EDITORIAL: The DSA platform carries a strong stench of 1917

EDITORIAL: The DSA platform carries a strong stench of 1917 The Democratic Socialists of America are experiencing a surge, with candidates securing victories in Democratic legislative primaries in New York and Colorado. Given the demographic makeup of those districts, additional members are poised to win House seats in November. Sympathetic Democrats often argue that these newcomers merely seek to transplant a Nordic‑style welfare model to the United States. In reality, the party’s agenda is considerably more radical; many of its most outspoken supporters speak fondly of Marx and Mao. One need not take our word for it—the details are laid out in writing. Last week, the DSA released its “program,” dubbed “Workers Deserve More.” It outlines what the organization’s members have in mind. Suffice it to say that capitalism—which has generated more wealth and lifted more people out of poverty than any other system the world has ever known—is not on the agenda. In addition to abolishing the Electoral College and restructuring the Senate so that the presidency and judiciary become subordinate to the House, DSA members envision the nationalization of “the largest corporations,” paired with “universal rent control” and “guarantees” for sex‑modification surgeries. Health care would be provided “with no premiums, co‑pays or deductible.” All public higher education would be “tuition‑free with no out‑of‑pocket cost for room and board.” Child care and pre‑K would be free as well. The “program” calls for ending “cash bail,” and some members openly advocate closing prisons. DSA backers also support open borders and increased assistance for undocumented immigrants, pledging to “end all migrant detention and deportations, grant immediate amnesty to all immigrants regardless of current migration status, and provide access to jobs, labor rights and social services for all immigrants.” On foreign policy, the DSA aligns firmly with Hamas while opposing sanctions against “countries whose governments act independently of the United States, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.” Party sympathizers would finance this vision through “taxes on the richest earners, for‑profit corporations, large inheritances and private colleges and universities.” A wealth tax is also included in the playbook. The fact that these confiscatory levies would fall far short of covering the actual costs of this utopian scheme is never addressed. This agenda proves too much for even staunch progressive Democrats. Over the weekend, CNN’s Van Jones took to social media to warn that the DSA could undermine the Democratic Party over the long haul. He wrote: “Supporting Hamas is not progressive. ‘No police, no prisons, no borders’ is not progressive. Celebrating the execution of Israeli civilians is not progressive. These ideas are REGRESSIVE.” Jones’s assessment is correct. Rather than offering a constructive path forward, the DSA’s “program” merely serves as a veneer for widespread deprivation that emits a pronounced odor of 1917.