“Our popular Government has often been called an experiment. Two points in it our people have already settled—the successful establishing and the successful administering of it. One still remains—its successful maintenance against a formidable internal attempt to overthrow it… [to] demonstrate to the world that those who can fairly carry an election can also suppress a rebellion; that ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets.” President Abraham Lincoln July 4, 1861
In the frothy world of American left-wing politics, where ideals of equity and justice bubble up like over fermented kombucha, few organizations have captured the zeitgeist quite like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Founded in 1982 as a ragtag alliance of Bernie Sanders enthusiasts and dusty Marxist reading groups, the DSA exploded in popularity during the Trump era, ballooning from a few thousand members to over 90,000 by 2020. It birthed electoral stars like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib—the so-called "Squad"—and positioned itself as the scrappy underdog fighting corporate greed and systemic inequality. Who could argue with that? Free college, Medicare for All, a living wage: these are red-meat rallying cries for millennials drowning in student debt and gig-economy precarity.
But beneath the Instagram-ready memes and viral TikToks of canvassers knocking on doors in Bushwick, a darker undercurrent simmers. A recent exposé from Canary Mission, a watchdog group dedicated to unmasking extremism in progressive circles, paints the DSA not as a beacon of reform but as a Trojan horse for anti-American radicalism. Titled "Hostile Takeover: The DSA’s Plan to Capture American Politics," the report—released in late 2025—levels explosive charges: that the DSA is orchestrating a stealth infiltration of the Democratic Party, not to tweak its edges but to gut it from within, replacing liberal democracy with a cocktail of Marxism, anti-imperialist fury, and outright sympathy for designated terrorist organizations. It's a narrative that demands scrutiny, especially as DSA-backed candidates like Zohran Mamdani surge toward powerhouses like New York City Hall.
Let's unpack this. At its core, Canary Mission accuses the DSA of waging a "hostile takeover," leveraging the party's infrastructure while plotting its ideological evisceration. Drawing parallels to Bolshevik subversion of the Mensheviks, the report claims DSA factions like the Liberation Caucus, Red Star Caucus, and Marxist Unity Group aren't content with incremental wins. They envision dismantling the "settler empire"—code for the United States itself—through armed "national liberation" and the overthrow of the Constitution. Frances Gill, a DSA National Political Committee member, is quoted urging activists to "take the empire down from within" from the "belly of the beast." Amy Wilhelm echoes this, calling for the "overthrow of empire." Ahmed Husain labels America a "decaying fascist empire," while Mirah Wood, on the DSA's International Committee, chillingly intones, "death to Israel and death to America.
"These aren't fringe whispers in a Reddit thread; they're public statements from elected leaders within the organization. The DSA's International Committee, in a 2019 declaration, explicitly committed to the "dissolution of the U.S. empire" and "decolonization" of American lands—rhetoric that blurs into calls for territorial balkanization. Post-October 7, 2023, when Hamas's brutal assault on Israel left 1,200 dead and ignited a global firestorm, the DSA's response wasn't mourning or measured critique. It was solidarity with "Palestinian resistance," framing the attack as a "revolutionary act" against imperialism. Chapters organized pro-Hamas rallies, with the Liberation Caucus hailing the slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a "martyr." Cliff Connolly, another NPC member, declared on October 7 itself: "Hamas is fighting for liberation.
"This terror-adjacent posturing isn't abstract. Canary Mission documents DSA ties to groups like the Palestinian Youth Movement, which radicalized chapters through anti-Zionist indoctrination, and Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian outfit that co-hosts events glorifying "intifada." Endorsements roll in from dubious corners: Imam Siraj Wahhaj, implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot, backed Mamdani's mayoral bid. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), whose executive director Nihad Awad praised the October 7 attacks as "inspirational," funneled $100,000 to his campaign. Even Rashida Tlaib, the DSA-endorsed congresswoman, dubbed the massacre "resistance.
