, graduates of St. John’s University, I was attending.

During those years, give and take a few years, Curtis Sliwa was an unmistakable presence on the national television with his red beret as the founder of the Guardian Angels, who were combating crime on violence on the New York subways.

But Mamdani is a mystery to me. I read about him in Wikipedia. He came across to me as an Indian Diasporan, whose roots are from India but who, has grown up in Diaspora. He reminded me of the Armenian Diasporan and of Armenian Diaspora. 

Reaction to Mamdadi’s election is intense, from the president down to the ordinary citizens. A friend commented saying, “next year marks 25 years since 9/11… and Mamdani will be the mayor of New York City. Think about that! Absolutely disgraceful. I’m sick to my stomach that this happened.”

 I remember reading that when the economy is down, patriotism is up, so is, apparently, religiosity. 

The election of 34 years old Mamdani, against such established names and connections, native to New York is indeed phenomenal. 

Apparently, democracy, if allowed, marches on in its own tempo. For some its march is a promise. For others its march is a peril. Well beyond that, what Churchill has allegedly said rings true, that Democracy is the worst form of government, but there is no better, simply because democracy is a reflection of the true nature of us, we have to contend with by taming our worst impulses and nurturing the best; the best we can.