Dave Rubin pulled back the curtain this week by sharing a direct-message clip that lays bare what many sensible New Yorkers already suspect: Zohran Mamdani’s headline-grabbing promises sound good in a DM but crumble under basic economic scrutiny. Rubin’s clip, circulated on his show and social platforms, highlights clips and exchanges that expose how far Mamdani’s rhetoric is from real-world governance.
Mamdani rolled out a slick “savings calculator” to sell three big commitments—an across-the-board rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, fare-free buses, and universal child care—complete with dramatic dollar figures for voters to daydream about. The tool asks users about their rent, bus usage, and number of young children before tallying savings as if political promises automatically translate into bankable benefits.
The campaign even claims the package would save New Yorkers billions, with spokespeople touting a citywide savings figure that sounds impressive in a press release but ignores how the money would actually appear in municipal ledgers. Campaign messaging describes an $8 billion figure in supposed savings while offering only vague, optimistic lines about shifting tax burdens and trimming bureaucratic waste. Political theater is not a budget.
Anyone who’s followed city government knows the mayor doesn’t possess magical authority to wave away market forces or overnight eliminate costs; a rent freeze is only possible for rent-stabilized units and depends on the Rent Guidelines Board and state-level cooperation. Implementation requires replacing board members over time, negotiating with Albany, and wrestling with agencies like the MTA that are not under the mayor’s unilateral control. Promises packaged as instant relief are often delayed or diluted by legal realities.
That gap between campaign fantasy and fiscal reality is why critics across the political spectrum — including local analysts — are calling Mamdani’s math “fantasy.” New York already faces multibillion-dollar budget pressures, and blanket commitments to free services without credible, detailed funding plans amount to a bait-and-switch on working families who will ultimately pay the price. If you can’t name a reliable revenue stream that doesn’t crush small businesses or drive jobs away, you don’t have a plan; you have a slogan.
Mamdani’s answer so far? Tax the wealthy and squeeze corporations — proposals that sound politically satisfying but risk accelerating business flight and shrinking the tax base that supports schools, safety, and services. Matching higher corporate rates or layering new surcharges on million-dollar earners might bring in revenue on paper, but heavy-handed taxation pushes investment and job-creating employers out of the city, shrinking opportunity for the very people the candidate claims to defend.
Conservative New Yorkers should be blunt: promises of free buses, frozen rents, and universal daycare sound compassionate until the bill comes due. History and basic economics teach that price controls stifle supply, generous freebies require unsustainable subsidies, and commandeering the private sector’s role in housing and groceries will choke innovation and choice. Voters owe it to their families to demand not grand gestures but sober, accountable plans that preserve the city’s prosperity.
It’s worth applauding voices like Rubin’s for forcing these conversations into the open so New Yorkers can see the difference between populist theater and responsible leadership. If you care about a safe, thriving city where hard work is rewarded and taxpayers aren’t left on the hook for political experiments, now is the time to look past the slogans and demand evidence — concrete budgets, enforceable timelines, and honest answers about who will actually pay.
