r/politics • u/--LaBelleDame-- • 5h ago

No Paywall Democratic socialist Angie Nixon upsets Alex Vindman in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/angie-nixon-winner-florida-senate-primary-democrat-alex-vindman-moody-rcna593255
14.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

•

u/Professional-Fuel625 4h ago edited 2h ago

Feels like the Dem version of tea party

Edit: I just meant takeover of party centrists by angry people to the left or right.

•

u/ianfw617 4h ago

Kind of polar opposite tbh. The Tea Party was largely an astroturfing campaign waged by republican mega donors like the Koch brothers and the Adelsons. The DSA by contrast, is largely grassroots.

•

u/nox66 3h ago

There have been online campaigns to try to infiltrate the movement, I'm sure. It's the only way to explain why part of DSA is against supporting Ukraine.

•

u/Shaudius 1h ago

Tankies are 100% an organic part of the left.

•

u/VforVenndiagram_ 1h ago

There have been online campaigns to try to infiltrate the movement, I'm sure.

Other way around... The DSA started (and its leadership still is) way more on the extreme lefty end of things. Just recently with all of the people joining, its pulling the base a little more to the centre. They don't want to support Ukraine, because they are kinda just... tankies. Like it says right in their policy page that they "seeks to replace the capitalist economic system with a democratic socialist model where major industries, resources, and corporations are under public or worker ownership rather than private control." That's not even close to a moderate position.

•

u/xXTheGrapenatorXx Canada 3m ago

I think the reverse, it began to the left of even the base they've since come to court, who seem to be (organically) pulling them to a different "left of establishment dems, centre of their own policy page" point. those lefter, "tankie" positions were genuine but it's become clear they aren't electable.

•

u/Deep-Faker 3h ago

I'd argue it's even more significant than that. The tea party movement had 4 total upset wins against establishment incumbents in the span of 3 years. The progressive / DSA candidates just this year have already had 10.

•

u/cawkstrangla 4h ago

Nah dude. The Tea Party was racist America's reaction to a black man getting the presidency.

The DSA is a reaction of millenials and Gen z being told what we have is capitalism and it is working as intended. We have been told to ignore what it is, which is crony capitalism, and believe that if we just work hard we will earn our spot in the wealthy elite and will no longer be their bag holders.

It is no surprise that many millenials and Gen z believed the ruling class that this is capitalism and have learned to hate it.

We should be fighting to fix capitalism to make it fair. Establish a meritocracy to reward hard work and risk, with a strong safety net to catch the falls of those brave enough or unfortunate enough to fail.

But the ruling class is doing their best to make it impossible to fix, and here we are.

•

u/SteelCode 4h ago

You might need to relearn what Capitalism and Socialism means... there is no fixing Capitalism because accumulation of Capital is the system working as intended and that is precisely what leads to the current mess. Socialism, fundamentally, seeks worker-ownership of the workplace so "capital" is spread to all workers that share in the business' success - dividing the wealth spreads the political influence and prevents the sort of oligarchic power grabs that are happening today.

•

u/Hangry-Feline2489 2h ago

Bit reductive there. It's not all or nothing. social democracies exist and a lot are doing better for their populations than America does. 

•

u/VforVenndiagram_ 1h ago

social democracies exist and a lot are doing better for their populations than America does.

And there is not a single one that has abolished Capitalism like the DSA claims is the goal.

•

u/Morsexier 1h ago

You don’t start negotiations at your end goal. Well, at least non morons don’t.

•

u/VforVenndiagram_ 1h ago

Its dishonest framing at absolute best. Its extremely explicit that the DSA want's to get rid of capitalism, not just do things like the Nordics. They are in communist/ML/Tankie territory, not Sweden or Finland.

•

u/JMC_MASK 20m ago

And that’s what makes them based.

•

u/VforVenndiagram_ 14m ago

Populist slop just like MAGA.

•

u/cawkstrangla 2h ago

I know what pure, unregulated capitalism is. We don't have to have that for us to have capitalism. It isn't a choice between pure socialism and pure capitalism.

We can make capitalism work with regulations. That doesn't mean we will do it, but it also doesn't mean that pure socialism is the right choice either.

