The Jimmy Dore Show — "Mamdani Secretly Funded By Globalist Billionaires!"

Episode Date: November 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jimmy Dore, joined by Russell Dobbler (Do Dissidence) and contributions from Glenn Greenwald, dissects the political ascendancy of Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral race. Framing the conversation around opaque billionaire funding, establishment co-opting of so-called "leftist" candidates, and the broader implications for American democracy, Dore and his guests argue that Mamdani is neither a radical socialist nor a grassroots insurgent but rather another manufactured figure designed to maintain the status quo. The episode also delves into labor rights controversies, media manipulation, and Israel’s current human rights scandals—all with Dore’s signature sardonic delivery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Narrative Around Mamdani’s Election (00:48–06:00)

• Jimmy Dore introduces the New York mayoral race controversy, emphasizing claims that Mamdani, dubbed a progressive, is secretly bankrolled by globalist billionaires, notably the Soros family.
• Quote [01:41, Jimmy Dore]: "Every Democrat has to bend the knee to the Soros, just like Donald Trump had to bend the knee to Sheldon Adelson... They have to bend the knee to George and Alex Soros."
• Dore lampoons the idea that electing Mamdani is a defeat of oligarchic interests and argues it’s a re-packaged establishment play, citing Obama’s similarly celebrated but ultimately pro-corporate legacy.
• Quotes social media critiques, highlighting left and right skepticism of Mamdani’s authenticity as a socialist or outsider.

2. The Irony and Hypocrisy of Elite Endorsements (02:36–06:16)

• Jimmy Dore uses AI responses to underscore the irony of a billionaire's heir embracing a democratic socialist, calling out the performativity of the left’s “wins.”
• Quote [06:11, Jimmy Dore]: "Even Grok knows how stupid this is and how stupid you have to be to fall for this again. We fell for this with Barack Obama..."

3. What to Expect from Mayor Mamdani (06:49–22:16)

• Glenn Greenwald [06:16]: “He’s going to be a standard Democrat who’s there to trap young people and deceive young people...”
• Russell Dobbler [07:00]: Dobbler, as a New Yorker, doubts Mamdani’s radicalism, suggesting that while rent freezes are possible, transformative change is unlikely.
  • Discusses New York’s rent stabilization—previous rent freezes under De Blasio serve as precedent and didn’t usher in calamity.
  • Describes the symbolic passing of political power to New York’s newer immigrant communities, but cautions against overstating the significance or progressiveness of Mamdani’s win.
  • Notes establishment Democrats’ resistance reveals antidemocratic tendencies.
• Quote [19:12, Russell Dobbler]: "We have really lived since the 80s in this Reaganomics era and no place has that been more true than in New York City."
• Predicts Mamdani will be “rhetorically fiery, politically cowardly... more like a Squad member,” and not a genuine threat to the established order.

4. The Realities of Political Power and Policy Limits (22:16–33:00)

• Mamdani’s purported radical proposals are unpacked:
  • Rent freeze: Likely, but not unique.
  • City-run grocery stores: Unlikely due to logistical and political hurdles.
  • Tax increases on millionaires: Practically impossible without state government cooperation.
  • Police union and Commissioner: Mamdani appears to preemptively placate powerful incumbents, erasing hope for police reform.
• Quote [21:20, Jimmy Dore]: "What you’ve got is consolidation of power under private corporations working hand in hand with the state, which is fascism."

5. COVID Policy and Anti-Worker Positions (23:47–29:46)

• Dore zeroes in on Mamdani’s stance on vaccine mandates for city workers, framing it as fundamentally anti-worker and corporatist.
  • Mamdani refuses to promise rehiring of workers fired over vaccine refusal, citing public health, despite inconsistencies in application.
• Quote [24:44, Jimmy Dore]: "That's forcing people to take an experimental medical treatment with no long term studies or they can't go to work and feed their family. That's Nazi stuff."
• Glenn Greenwald [28:22]: Asserts the vaccine mandate controversy is about civil rights and labor rights, not merely public health policy.

6. Media Strategy and the Perpetual Establishment Trap (30:20–36:06)

• Dobbler reveals Mamdani’s campaign avoided independent progressive media, preferring softball interviews and lifestyle channels over critical left platforms.
  • This avoidance mirrors establishment Democratic practices (AOC, Bernie Sanders), indicating calculation and fear of genuine left critique.
• Dore and Dobbler critique identity politics and culture war distractions as establishment tactics.

