You know, we in Türkiye, Turks, Kurds, Circassians, Lazis, Arabs, Farsis, of all sects and creeds, of all walks of life, a whole 85 million of us, we love "conspiracism.” They have an exclusive "Conspiracy theories in Turkey” entry in Wikipedia. You can Google it.

Conspiracy is the way we explain an event, any event or a situation, any situation, almost always caused by powerful, sinister groups, usually with perverse political motivations, had it happened.

For instance, we could not have a COVID-19 pandemic like everyone else. All nations had had it when the virus travelled into their country along with tourists, businesspeople, etc. No, we had to have an "infodemic” to be subdued by none other than the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet, even today, we have X (formerly and lovingly known as Twitter) messages about anti-COVID vaccines still taking people’s lives.

We even exhumed our former President Turgut Özal’s body 20 years later for an autopsy following incredible discussions and controversy over his death. We drove a retired brigadier general from pillar to post because of inuendos about his role in the conspiracy of "Özal’s assassination”; the poor man was found innocent in a court of law years later.

As you see, we not only profusely produce conspiracy theories, but we also pay utmost attention to them and act upon them.

Newest conspiracy theory

Our new indulgence in conspiracism is about Zohran Mamdani, the current mayor-elect of New York City. As a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, he ran as a candidate from the Democratic Party, emphasizing the fact that he is a Muslim, born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian descent parents. As part of the political culture that forces politicians to ingratiate themselves into all and every group’s favor, Mamdani, the socialist, Mamdani the Muslim, made overtures to LGBTQ groups. As Autostraddle, a website run by a team of feminist queer and trans people, said, "Yes, Zohran Mamdani popped up at gay bars and parties over Halloweekend.” Perhaps, we could’ve forgiven him for going to such places if he had not been congratulated by Alex Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who shared a photo celebrating the victory. Not only did Alex congratulate Mamdani on his historic mayoral win, but his daddy, George, funneled $37 million to the campaign of this socialist extremist who had declared billionaires shouldn’t exist. Who says?

Well, fellow citizen of mine, even the New York Post is a credible source for his conspiracy theory: "It’s unlikely he’d be the front-runner to become the Big Apple’s next mayor if it wasn’t for far-left kingmaker George Soros,” the Post says. How do they know? The financial records reviewed by The Post show. Which financial records? You don’t need to go that deep to prove that a conspiracy exists.

(But, unlike my fellow countrymen, if you read the Rupert Murdoch rag, you see that not one single penny went to Mamdani’s coffer, but allegedly the Open Society Foundation has made indirect contributions to the Working Families Party and at least nine other left-wing groups, which helped Mamdani upset ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. Again, no proof, but the Post’s trash reporter "saw the records.” Probably, he saw them with the cameras implanted in his eyes and recorded them to the chip implanted in his brain.)

OK, is Alex’s being the son of a "far-left kingmaker George Soros” not good enough for a socialist extremist to be congratulated? If you are a conspiracist from Türkiye, Soros is apparently linked to Israel because he is Jewish. But the Israel lobby in the U.S. says, "George Soros, through his Open Society Foundations (OSF), has been linked to funding various organizations which oppose Israel's interests and support anti-Israel activities.” No, no! His financial contributions are part of his broader scheme to hide the real conspiracy: Mamdani is being passed by Zionism as an anti-rich, anti-Israel politician.

So? Well, your conspiracy theorist interlocutor may say anything, trying to make you believe that Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a housing counselor and musician who entered local New York City politics when he was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, is a "Zionist project person” to fool you!

Let me stop here and save you from the depths of Turkish conspiracy theories and go to something deeper. No, not the National Review’s theory that Mamdani is the future of the whole Democratic Party; and that Mamdani and his progressive supporters are going to engineer "a hostile takeover of the Democratic Party, supplanting what they regard as the corporatist, lethargic, and capitulatory class of establishmentarians presently at its helm.” With what? With communism, of course! But as the columnist Noah Rothman himself says, "That’s tomorrow’s problem.”

First Cuomo, then Trump

Today, we have more urgent issues, like Mamdani might defeat Trumpism as he defeated Cuomoism!

What is Cuomoism? It is an American liberal populist tradition started by Mario Cuomo and carried on by his son Andrew. They were of Italian descent. Father Cuomo was in the service of New York State for more than 20 years, as secretary of state, lieutenant governor and governor. The name "Cuomo” has been identified with New York during his service as governor for 11 years, and his son’s service, who replaced him as governor for the next 10 years.

Andrew was expected to be running this job for many years to come, but he faced several allegations of sexual misconduct. There were reports that Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women and retaliated against those who complained about his conduct. Cuomo resigned from office; as part of the deal, criminal investigations were closed.

The Cuomos’ reign meant, just like the old "political machines” in the U.S, deals for favors. Political deal-making and bargaining processes to build their local support were the essence of Cuomoism: "If you don’t agree with what I am offering, then you are just cut off from any government favors.” Cuomoism was as American as apple pie. The Cuomos had not invented it. The American people created even a word for it: graft, as a form of corrupt, crafty, crooked, deceitful, and, most of the time, illegal use of a politician's authority for personal gain. Everybody knew the Cuomos intentionally misdirected public funds to maximize the benefits to private interests. But what could they do? After years of governorship, you’d know that the Cuomos had already in place all sorts of their type of relationships at every political level.

Mamdani, the socialist, extremist, anti-Zionist but "Soros-sponsored” mayor-elect of New York City, defeated Cuomo the Son in the Democratic Party’s primaries. He came from behind, but somehow, he received more donations during the campaign and a much larger vote in the Democratic Party’s primary election. Cuomo, bloodied but unbowed, ran as an independent, and despite the fact that he received full support of the Israel lobby as well as Trump’s, he lost again.

In other words, Cuomoism has been defeated; the political deal-making system, "the art of the political deal.” In short, the very essence of American populism has been beaten by the simple, straightforward promise of honest municipal services: lower prices in municipality-owned stores; affordable living, easy and cheap transportation, and a safe city. Not the mafia-imposed and mafia-regulated underground political machine of the last two decades, nor the Trump-type federal-terrorism through the U.S. Armed Forces and armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brutes, but the "officers” of the local police departments whose name you know. Mamdani promised to expand labor protections, workers would gain real power, and exploitative bosses would lose theirs.

When these simple promises brought Mamdani to the city hall, he knew his victory was opening a third way to government. We all knew the millions followed the wrong guy to make their country great again last year, but never again. So, when declaring his victory, Mamdani aimed his words directly at that wrong guy, Donald Trump. "I have four words for you,” he said, "Turn the volume up.” Because what Trump and those hoping to continue the old ways of teeter totter politics of Dems and GOP to let the corruption culture continue and let billionaires dodge taxes and hoard subsidies should have been listening to what Mamdani was saying. Whatever he said made the Jews of New York vote for him; whatever he promised made the 60% Christian town vote for him; whatever the 48% married boroughs voted for him is what the misled MAGA people are going to vote for in 2028. Not Trump, not Trumpism, not the Dems who could not open the government before the mortgages are due in a month. (Ask Chuck Schumer, please, if he knows what happens when a mortgage is due.)