I was about ten years old when my mother explained her "pendulum" theory of politics to me. She and I are both centrists, but when the pendulum has swung too far to the right, we must push leftward as hard as we can, hoping to get back to the center.
The "pendulum theory" has a lot of merit. However, if you push too far to the left you overshoot again, leading to a swing to the right. The goal should be to dampen the amplitude, not increase it by pushing hard.
For this reason I am delighted at the victory of Zohran Mamdani even if he is leftier than I. I am disappointed that some Democratic leaders are not supporting him, and may even seek to defeat him in November.
I think he would be a disaster if he wins. And he will damage the Democratic brand in the long run.
Dems have been moving left even before 2016, but TACO's surprise victory accelerated that trend, leading to Sergeant Sandy (I know how much you love this moniker!) and her Squad mates not only getting elected, but, in addition to their regimental commander Colonel Bernie Sanders, becoming in many ways the face of the Democratic Party.
I think this lurch to the left was the foundation for Biden Administration moving to the Left, especially on spending, and its subsequent lack of popularity. And that led directly to TACO 2.0. And now Dems are poised to repeat the same mistake.
Above you said:
She and I are both centrists,
... but then ...
Robert Reich -- one of my heroes -- certainly supports him.
Those two statements are not consistent, given how far to the left Mr. Reich is.