The False Framing of the DSA Debate

Photograph Source: 7pej – CC BY 4.0

In response to my recent critiques of the Democratic Socialists of America’s Red Star caucus, a Marxist Leninist faction one of DSA’s two co-chairs belongs to, some commentators have suggested my writing represents an attack by the organization’s right flank on its left. DSA hosts a range of opinion, that could be plausibly divided into right and left. I’m not sure these are the most useful descriptions, but I understand them. I reject the notion, however, my specific criticism of Red Star’s support of totalitarian regimes is somehow more right-wing, while their defense of nominally ‘socialist’ dictatorships is somehow more left-wing.

For instance, not long ago, I attended a meeting of the Hartford DSA branch, in which DSA’s stance on a potential presidential run by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was debated. The question arose of the organization building a third party, which I was strongly against. I was very familiar with the pre-2016 left, before socialists started regularly using the Democratic ballot line, and had no desire to return to the self-marginalization of that era. I’m open to the idea that position puts me on the DSA right. Personally, I think it reflects a willingness to reckon with the reality of America’s two-party system, but if people want to describe that as a more conservative view than that of those seeking a break with the Democratic Party, I can accept the framing.

That said, when it comes to my criticism of Red Star, I fundamentally disagree with the way in which commentators are categorizing the discussion. There’s nothing left-wing about defending dictatorship. In fact, I’d argue there’s not much that’s more conservative. China, and countries like it, have merely replaced private control of the means of production by an elite capitalist class with private control of the means of production by an elite bureaucratic class. On top of this, contrary to propaganda repeated by Red Star members about ‘whole process people’s democracy,’ the Chinese government is a one-party state that severely restricts freedom of the press, as well as internet access.

I worry DSA’s culture of ideological tolerance, some degree of which is necessary for a big-tent organization to succeed, has reached the point at which members who should know better aren’t standing up for basic democratic principles or factual reality. As a result, a surprising number of young DSA activists seem to be absorbing totalitarian lies uncritically. This culture has created a dynamic in which those pushing back against these falsehoods are viewed as disruptive to unity. For instance, my posting ability on the organization’s internal forums was limited because I was confronting these authoritarian tendencies too much. The last comments of mine, which inspired moderator action, were one in which I referred to Red Star members as tankies and another in which I asked what the caucus’ position on North Korea was.

Apparently, the first was disrespectful and the second was believed to have been made in bad faith. I don’t deny the first accusation, but in terms of the second, I actually did want to know how far Red Star took their opposition to criticizing regimes that called themselves socialist. It’s a strange stance, considering the caucus seemed to oppose supporting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on ‘lesser evil’ grounds, even in the face of a fascist threat as dangerous as the Make America Great Again movement. I guess opposition to ‘lesser evil’ thinking does not extend to the question of criticizing North Korea, which, in my understanding, is essentially a hereditary monarchy masquerading as socialism.

Above all, I disagree with Red Star on the merits. I don’t believe there is such a thing as socialism without democracy. Still, I’d be remiss not to mention Red Star’s prominence is a public-relations disaster waiting to happen. A Newsweek article from earlier this year provided a potential sample of what’s to come. Didi Kirsten Tatlow, relying on a DSA insider, reported members of the organization’s International Committee were trying to cultivate connections with the Chinese Communist Party and downplayed the country’s oppressive treatment of groups like the Uyghurs. Tatlow’s piece unfairly tried to tie New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to all of this, but I have no reason to doubt her other reporting, based on my interactions with Red Star members online.

I’ve found DSA members who perhaps aren’t Marxist Leninists themselves, but are sympathetic to them, try to root the ideology in the American democratic socialist tradition by pointing out Eugene Debs’ praise for Soviet Russia in 1919. First of all, I think this conflates the views and actions of Vladimir Lenin with Marxist Leninism. They are different things. The latter was formulated after Lenin’s death by Joseph Stalin and was subsequently expanded by dictators like Mao Zedong. Stalin hadn’t consolidated power by the time Debs died. Second, Debs’ view of Lenin was, at a minimum, quickly complicated. By 1922, he was cabling Lenin, pleading with the Russian leader not to execute socialist rivals.

The example of Norman Thomas, Debs’ successor in the Socialist Party of America, provides a better idea of what Debs’ perspective of Marxist Leninism might have been had he lived to see Stalin put it into practice. Thomas described the Soviet system as ‘red fascism.’ I think that’s as good a description as any, and communicates the idea that defense of dictatorship is not meaningfully leftist. It’s tragic DSA must define itself as ‘democratic socialist,’ a label that should be redundant, however anti-democratic groups, including those within the organization, like Red Star, help make the label necessary. While I’m opposed to purging such groups from DSA, because I fear it could create a self-destructive, sectarian spiral, I hope the membership will vote Red Star out of positions of power.

Jon Hochschartner is the author of a number of books about animal-rights history, including The Animals’ Freedom Fighter, Ingrid Newkirk, and Puppy Killer, Leave Town. He blogs at SlaughterFreeAmerica.Substack.com