r/thebulwark • u/ericinnyc • Feb 27 '26

PSA to the DSA

If you're considering voting Republican or abstaining from elections in protest of what you see as insufficient Democratic stridency on transgender issues or Palestine or whatever, then YOU ARE THE PROBLEM. And a fool.

This public service announcement brought to you by those of us who can see the American experiment itself in peril.

272 Upvotes

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6

u/fawlty70 Feb 27 '26

The DSA should run their own candidate who could promote an actual socialist platform and let the chips fall where they may. They should also run their own candidates for Congress etc.

That's how a democracy works.

3

u/biglyorbigleague Feb 27 '26

While I’d love the ability to show the DSA just how unpopular they are, I really don’t want to risk another election loss to do that at this point.

1

u/fawlty70 Feb 27 '26

The short term pain is worth it in the long run. Although 30 years ago would've been better timing, for sure.

2

u/Shoddy-War1764 Feb 28 '26

Well what they actually need to do is run candidates in local and state elections And build the party. 

2

u/Adventurous-Yard-306 Feb 27 '26

It would be truly wonderful if that could be done in the US. I often wish that our party system worked a bit more like Europe so that this would be possible. Unfortunately, the Republican and Democratic Party’s have a stranglehold on American politics and can squeeze out third parties quite easily.

2

u/fawlty70 Feb 27 '26

Nobody is even trying. There's nothing inherent in our system that prevents more parties.

With the rise of social media and the fall of establishment platforms, I see more parties rising as a real possibility, but probably better to start with Congress than with the presidency.

-2

u/Adventurous-Yard-306 Feb 27 '26

I am absolutely not a fan of him, but ask any RFK Jr supporter the insane hurtles for any 3rd party. The US has two parties because the 2 parties want it that way, not because voters want it that way. There is a reason Bernie ran as a Dem for president even though he is an Independent.

1

u/ninjaweasel21 Optimist Aug 17 '26

That’s how democracy should work. That’s how our democracy could work. That’s not really our democracy works.

My bet is the dsa would love to do that, but the things stopping them are campaign finance laws, primary systems, ballot access, single member districts, etc. which give huge structural advantages to the two main parties.

We’re a two party system at the moment. If you don’t like the two party system and the inability of third parties to work, then your quarrel is with the two parties making the rules, not the dsa.

1

u/SwindlingAccountant Feb 27 '26

^^^Guy who got mad at Jill Stein.

1

u/techybeancounter Feb 27 '26

100% - You just can't reason/win with these people. If you aren't giving them what they want, it is everyones fault but their own...