Radio Free New Hampshire takes on Democratic socialists
In his July 10 Radio Free New Hampshire column "A Little Light Work," Manchester attorney Michael Davidow argues that Zohran Mamdani's Democratic Socialists threaten November's best chance to correct Donald Trump's course—not merely electorally, but on principle. The New Hampshire essay on InDepthNH.org frames their politics as division and taking, not growth and sharing.
Published July 10, 2026 on InDepthNH.org, the latest installment of Davidow's long-running Radio Free New Hampshire series arrives as primary-season wins by Mamdani's Democratic Socialists extend beyond New York City. Mainstream Democrats worry the candidates may be too extreme for general elections. Davidow says a stronger critique rests on ideology, not campaign strategy alone.
Key Takeaways
- Michael Davidow's New Hampshire column links Democratic Socialist primary gains to a deeper clash over American growth versus zero-sum politics.
- The essay critiques intersectionality as an all-or-nothing ideology that bundles unrelated progressive causes.
- Davidow concludes today's Democratic Socialists resemble Donald Trump's heirs: intellectually incoherent and driven by division.
- The column is part of the Radio Free New Hampshire series on nonprofit watchdog outlet InDepthNH.org.
Why does Davidow challenge Democratic Socialists on principle?
Davidow opens by calling November the nation's best opportunity to reset the trajectory set by Donald Trump, with new congressional and gubernatorial races on the line. He acknowledges mainstream Democratic fears that socialist-aligned primary winners may be too extreme for general elections, yet insists the sharper argument is philosophical.
Historically, he writes, socialists claim clear-eyed realism—exposing how governments, employers, and churches promise freedom while imposing constraint. That posture, Davidow argues, breeds intellectual snobbery toward anyone outside the movement.
What does the column say about intersectionality?
Davidow describes Mamdani's candidates as advancing a top-down politics abstracted from history and drained of complexity. Their platform, he says, bundles progressive causes under intersectionality—linking issues such as Gaza, trans rights, and prison abolition into a single mandatory agenda for Democrats.
He contends this approach is all or nothing, and notes that anti-Semitism within the coalition receives little scrutiny. For more analysis of how political movements shape future governance, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage.
How does Davidow connect growth, religion, and Trump?
The essay revives a classic American divide: believers in growing the economic pie versus fighters scrapping for larger slices. Davidow says modern economics blurred the old East-West geographic split, helping explain Mamdani's cross-coastal appeal, yet charges his acolytes remain committed to dividing and taking.
Citing Marx's line that all that is solid melts into air, Davidow concludes today's Democratic Socialists are neither Democrats nor socialists in the traditional sense. Instead, he labels them Donald Trump's true heirs—an idiosyncratic, hate-powered force built on hurting others and helping themselves. Read the full column at InDepthNH.org.
Who writes Radio Free New Hampshire?
Michael Davidow of Manchester authors the Radio Free New Hampshire column for InDepthNH.org. An attorney based in Nashua, he has also published political novels including Gate City, Split Thirty, The Rocketdyne Commission, and his latest work, Interdiction.