The DSA Is a Parasite

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has been quietly infiltrating the Democratic Party, manipulating internal politics to further their radical agenda. This phenomenon is not new; it echoes the tactics employed by far-left groups like Militant Tendency in 1980s Britain.

The parallels between the DSA and Militant Tendency are striking. Like their British counterparts, DSA members have been infiltrating Democratic Party structures, identifying vulnerable candidates, and manipulating party politics from within. This “entryism” strategy has proven effective for far-left groups in building power by subverting more moderate organizations from within.

Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock faced a similar challenge when Militant Tendency emerged within the Labour Party in the 1980s. In response to Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party surge, Labour’s left wing lurching sharply to the left. The party’s 1983 election platform was a calamitous exercise in ideological purity, promising centralized economic planning and unilateral nuclear disarmament.

Kinnock later noted that this policy experiment was met with crushing defeat at the polls, yet its left-wing factions refused to acknowledge their role in the party’s downfall. Instead, they doubled down on their extreme ideology, convinced that the problem lay not with their policies but with the electorate itself. This echoed the DSA’s current trajectory.

The DSA’s own draft platform is a radical document, calling for the abolition of police and prisons, extension of voting rights to noncitizens, and creation of a “democratic socialist republic.” These are not policy proposals; they’re a blueprint for transforming American society. Despite their incompatibility with mainstream Democratic values, DSA members have been using every means at their disposal to gain influence within the party.

Their tactics mirror those employed by Militant Tendency: infiltrating local and national Democratic structures, identifying vulnerable candidates, and manipulating party politics from within. This strategy has proven effective for far-left groups in building power by subverting more moderate organizations from within.

Kinnock’s confrontation with Militant Tendency is a defining moment in his tenure as Labour Party leader. When he finally took action – expelling hundreds of members and facing down internal resistance – it marked a turning point in Labour’s fortunes. Under Kinnock’s leadership, the party began to shift back towards its traditional social democratic roots.

As Democrats grapple with their own internal divisions and the rise of the DSA within their ranks, they would do well to draw on the lessons of Neil Kinnock’s confrontation with Militant Tendency. The key is not simply to resist or co-opt the DSA’s radical agenda but rather to confront its underlying ideology and tactics head-on.

For too long, Democrats have been hesitant to take on the party’s far-left wing – out of fear of alienating their most enthusiastic supporters or being labeled “out of touch” with the party’s progressive base. But this approach is fundamentally misguided. By failing to stand up to the DSA’s radical agenda, Democrats risk losing control of their own party and abandoning their core values in the process.

As Kinnock once noted, it’s not just a matter of fighting the left – but rather about reclaiming the party from those who would hijack its purpose and destroy its national brand.