He is fresh and everyone else is tired
Published 08/01/2005, Substack He is fresh and everyone else is tired-Murray Kempton If you have been around long enough, it is hard not to think of the Kempton quote when watching the rising star that is Zohran Mamdani. Especially if you are like me, someone who lived in New York during John Lindsay’s time as mayor. Mamdani like Lindsay, has that American cultural quality that the Italian journalist Beppe Severgnini described as “crisp.” Indeed, in August of 2025, there is nothing stale about Zohran Mamdani. One hopes that Mamdani is as good a student of history as he is a communicator on TikTok and You Tube. In New York City, things can go stale very, very quickly. Garbage strikes, the police union, blizzards, subway crime-you’ve seen the movie before. And there are a good many New Yorkers who have lived it and may have reason for pause. But charisma, regardless of the decade, is very powerful. Add to his charisma and political skills, the looming presence of Donald Trump…He is ...