For years, Democratic Party leaders convinced themselves they had struck a clever bargain with the Democratic Socialists of America.
The DSA would provide the energy. The activists. The volunteers. The small-dollar donations. The army of young true believers is willing to knock doors, flood social media, and spend weekends campaigning.
In return, Democrats would provide the ballot line.
The arrangement worked because each side believed it was being used by the other.
What could go wrong with that?
Welcome to 2026.
Be informed, not misled.
Townhall explains, "Democrats thought they were harnessing the DSA's enthusiasm while keeping the socialists safely on the back bench."
The DSA thought it was infiltrating one of America's two major political parties.
This week, following Zohran Mamdani's stunning victory in New York and a string of successful socialist-backed campaigns, it is becoming increasingly clear which side understood the arrangement better.
The Democratic Socialists are no longer content to serve as the Democratic Party's foot soldiers.
They intend to command the army.
What makes this development particularly alarming is that many Americans still do not understand what the DSA actually believes. The media often portrays the organization as little more than an energetic progressive movement advocating for free college, universal healthcare, and higher taxes on the wealthy.
The organization's newly adopted national platform tells a very different story.
Deconstructing America
Stu Smith has written an excellent article in City Journal detailing the DSA's sweeping agenda aimed at fundamentally transforming the American constitutional system.
I strongly suggest you read the entire article.
This is an overview:
"The document commits DSA to scrapping the U.S. Senate, 'abolishing the carceral forces of the capitalist state,' defunding the Department of War, amnesty for all immigrants, and 'replac[ing] the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.'"
Smith further notes that the platform calls for abolishing the Electoral College, drafting a new constitution, creating a "democratic socialist republic," expanding public ownership throughout the economy, closing overseas military bases, ending sanctions as a tool of American foreign policy, and granting broad immigration amnesty.
So, the uninformed American says, "What's the big deal? These people are marginal at best and can have no real impact on our country."
Yesterday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson posted on social media, "There are MINI MAMDANI's popping up all around the country. It is a dangerous thing---this is NOT a joke. We are in a fight RIGHT NOW to save the Republic, and EVERY AMERICAN needs to take this seriously."
Look at their agenda again:
- Abolish the Senate.
- Abolish the Electoral College.
- Replace the presidency.
- Subordinate the Supreme Court.
- Draft a new constitution.
- Create a socialist republic.
This is not a reform agenda. This is a replacement agenda.
The DSA does not look at America's institutions and conclude they need improvement.
The DSA looks at America's institutions and concludes they need elimination.
That distinction is critical.
Via Townhall:
Most political movements seek to change policies.
The DSA seeks to change the country.
Its leaders frequently describe America's economic system as inherently exploitative. Its platform treats constitutional restraints as barriers to be overcome. It regards many of the institutions that have defined the American experiment for nearly 250 years as fundamentally illegitimate.
The movement's problem is not that America occasionally fails to live up to its ideals.
Its problem is with the ideals themselves.
The irony.
The DSA doesn't merely despise the American political system.
It despises the Democratic Party.
For years, socialist activists have portrayed Democrats as corporate collaborators, defenders of capitalism, and obstacles to genuine revolutionary change. The DSA's own platform frames politics as a choice between "far-right Republicans and corporate Democrats."
Think about that.
The same activists Democrats have welcomed into their coalition do not regard Democrats as allies.
They regard them as adversaries.
Temporary adversaries, perhaps. More useful adversaries than Republicans. But adversaries nonetheless.
This is where Democratic leaders made their fatal mistake.
They assumed that because the DSA helped elect Democrats, it wanted to strengthen the Democratic Party.
It never did.
The DSA viewed the Democratic Party the same way a parasite views a host.
As a vehicle.
As a means to an end.
As something useful until it is no longer needed.
That reality is becoming impossible to ignore.
Mamdani's move.
Mamdani's victory was not simply a win for a charismatic candidate. It was proof of concept for a movement that has spent years building grassroots infrastructure, recruiting activists, training candidates, and preparing for exactly this moment.
The Democratic establishment believed it could benefit from the DSA's money, manpower, enthusiasm, and turnout operation while preventing socialists from exercising real power.
Now those socialists are winning primaries.
They're defeating establishment Democrats.
They're reshaping local parties.
They're demanding ideological conformity.
And they're openly declaring that their ultimate goal is not to reform the Democratic Party but to transform the country itself.
Takeaway
Republicans should pay attention to this movement because it represents one of the most radical ideological projects in modern American politics.
Democrats should pay even closer attention because they invited it into their coalition.
For years, Democratic leaders treated the DSA as an eccentric faction that could be managed.
The DSA never saw itself as a faction.
It saw itself as the future.
The socialists knocking on doors for Democrats were not auditioning for supporting roles.
They were preparing for a takeover.
And now they're making their move.
This reminds me of the story of King David's son Absalom. The story found in 2 Samuel 15 perfectly illustrates this concept. Absalom returned from exile and masked his true intentions by feigning concern for the citizens.
He positioned himself by the city gate and intercepted people seeking justice. He would belittle the king's administration and flatter the petitioners, saying, "Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!"
When anyone approached to bow, Absalom would reach out, embrace, and kiss them. Through this calculated flattery, he "stole the hearts of the men of Israel."
After building a formidable base of power under the guise of fake friendship and simulated devotion, Absalom used a religious gathering as a cover to launch a full-scale rebellion. His conspiracy grew so strong that King David was forced to flee his own palace in Jerusalem to save his life.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Courageous. Beware. Be Prayerful.