Here’s What It Means to Be a Democratic Socialist - Universal health care, taxing the wealthy and opposition to military aid to Israel are among the movement’s key tenets

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/politics/heres-what-it-means-to-be-a-democratic-socialist.html?unlocked_article_code=1.s1A.YckV.uWDKKjMU2G8Q

370 points · 36 comments · view on lemmy.world

36 Comments

WatDabney@sopuli.xyz · 74 pts · 55d (1 reply)

Or in other words, sanity.

PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 54d
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dumples@piefed.social · 51 pts · 54d (4 replies)

We need more articles about this. DSA message will really resonate across all of America even rural america.

jtrek@startrek.website · 20 pts · 54d (2 replies)

It faces the problem where even if people like the policy, they're emotionally invested in being Republicans. Also many of them don't want social programs if it means non-whites benefit. I think those people need to be dragged into the future. Find a way to let them be decent and save their stupid face.

TheMadCodger@piefed.social · 6 pts · 54d

Dragged into the future, dragged into a volcano, not really picky at this point

theacharnian@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 54d

Also many of them don’t want social programs if it means non-whites benefit.

The wages of goddamn whiteness.

wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 54d

Sounds like the media is starting to catch the hint

neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 26 pts · 54d (1 reply)

The New York Times is among the organizations from whom I'm least-interested in hearing views of or about Democratic Socialists.

Fuck them transphobes.

gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 54d

And now the song "Stayin' Alive" is in my head

But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 54d (13 replies)

How bout reducing your own military, feeding your people and not worrying about policing the other side of the planet? Also maybe deal with your fascist problem and stop being colonizing world police

Fishnoodle@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 54d (12 replies)

Yeah, that's pretty much the Democratic socialist platform

But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world · -19 pts · 54d (11 replies)

In America even the leftists are world policing

LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net · 20 pts · 54d (9 replies)

Who are you referring to here, specifically?

Dryad@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 54d (8 replies)

Establishment democrats would definitely fit.

LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net · 19 pts · 54d (6 replies)

Sure, but I don't think most people would consider them leftists. But maybe that's what they meant.

EntheoNaut@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 54d (5 replies)

Unsure how else to speak about my politics.

Leftist, socialist, anarchist

I helped create a leftist gun club in my community as many folks did not feel safe or welcome in other spaces. Due to politics of the day I didn’t want to join or directly affiliate with national orgs; SRA or Pink Pistols so I started a local group. We have contacts with both those orgs from other cities in our state but wanted to be separate. We affiliate, collaborate and welcome those who do not fit elsewhere.

We united under leftist.

There’s more of us than you think.

LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 54d

I'm not sure how that relates to what I was saying but it sounds pretty cool.

Fribbizz@feddit.org · 2 pts · 54d

The only thing that makes them "left" is that they are not Republicans and that Republicans keep calling them left.

Establishment Democrats would fit right in with traditional conservative parties throughout Europe. I could easily see Merkel of the CDU being to the left of quite a number of Establishment Democrats.

iThinkDifferentThanU@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 54d
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billwashere@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 54d

Yes sir may I have some more.

It’s kinda sad that common sense is a platform.

some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org · 9 pts · 54d

I don't get my facts from publications that rolled with isreal's lies about sexual violence on Oct 7, which after being roundly debunked was never retracted. Also, as someone else mentioned, fuck transphobes.

Lasherz12@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 54d

NYT doesn't define anyone anywhere. They can define deez nuts.

Fishnoodle@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 54d (1 reply)

We are all Democratic Socialists ..

Reddfugee42@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 54d

We should all be...

Schmoo@slrpnk.net · 6 pts · 54d

In the United States, democratic socialists’ policies tend to support working within the capitalist system rather than abolishing it outright.

In the United States, Social Democrats call themselves Democratic Socialists. Or are they just using social democracy to get their foot in the door so democratic socialism can follow? Only time will tell. I know what I'm hoping for, but I do worry a bit that there isn't a follow-up plan. Even so, social democracy is much more fertile ground for a real socialist movement to thrive.

melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 54d

Sign me up.

CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 54d

This reminds me of Cenk Uygur breaking down polls, issue by issue, and showing how when polled on the issues (meaning you go beyond mere labels that the cons have spent decades smearing), Americans tend to be progressive.

Those were more recent-ish polls, but I seem to recall that Chomsky said the same thing going back decades. This is why institutions like Faux News and hate radio had to be made, I guess, because if you get people all worked up and arguing about things like bathroom bills and "men in women's sports" and other things at the margins, people won't notice just how much they are getting fucked.

Buffalox@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 54d

That sounds AWFUL!! Why do they hate America so much?
/s

BlackLaZoR@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 54d

It practice it means taxing everyone. Claim that you can finance these policies by taxing just the rich is nothing more than populism.

Expect double the fuel price (Because fuel taxes are really easy to enforce) and 20-25% Vat like tax on everything except super basic goods. But that wouldn't be enough, your employer would have to pay mandatory healthcare insurance too for every worker, along with social security.

santa@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 54d

Pretty much what, from my recent experiences and understandings of democratic talking points, but actually f’in doing it!

Cosmonaut@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 54d

thats why it is a capitalist movement, not socialist

lennybird@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 54d

Same goes for SocDems.

Mulligrubs@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 54d

In USA, bOtH pArTiEs fully support Israel due to decades of generous financial support from Christians and Jews (and their wealthy organizations).

Meanwhile, churches and temples and mosques and everything else are TAX FREE, with far more benefits than secular charities.

Our taxes support these organizations, all of whom make a fortune a course, and that fortune is then used to influence policy with political "donations" of all kinds.

So, the masses are supporting organizations that then funnel money back to our government representatives in an endless loop of financial corruption... which can't even be considered corruption, since it's the law.

The USA created Israel, and won't stop supporting it willingly, and this won't be changed by voting.

tidderuuf@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 54d

We had a socialist in Seattle, got none of those things from her.