When given a choice between MAGA supported hunger or city owned grocery stores….

My folks shopped at a coop. Yep. It wasn’t hippy dippy. There was no incense. It was a generic grocery store.

my father was a small business guy. A democrat who told me he never voted for democrats- he only stayed a democrat because of FDR. 
 

yes I know, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either.

But he shopped at a co-op.

i was to young to know why. I’m guessing it was price, quality and convenience.

He didn’t really care about its ownership model. 

Mamdani ran on helping you put food on your table while republicans do exactly the opposite and vilify the idea that helping people afford to eat is communism.

People are not stupid.  They vote to put food on the table.
 

Democrats  need to be simple in messaging.  They don’t need to run away from issues when republicans call them socialist or communist. 
 

just stick to the comparison that people, political or not, understand.  Make it issues that everyone cares about. In language that is straightforward. Own it.

My father would, like MAGA now, not vote for a democrat and he’d buy the communist label. But the fact is you were never going to get his vote anyways.

and in the end, if the city owned grocery store is competitive - he’ll shop there.  Who knows maybe next election he’ll vote to keep it.