r/PoursTea • Timendi Causa Est Nescire • Sep 09 '26

PoliticalTea 🗳️ Mamdani's ex-rival comes to his defense.

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51.5k Upvotes

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469

u/Status_Vegetable2954 Sep 09 '26

Curtis, who is insane, has the most rational response for the haters and crybabies.

What a world.

130

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26

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43

u/AbominableGoMan Sep 09 '26

He's a bit kooky and I wouldn't leave him in charge of a ham sandwich, but he's still better than most Republican politicians.

24

u/Aromatic-Amphibian42 Sep 09 '26

Lowkey he is kind of boots on the ground neighborhood leader, he definitely cares about NY, I dont care for republican policies but hes a good dude

23

u/9millibros Sep 09 '26

I get the sense that the one thing both he and Mamdani have in common is that they love New York.

10

u/Sammy81 Sep 09 '26

I only know him from the 80s when crime was out of fucking control in NYC and the Guardian Angels used to ride the subways to protect people. It was legit scary on those subways back then and you really did feel safer when a couple of guys with walkie talkies were in your car. It meant a lot. I haven’t thought about him in 35 years, but I can say he was a good dude back then.

6

u/I-cant_even Sep 09 '26

Nah, I think Zohran should put him in charge of parades and other celebrations. I think Sliwa would love it and excel.

2

u/CarolingianDruid Sep 09 '26

He does seem to have a pretty strong sense of duty and honor. Gotta give credit where it’s due

115

u/Trajen_Geta Sep 09 '26

I hate saying this but, Curtis has not even sounded remotely insane the last few years. Like I know he is but like the amount of horrible stuff we hear a day he sounds like a rational scholar in comparison.

58

u/Internal_Wheel_89 Sep 09 '26

As an outsider it seems like these are two people who simply love New York City

68

u/Free_For__Me Sep 09 '26

And you know, you’d be very correct. The difference though, is that someone can love something and still be pretty insane. 

Sliwa isn’t even close to being as capable of a leader as Mamdani is, but you know what?  I think Sliwa would make a great lieutenant to a great leader that he believes in. He’s passionate, honest, and has displayed an amount of dignity in loss that I honestly wasn’t sure many people in the public eye were capable of anymore. 

Whether he’d admit it or not, Sliwa is an enforcer looking for a captain to point him in the right direction. I sincerely hope that when he finds that captain, it’s a Mamdani and not a Trump…

12

u/jc343 Sep 09 '26 edited Sep 10 '26

as many have said, court jester is perfect for him

29

u/LowlyWormsCar Sep 09 '26

Sliwa for night mayor

16

u/IdentifiableBurden Sep 09 '26

This is a hilarious idea and as somewhere who lives nowhere near NYC I support it thoroughly. He has my vote for Night Mayor.

3

u/Bigemptea Sep 09 '26

That could be a new sitcom kinda like Night Court.

4

u/MrBwnrrific Sep 09 '26

He said he’d take care of da rat prawblem fer free, let ‘im in, C’MOOOON

7

u/tinino1304 Sep 09 '26

German here for whom sliwa popped up a few times on his feed (for whatever reason)

He absolutely did not sound insane in his election campaign. Sure, i did not like his proposals, but so did the majority of new yorkers and he accepted that without hesitation or if's and but's.

And i gotta say, I love his NY night time major "IT'S SLIWA TIME" appearences.

No idea what he's up to besides that atm tho

4

u/Ianerick Sep 09 '26

there are a few guys like this on the right and i often wonder if they ever think, "why does everyone on my side constantly go against what I think we stand for?"

2

u/Vark675 Sep 09 '26

I love being the head lackey. The major mook. The loyal vizier. It rules being trusted to get stuff done but not having to deal with the responsibility of having to ultimately make ALL the major decisions.

2

u/McdoManaguer Sep 09 '26

Like I completely disagree with him on almost everything. But you CANNOT say Curtis doesn't care about New York. He doesnt fake it like most republicans.

He actually believes in things other than money.

1

u/ABSNegativeOne Sep 09 '26

Alright, he can coordinate a massive campaign but cant lead. also who gives a frack, its not a football team lmao. its slimy politicians

1

u/EmperorPedro2 Sep 09 '26

Politics is one of the biggest games there is

14

u/raysofdavies Sep 09 '26

Truly. He wants the best for the city. He disagrees with Zohran totally, but he clearly respects him because he sees that they are both sincerely in it. That’s why he was so happy to debate Zohran reasonably but hammer Cuomo. He is the republican I respect.

15

u/Vilnius_Nastavnik Sep 09 '26

Nobody can say that he's not principled. A bunch of Cuomo backers tried to buy him out of the race for $10 million and a six figure no-show job but he told them to kick rocks. He's happier in his one bedroom apartment full of cats.

IMO there are few things more inspiring in the year of our lord 2026 than somebody who is willing to be a problem that money can't solve.

