Hi friends,
I bet you realize that the Democratic party is moving left at an alarming pace.
To know what to think about “democratic socialism” we must read what the Democratic Socialists of America says it wants.
And we can’t just believe it’s not real. The Democratic party is moving farther left along with many of DSA’s goals and policies.
DSA’s new 2026 national program does not merely call for higher taxes, more social programs, or a larger welfare state. It describes a future “without capitalism” and says complete victory will require “building a new society from the ground up.” Its stated objectives include drafting a new constitution and changing our Constitutional Republic to what it calls a “democratic socialist republic.”
Change the Government Itself
Some of DSA’s most consequential proposals concern the structure of the United States government.
DSA proposes to:
Abolish the Senate.
Abolish the Electoral College.
Replace the President with an executive chosen by and subordinate to the remaining legislature.
Replace the current Supreme Court structure with a judiciary chosen by and subordinate to that legislature.
Expand the House, institute proportional representation and ranked-choice voting, and replace the two-party system with a multiparty system.
Consider what that means structurally.
The Senate would not simply lose power—it would cease to exist. With it would go the current institution that gives every state equal representation and performs constitutional duties involving treaties, presidential appointments, judicial confirmations and impeachment trials.
Meanwhile, the executive and judiciary would no longer possess their present institutional independence from the legislature.
That raises a basic question:
If there is no Senate, and both the executive and judiciary are subordinate to the remaining national legislature (previously the House of Representatives), what independent federal institution checks that legislature?
DSA’s program does not provide a complete proposed constitution explaining how all of those powers and checks would be redistributed. It does, however, explicitly say America needs “a new political system.”
It Goes Beyond Government Structure
DSA also proposes:
Public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries.
Universal healthcare at no cost to individuals.
Free public education through college and cancellation of all student debt.
Publicly owned social housing and universal rent control.
A federal jobs guarantee and publicly owned energy and transit infrastructure.
Abolition of ICE, an end to immigration detention and deportations, legalization of migration, amnesty regardless of immigration status, and elimination of visa caps and quotas.
Voting rights for permanent U.S. residents and incarcerated people.
And DSA describes redirecting police funding and other changes as steps toward “fully abolishing the police and prison system.”
These are not descriptions supplied by DSA’s opponents.
They come directly from DSA.
Read DSA’s 2026 program yourself.
“But Isn’t This Is Just Fringe Politics?”
That is a reasonable question—and this is where the history becomes important.
Not every DSA proposal has migrated into mainstream Democratic politics.
But some ideas once associated primarily with the socialist or progressive left have become acceptable and even desirable to many Democratic officeholders.
Consider Medicare for All. The 2025 House bill was introduced with 102 additional House cosponsors, while the Senate version had 15 additional cosponsors. Who will pay for it?
A federal jobs guarantee is another example. In September 2026, Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley renewed her proposal to create an enforceable legal right to a federally funded public job for every adult seeking employment. So, every adult would/could be a government employee? Who will pay for it?
Abolishing the Electoral College has also moved well beyond DSA. Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz, Dick Durbin and Peter Welch introduced a constitutional amendment in 2024 to replace it with election of the president by popular vote.
Noncitizen voting provides another measurable example—but one that requires precision. In 2025, 148 House Democrats voted to allow noncitizens voting in Washington, D.C.’s local elections, while 56 Democrats voted for the prohibition.
Though the national Democratic Party has not completely adopted DSA’s entire program, there are several matching goals. Its most recent national platform, for example, calls for funding police officers, while DSA goals include police reforms as steps to abolish police and prison.
2008 → 2016 → 2026
Twenty years of political change does not reveal one simple march from one ideology to another.
In 2008, Democrats called for securing the border, additional border personnel and technology, enforcement against employers hiring undocumented workers—and simultaneously a legal path for undocumented immigrants meeting specified requirements. They also advocated restoring police funding.
By 2016, Democrats were calling for major criminal-justice reform and a broader path to citizenship, while still supporting law enforcement and immigration enforcement.
By 2026, DSA is advocating abolition of ICE and eventual abolition of the police and prison system.
