Party Like It’s 1972 Democrats

Most radical Democrats are too young to remember what happened the last time their party veered too far left for American voters, moreover they are disinterested in and/or too poorly-educated to have learned any lessons from 1972.

Back to 1972 in a bit, but first…

…Let’s analyze the ascendant radical, rabidly anti-American, sometimes-violent Democratic Socialists of America activists who have forced their way into, and may, for all practical purposes, control the Democratic Party.

More elements of the DSA’s agenda emerge as the group becomes increasingly emboldened by successes in Democrat primaries. A few of them have already been elected to Congress from deep blue districts.

One of the latter, DSA Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), said this: “The political structures that we are surrounded by were built on slavery and genocide and oppression. Look at this room, (expletive deleted). We aren’t going anywhere. Now we’re in Congress and every corner of the United States.”

The “political structures” to which Tlaib refers include the Constitution of the United States of America, and the restrictions on government and individual liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

The DSA wants to dismantle and restructure the American government, never mind that pesky constitutional stuff.

In advance of a DSA-sponsored “Socialists Summit” beginning July 31, whatever passes for DSA “leadership” released a platform entitled “Workers Deserve More!” that Democratic candidates must embrace to receive DSA endorsements. The platform includes proposals to eliminate the U.S. Senate [individual state influence is antithetical to national centralization], replace the presidency [they know they cannot win nationwide] and the Supreme Court [there’s that inconvenient “constitution” thing again] with “an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to the House of Representatives [where DSAers clearly think they may have a shot].”

In other words, goodbye, “Separation of Powers,” hello, ”Supreme Soviet.”

One DSA supporter, a “clinical psychologist/social scientist…who teaches non-dual philosophy and conscious-living,” whatever that is, objected to the group being characterized as “communist.” He wrote a piece entitled, “Democratic socialism is inclusive fairness, not communism.” In it, he claims, “It [the Democratic Socialist movement] is not communism. It is economic and political democracy.”

For the record, economically and historically literate people rarely confuse “fairness” or “democracy” with “communism.”

Go to the DSA website and click on “Statements,” then scroll through two or more years of the entries, including, “DSA Condemns Trump and Rubio’s Threats Against Cuba” (not coincidentally a communist nation), “All Power to the International Working Class (“Workers of the world, unite!”) and, my favorite, “To Beat Fascism, We Need Socialism.”

Point of reference: Vladimir Lenin said, “The goal of socialism is communism.”

The “Democratic” in “DSA” is merely there to con the rubes.

There are quite a few other “progressive” entries under “Statements,” e.g., “trans-liberation,” “abolish ICE,” “end arms sales to Israel,” “DSA Condemns U.S. and Israeli hostilities in Palestine,” “Cancel All Student Debt,” and lots of “Solidarity” stuff.

In fact, DSA “Statements” topics enjoy a lot of commonality with “Dispatches” appearing on the American Communist Party’s website.

Who – other than anyone who’s actually been paying attention, of course – could have seen that coming?

Back to 1972…

In 1972, the Democratic National Committee was coopted by its liberal faction, and the party’s platform included socialist ideas such as, “Tax reform directed toward equitable distribution of income and wealth,” “Opposition to arbitrarily high standards for entry to jobs,” and using federal funds to reward institutions that “invest in socially productive endeavors.”

A segment entitled, “Toward Economic Justice,” announced the party’s intention to “Establish a national economic commission to study federal chartering of large multi-national and international corporations, concentrated ownership and control in the nation’s economy,” that many interpreted as a first step in government seizing/controlling the means of production.

The party nominated liberal South Dakota Senator George McGovern who embraced the radical platform, ran an anti-war campaign – and lost to incumbent President Richard Nixon in a landslide.

The final tally was 520 to 17 electoral votes. McGovern even lost his home state.

The point of this comparison is that, like their 1972 counterparts, the Democratic Socialists of America are ambitious – don’t underestimate them – and they may make some inroads, but, if the past is prologue – and it usually is – they will lose.

However, patriots must do the work to defeat them. Democrats won’t do it.

Prove me wrong, Democrats…

https://www.pottsmerc.com/2026/07/19/jerry-shenk-party-like-its-1972-democrats/

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