Interview: Ross Barkan on the Future of the DSA in NYC & Beyond

In a time where everything feels like it’s been upended, the politics of NYC have certainly not been immune. This past June there were primaries for the fall state and federal elections. Finally, after more than a month of absentee ballots being counted, it turns out that four long-serving members of the State Assembly were defeated by candidates who are part of the DSA – the Democratic Socialists of America.

The DSA came to prominence in 2018 where it’s (now) most famous member, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, upset a longtime member of Congress (and former party boss). Although the DSA did not claim any new Congressional victories in NYC this year, its four State Assembly seat victories shows that the DSA strength is more grassroots, more widespread, in NYC than ever before. And next year there will be elections for the city’s municipal offices, and the DSA is certain to play a role in those as well.

So is socialism the future of NYC? Is this a nascent moment, the beginning of a new-leftist era in this city – or is it a momentary reaction to the Trump/COVID-19 era we are in? Only time will tell, of course, but … “something’s happening here,” something in the political water of NYC is brewing, and it’s something certainly to watch in the future.

Few people understand politics in NYC better than journalist/activist/candidate/previous Mr NYC interviewee Ross Barkan. He was kind enough to give Mr NYC yet another interview, this time on the impact of the DSA on NYC politics (both on the Democratic party and in general), its perils and promises for public policy and politics, and what we can expect from the DSA going forward, both in NYC and beyond.

Tell us briefly about who and what the DSA is -- what are their main goals in terms of politics and policy?

DSA is a political organization founded by Michael Harrington, a prominent socialist writer and political activist, in 1982. Their main goal, ultimately, is to make America as democratically socialist as possible: to advance socialist policy and elect more open socialists to office. Beyond electoral work, they do a lot of organizing campaigns around specific policy aims. DSA's growth exploded after the 2016 election. They now have more than 60,000 members nationwide. They differ from older socialist movements in that they advocate for running socialists on the Democratic Party line and not forming third party movements. Socialist parties of a century ago always ran on their own ballot line.

How many DSA candidates won Democratic primaries last week and, more importantly, how did they do it?

In New York City, four state legislative candidates endorsed by DSA won, along with incumbents Julia Salazar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They won with their large number of volunteers, improved fundraising capacity, and strong use of digital communications. Even with the pandemic, they had a strong GOTV operation through phonebanking and digital contact. Demographic change played a role in some races. Their messaging was potent as well.

How many of these candidates, once they take office, will realistically be able to influence policy in NY State? Do you think they'll play an important, productive role in next year's legislative sessions or will they essentially be agitators, a Tea Party of the Left?

They'll play a role by mainstreaming their issues and pushing colleagues left. DSA's aim should truthfully be to become the Tea Party of the left, because the Tea Party was very influential in tugging the Republican Party to the right. If DSA can do the same to the Democratic Party - a much taller order - socialism will be that much closer to winning, which could mean universal healthcare and a right to housing.

What does the recent success of the DSA tell us about the power of the Democratic machines in NYC? Are the machines becoming more irrelevant? 

The machines are increasingly irrelevant when it comes to getting out the vote for their chosen candidates. If organized labor chooses to help a machine candidate, that's a boost, but otherwise the Democratic Party organizations have little to offer. Their clubs are diminished and they don't have much to spend from their campaign coffers. 

How much, in your opinion, does the success of the DSA have to do with long-term generational and demographic changes in NYC -- or is it an anti-Trump, "mad-as-hell"-like zeitgest that might abate after he leaves office?

That's helped spur their growth but they are built for the long haul now because the membership has grown. A lot more young people are plugged into DSA and they'll keep momentum going after Trump.

Let's imagine a beautiful world a year or two from now - no more Trump, no more COVID-19, a much-improved economy, etc. Does the presence of avowed socialists in the Democratic party then become a problem for the party, does it scare off more moderate voters both in NYC and the rest of the state and country -- or is it the beginning of a new movement? What do you think the political impact of DSA elected officials could have in a post-Trump NYC and America?

The impact will be in the Democratic Party mainstreaming socialist policy, which is already happening. Mainstream Democrats like Kamala Harris have expressed support for Medicare for All, which is thanks to Bernie Sanders, who helped fuel the DSA boom in the first place. I don't know if voters will be scared off or not. DSA is already very influential in New York and other large cities, as well as select rural areas. This will probably continue.

Do you have any more thoughts about the DSA, their recent electoral success, and the future of NYC politics?

DSA needs to figure out how to engage working class and poor people more and be less of an organization of educated professionals. But they are now clearly a force to be reckoned with.

Thanks Ross!