Democrats’ Evolving Big Tent

Today’s Democrats are moving progressively faster and farther to the left.

To be fair, the party has been ultra-liberal for years, but Democrats were once better at disguising their immoderation. Now, they’re not even trying.

In fact, they cannot. Radicals are taking over their party.

Online influencers and sympathetic media have been pushing rubbish from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) into Americans’ faces, fully expecting that the normal people (hereinafter referred to as “normies”) into whose lives they incessantly intrude will be impressed or, preferably, intimidated and silenced by the DSA’s ambitions, degeneracies, and aggression.

Modern Jacobins, the DSA are the radical left’s foot soldiers for effecting radical change in American government. They claim to be “fighting to transform society: to win the battle for democracy, draft a new constitution, and create a democratic socialist republic.”

In order to “create thriving working class communities,” the DSA would abolish “the police and prison system” and create a social welfare state with courts and an “executive” controlled by – let’s be honest – a Central Committee. Their list of “free stuff” includes healthcare, childcare, pre-K, college, paid family leave, housing, and a universal basic income.

For the record, “free stuff” is never free. Productive people must pay until there is nothing left to spend – or purchase – after which everyone, excepting those in power, is poverty-stricken. Think Cuba, Venezuela, the Soviet Union.

Nonetheless, the Democratic Socialists of America are intractable.

Accordingly, there is certain to be a backlash from normies who refuse to accept DSA’s delusional political and emotional effluvia – and who far outnumber the radicals.

Normies won’t respond violently unless, of course, violence is committed against them and/or people they care about.

The backlash will occur at the ballot box – and some prominent Democrats are already sounding the alarm.

Strategist James Carville, who served as campaign manager for and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, said, “These people [DSA] are so (one-word expletive deleted) stupid, I don’t know what to say about it.”

Calling the 2016 election, “the most catastrophic event of this century,” Carville blamed Hillary Clinton’s loss on “insurgent” [and avowed socialist] Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who ran for the Democratic nomination.

Furthermore, believing that their supporters are repeating the same mistakes, Carville views the DSA insurgency as predictive of future failures.

Carville is right. DSA candidates’ victories in a few Democratic primaries this year have exposed the party’s worst instincts, and effectively put communism on the midterm election ballot.

CNN’s Van Jones, a Special Advisor to President Barack Obama, called DSA “extremists…trying to sneak backwards proposals into our party.”

Jones said, “[W]e want our Democratic Party to be a big tent, but we don’t need [party] poopers, so stop pooping in the punch bowl and telling us the turds are ice cubes.”

Jones also tore into DSA radicals for supporting terror groups like Hamas.

A handful of prominent, albeit unelected Democrats clearly understand what their party risks by embracing the Democrat Socialists of America, but, how have party officeholders reacted?

One, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, has been a vocal critic of the DSA, telling a news channel host that “these DSA people are deeply anti-Israel” as well as “deeply anti-America.”

Fetterman’s reward? Chris Rabb, a self-described democratic socialist and “proud troublemaker” who recently won a Philadelphia House Democratic primary, is already being talked about as a potential 2028 primary challenger to Fetterman.

Is John Fetterman the only elected Democrat who grasps the DSA’s threat to his party? Or is he merely the only elected Democrat with the courage to speak out?

One suspects the latter. Acceptance of their agenda, “Workers Deserve More,” will be considered in DSA’s national candidate endorsement process. Candidates will “be expected to accept and promote DSA’s program, and align their own campaign platforms with its contents…”

When questioned about the DSA’s socialist/communist agenda, despite their oath to defend the Constitution and institutions the DSA would jettison, suddenly reticent elected Democrats (“don’t know,” “haven’t read it,” “can’t comment”) who apparently still think they can get – will need – DSA votes, keep coming back to their party’s “big tent” trope.

Ironically, the Democrats’ “big tent” now has room for socialists and communists, but none for life-long Democrat John Fetterman.

In fact, elected Democrats are admitting – becoming – the radicals that smarter, more principled, less-timid Democrats would shun.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/2026/08/02/jerry-shenk-the-democrats-evolving-big-tent/