By Daniel Nardini
In just a matter of weeks, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. The Republican Party has bare control over the U.S. House of Representatives and pretty solid control over the U.S. Senate. At the state and local level the situation is more fluid. The Democratic Party has made gains at the state and local level, and with it the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have also made gains at the state and local level. For the DSA, this is key because if they can build support at the local and then state levels they will have created a very solid base to increase their numbers at the national level. This has happened before, and it can happen again. We have to keep in mind that before the 21st Century, the DSA was little more than just another Marxist left organization not too different from so many other smaller Marxist organizations.
This changed in the 21st Century and especially in the 2010’s where the DSA not only became a formidable force on the local and state levels but also within the federal government as well. Before 2000, there were no DSA members within the U.S. Congress, Now there are three; Greg Cesar, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib. In state assemblies, there are 14 current members of the DSA in office—including two in Illinois. For Illinois they are Rachel Ventura and Robert Peters. Then there is the Green Party USA. There are 156 members of the Green Party who hold local and state public offices. Like the DSA, the Green Party is pushing a green, socialist agenda. While the Green Party, unlike the DSA, does not operate within the Democratic Party, it nevertheless does have some influence in the Democratic areas of the country. Like the DSA, the Green Party is trying to push those areas under Democratic Party control further left. With the losses in the national election to the Republicans, it is possible that more Democratic-leaning areas will go left.
Is it possible that eventually the DSA and the Green Party, along with other leftist groups and parties, might form a coalition and work to push the Democratic Party further left, or run their own candidates to push the electorate further left? This is a real possibility given the times we live in now. Many people feel that the two big ruling parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are not addressing their needs and may want more radical candidates who will address their needs. Just as the political right was able to make real inroads into the lives of ordinary working class people, the political left might just do the same. So far, where the political left has been able to do this has been on local and state levels. Could this go nationwide? If the Republicans and the political right do not fulfill their campaign promises then the American electorate could just as easily seesaw to the political left. What may seem all but impossible now may be different in two to four years from now.
The Gathering Political Left
By Daniel Nardini
This changed in the 21st Century and especially in the 2010’s where the DSA not only became a formidable force on the local and state levels but also within the federal government as well. Before 2000, there were no DSA members within the U.S. Congress, Now there are three; Greg Cesar, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib. In state assemblies, there are 14 current members of the DSA in office—including two in Illinois. For Illinois they are Rachel Ventura and Robert Peters. Then there is the Green Party USA. There are 156 members of the Green Party who hold local and state public offices. Like the DSA, the Green Party is pushing a green, socialist agenda. While the Green Party, unlike the DSA, does not operate within the Democratic Party, it nevertheless does have some influence in the Democratic areas of the country. Like the DSA, the Green Party is trying to push those areas under Democratic Party control further left. With the losses in the national election to the Republicans, it is possible that more Democratic-leaning areas will go left.
Is it possible that eventually the DSA and the Green Party, along with other leftist groups and parties, might form a coalition and work to push the Democratic Party further left, or run their own candidates to push the electorate further left? This is a real possibility given the times we live in now. Many people feel that the two big ruling parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are not addressing their needs and may want more radical candidates who will address their needs. Just as the political right was able to make real inroads into the lives of ordinary working class people, the political left might just do the same. So far, where the political left has been able to do this has been on local and state levels. Could this go nationwide? If the Republicans and the political right do not fulfill their campaign promises then the American electorate could just as easily seesaw to the political left. What may seem all but impossible now may be different in two to four years from now.