MAGA and DSA have a common bond: Destructive government

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Of the Declaration of Independence’s 1,320 words, the most trenchant are: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”

For all the praise due to unalienable rights of “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,” this sentence formed the heart and soul for the American Revolution and as a future foundation for ensuring good governance.

But has it?

The Civil War was fought because the Confederacy believed that the federal government was destroying states’ rights and along with them slavery, the South’s economic engine.

A century and a half later, President Trump mobilized “populism,” weaponizing it into the Make America Great Again movement that twice swept him into the presidency. The government had become destructive in this view, leading to endless wars that sapped the nation of blood and treasure.

“America First” became the rallying cry. That meant controlling borders, cutting foreign aid and assistance, making allies more responsible for their own security, imposing tariffs to level economic marketplaces and not repeating the trap of fighting never ending wars. Socio-ideological beliefs played strongly. Transgender players in women’s and girls’ sports became a political issue.

The result was a Trump revolution organized about fixing the destructive nature of government. And to Trump, the only means to repair a system of checks and balances that was in deadlock and not working was logical: Make the president more than primus inter pares, or first among equals. The president was the leader. Congress, and to a large degree a Supreme Court appointed by him, would defer the powers of government to the president. That is what has happened.

Trump is the most powerful president certainly in his lifetime and arguably since the Constitution came into force in 1789. However, this dramatic change based on a destructive government is no longer limited to the Republicans. A slice of Democrats have taken up this banner. This group is the Democratic Socialists of America. And they are beginning to be counted.

From its website, the Democratic Socialists of America organization claims to be “the largest socialist organization in the U.S., with over 100,000 members and chapters in all 50 states.” Its core belief is that “working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.”

The organization’s internal survey reveals that its membership consists of young adults with a median age of 33. Roughly three-quarters are Millennials or Gen Z. Eighty-five percent are white, with more than 80 percent holding college degrees and about 35 percent with graduate or professional degrees. (For reference, only about 39 percent of Americans age 25 or older have college degrees.)

Most of these socialists worked in white-collar professions in academia, technology, healthcare, government and non-profit. Members live in large metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. And judging by its website, the organization likely sees the government as highly destructive, since it believes it should be controlled by working people.

Last week’s primaries elected a number of left-wing progressives and socialists, some with extreme views about eliminating police forces and jails and ordering massive redistribution of wealth. For example, 29-year-old Melat Kiros, who defeated 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in the Denver primary, wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Darializa Avila Chevalier holds some of the more extreme views, as well as some that are mainstream. She once pressed for defunding and ending the police; she has somewhat pulled back on that view.

She calls for more public housing and more affordable rents. She wants political action committees and campaign finance laws reformed. And she also demands abolishing ICE. As with a growing number of Democrats, she is strongly pro-Palestinian and against further military aid to Israel.

The irony is that as MAGA rebelled against a destructive government that was not working, the Democratic Socialists are doing the same but for different reasons. However, their group has created a grave vulnerability. The word “socialist” is not seen as favorable to most Americans. “Communism” is far worse. Republicans already are labelling Democrats as communists. That could hurt if the allegation goes viral, even though it is neither applicable nor correct.

As far as 2028 goes, the districts in which Democratic Socialist candidates are winning will not affect the electoral college count necessary to elect the president. But the issue of socialism does loom as a larger danger to the Democrats if a better message is not crafted.

The sad reality is that MAGA and the Democratic Socialists of America have the same provenance: destructive government.

Harlan Ullman is senior adviser at Washington’s Atlantic Council, chairman of a private company and principal author of the doctrine of shock and awe. His next book, co-written with Field Marshal The Lord David Richards, former U.K. chief of defense and due out this fall, is “Who Thinks Best Wins: How Decisive Strategic Thinking Will Prevent Global Chaos.”

MAGA and DSA have a common bond: Destructive government

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