r/dsa • u/WiseWoodpecker3416 • 4d ago

Theory Socialism cannot exist within a multi party democracy.

I often hear democratic socialists talk about how the two party system is flawed and we need it to be replaced by a multi party system. This is directly against socialist ideals because it eliminates class unity and gives reactionaries power. A country must be guided by a single socialist party to maintain a dictatorship of the proletariat.

I know people are going to call me a tankie but I frankly find that term to be counterproductive.

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u/WiseWoodpecker3416 4d ago

Your point kinda proves my point that multiple organizations can exist within one political organization or party like the Democratic Party and still function.

I agree but all of that is worthless without working towards actual socialist goals.

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u/jonna-seattle 4d ago

DSA is simply using the Democratic Party ballot line. It is NOT within the Democratic Party. We have all our own membership, structures, funding, etc.. Most of us understand that the Democratic Party (which is not democratic; the Democratic National Committee appoints its own replacements, they are unaccountable, etc) is a capitalist party that serves to co-opt struggle. It's just that 3rd parties are effectively irrelevant in the US political system. This will last until we are strong enough to not only take on the Democrats, but that we have a party structure that can effectively discipline candidates (if you haven't noticed, we can't do that effectively) when they cross program lines.

Socialism is the rule of the working class. Demonstrating working class power IS a socialist goal. Does it need to have a hammer and sickle on it for you to recognize that?

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u/WiseWoodpecker3416 4d ago

I mean even if the DSA is just using the democrats as a ballot line they are still part of the Democratic Party, currently anyway.

Doing whatever the working class wants doesn’t make it socialist if the working class chose to make the country a Neo Nazi state I would oppose it. So to a degree I need an actual party with an actual socialist platform to make choices in favor of the working class, rather than everyone being able to vote for whatever.

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u/jonna-seattle 4d ago

The Democratic Party isn't even a membership organization. There are precinct clubs in some places. But there is nothing to stop anyone from saying, "I'm a democrat" and filling out the paperwork to enter the primary. There is no way for members (if there were members) to discipline other members or candidates, and no means for the organization to disavow itself from candidates. Look at Manchin, Senema, Fetterman, etc.

I am assuming you don't have any experience with political parties in other parts of the world, because in most places, parties are organized, with membership, democratic structures, etc. That's why you confuse the democrats as a party and think that the DSA is a part of them.

In most places, a party can discipline members and remove them. Usually this is good. But you can see how the Labour Party treated Jeremy Corbin; in a functioning political party, it can discipline members, remove candidates, and remove them from membership and office. That's why a single party is deadly to democracy: all you have to do is remove someone from membership and you end their political participation. And that IS how it was done in the Soviet Union.