The rise of socialism: Are you a DINO?

A closer look at the socialist surge in American politics

The Headlines vs. Reality

To read today’s headlines, one might conclude that socialists are on the verge of seizing American politics. “With Win in Washington, Socialists Have Momentum in Urban America,” blared The New York Times.  The right wing Daily Signal had the headline “A Socialist Wave Continues Crashing Through America’s Big, Blue Cities.” But does the evidence support such a dramatic claim?

In reality, there are only three avowed socialists currently serving as mayors of major cities: Zohran Mamdani in New York, Katie Wilson in Seattle, and mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C. Importantly, socialist candidates are winning only in races where establishment democrats are already on the ballot — not where they’re challenging Republicans. In the three House races in New York City backed by Mamdani, every winning candidate took a seat already held by a democrat. The losing incumbents, despite boasting 100 percent liberal voting records, were deemed insufficiently progressive. Opposing Israel’s conduct in Gaza appears to be a litmus test for the far left.

The political math is straightforward. These socialist victories do not alter the balance of power in Washington, nor do they change a single congressional vote. The newcomers will caucus with Democrats and, by most measures, vote identically to the incumbents they replaced. Ironically, even Donald Trump celebrated the defeat of incumbent Dan Goldman — because of Goodman’s role in impeaching Trump. Both men are Jewish and broadly pro-civil-liberties. Both Goldman is pro-Israel, Trump posted “Weak and pathetic Congressman Dan Goldman just lost, BIG! I guess people didn’t like him illegally targeting President TRUMP.  “In any event, this jerk is finally GONE!” 

The establishment democrats were none too pleased showing a schism within party ranks. New York Attorney General, Letitia James, no friend of Donald Trump was furious at the ouster of the establishment democrats – especially that of Chevalier defeating incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat the leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. James said of Mandami “Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals who do not understand the politics of New York City, the cultural differences from district to district, who have not been part of the history and the struggle of some of these districts, and are relatively new to the body politic.”  “Black and Hispanic voters don’t like the trick the DSA is trying to pull in Harlem — using the forces of gentrification to try to supplant our agenda and subvert our priorities.”

One Democratic political operative told the New York Post. “Abolishing the police and releasing every prisoner, even rapists and murderers, isn’t progressive. It’s nuts. It isn’t people with a doorman who have the most to lose; we know it’s us, people of color, who are going to suffer most from the DSA’s reckless agenda.” According to demographic data compiled by The New York Times, in New York City, those affluent, college-educated young people voting for the socialists are more likely to be transplants from elsewhere in the United States than the general population. No wonder the establishment democrats are furious. 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/letitia-james-fumes-mamdani-backed-socialists-sweep-new-york-primaries

One democrat strategist declares that the socialists are parasites that will set the party back decades. She says “They cannot win on their own by creating their own party, so they are going to latch onto the democratic party and feed off of it, with the overall goal of taking it over and killing it.” “You don’t see them trying to win purple or red seats. You see them trying to pick off democrats in safe blue seats.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democratic-strategist-calls-socialist-candidates-parasites-who-could-set-the-party-back-decades/ar-AA26npBs

What Young Americans Think Socialism Means

Polling consistently shows that younger Americans view socialism more favorably than capitalism — but dig deeper and the picture grows murky. When asked directly, many say they prefer “socialism.” Yet when asked whether the government should own their homes and personal assets, the answer is an emphatic no. Most cannot offer a coherent definition of socialism. What they actually this is that socialism is capitalism with an expanded safety net: government-run healthcare, subsidized housing, and cheaper energy — not central planning or the nationalization of the means of production.

Survey data from Elson and King (2023) illustrates vividly. When asked broadly which direction the economy should go, 57 percent of Millennials chose “more free market” versus 28 percent who chose “more state-directed.” Gen Z leaned similarly: 40 percent toward freer markets, 28 percent toward more government. Yet when the same respondents were asked about specific sectors, support for private enterprise collapsed. Majorities or pluralities favored “more government” over “more private enterprise” in education (45% vs. 27%), healthcare (53% vs. 23%), energy (39% vs. 27%), and even housing (38% vs. 33%). Only in technology did private enterprise retain a strong lead. Note the irony: they want more government control over areas that already have more government control. They apparently do not realize that the high prices they are experiencing are the result of government interference in the marketplace.

This contradiction suggests not a coherent ideological commitment to socialism, but rather frustration with the high costs of certain goods and services. The sentiment is understandable but not the proposed remedy.

Millennials, Gen Zs, Capitalism, Socialism, and Confusion

The Role of Education 

What passes for education in our schools is a large part of the problem. In virtually all school systems K-12 capitalism is not taught as one providing economic freedom but one of oppression. The teachers’ associations are headed by socialists and their agenda reflects it. Most of the teachers are also woefully uneducated in what they teach. Most would fail a basic quiz in their subject matters. So people overcome their woeful education through experience and aging. People grow more conservative as they age. Jobs, marriage and responsibilities tend to make people more conservative. Also most people instinctually favor capitalism. Have you ever wondered why with the leftist press, K-12 teachers and professors why there we are all not socialists or at least leftists? It is because what they are preaching is against human nature and that human nature the basis of capitalism.

The Limits of the Socialist Surge

A handful of socialist officeholders in a handful of left-leaning cities is not a national wave. Most democrats remain traditional liberals — skeptical of Medicare for All, opposed to open borders, and unwilling to defund the police. When socialist candidates venture beyond their strongholds, the results show a meager following. Even in Philadelphia and San Francisco, far-left candidates lost to more centrist democrats. The same is true most everywhere. Even Chicago’s mayor Bandon Johnson does not call himself a socialist even though many in his city council and administration are avowed socialists. So proclaiming that the socialists are taking over America is simply a fabrication of the FAKE NEWS media.

What of the Future?

The narrative of a socialist takeover of America is, in short, a media confection — a story built for clicks and alarm, not for accuracy. The balance of power in Washington is unchanged. The votes in Congress are unchanged. And the majority of democrats, when given a genuine choice, continue to prefer a system built on private ownership, individual initiative, and economic freedom — even if they might wish that system came with a stronger safety net. But a cautionary word: don’t get complacent.

Maybe we should call these socialist democrats DINOs – democrats in name only.