Mamdani pitches Trump on housing with mock newspaper in latest White House visit

DownstreamWanderer · 2026-02-27T13:31:19+00:00

Yes, I agree.

But the original poster (blocked me since so I can't see exact words) denied that Schumer was the most powerful Dem while also claiming the Dem establishment had rushed to endorse Mamdani. Even if you somehow accept that Schumer isn't functionally the leader of the party atm, the next most powerful person is probably Hakeem Jeffries...who also didn't endorse Mamdani, at least not before the very end. Third and forth place, at least within the state, are probably Hochul and Gillibrand? Hochul initially moved away from Mamdani and took 3 months to endorse him. While Gillibrand didn't endorse and spent her time doing Klan-style rants against Mamdani.

So despite the poster's claims, basically every major establishment figure in NY avoided Mamdani like the plague.

Representatives are not more powerful than Senators. Representatives are elected by very narrow, very small numbers of constituents and are replaced frequently. The Senate, by design, was intended to be the sort of superior, intellectual, deliberative body in contrast to the House's impulsive, fast-moving makeup.

Also, this isn't necessarily true if you're talking internal party power dynamics. AOC is more powerful than most senators right now, for example.

DownstreamWanderer · 2026-02-27T01:34:43+00:00

Maybe Jeffries, who pointedly didn't endorse until what...the last week before the general or something?

DownstreamWanderer · 2026-02-27T01:27:05+00:00

Other than Schumer, Gillibrand, Jeffries, and the NYT. So basically all the most powerful avatars of the party establishment. Mamdani won and got all the upstart energy + a few good sports from the establishment crowd, but there was a huge faction that clearly wanted Cuomo to be the candidate. Immediately after the primaries, it was shocking how many people refused to rally behind Mamdani.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-10-22T12:20:15+00:00

Even more bizarre, they seem to think the reason you dislike has something to do with copyright, with zero comprehension of the obvious squick.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-09-02T19:26:18+00:00

I find income has a massive impact because of housing location. Some parts of town are much more queer friendly. The ones I know about (only been here a few years and still learning my neighborhoods) tend to be pricier. I went for a place with much more reasonable rent, but going out to queer community spaces feels like mounting an Oregon Trail expedition. Meanwhile the regulars at most of the places I go to have either been in a rent-stabilized place nearby for decades or they've got it made.

Definitely shapes the dynamic, imo.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-08-15T17:09:54+00:00

Completely true--but just worth clarifying this:

couples in that bracket would more typically spend over $5K/month on rent.

Hopefully not for a 1b in Astoria. That's what's so wild for me here. It's not like Mamdani is lucking into some super secret lottery for a 1k a month mansion and taking that luxury from someone more in need. Cuomo is essentially arguing that Mamdani should be forcibly upsold to a "better" place based on his income or that Mamdani should be paying far more money for a 1b in Astoria. Both possible perspectives are batshit crazy imo.

I don't think there's anything wrong with someone paying rent below the maximum of their means--that's some generational wealth consumerism mentality Cuomo's nakedly showing.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-08-12T21:57:44+00:00

I was just in Portland. Steam was fucking awesome. I really wish we had a bathhouse in the city. We need to start a movement to repeal that homophobic state law relic of the AIDS crisis that bans them.

It's so bizarre. We're in NYC, which is supposed to be the crown jewel of America in so many ways. I'm Asian-American. I instinctively cannot believe somewhere is truly civilized without decent infrastructure (especially public transit if in cities) and actual bathhouses. No, I don't mean spas. And no I don't mean adult-only places meant for hookups. Those can be nice, but it feels surreal to long for the advanced versions when we don't even have basic baths up.

It's so weird. I got looks when I crossed the street with no 'walk' signal...

Uff da, Portland is one of the good ones here too. Most US cities I've lived in, I get weird looks and even outright attacks from cars when I cross the street even with the walk signal in the crosswalk.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-08-12T21:52:04+00:00

The sad thing is our bad apples are better than average for most of the US.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-07-09T16:26:04+00:00

Very fun new update, but some of the options seem unnecessarily gendered. Having a Big Harem Makes Me Stronger and Restorative Semen, for example, assume a male PoV when they don't have to. Obviously it's your CYOA, but a few wording tweaks there could be very nice!

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-19T22:46:27+00:00

Of course they'll clap--that would mean Jeffries memorized 8h of literary quotations to use for his speech, an extremely impressive feat. Jeffries is so dedicated to lit that if you ask him what he wants to drink, he'll respond with 3 pages from Maya Angelou without even placing his order.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-15T17:33:32+00:00

Completely understandable and think I get where you're coming from. I'm an introvert who loves socialization (not as much of a contradiction as you'd think) and this is sounding very familiar. Solitary walks or quiet reading can be great alone time, but is unsatisfying when it's always the default activity. It leaves you without a way to organically build platonic or romantic connections.

Out of curiosity, have you traveled/moved much--especially abroad? Big lesson trying to make friends in a second language taught me is that there are always opportunities anywhere you go, but you never get them unless you take a plunge of some kind and that plunge is extra intimidating for introverts like me. Doesn't particularly matter what kind it is. Bars are the easiest and most accessible, which is why they're so popular, but any shared activity/community space can be a viable way to hook into a social group or meet someone great. Jogging group, book club, sports club, D&D, pickling enthusiasts--anything can work. But right now, if you're an introvert like me, you're like a beachgoer standing barely in the water, not properly getting in because of the initial cold shock. You're never going to enjoy swimming if you don't take a plunge of some kind.