7. Broader Analysis: No Real Left or Right, Just Corporate Rule (36:06–44:18)

• Both hosts contend that U.S. electoral politics is primarily a spectacle—corporate money and power routinely co-opting both wings.
• Quote [36:07, Jimmy Dore]: "You're not going to vote again. There's no voting your way out of this."
• Dobbler discusses the “mouse trap” of politics—left and right are baited, while corporate interests tighten control and prepare for labor automation.

8. Israel’s Human Rights Scandal and Media Manipulation (46:08–58:30)

• Dore transitions to a shocking update from Israel: video evidence surfaces of IDF soldiers sexually abusing Palestinian detainees, and the Israeli military’s top lawyer is arrested for leaking it.
• Details right-wing protests in support of the accused soldiers and attacks against the whistleblower.
• Quote [52:33, Russell Dobbler]: “Where do you find the bottom when it comes to Israel?”
• Greenwald criticizes the Israeli government’s focus on optics over accountability, illustrating state propaganda in action.

9. The Only Way Forward: Labor Rebellion, Not Ballot Boxes (44:39–46:08; 58:30–end)

• Dore closes by emphasizing radical labor action (strikes, protests, revolts) as the only route to break corporate power.
• Quote [44:39, Jimmy Dore]: "You have to find a way to do that. And the only way to do that is to shut down the economy like the truckers did in Canada. ... If you can get UPS and Amazon to go on strike on the same day... that would do it."
• The episode ends in a flurry of Dore’s characteristic mockery—mock fake “warnings” not to “freak out”—layered over bleak realities.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Jimmy Dore [01:41]: "Every Democrat has to bend the knee to the Soros..."
• Glenn Greenwald [06:16]: "He’s going to be a standard Democrat... there to trap young people and deceive young people..."
• Russell Dobbler [07:00]: "He is presenting himself as politicians will tend to do..."
• Jimmy Dore [21:20]: "The state, which is fascism."
• Russell Dobbler [19:12]: "We have really lived since the 80s in this Reaganomics era..."
• Jimmy Dore [24:44]: "That was Nazism on steroids. That's forcing people to take an experimental medical treatment with no long term studies..."
• Glenn Greenwald [28:22]: "This is not really a vaccine issue in my opinion. This is a civil rights issue. This is a worker rights issue."
• Russell Dobbler [33:38]: "He wouldn't talk to anybody from that world. No, you're abs. You're absolutely right."
• Jimmy Dore [36:07]: "You're not going to vote again. There's no voting your way out of this."
• Russell Dobbler [40:34]: "Most of these guys are an op."
• Jimmy Dore [44:39]: "You have to find a way to do that. And the only way to do that is to shut down the economy like the truckers did in Canada."
• Jimmy Dore [58:30]: "In today's Israel. Even the faintest move toward fake accountability from within the IDF is treated as treason."
• Russell Dobbler [52:33]: "Where do you find the bottom when it comes to Israel?"

Important Timestamps

• 00:48–02:36: Dore’s introduction and Soros commentary
• 06:00–09:16: Deconstructing the establishment’s fear of even minor reforms
• 14:51–16:21: The new political demography and ethnic politics of New York
• 23:47–29:46: COVID/vaccine mandate, labor rights, Mamdani’s anti-worker stance
• 30:20–33:06: Campaign media strategy, avoiding the real left
• 36:06–44:18: “Prison of two ideas” and boxed-in electorate
• 46:08–58:30: Israeli scandal—IDF abuse, whistleblowers arrested, state propaganda
• 44:39–46:08, 58:30–end: Solutions: mass labor action, exposing the futility of elections

Summary Wrap-Up

With biting sarcasm and direct skepticism, Jimmy Dore, Russell Dobbler, and Glenn Greenwald puncture myths about progressive politics in a system rigged by—and for—entrenched corporate and oligarchic interests. The episode links the saga of Zohran Mamdani to a broader narrative: American democracy’s crisis of legitimacy, the shallowness of identity politics, the betrayal of labor, and the international normalization of state criminality—culminating with the week’s Israeli scandal. Dore closes with a call for authentic mass resistance as the only remaining hope, lampooning both right and left for mistaking corporate performance for substantive change.