Young Democratic Socialists Bringing the Heat

By DON ROLLINS

“They’ll tell you you’re too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

It’s a sweltering midsummer evening on the campus of Ohio University. The 100 or so swarthy but nonetheless boisterous marchers are circling the designated route, carrying homemade signs and lifting bullhorn call-and-response protests skyward, decrying a plethora of US domestic and foreign policies.

The draconian immigration practices employed on the southern border top the list of recriminations laid at this and recent administrations’ doorsteps; followed closely by Big Business, police brutality, militarism, taxation inequality and white supremacy.

The gathered are a mix of colors, beliefs, genders and cultures. The historically marginalized and categorically privileged walk side-by-side, modeling on the microplane the nation they imagine. And together they make for four generations of conscientious liberal resistance, spanning the jungle horrors of Vietnam to today’s spate of detention centers where whole (brown) families are segregated and warehoused.

For all the synergy born of this impromptu coalition, it’s the impassioned lefty university students bringing the real fire. They’ve led the songs, orchestrated the march and are now at the center of the gathering, calling out an array of injustices.

But these youngest of progressive millennials are no parlor generals, rallying the troops with nothing but fleeting rhetoric: as things wind down, they send the faithful into the humid night with handouts listing practical next steps, social media resources, voting districts and upcoming events.

Oh and by the way, we’re democratic socialists, they reservedly add. Have a good evening...

The event was a success. Ideas were exchanged, bonds were made, minds were spoken. Yet upon reflection, the students’ reticence to proclaim their label of choice upfront was striking if wholly understandable; for even in some progressive contexts, democratic socialists are grossly misunderstood, reduced to human political novelties - vote-sapping utopians with no real chance of impacting the system for the long haul.

This caricature remains despite the fact more voters 30 and under went for socialist Bernie Sanders in 2016 than the two major candidates combined; and discounts the political significance of inexperienced socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent upset win in New York’s 14th district Democratic primary.

Conservatives point to both instances as evidence of a Democratic Party increasingly out of touch with the American mainstream - a predictable line of attack, ready made for the midterm elections.

More troubling are the mainstream progressives who chart the future course of liberalism only according to yesterday’s Democratic Party map, not fully appreciating that Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez performed well as “out” democratic socialists in a party dominated by centrists.

Shockingly, this looming sea change appears just as lost on the Dems’ Senate and House leadership as the rest of the party stalwarts. Both chambers’ minority leaders would do well to heed the voices calling for them to step down, accept the much deserved accolades and clear the way for the party’s new and emerging contingents.

This is the inconvenient message echoing from the courthouses, statehouses and campuses this steamy summer. It’s a prophetic call, not just to resist, but to use these troubled times to craft a more inclusive and effective left no matter the sacred cows that stand in the way.

The task is daunting, young (and young again) democratic socialists, but you are needed. So step up to that mic. Tell your truth. Own your identity. Bring the heat.

Don Rollins is a Unitarian Universalist minister and substance abuse counselor living in Pittsburgh, Pa. Email donaldlrollins@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, August 1, 2018

Populist.com