Other issues followed different trajectories. Medicare for All gained substantial congressional support. Electoral College abolition gained congressional sponsors. “Defund the police” entered national politics, but the national Democratic platform subsequently moved in the other direction and called for more police funding.
So far, not every DSA proposal has become Democratic Party policy.
It shows ideas can move. Some move a long way in a relatively short time.
That is why today’s DSA goals and proposed policies must be understood, and we must consider their consequences.
Start With the Source
There is no need to rely on labels, political advertising, or somebody else’s description of democratic socialism.
DSA has told the public what it wants.
Read its program. Look at what would change. Compare those proposals with the governmental and economic system America has today. Then also notice which ideas are appearing in legislation, campaigns and party politics.
Now you know what the DSA actually plans - in writing - and how the Democratic party is going along with some of the goals that will completely do away with the Constitution.
Sources:
Democratic Socialists of America — 2026 Program
This is the key source for the new constitution, “democratic socialist republic,” abolishing the Senate, subordinate executive/judiciary, public ownership, ICE, police/prisons, housing, healthcare, etc.
DSA 2026 Program2008 Democratic Party Platform — American Presidency Project
Useful for our historical comparison: immigration enforcement, police funding, private enterprise, healthcare, and the particularly useful statement that “our Constitution, our courts, our institutions, and our traditions work.”
2008 Democratic Party Platform2016 Democratic Party Platform — American Presidency Project
Our middle benchmark for criminal-justice reform, immigration, voting, healthcare, college, climate and other policy changes.
2016 Democratic Party Platform2024 Democratic Party Platform — Democratic National Committee
Important for distinguishing official Democratic policy from DSA policy, including the national party’s “fund the police, not defund the police” position.
2024 Democratic Party Platform PDFMedicare for All Act of 2025 — Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Primary congressional source for the Medicare-for-All legislation and its congressional sponsors/cosponsors.
Jayapal — Medicare for All Act of 2025Federal Jobs Guarantee — Rep. Ayanna Pressley, September 17, 2026
Primary source for the current federal job-guarantee proposal.
Pressley — Federal Job GuaranteeElectoral College constitutional amendment — Sens. Schatz, Durbin and Welch
Official Senate source. The December 2024 proposal would abolish the Electoral College and establish direct popular election of the president and vice president.
Schatz — Constitutional Amendment to Abolish Electoral CollegeH.R. 884 noncitizen-voting roll call — U.S. House Clerk
This is especially good because it’s the actual official vote record: 56 Democrats Yea, 148 Nay, 1 Present on legislation prohibiting noncitizens from voting in D.C. elections and repealing D.C.’s Local Resident Voting Rights law.
House Clerk — H.R. 884 Roll Call 163Congress.gov — Constitution Annotated - That gives us the authoritative comparison for what the Senate, presidency, judiciary, separation of powers and Article V actually do today.
As always, do your own research and make up your own mind.
White paper on land and water rights: Property Rights and Freedom: A White Paper on America’s Disappearing Land (8/13/2025)
United we stand. Divided we fall. We must not let America fall.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Disclaimer:
As always, do your own research and make up your own mind. This Substack is provided for informational and commentary purposes only. All claims or statements are based on publicly available sources and are presented as analysis and opinion, not legal conclusions.
No assertion is made of unlawful conduct by any individual, company, or government entity unless such claims are supported by formal public records or verified legal documents. The views expressed here reflect my personal perspective on property rights and land use issues.
While I strive for accuracy and transparency, readers are encouraged to verify all details using the official sources and references provided. Any references to third-party material are included solely for your consideration and do not necessarily reflect my views or imply endorsement.
If you share this content, please include this disclaimer to preserve context and clarity for all readers.
Until next time…
Please share your thoughts in the comments. Or email me, and let’s have a problem-solving conversation. I welcome ‘letters to the editor’ type emails and may publish yours. I hope we can create a caucus with positive, back-to-the-founders’-dream-for-America results. Have a topic you want to know more about?
Some housekeeping…
Going forward, you may need to check your spam folder. And please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If the newsletter isn’t in your spam folder either, you should look in the Promotions tab.
You can always see everything on the website, RationalAmerican.org.
Thanks again for reading! I’m glad you’re here!