3

u/radfatdaddy Sep 09 '26

The best part of the debate was the Mayor, and him being cordial, and respectful to each other, then being completely disgusted with Cuomo anytime they had to hear him speak.

12

u/mormagils Sep 09 '26

Oh Sliwa LOVES this city and is an actual lunatic but in a perfectly good and likeable way. He's not mayor material, especially not compared to a dude like Mamdani, but I would happily share my city with crazy man Sliwa over fake ass Cuomo or the MAGAt losers or the billionaire crybabies any day.

There are many reasons not to vote for Sliwa, but he's a guy who is a genuine New Yorker who cares and that's more than you can say for a lot of candidates, somehow.

4

u/Prokofi Sep 09 '26

I mean him and his guardian angels did assault a brown guy just for speaking spanish while live on Sean Hannity's show back in 2024. He apologized later saying that they "mistook him for a migrant."

So while I agree, I do want to put in the caveat that while he's a charming nut job who clearly loves the city he's not completely harmless either.

3

u/mormagils Sep 09 '26

Oh yeah, like I said, he's an absolute lunatic who definitely should not be mayor. If he actually was a real threat to ever win an election I'd be more concerned, but he's just not. He can do this thing and pretend to be Bay Ridge Batman and let actual real people get elected.

2

u/Comfortable-Bison932 Sep 09 '26

“Let me tell you when I got shot 5 times in the back of a taxi!”

1

u/LegendofLove Sep 09 '26

You can be fucking bonkers and still want what's best. Unfortunately those often do go hand in hand. Whether what you think is best isn't really related to what is best sometimes.

0

u/Severe-Storm-565 Sep 09 '26

The bigger businesses have, are in the process of, or will be moving out. Small businesses have already had a net loss of more than 1,000 businesses in a single quarter, citing high costs and heavy regulations.

But New York may be alright with "AI" because New York will allow people's jobs to be replaced by AI and for that reason a lot of AI companies are leasing buildings in New York as the laws will allow for those AI companies to get rid of those who are working in New York.

2

u/Internal_Wheel_89 Sep 09 '26

sure thing bro

3

u/Mood-Rising Sep 09 '26

He seems like a Dennis Rodman kind of insane, which is the fun kind where you get to marry yourself and become an unofficial ambassador to North Korea.

1

u/SavageSwordShamazon Sep 09 '26

Has the world gone so mad that now Curtis is the reasonable one?

22

u/Goodeyesniper98 Sep 09 '26

I’ve met him before and he was actually super chill. He was at a very small pride event in NYC when I was visiting and I was super surprised to see him there. He didn’t bring a camera crew with him, you could tell he knew several of the people there and was genuine friends with them.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26

[deleted]

5

u/Gunhild Sep 09 '26

I don't think Nancy Regula is trans?

4

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Steez_And_Rice Sep 09 '26

This is hilarious

1

u/SavageSwordShamazon Sep 09 '26

Ah, shit i have been hoodwinked.

1

u/whats8 Sep 09 '26

What the fuck is wrong with you?

13

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26

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5

u/Vilnius_Nastavnik Sep 09 '26

You should look up the time he took the beret off for the anthem at a Mets game. The term tan line just doesn't do it justice.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26

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9

u/Vilnius_Nastavnik Sep 09 '26

Head straight up looking like your finger after the band-aid comes off.

4

u/McdoManaguer Sep 09 '26

No fking way this is real lmao thats HILARIOUS

10

u/hates_stupid_people Sep 09 '26

What are you talking about? The man is a vigilante who has been arrested 70+ times, married five time, is big supporter of oppressive police tactics, a world champion sour pickle eater, was target for assassination by John Gotti, and he wants to solve the rat problem in NYC by releasing a ton of feral cats. He sounds completely normal...

8

u/SavageSwordShamazon Sep 09 '26

I mean... how else ya gonna fight the giant rats?

And John Gotti tried to assassinate a lot of people...

2

u/PereMilon Sep 09 '26

Gotti was punished by being forced to watch his army of grandsons fail throughout life.

Half the family has the same fuckin name.

1

u/LePontif11 Sep 09 '26

The way to solve the rat problem in NYC is to make a second one and admit the fight is lost.

3

u/SavageSwordShamazon Sep 09 '26

Or! Hear me out...

We train a legion of mutant turtles in ninjitsu.

1

u/IdealOnion Sep 09 '26

Giant rats VS cats is unfortunately not one sided enough, the rats would win too many times. You want giant rats VS terriers.

2

u/SavageSwordShamazon Sep 09 '26

What if we bred giant cats? Like mountain lion sized tabbies?

They would never become a problem and starting hunting children because its easier than rats. Or robbing Italian places for lasagna.

7

u/rexlapissCorn Sep 09 '26

i like how the sour pickle eating is on the same level as the other stuff

3

u/ABSNegativeOne Sep 09 '26

ikr it should be higher tbh thats sick af

3

u/The_Autarch Sep 09 '26

he wants to solve the rat problem in NYC by releasing a ton of feral cats.

tbf, this would probably actually work.

