DSA Reaffirms Anti-Communism in Face of Congress’ Resolution
The House of Representatives recently passed an updated version of its annual resolution condemning socialism. This year, it complained about the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in particular. DSA did not take it lying down. A prominent DSA ideologist, Ben Burgis, took to the webpages of Jacobin, DSA’s unofficial magazine, with a fierce protest: DSA is anti- communist!
Burgis begins, “The House just passed a resolution condemning the Democratic Socialists of America and socialism broadly. While it rehearses opposition to Stalinist authoritarianism, the bill’s real preoccupation is with socialists’ advocacy for expanded democracy.”
Burgis is a philosophy teacher and logician. The heart of his rebuttal is this paragraph:
“The resolution’s nominal argument is a mess. The first two ‘whereas’ clauses are claims about the crimes of Stalinist regimes. But democratic socialists have always been critical of such regimes, even then. Condemning democratic socialists with claims about the crimes of Stalinist authoritarianism makes about as much sense as an atheist bringing up the Spanish Inquisition to condemn the Southern Baptists.”
DSA scrambles to assure Congress that we “socialists” do not celebrate the achievements of the Soviet Union when Stalin was its leader: not its putting centuries of famines to an end, nor its industrialization, nor its enormous sacrifice of life to defeat the Nazi monster. DSA sees only “crimes of Stalinist authoritarianism.” The chant is so hackneyed that no specifics are required. You just invoke it as a priest invokes the devil.
What is the difference between liberals like the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), who were redbaited in the 1950s, and the self-labeled democratic socialists that Congress redbaits today? After all, they both slander communism. They both concentrate on electoral politics. They both play down class struggle. They both abhor the slightest mention of overthrowing capitalism.
There is a difference. Liberals are honest about pursuing electoral politics to improve capitalism. DSA presents the same electoral reformism as socialism. Congressional reactionaries love to smear DSA, knowing its rejoinder will be safely anti-communist. It’s a win-win for capitalist politics.
Compare Fidel Castro when charged with insurrection in 1953. He made a direct reply: “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.”