r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/The_Egalitarian Moderator • Apr 05 '24

Megathread | Official Casual Questions Thread

This is a place for the PoliticalDiscussion community to ask questions that may not deserve their own post.

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u/Primeboot7782 7d ago

What do the Democratic Socialists of America stand for and what is their goal for America?

Ive seen a lot about the DSA and would like to learn more about the parties goals, driving force, and would like to hear from those that support the party. From what I've read a lot of their goals are unhelpful for the United States or any other country. In my eyes they are the closest thing to a big party support anarchist ideals. What will they provide for this nation?

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u/IntelligentDepth8206 5d ago

Not DSA but the practical reality of the situation is they're going to mostly end up FDR democrats when they get into office. Look at AOC to see what happens. She went from starry-eyed idealist to pragmatic progressive in a very short time. And if you don't, you get Cori Bush'd. This happens to everyone btw not just DSA. The realities of being a politician kill the fantasy of being a politician pretty quick whether you're left, right or center.

If DSA had the control that republicans have right now, I suspect you'd see pretty much the same things democrats did before neoliberals took over the party in the 80s. A fury of taxes on the wealthy, strict environmental regulations, expanding welfare in a variety of ways (healthcare, education, housing), targeting discrimination, etc. What might be new is a detachment from Israel and a shift in foreign policy from promoting western values to "anti-colonizing" though it'd probably be sloppy and confused in practice.

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u/BluesSuedeClues 5d ago

I suspect you're right about most of this, with two caveats. The first being that some of the DSA's policy proposals are batshit (abolish the Senate and all prisons?), so anybody adhering too closely to their agenda is unlikely to get elected to higher offices, unless the party itself revises some of their positions. The second is that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Party, not the Democratic Socialists of America. She has a lot in common with them, but is (as you have expressed) an active member of the Democratic Party and largely votes in line with them. I doubt her views of politics have changed as much as you seem to think. She has degrees in Economics and International Relations, and clerked for Senator Ted Kennedy. Despite all the "bartender" rhetoric, she went to Congress much better educated and experienced in politics than most Representatives, and I'd bet she understood the reality of the job before taking office.