By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Seattle elected Katie Wilson, a community organizer and democratic socialist, as mayor, echoing New York City’s recent mayoral election. Wilson’s victory was attributed to her campaign’s focus on affordability and public safety, in response to rising living costs amid tech company growth. Corporate media outlets, including the Seattle Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, criticized Wilson’s win and priorities, labeling her policies as anti-business and questioning her ability to govern. These criticisms, especially from Bezos-owned media, highlighted the fear that Wilson’s policies, aimed at addressing income inequality, could gain wider popularity, potentially challenging the status quo.
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Who’s afraid of a socialist mayor? The corporate media. The thing is, this goes way back, doesn’t it? From the earliest societies, it’s always been a “trickle up” economy. The so-called “job creators” aren’t doing us any favors. They thrive off the collective spending power of everyday people. They’re not offering something out of the goodness of their hearts; they’re just collecting and storing resources. That’s why “tax the fuckers” resonates so powerfully. It’s a simple truth, and it scares the people at the top because they know they’re benefiting from a system that needs to be readjusted.
The corporate media, the editorial boards, they aren’t worried about whether Katie Wilson and Zohran Mamdani’s policies will fail in their respective mayoral races. No, they’re worried about the opposite. They’re afraid that their policies *will* work. That they’ll actually make life better for ordinary people. And why is that a problem? Because if that happens, the “tax the rich” agenda becomes a lot more popular nationwide, not just in their cities. It’s a domino effect they’re desperate to prevent.
It’s clear they were spooked by the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. It scared them enough that they’ve worked overtime to divide us, to make us turn on each other instead of focusing on the real problem: the corporate overlords who own both parties. It’s a vicious cycle that has to be broken. If the ideas of democratic socialism and ranked choice voting work, if people gain more power, the rich will hate it. But the “tax the rich” initiative should be a no-brainer to anyone except those at the top. The media knows this.
Consider the “blue wall” states that have turned red: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio. Even Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia used to be competitive for the left. Minnesota, once a true fortress, is under attack. These places all had one thing in common: socialist cities and a strong focus on labor. That’s how they got great. And then the Cold War demonized the socialist label, and it all went to hell. The focus on attacking these policies that gave strength to the local populations have led to the downfall of many a state.
Think about how progressive policies are looking these days. There’s so much to tackle. Sure, they’ll say socialists will cause homelessness, rampant drug use, gun violence. But we have all those problems, and they were all caused by the current system. The fact is, the tax burden has been shifted away from the wealthiest and corporations towards us, the wage slaves, for decades. So, if taxes on the wealthiest in some of these cities go up, cry me a river. Most people are barely putting food on the table, it’s time to fix the economic inequities.
The fear is that if these mayors are successful, and they manage to extract some real benefit for their cities, it will send a message. It will show that it’s possible to fight back. It will inspire others. It will prove that the media’s narrative of failure is a lie. That is the thing they are scared of, of a real example of the socialist, progressive agenda working.
It’s been the same story since we started growing our own food. There’s always been an upper class running things. Religion was the tool, then money. The minority has always screwed over the majority. Corporations and government are the two real powers, and they tend to balance each other. People only have a chance against corporations when they come together. Unions can somewhat keep corporations in check through labor, and governments can do so through taxation. But when government is given to billionaires, the average person is screwed.
Reversing Citizens United is a must. And those old Epstein files should be released. Human nature will always seek more than it needs, and it will always glorify those that do. That’s why the current system is in place and the media is there to protect it.
The media’s reaction to even mild reform is telling. They’re so scared. They’re afraid of losing control. And that’s why they fight so hard against any policy that might challenge the status quo. Tax the rich. Make life better for everyone else. That is their fear.