ON A SWELTERING October Sunday in Los Angeles Nithya Raman, a city-council member running for mayor, laid out her vision(阐述她的愿景) for America’s second-largest city. Ms Raman (pictured) is affiliated(隶属于) with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Yet the dream she described to Angelenos was not of “ending capitalist oligarchy(寡头统治)”, part of the DSA’s platform, but of competence. “City government has made solving problems look impossible for so long, people are starting to believe it is impossible,” she lamented, before rhapsodising about homelessness audits and cutting red tape.(她感叹道：“市政府让解决问题看起来如此不可能，以至于人们开始相信这确实不可能。”随后她又热情洋溢地谈起无家可归者审计和削减繁文缛节。) Her slogan, far from being revolutionary, is simply: “A city that works”.
在洛杉矶一个闷热的十月周日，正在竞选市长的市议员妮蒂亚·拉曼向人们描绘了她对美国第二大城市的发展愿景。拉曼女士（见图）隶属于美国民主社会主义者组织（DSA）。然而，她向洛杉矶人描述的梦想并非该组织纲领中的“终结资本主义寡头统治”，而是称职。她感叹道：“市政府让解决问题看起来如此不可能，以至于人们开始相信这确实不可能。”随后她又热情洋溢地谈起无家可归者审计和削减繁文缛节。她的口号一点也不革命，只是：“一座运转正常的城市”。
Donald Trump has long derided(嘲笑；讥讽) cities run by Democrats as crime-ridden hellscapes(犯罪横行的地狱景象); it would seem a political gift that a growing number are either already led, or will soon be led, by Democratic Socialists, whom the president calls “crazed lunatics and radicals”. But even as Republicans try to use socialism to undermine Democrats’ appeal, a new crop of pragmatic city socialists insist they will do the opposite.(但就在共和党人试图利用社会主义来削弱民主党的吸引力之际，一批新的务实派城市社会主义者坚称，他们将反其道而行之。)
唐纳德·特朗普长期以来一直嘲笑民主党人治理的城市是犯罪横行的地狱；如今越来越多的城市已经或即将由民主社会主义者领导，而总统称这些人是“疯狂的疯子和激进分子”，这似乎是一份政治大礼。但就在共和党人试图利用社会主义来削弱民主党的吸引力之际，一批新的务实派城市社会主义者坚称，他们将反其道而行之。
Zohran Mamdani of New York is the most famous of this group—even Mr Trump has proved unable to resist the magnetic(有魅力的) mayor, holding a chummy(亲热的；友好的) press conference with him in September that enraged(激怒) Republican strategists. But along with Mr Mamdani there is Katie Wilson, elected last year to be mayor of Seattle, as well as Janeese Lewis George, the Democratic nominee all but sure(几乎确定) to be the mayor of Washington, DC. In LA Ms Raman is in a fierce campaign against the incumbent(现任的) Democratic mayor, Karen Bass. These four are all millennials either aligned with, or members of, the DSA. All four have also, either of their own volition(出于自愿) or pushed by external factors, inched(缓慢移动) to the centre.
纽约的佐兰·马姆达尼是这群人中最出名的一位——就连特朗普也抵挡不住这位魅力市长的吸引力，9月与他举行了一场亲热的新闻发布会，令共和党策略师大为光火。但除了马姆达尼，还有去年当选西雅图市长的凯蒂·威尔逊，以及几乎确定将成为华盛顿特区市长的民主党提名人简妮丝·刘易斯·乔治。在洛杉矶，拉曼正与现任民主党市长凯伦·巴斯展开激烈竞选。这四人都是千禧一代，要么与DSA结盟，要么是其成员。四人也或出于自愿，或受外部因素推动，都向中间立场靠拢了。