Reject Socialism, Embrace Founding Principles
In a year that many have spent celebrating America’s 250th birthday, we have seen a surge of support for a movement that is actually opposed to our founding principles. For most of our history, socialism has been a fringe element in American politics, but it is now finding its way into the mainstream.
In deep blue New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office as a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party. Michigan and Florida both see DSA-aligned candidates running for U.S. Senate.
Socialists Flout the Constitution
Today’s far-left candidates have made no secret of their views. Like all socialists, they favor public control over the right to private ownership. Mayor Mamdani promised to freeze rent for New Yorkers, disincentivizing landlords to maintain housing and compete for tenants. He is planning to open a city-run grocery store, adopting a model that failed decades ago in the Soviet Union.
Socialist candidates also share a classic affinity for centralized power. The official DSA platform calls for the abolition of the U.S. Senate and the Electoral College. Party planners want to get rid of the president and the Supreme Court. They would replace both with an executive and judiciary chosen by—and subordinate to—an expanded House of Representatives.
After they are done dismantling our constitutional framework, socialist leaders plan to come for other vital public institutions. The DSA has published its wish list, which includes defunding the police and prison system, eliminating the Pentagon, and closing America’s overseas military bases. Closer to home, the socialists would cut off funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and grant amnesty to all immigrants, regardless of status.
Founders’ Vision Endures
The midterm elections in November will show the extent to which the DSA is able to win American votes. But regardless of the outcome on Election Day, the rise of socialism is cause for concern. The trend is particularly strong among younger citizens. In a recent poll, 46 percent of young adults expressed a favorable view of socialism. Only 26 percent held a negative view. The rest weren’t sure.
Perhaps socialism is alluring because it promises easy answers. Centralized control streamlines debate (by shutting it down), and public ownership reduces the complexity of the marketplace (by eliminating it).
But so much is lost along the way. America was built on careful deliberation. That has made our progress slow at times, but it has made our system of government sturdy, built on the hard work of compromise and consensus.
That stability is deliberately built into our Constitution. As voters consider socialist candidates this year, they should also consider that founding document, which was presented to the states this month in 1787. The Constitution was itself the product of compromise. None of the framers was perfectly happy with the result, and we have amended it only 27 times since then.
The DSA hopes to overturn the central tenants of the longest-standing national governing document in the world. The core of our Constitution is the separation of powers. Weary of the centralized authority of a king, the framers made sure to spread governing duties among three branches. By dividing power among the legislature, the courts, and the president, they protected us and our rights against the power grabs of any one leader. This bedrock American principle is on the ballot in November.
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