In the wake of New York City electing an avowed socialist mayor, Sen. Rand Paul was asked his thoughts on the election results.
Newsmax Ed Henry said to Paul on Wednesday, “You know, Zohran Mamdani, after his victory, one of the many things he said was, basically, ‘There is no problem too large for government to solve and no matter too small for government to care about.”
“I imagine as a libertarian you have some thoughts on that,” Henry asked.
Paul replied, “I think the people of New York should have visited Venezuela first.”
Rand Paul Review is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Life in Venezeula
The senator ran down a short list of how badly socialism has damaged that country.
“When they make everything free, guess what? There’s not much to eat,” Paul noted. “The average person in Venezuela lost thirty pounds last year, not purposely. Gangs in Venezuela guard the dumpsters outside of restaurants to look for food. It’s known for them to kill pets and rodents to eat.”
“Socialism doesn’t work.”
“That’s what socialism is,” he added. “It’s scarcity. It’s lack of production of things.”
Paul said people will ultimately vote with their feet - perhaps running even faster than ever away from a socialist New York City.
“So, you know, New York’s going to get what they deserve, I guess, and Florida will get bigger and bigger with all the New Yorkers exiting,” the senator said.
The Venezuela comparison is apt. So is any comparison of the mayor-elect to socialist dictators around the world.
Because that’s exactly who Mamdani sounds like and whose political agenda he’s pursuing.
A Silver Lining to Mamdani’s Victory?
Sen. Paul believes New York City voters are about to “get what they deserve” in voting for Mamdani.
Is there a silver lining for America-at-large in Mamdani’s victory?
A number of people have made observations similar to that of Cuban-American conservative - someone who might know a thing or two about socialism - Robby Starbuck:
People who have actually lived in socialist regimes understand just how insane Mamdani’s platform is.
This man told conservative social media personality Kaitlin Bennett that he grew up in Hungary which was communist until 1989.
She asked him about Mamdani specifically. Their conversation took place in Tampa in the free state of Florida.
“I lived behind the Iron Curtain,” he told her. “To want socialism is one of the dumbest things anyone can say.”
He believes younger Americans who are attracted to socialism should have to go experience it.
“I would literally make it as a college requirement that you would have to go three months to a third world country to actually notice how good you have it,” the man insisted.
Maybe Americans who think socialism is a good idea will soon be able to experience it in New York City, and maybe America as a whole will avoid it once it is seen up close and in real life.
To Sen. Paul’s point, Venezuela has net negative migration, meaning far more people are leaving the country than are coming in.
I wonder why?
