Why A Democratic Socialist in the White House Is No Longer Unthinkable
Winning elections is only the beginning. Behind the movement's electoral gains lies a sweeping vision for remaking the American constitutional order.
There was a time when words like “socialism” and “communism” filled most Americans with dread. Not anymore.
Today, 62 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 hold a favorable view of socialism, and 34 percent of that same demographic view communism favorably. Ideas once discredited by famine and terror are finding new life among a generation too young to remember their consequences. History’s most devastating political failures are being repackaged as tomorrow’s solutions.
Americans across the political spectrum should be alarmed. Bill Maher certainly is. The longtime liberal comedian and host of Real Time recently devoted part of his show to the direction of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). After highlighting past social media posts in which New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised Karl Marx, Maher made a striking observation: five years ago, the DSA shunned communists; today, he argued, it embraces them. When a lifelong liberal like Maher begins sounding the alarm, it suggests this is no longer a concern confined to the political right.
Ideological movements that venerate Marx will eventually seek the absolute power required to enforce his theories. Utopian promises have always served as the gateway to authoritarian rule. Democratic strategist James Carville joined Maher in sounding the alarm, warning that the party is being colonized by a radical faction whose beliefs are fundamentally antithetical to American values. It’s not often I find myself agreeing with Carville, but here his assessment is spot on.
The DSA’s official platform leaves little doubt about its objectives. The document calls for the abolition of the United States Senate, an unspecified expansion of the House of Representatives, the replacement of the two-party system with state-managed multi-party representation, and the elimination of the Electoral College.