"Zoom in on Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman whose 2025 NYC mayoral run exemplifies this creep. Powered by the NYC-DSA—the organization's largest chapter with 10,000 members—Mamdani's operation was a machine: 50,000 volunteers, 1.6 million doors knocked, 2.3 million calls made. Funding poured in from allies like the Working Families Party ($30,000 for canvassing) and Jewish Voice for Peace Action ($16,321). His co-chairs, Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo, didn't just mobilize; they ideologically steered. Gordillo reframes Hamas not as terrorists but as anti-capitalist warriors. Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani—a Columbia University professor—has justified suicide bombings in academic tomes, while mentor Linda Sarsour, a DSA fellow traveler, advocates Israel's destruction.
The DSA's anti-Israel obsession manifests in concrete sabotage. They've pushed BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) resolutions in local governments, conditioned endorsements on anti-Zionist litmus tests, and launched the "Not On Our Dime" campaign to kneecap Jewish charities aiding Israel. NYC-DSA co-authored bills to divest pension funds from the Jewish state, equating it to Nazi Germany. Kareem Elrefai compares Zionism to the Holocaust; Gerard D’Albon calls Israel a "Nazi regime." "From the river to the sea" chants—widely interpreted as a call for Israel's erasure—pepper their rallies, posted by NPC members like Alex Pelliterri.
But the rot extends beyond the Middle East. Domestically, DSA chapters agitate for "defund the police" and outright abolition, linking U.S. cops to "Palestinian liberation" in bizarre solidarity. NYC-DSA's Racial Justice Working Group targets the NYPD's Strategic Response Unit for disbandment, while national leaders like Shahana Hanif push to slash budgets for DEI redirection. Economically, it's state-controlled utopia: overthrow the market, seize the means, as the Marxist Unity Group demands. Internationally, alignment with authoritarians—China, Russia, Iran—via anti-imperialist cosplay. Even Alicia Singham Goodwin, niece of a China-based billionaire, was arrested at an anti-Israel protest, underscoring the odd-bedfellows vibe.
Critics of Canary Mission might dismiss this as McCarthyite fearmongering. The group, founded in 2014, has faced accusations of doxxing pro-Palestinian activists and stifling dissent. Its reports, while meticulously sourced with screenshots, quotes, and financial trails, lean heavily on guilt-by-association. DSA boosters in outlets like Jacobin and The Nation hail Mamdani's rise as a triumph of grassroots democracy, not a radical coup. AOC herself has distanced from the DSA's edgier edges, focusing on Green New Deal bread-and-butter issues. And let's be real: American politics has always harbored extremes, from Tea Party birthers to antifa window-smashers. Is the DSA's bombast any worse than Trump's MAGA cult?
Yet evidence mounts that it's not mere bluster. Mamdani's victory—narrow but seismic—signals DSA's electoral muscle. In 2024 primaries, they unseated moderates in Philadelphia and Chicago, installing BDS advocates. Their NPC, stacked with "Springs of Revolution" revolutionaries, now steers national strategy. Hasan Piker, the Twitch-streaming socialist heartthrob, amplifies this to millions, normalizing "globalize the intifada" as edgy praxis. In a polarized era, where 70% of young Democrats sympathize with Palestinians per recent polls, this isn't marginal; it's mainstreaming.
The peril lies in normalization. What starts as anti-Zionist fervor spills into antisemitism—DSA events have hosted speakers denying Jewish self-determination while waving Hezbollah flags. It erodes alliances: Jewish progressives, once DSA stalwarts, flee amid harassment. And abroad, it emboldens foes; Iran's proxies cheer U.S. leftists chanting "death to America" as validation.
Canary Mission's call to action rings urgent: Read, discuss, defend. As Desmond Tutu warned, “freedom's price is eternal vigilance”. The DSA's hostile takeover isn't a conspiracy theory—it's a blueprint, etched in manifestos and megaphones. Progressivism thrives on bold visions, but when those visions glorify violence and empire's end, they risk torching the house we're all trying to rebuild. Democrats must purge this fringe, lest the Squad becomes the Syndicate. The ballot box is our firewall; use it before the radicals rewrite the rules.
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer.
