Democratic socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept Democratic House primaries last week, and the party establishment that spent years greasing the skids has nobody to blame but itself.

Working-class New Yorkers are about to learn what happens when the party of FDR gets hollowed out by people who talk about the "warmth of collectivism" and the elimination of the "frigidity of rugged individualism" — Mamdani's own words, as reported by the Staten Island Advance. The question isn't whether Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries deserve what's coming. It's whether ordinary people can survive the tab.

The socialist sweep sent shockwaves through the Democratic establishment, but nobody should be surprised. The Advance framed it as the inevitable harvest of calcified leadership, remorseless pandering to public employee unions, and cynical grievance politics. POLITICO, covering the national battlefield, noted more blandly that Democrats have nominated "an array of candidates, from far-left progressives to traditional centrists" — burying the New York story inside a broader horse-race piece about MAGA versus the GOP establishment.

But the action on the ground tells the tale. Jeffries has already been told "You're next!" by chanting crowds. Another insurgent declared the movement is "coming for" Governor Kathy Hochul. In California's 22nd District, voters bucked party leadership and chose firebrand progressive Randy Villegas. Yet in New York's 17th District, Democrats nominated establishment-aligned veteran Cait Conley — suggesting the socialist wave hasn't drowned every last lifeguard, at least not yet.

Mamdani's circle doesn't just want bigger government. They've talked openly about seizing private property. The Advance warned that when these insurgents use state agencies like the Buildings Department to force landlords to sell to cronies, it won't be "the people" who benefit — just a different set of monied interests. Call it a mafia. Call it collectivism. But don't call it affordable.

Then there's the antisemitism coursing through the movement — a fact POLITICO didn't touch and the Advance flagged head-on. The Advance pointed to viral video of California State Sen. Scott Weiner, Nancy Pelosi's favored House successor, being harangued and threatened in a restaurant by a pro-Palestine agitator. That's not protest. That's a struggle session, and it's coming to New York.

Nationally, Republicans are making their own bet: MAGA loyalty over moderation, even as Trump's popularity sags amid economic dissatisfaction, aggressive deportations, and an unpopular war in Iran. POLITICO's own polling found Trump's endorsement is a net negative for hypothetical candidates — energizing opponents more than supporters. But the GOP base isn't changing course.

Both parties are purging their moderates. Both are handing their nominations to true believers. The bipartisan failure here is that neither party's establishment has the courage to tell its base no — and working Americans will be the ones who pay for it.

The socialists say they're coming for the landlords first. But collectivism has a way of expanding its menu. As the Advance put it: "In the not-too-distant future, it could be your house they come for. Your land."