Rep. Tom Suozzi: Democrats Must Reject the DSA

Rep. Tom Suozzi represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from northeastern Queens in New York City to a vast swath of suburban Long Island. He’s been an uncompromising critic of his party’s far-left flank, authoring the “Promise to America” earlier this year, with a number of other Democrats, to rebuke socialism and reaffirm what he believes are his party’s core principles. Today, he offers a stark warning to his fellow Democrats on what happens “when a determined ideological movement catches a party divided, complacent, or unprepared.” We hope you read the whole thing. —Will Rahn

Millions of Americans are losing faith in their government, their institutions, and an economic system that no longer seems to reward hard work. They struggle to afford housing, healthcare, and education while watching wealth become increasingly concentrated at the top. They’re mad as hell, in other words, and they’re not going to take it anymore.

But if Democrats are going to earn the confidence of these Americans this November and beyond, the answer will not be found in the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) platform. Although relatively small in number—the organization counts 120,000 members in a country of some 330 million people—the DSA is aggressive and disciplined. Candidates affiliated with the group are winning Democratic primaries. But we cannot allow them to drag our party to the far left.

Modern political history offers two stark warnings about what can happen when a determined ideological movement catches a party divided, complacent, or unprepared. We’ll start with the Republicans.

In 1964, GOP leaders badly underestimated Barry Goldwater, a fiercely right-wing Arizona senator. Many considered his views too conservative and his appeal too narrow. But Goldwater’s supporters were better organized and understood that party contests can be won by mobilizing passionate voters while the broader electorate remains divided or disengaged.