The DFL and the DSA

            Democratic socialists have been getting a lot of attention. From Zohran Mamdani to Angie Nixon, they’ve scored a string of electoral successes that have rattled some centrist Democrats. I am not in that camp.

            I consider myself a democratic socialist but not a Democratic Socialist. That is to say, my goal in politics is to sustain a democratic system that works for the common good, but I have no particular interest in joining the Democratic Socialists of America. I’m sure I agree with most of their platform, but platforms are only as good as your ability to achieve them.

            First and foremost, political parties are vehicles for winning elections. For democratic socialists to win elections, they must do it through an effective partnership with the Democratic party because, like it or not, we live in a two-party system. If they show they can, we should enthusiastically support them.

            The real question is what an effective partnership between the DFL and the DSA should look like. Elections are won when a majority of voters agree that their candidate is the best choice, although those voters surely don’t agree on every issue. Electoral success is about building coalitions. It’s about being a big-tent party. The party is strong when everyone understands that.

            So I’m perfectly content to welcome democratic socialists under our big tent if the feeling is reciprocated. Mutual respect and civility are needed. Whoever emerges as our candidate, it’s essential that we put our differences aside and unite.

            The danger, it seems to me, comes when people put ideological purity ahead of electoral power. Expecting candidates to align perfectly with your ideology is a recipe for irrelevance. In any given election, you have only three choices: vote for the Democrat, vote for the Republican, or vote for neither. Choosing the third option is essentially a gift to the Republicans.

            Many in the DSA are not fans of Amy Klobuchar, for example, and there are things in her record I don’t particularly like either. Yet she has also been a strong voice in the Senate for antitrust, and that is a hugely important issue. Anyone who thinks that Klobuchar is no better than Lisa Demuth is not paying attention, and one or the other is going to be our next governor.

            At its worst, a demand for ideological conformity can subvert democracy. It can lead to efforts to purge those you don’t agree with and to take over the party apparatus. Instead of building a movement that is united and broad-based, it is divisive and self-defeating.

            Many of us are impatient for change, but real change will come when we form a government that is a force for good. What makes Mamdani so great is not just his socialist principles, but the fact that he is making good things happen in New York. He isn’t making a revolution, but he is making life better for the working class. That is the kind of government we need, and we can achieve it if we work together.

Paul Harris