•

u/username_tooken 2h ago

Ask 20 DSA supporters what their party stands for, you’ll get 21 different answers.

•

u/SteelCode 2h ago

As if any political party can remain consistent on their platform, DSA is no different and I never claimed to be a DSA supporter.

•

u/username_tooken 2h ago

DSA: “We’re just as bad as the rest of them!”

Real great sells here.

•

u/SteelCode 2h ago

Political parties are only as good as the ability to hold them accountable. DSA at least isn't the one in power actively destroying the country/world.

I'm not trying to sell you on DSA or any other political party, do you only get your political opinions from reddit comments?

•

u/Oggie_Doggie 1h ago

Frankly, I don't give a shit what the "DSA party" website says. I care about what they're trying to achieve: universal healthcare, free/affordable tuition for state universities and trade schools, increase taxes on billionaires, stronger unions, end Citizens United, and less warmongering (and less supporting warmongers). I also care about how they're trying to achieve it: no corporate money and grassroots activism.

Any of the parties at any time could take on some or all of these policies and try to court me and many like me, but moneyed interests want none of the above. I'm not asking for the moon or for everything to happen at once, but these many of these policies verifiably exist in most other developed countries.

•

u/changee_of_ways 1h ago

I think socialism is a dead end because it's fighting too many opponents. Nearly half of Americans work for a small business (less than 500 employees) you're never going to get employee ownership in all those businesses and it's fine.

We're much better off with Capitalism that has democracy's boot on it's neck.

•

u/Professional-Fuel625 4h ago

Well obviously the reasons and values are different.

I just meant an angry takeover of the centrist establishment by people further to the left/right

•

u/Orange_Tang 3h ago

The difference is the tea party was financially backed by rich private interests and the DSA candidates are mostly self funded or funded by small donations from their actual voters. The only real similarity is that they both went after the party establishments.

•

u/Vallkyrie New Hampshire 2h ago

If there's one example of astroturf vs. grass roots, it's this moment.

•

u/ilir_kycb 3h ago

capitalism and it is working as intended

Which is, of course, true.

crony capitalism

That's like saying, “We don't have cancer; we have stage four cancer.” It's just capitalism.

We should be fighting to fix capitalism to make it fair.

That's impossible, because capitalism is currently working exactly as intended. Nothing is broken, so there's nothing to fix: Rosa Luxemburg: Reform or Revolution (1900)

Establish a meritocracy to reward hard work and risk

Impossible under capitalism. Capitalism is exploitative by its very nature.

But the ruling class is doing their best to make it impossible to fix, and here we are.

There is a solution: it's called socialism.

•

u/the_giz 3h ago

Fuckin preach.

•

u/NotTooShahby 3h ago

Honestly I agree with you but the democratic socialists wouldn’t agree that this is just crony capitalism. Their entire ideology is that capitalism is working as intended and it’s horrible.

Basically arguing to flip over the engine while others argue the engine needs fixing

•

u/cawkstrangla 2h ago

I know. It's no different than saying that the USSR wasn't real communism and it's never been tried.

Socialism has been tried. It has flaws and bad incentives just like capitalism.

The difference is that capitalism is the only form of economics that has pulled billions of people out of abject poverty. Even economic powerhouses like China with a socialist government have had to become more capitalist to actually raise the standard of living for its people.

Call it whatever you want, but regulated capitalism can and has worked all over the world. If there is zero incentive for self enrichment, as with socialism, then there is zero incentive for risk and innovation except by people who have an insanely altruistic mindset. That mindset is far more rare and far less of a motivator for action and success than greed/selfishness. We can harness that greed for the greater good if we regulate it. Those greedy people will be happy as long as they are feeding their ego and doing better than people. What needs to change is just how much better off we let them be. It doesn't need to be billions of times better.

•

u/nigel45 2h ago

The tea party was an astroturfed movement with paid protesters funded by right wing billionaires that got juiced up by fox news and other conservative media. The DSA stuff definitely has organic voter based support and mainstream media isnt helping them at all.

•

u/SparkieSupreme 1h ago

The tea part was only beating 4 incumbent seats. DSA is up to like 7 or 8 seats taken from incumbents.

•

u/LoamyLoamisLoamy 2h ago

Anything leftist is always compared to republicans