The Reason American Socialists Don't Win
11 days ago
- #DSA
- #socialism
- #elections
- Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic candidate for NYC mayor, could become the most powerful American socialist if elected.
- The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) aims to build a left-labor coalition and draft a socialist presidential candidate for 2028.
- Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) remain popular, with 67% of Democrats and 62% of Americans under 30 viewing socialism favorably.
- Despite its size (85,000 members), the DSA has limited political power, with only three representatives in Congress and no senators.
- A significant faction within the DSA opposes traditional electoral strategies, focusing instead on single issues and ideological purity.
- The DSA convention rejected endorsing AOC due to her perceived support for Zionism and Israel's right to self-defense.
- The organization is divided into two wings: a mass-politics wing (focused on electoral success) and a sectarian wing (opposed to electoralism).
- The sectarian wing, which now controls much of the DSA leadership, refuses to endorse mainstream Democrats like Biden or Harris.
- The DSA's decentralized structure leads to factionalism, preventing a unified strategy for gaining political power.
- Historically, the DSA was founded by Michael Harrington to work within the Democratic Party, but newer factions reject this approach.