Episode summary
In a short exchange, All-In Podcast co-host David Friedberg discusses the political implications he expects from New York City creating low-cost municipal grocery stores. Friedberg argues that critics focused on “basic obvious economic arithmetic” are missing what he sees as the near-term political effect: that visibly cheaper groceries could be treated as an “incredible success story for socialism” and help “fuel the socialist wave in urban centers”.
He predicts the stores would become “wildly popular”, with people travelling from outside the immediate area—he mentions Long Island and New Jersey—to shop at the discount locations. Friedberg claims the issue could also become entangled with broader political disputes over identification requirements, suggesting the stores would not check IDs and that this would be justified by claims about racial bias.
Friedberg forecasts this playing out over roughly the next 24 months into the 2028 election cycle, with demand driving the opening of more locations. He offers a speculative cost illustration: if each store lost $10 million per year and the city expanded to 10 to 20 stores, the annual losses could reach $200 million. He argues that amount would be small relative to what he cites as New York City’s $125 billion annual budget, portraying it as a relatively cheap way to promote the DSA platform.
The segment is presented as Friedberg’s opinion and prediction rather than a report of confirmed policy details, budgets, or operational rules.
