“Our Democracy Is More Symbolic Than Real”
Longtime leftist congressman Ron Dellums has died. In a 1976 interview, he explained why corporate control is the problem and democratic socialism is the solution.
Ron Dellums (second from left) with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus in May 1971. Library of Congress
Ron Dellums passed away yesterday at the age of eighty-two. A lifelong activist, Dellums served in the US House of Representatives from 1971 to 1998 and as mayor of Oakland from 2007 to 2011. He was also a former co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
In 1976, journalist John Judis interviewed Dellums for the debut issue of In These Times about movement politics and democratic socialism. We reprint it here in full.
John Judis
An article in the Nation a while ago said you are the closest thing to a socialist elected to Congress in twenty years. Your approach seems like the socialist ideal of uniting working people against corporate power to establish popular ownership and democratic control of society’s basic wealth. Is that your view?
Ron Dellums
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