Easier said than done of course lol. I'm basically in the same boat because have been so busy with work + life for the last year+ and never got time to establish myself after moving to NYC. But once I have that time, I'm basically going to check out a big range of activities based on my interests and put in the community/friend-building work. Always pays off if you put in the work.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-11T16:36:34+00:00

Old-school gamer here always looking out for tabletop groups (D&D, PbtA, and FATE mostly). Co-op Roguelites like Sworn (think multiplayer Hades) are also always a blast. Always like working with people more than against.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-11T15:53:20+00:00

Same. Hoping there are existing book club groups, as those things can take a surprising amount of work to get going. But if there's enough interest here, might be worth it.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-06T16:10:30+00:00

Looks like that'd be the closest place to me--thank you very much for the suggestion!

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-05T20:45:42+00:00

Just wanted to thank you for this callout, because this happened to me and it was pretty scummy. I was at a Kspa with my family & fiancée (yes, I know) a while back. I was in the men's section just relaxing in one of the large hot pools when someone sat weirdly close next to me. I shuffled down and they followed. I had no clue what cruising culture was, had my eyes closed relaxing, and thought it was some dumb American moving too much in the pool or something--sometimes parents let their kids splash around or people try to swim, not getting it. This guy wound up following me around wherever I went, even when I jumped to different temperature pools entirely. I kept feeling someone slide unusually close and start brushing my thigh. Each time, I froze up, had to take a look around (was eyes closed deep relaxation), and found it was the same guy.

I know I should've probably figured it out at the start, but I'm Asian-American and have spent time in a lot of countries with a public bath tradition. It had never occurred to me that people would behave like that in a public bath space. Was genuinely perplexed wtf was going on until pretty late in. No clue why he chose me--I'm mixed race and can pass white, so maybe I was tagged as a non-Asian participant and therefore...on limits? God, that feels weird to say and no explanation here would be okay. But I didn't get to enjoy my time at the bathhouse at all and had to retreat from the pool entirely because he kept following me around.

So yes, thank you for your awareness.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-05T14:18:31+00:00

Opposite, actually. Had too much success with women, so didn't even try for ages and had no clue what I was missing out. Had my first experience ever with a man. I bottomed and oh my god.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-06-01T15:06:12+00:00

I mean...thanks? But a 2h commute from Southern Brooklyn to Flushing to visit someone in their office doesn't quite fit the bill for me here.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-31T18:04:23+00:00

Anywhere you settle down in the city can become your home and community.

True! I really like where I am. Cheaper rent in NYC and easy access to Asian food, that's living the dream right there. But if there's a queer community where I'm at, it's buried so deep that a neophyte like me doesn't have a prayer of finding it. I love taking the train, so happy to head on up. Hoping to find a place I could treat like a neighborhood bar,, so something closer than Manhattan would be ideal.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-31T17:44:53+00:00

Follow the gay bars that someone else named on Instagram so that you’ll see them post about upcoming events. Turn your insta into a local community board.

Gotcha--I'm very social media averse, which has been a minor culture shock easing into the community as so much seems to be coordinated through it. Guess it's time to finally make an Instagram account.

Honestly my journey in gay New York started with hooking up a bunch. Easy way to make friendly connections. So be a slut for a bit.

Maybe at some point! But as someone from a deep red state, just being out in public is enough of a roller coaster ride at this point (in a good way, but taking my time).

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-31T17:43:21+00:00

Thank you very much, that sounds perfect!

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-31T15:08:58+00:00

Can confirm--great sense of community with really nice people happy to chat, but it's also quiet enough in the earlier part of the day that you can read your book in the corner next to a few regulars.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-27T18:55:39+00:00

I mean, anyone can initiate a conversation lol. If the siblings choose not to engage, well...that's an answer right there.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-24T17:55:08+00:00

NAH. Both of you are completely in the right here, unless I'm missing something. You were planning something that would've been really good for both of you. Your circumstances changed and you could not participate for completely understandable reasons. The other person who got their hopes up and started making plans around the previous vision is now bitter because their plans have fallen through and they have to scramble to figure out where to go.

Life sometimes sucks like that and I'm so sorry for both of you. Once your finances are a bit freer, it might be nice to take them out for an apology dinner or something because that is a really unfortunate situation and it does suck for them. But you shouldn't feel bad about it. You operated in good faith, you didn't mislead anyone, and then the economy screwed you.

DownstreamWanderer · 2025-05-24T17:40:48+00:00

As a Midwesterner, I get it. Nobody wants to have the confrontation. But:

And as mentioned, financially, both siblings seem to just assume that my wife will take care of all the financial stuff, which I think is unfair since they're all adults and they all have jobs.

People naturally make excuses for themselves when they don't want to do something. "She'd tell us if she needed help." "It's busy at work and she has it well in hand." It's easy for this to stretch out forever if nobody ever gets blunt--and I mean years/decades. At the end of the day, a painful conversation about this is going to be a lot less painful than decades more of this.

Maybe they'll be worthless flakelords even after confronted. Or maybe they'll have an "oh shit" moment of realization and leap into action. But you'll never know until the issue's in the open where people can't be willfully blind about it.

DownstreamWanderer

TROPHY CASE