Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani's policies as 'normal'

How “normal” are these policies in Europe?

• Multiple European commenters say the article overstates how common free public transport, free childcare, and rent freezes are; most people still pay, often substantially.
• Others counter that while full implementation is rare, these ideas are routine in European political debates and exist in pockets (e.g., some cities with free transit, strong childcare subsidies, rent caps).
• Consensus: the article cherry‑picks examples; the overall direction is familiar in Europe, but treating the full bundle as “normal” is misleading.

Socialism vs social democracy

• Repeated insistence that Europe is mostly social‑democratic, not socialist; “democratic socialism” is viewed by some as rebranded socialism that ultimately curtails freedoms.
• Others argue labels are fuzzy: some populations casually call their systems “socialist,” even though they’re mixed economies.
• Disagreement over whether socialism can be democratic at all.

Taxes, consent, and representation

• Long tangent about when taxation becomes illegitimate: some invoke “taxation without representation” and even the American Revolution.
• Others reply that New Yorkers explicitly voted for this platform; democracy means accepting majority‑chosen tax levels even if you disagree.
• Frustration surfaces over feeling that elections don’t meaningfully constrain tax policy, especially in fiscally stressed countries.

Housing, rent control, and supply

• Sharp split on rent control: cited as a “disaster” (e.g., Stockholm, Berlin) vs success or partial success (eastern Europe before deregulation, Vienna, some US cities).
• Many argue supply‑side building is essential; examples like Minneapolis and Austin are mentioned. NIMBY resistance is seen as a major obstacle.
• Some propose more radical land regimes (state ownership, regulated land prices); others stress deregulation and “abundance” as the path to affordability.
• NYC is described as already “European-ish” (high taxes, transit, rent stabilization), with Mamdani seen as pushing existing policies to more extreme levels.

Transit, childcare, and fiscal realism

• NYC buses and childcare are already heavily subsidized; proposals would make them free/universal and expand housing spending.
• Supporters frame this as raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to fund broad benefits.
• Critics argue the math doesn’t add up: projected new revenue is far below the combined cost of the deficit plus new programs.

Municipal grocery stores and food deserts

• Skepticism that state/municipal grocery stores are “normal” in Europe; co‑ops and state liquor stores are more common analogues.
• Debate over whether city‑run groceries are an efficient response to food deserts; some US pilots are cited as failures.

Policing vs mental‑health responders

• Some say mental‑health crisis teams “worked disastrously” in cities like SF/NYC; others point to Denver’s program as a “wild success.”
• An NYC audit is interpreted differently: either evidence of ineffectiveness (due to frequent police backup) or just limited scale and poor metrics.
• Underlying dispute: reform police to handle mental‑health better vs build separate, specialized response systems.

Media and framing

• Many see the Guardian piece (and similar US coverage) as editorialized, clickbaity, and politically slanted.
• Several participants like the specific policies but distrust the framing that they are straightforwardly “European” or fiscally easy.