# The Socialists: Mamdani Backs Down, The Slick Sales Pitch, Piker Praises Mao | Last Call

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/3-martini-lunch-political-humor-commentary-479527/the-socialists-mamdani-backs-down-the-slick-sales-pitch-piker-praises-mao-last-call
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/3-martini-lunch-political-humor-commentary-479527/the-socialists-mamdani-backs-down-the-slick-sales-pitch-piker-praises-mao-last-call.md
Podcast: [3 Martini Lunch – Political Humor & Commentary](https://stenobird.com/podcast/3-martini-lunch-political-humor-commentary-479527)
Published: 2026-07-25T10:00:02+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-socialists-mamdani-backs-down-the-slick-sales-pitch-piker-praises-mao-last-call--73154871
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/claritaspod.com/measure/mgln.ai/e/441/pscrb.fm/rss/p/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73154871/3ml_7_25_26_weekend.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1685

## Resource

Welcome to Last Call , a look at the biggest stories Jim and Greg covered over the past week on the 3 Martini Lunch. This week they discuss New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitting he has no power to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, the left's attempt to make socialism appealing by lying about what it really is, socialist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker's love and admiration for Mao Zedong, and Daniel Ortega scrapping elections in Nicaragua for good. First, they get a kick out of Mayor Mamdani trying to issue a tough denunciation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Betanyahu while feebly admitting what we've always known: He has no power to arrest Netanyahu. Jim wonders if the left enjoys dreaming of things like arresting Netanyahu when they have to know it's never going to happen. Next, they shake their heads as a socialist activist in New York City tells podcaster Nate Friedman that socialism is just about community and getting to know people by watching sports and having coffee together. Jim and Greg discuss how ridiculous this message is but how the right needs to be ready to confront it. Then, Jim and Greg react to a clip of Hasan Piker calling the Chinese communist dictator Mao Zedong "one of the great leaders of this world" and "a man who changed the entire universe," insisting he never has and never will criticize him. Jim and Greg remind us that Mao's Great Leap Forward starved tens of millions of his own people to death in what's considered the deadliest famine in history. Finally, they cover Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega abolishing elections, effectively extending his term indefinitely and closing off any path for the opposition to take over. Jim and Greg note the 80-year-old has been around for decades. The Reagan administration famously supported the Contra…

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