The Political Island That Is New York City

The Democratic Party is fighting a two-front war. 

On the one side, you have the obvious Republican opposition. A party that is openly embracing fascism and is committed to ending our democracy as we know it. A party that lies with reckless abandon because it knows it controls enough media that its lies will never be truly challenged. A party that is one giant Ponzi scheme whose members get into elected office through millions of dollars of dark money and promptly use that elected office to provide as many kickbacks and tax breaks as is humanly possible. A party that uses its judicial influence to undermine progress made over the last half-century for people of color, women, immigrants, refugees, and non-Catholics. A party that rejects science and history because they "love the uneducated" and see their lack of critical thinking skills as necessary in having them vote against their own best interests time and time again. This is not the party of Lincoln, Reagan, or even George W. Bush. This is a party that cares solely for rich, White men and nothing more, and wants to return us all to a world where they were the only ones who could legally make decisions on behalf of the entire nation. 

While extreme, we always knew Republicans would be our opposition. What we might not have anticipated is how much opposition we would have from so-called members of our own party.

And it is this opposition that constantly undermines Democrats time and time again. They are groups like Our Revolution, Justice Democrats, and DSA, who have unfiltered rage against Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, and not a single qualm with Donald Trump and Stephen Miller. These groups are open to using the party to undermine the party. They know that they need the financial support and resources of the Democratic Party, and they know they're too lazy to start their own party, so they gladly run in our elections. They claim that they're against "establishment politicians" and the billionaire class, but see Bernie Sanders and Tom Steyer as their preferred candidates. They want one of their own to quickly rise up the ranks, yet they've thrown all their political capital into Zohran Mamdani, a naturalized citizen born in Uganda with no hope of ever reaching the White House. With ample room and opportunity to start a third-party movement, these groups would much rather suck at the teat of the Democratic Party than go out into the political wilderness on their own. These Rolls-Royce Revolutionaries want all the rewards with none of the effort. 

Because while it's easy to scream and shout and bitch and moan about the Democratic Party, it's a lot harder to actually govern. That is why we saw performative Squad members like Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman ousted from Congress in 2024. It's why Bernie Sanders has been the "amendment king" and nothing more during his four decades in Washington. There's a reason why the far left only wins in the most progressive districts: because voters know that their extreme views do not represent the overwhelming majority of the Democratic Party. Once elected, these members have been unable to pass legislation because that requires compromise, something that these extreme members do not believe in. They see politics as a zero-sum game where you either get everything or you get nothing at all. That view may play well in an uber-blue congressional district, but when you're expected to be part of a nationwide caucus with Democrats from more moderate districts, it requires you to give a little to get a little. When you refuse to do that, when you refuse to win even partial victories for your constituents, the voters take notice. And before long, you're out of there like Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman. 

Last Tuesday's "wins" for DSA are simply the latest in a series of meaningless victories for leftists in ultra-blue districts. If anything, those wins show just how extreme DSA is, as Darializa Chevalier's raging antisemitism perfectly encapsulates the organization at this moment in time. If you weren't aware before of how extreme DSA candidates are, you certainly see that after Tuesday night. There's a reason why dark money Republican PACs are propping up extreme Democratic candidates, including American Priorities, a PAC founded to "counter AIPAC" and target "pro-Israel candidates" that provided $2 million to the three winning NYC candidates. Using Israel as a boogeyman, sadly, may succeed in and around New York City. But having extreme candidates spout antisemitism time and time again on the campaign trail outside of these super blue congressional districts is a recipe for disaster. The far left is fully aware of this limitation, yet they continue to push for candidates in similar districts throughout the country. 

Which is why they're trying so hard to hype up Tuesday's results. But in winning such a low turnout election, groups like DSA now have the challenge that the Justice Democrats faced over the last decade: they now have to govern. How will the new "DSA Squad" impact the larger Democratic Party? Will they be open to compromise? Or will they sit on the sidelines unless they get 100% of what they want? 

We all know the answer to these questions. Because we've already seen it with Our Revolution and the Justice Democrats. Darializa Chevalier is nothing more than Cori Bush 2.0, an activist turned performative politician. Claire Valdez now needs to deliver for her constituents the way that Adriano Espillat did for the last four terms. And Brad Lander, who broke with DSA after their post-October 7th comments, needs to prove that he will actually listen to both Muslim and Jewish constituents the way that Daniel Goldman did during his time in Congress. Being "anti-Zionist" might play well during a primary election when 17% of registered voters engage, but delivering tangible results for the people of New York is a whole new ballgame. One that Chevalier, Valdez, and Lander will need to figure out quickly, or else they'll suffer the exact same fate as former New York Squad member Jamaal Bowman. 

At the end of the day, we have to accept that New York City is the hotbed of today's Democratic Socialists. But New York City is an island, both physically and politically. The grotesque antisemitism that DSA candidates like Chevalier have embraced does not play well outside the friendly confines of her congressional district. DSA and dark money GOP PACs will continue trying to elevate these extreme candidates between now and November. We defeated Maureen Galindo in Texas. Darializa Chevalier snuck through in New York City. While DSA and the Justice Democrats are still riding high from their victories, we know they will be back in future primaries this year. They know their "revolution" is only possible if enough of their members are elected and can create their own Tea Party bloc that stymies congressional Democrats. That's always been the goal, and each successful candidate of theirs gets them one step closer. It's why Democrats absolutely have to retake the House in November. 

And why they have to do it with enough of a cushion to make these three new members irrelevant for the duration of their term.