Bill Maher is an interesting thinker, a man of the left, but an intellectually honest one -- which is why he can make arresting and original observations.

Here is his latest on New York's imminent election of Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialists of America member, pampered son of academic elites who has never held a real job, and recent U.S. citizen, who vows to socialize New York City as mayor.

Maher said that if Mamdani gets into power, he will be "a walking commercial for the Republican Party" based on his 'bad ideas' such as government grocery stores, which will inevitably fail as they do everywhere else, and his 'ugly antisemitic streak,' and New York's visibility as bellwether around the country. 

His questioner asked good probing "devil's advocate" questions, such as how Mamdani could be any different from other openly socialist politicians such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, but Maher gave up no ground, saying Mamdani, unlike the other two, will have tangible results to show for his bad ideas. "It just has more weight when it's real, when you can really show it," he said.

His questioner wondered if he might just be making Mamdani into a 'bogeyman,' the ay other Democrats have been made, but Maher held firm: "You don't have to bogeyman him, he does it to himself."

One can only hope that enough New York voters hear this message and decide to elect a standard Democrat like Andrew Cuomo instead. But that's their issue.

If Maher is right about his prediction, the silver lining will find itself among the Republicans.

Image: Screen shot from video, via X.