The right claims that radical leftists have run ‘woke’ cities into the ground. But this is false. Moderate policies over the last few decades have created the conditions for crime, drug use, and homelessness to increase in Democratic cities.

New York is not just a case study in the winnability of leftist ideas. It is also ground zero for the left to try to leverage its power to extract concessions before supporting moderate Democrats.

Berlusconi was a clownish right-winger who nevertheless became Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister. Whether in Italy or the US, if the left is to stop “right-wing populists,” it must offer a compelling alternative.