Bread and Roses for All
More and more people are calling themselves democratic socialists. That’s a very good thing if you care about the cause of human freedom.
“A Still Life with Roses, a Jug, a Loaf of Bread, a Filled Wine Glass, Two Plates with Prawns and Crabs, a Knife, a Partly-Peeled Lemon and Grapes over a Partly-Draped Table,” Alexander Adriaenssen, 1646.
If the past few weeks are any indication, the long-dreaded “S-word” is enjoying a somewhat astonishing ascendancy in American political discourse. Already thawed to some extent by the unexpected success of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, the “democratic socialist” label and its accompanying connotations appear to be emerging from their post-McCarthyite chill.
Following the stunning victory of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a New York congressional primary last month, the change of mood could immediately be registered in the anguished reactions of conservative pundits who’ve spent the past few decades tarring Democrats of all stripes with the “socialist” label (without, it would seem, ever expecting to have to grapple with those unafraid to embrace the term). Not to be outdone, some liberals — including House minority leader Nancy Pelosi — have moved swiftly to downplay or delegitimize the election’s significance and reassure a shaken donor class that socialist politics are not, in fact, gaining momentum.
Perhaps most significantly, New York State gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon has embraced the “democratic socialist” label, telling Politico on Tuesday:
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