Over 1,000 delegates attended the Democratic Socialists of America convention this past weekend. A few years ago, that would have been a huge chunk of their membership, but now the far-left group’s ranks have swelled to 56,000 strong. Its political power, too, is on the rise.
The radical and popular Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, is a card-carrying member of the DSA, and so too is her fellow “squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan. Meanwhile, top-tier Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders proudly boasts that he is a “democratic socialist.” Although he is not technically a member of the organization, he has helped make it a thing.
This level of support for the Democratic Socialists of America is, frankly, terrifying. A closer look at what the DSA stands for reveals a political movement that is antithetical to the values this country was founded on. DSA’s philosophy, if implemented, would undermine the economic system that’s made the U.S. the most prosperous large nation and one of the most prosperous nations in the world.
DSA’s radicalism was on full display at this weekend’s convention. Conservative critics had a great laugh after one hilarious display of woke insanity at the conference went viral, with several “comrades” objecting to “points of personal privilege” in a bizarre display of woke one-upsmanship — er, sorry, one-ups-person-ship.
At the Democratic Socialists of America Convention, clapping, chatter, and gendered language were considered triggering. https://t.co/wbkxiEPEry via @reason
— Robby Soave (@robbysoave) August 5, 2019
But the disturbing substance of the meeting went largely under the radar. As the Washington Post’s David Weigel pointed out, “Conservative mockery of the DSA’s convention had ironically obscured just how radical it was.” It included full-throttled support for nationalization of the energy sector, through “public ownership” of the entire industry. The DSA, too, signed on to the $93 trillion Green New Deal, which would involve a government takeover of more than half the economy.
But this is just the beginning for the DSA. On their official website, they proudly boast that they “reject an international economic order sustained by private profit” and believe that “the economy… should be run democratically.” The group openly boasts that this will involve “massive distribution” of wealth away from those who earned it.
The DSA is not hiding the ball: They want to destroy the capitalist system that has lead to massive reductions in global poverty and unprecedented material wealth. They seek to nearly eradicate private ownership and profit. And this is a movement officially endorsed by at least two prominent Democratic congresswomen, tacitly supported by a Democratic presidential front-runner.
DSA’s platform does include at least nominal support for essential freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion, although the extent to which they would actually recognize those rights in practice is highly dubious. And it rightfully condemns societal plagues such as racism, sexism, and xenophobia. But there’s no running from the fact that the Democratic Socialists of America represent a radical political movement far outside the mainstream. And while it can certainly be tempting to laugh off these socialists’ woke insanity, the rise of their radical ideas isn’t funny at all.