2

u/yrthegood1staken Sep 09 '26

Technically, global nuclear war would solve global warming, but I don't think that makes it a good idea.

Not to mention that cats would likely find plenty of other food and wouldn't actually solve the rat problem.

1

u/ABSNegativeOne Sep 09 '26

so they'd help get rid of trash too! SCORE

1

u/AikaGranzchesta Sep 09 '26

It would also destroy whatever other wildlife exists in the city, especially birds.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26 edited 20d ago

[deleted]

1

u/BowlingforBrains Sep 09 '26

That was when I knew we’d made a mistake not electing him

1

u/ABSNegativeOne Sep 09 '26

a gentleman haggles with the enemy. gotta get in close

1

u/p_gaultieri Sep 09 '26

a world champion sour pickle eater

Why did you lump this in with a bunch of other devious shit lmfao

1

u/ABSNegativeOne Sep 09 '26

all of that just sounds normal, but I think the floridian in me just likes that shih

1

u/stereotypicalmodss Sep 09 '26

It’s always sunny in New York City…..

6

u/No-Consideration-716 Sep 09 '26

He is a POS asshole, but the man at least has principles which is, sadly, a rare thing in US politics in 2026.

3

u/Ghosts_of_the_maze Sep 09 '26

Curtis is a NYC crank. That comes with good and bad. But I think there’s a healthy dose of recognition for other New Yorkers who by all accounts seem to genuinely love New York City. He might have looked at Mamdani as an adversary, but he looks at Cuomo as an enemy.

3

u/Kew-Gardens Sep 09 '26

Entirely unrelated but your pfp reminded me that he also has 18 cats apparently.

3

u/BenCisco Sep 09 '26

Just gonna leave this here

2

u/Randomcommenter550 Sep 09 '26

He's nuttier than a Planters factory, but really doesn't seem like a bad person. 

2

u/Kinghero890 Sep 09 '26

The night mayor.

2

u/Ambitious-Rock-8302 Sep 09 '26

he's been weirdly sane lately. but maybe that's just relativity at work lol.

1

u/_Panic_At_The_Costco Sep 09 '26

I know literally nothing about Curtis Sliwa, can you explain what makes him insane?

2

u/greatvaluebleach Sep 09 '26

He's just a typical oldschool NYC eccentric.

Dont get me wrong he's definitely out there but anyone actually calling him genuinely insane is probably either very young and/or a transplant. The NYC of his time was borderline apocalyptic when compared to the NYC of today.

The city used to be filled with these eccentric types. Gentrification, rising costs, and the increasing homogeneity of American culture have driven them to endangered species status. Boring people from podunk towns in flyover states are sterilizing the city at a crazy rate.

1

u/Feverstone Sep 09 '26

His people came over here on the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa, and the Maria

1

u/thepvbrother Sep 09 '26

Something I remember from Talk Soup that I'll paraphrase.

Curtis Siwa, the unlikely voice of reason.

1

u/Hackerwithalacker Sep 09 '26

he's a true new yorker that cares for the people, the insaneness kinda comes from being a true new yorker

1

u/OverallFrosting708 Sep 09 '26

Curtis stayed the same amount of bizarre while the rest of the GOP lost its minds around him

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '26

[deleted]

3

u/pil0tinthesky Sep 09 '26

I mean have you looked into his policies. He has said the best way to solve the rat problem is releasing more feral cats into the streets.

4

u/BowlingforBrains Sep 09 '26

Which is hilarious in that he was fully prepared to solve a major city problem with logic he learned from watching Looney Tunes as a kid - and I’m all for that

0

u/InspiringMilk Sep 09 '26

I know nothing of urban bio-systems... why wouldn't that work?

Or is the issue that it'd devastate birds too?

2

u/Short-Waltz-3118 Sep 09 '26

Honestly it might work somewhat. But then youd have a feral cat problem. And yes I imagine itd devastate bird population in between people hitting cats every day with their cars

2

u/West_Pipe_6089 Sep 09 '26

That's when you release more feral dogs, to take care of the cat problem.

2

u/Short-Waltz-3118 Sep 09 '26

And then the feral bears to hunt the dogs and...

Jk I have no idea which feral animal hunts feral dogs

1

u/thetiredtypist Sep 09 '26

It worked in that book for the lady who swallowed a fly... At least for a little bit.

1

u/West_Pipe_6089 Sep 09 '26

Large Pythons and Anacondas, which will create problems of its own but right now it's the only way.

1

u/Status_Vegetable2954 Sep 09 '26

Sometimes a joke is just a joke man, nothing to get too serious about.

1

u/narco-sub-admiral know me, broken by my master Sep 09 '26

There is definitely a discussion to be had about whether Trump is insane

Yeah on r/conservative there is lmao.