Republicans are forcing a House vote on a resolution condemning socialism and naming the DSA directly, daring Democrats to oppose the socialist movement they claim to reject.
The House is set to vote next week on a resolution condemning socialism in all its forms, and Republicans are betting the measure will finally force Democrats to pick a side on the Democratic Socialists of America. Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado introduced the resolution Thursday, telling Fox News Digital he wants moderate Democrats to put their opposition to the DSA in writing.
"I keep hearing people like Hakeem Jeffries and others in the Congress saying that they oppose the DSA. Let's see if they're willing to vote for a resolution that would oppose them," Crank said.
The resolution goes further than last year's anti-socialism vote, which condemned socialism broadly but never named the DSA. This time the measure specifically denounces "socialism in all its forms, including the Democratic Socialists of America," and ties the movement directly to election integrity.
The resolution also calls for enactment of the SAVE Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The DSA's national program supports extending voting rights to noncitizens, permanent residents, incarcerated people, and those with criminal convictions -- a stance Crank says undermines free and fair elections.
Crank pointed to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's victory as the clearest sign of the DSA's growing momentum. A Brookings Institution analysis found that 123 candidates endorsed or recommended by DSA chapters had won primaries this cycle as of August 12, most at the local and state level.
Among them is Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old DSA member who ousted longtime Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado's primary in July. Crank cited Kiros' past statement that America "deserved 9/11" -- a remark she made while calling the attacks an "inevitable consequence" of American intervention -- as proof of the movement's radicalism.
"When you have a bunch of terrorists on September 11th killing Americans because of ideology, how is that different than what Mao did? It isn't," Crank said. "This is the insidiousness of this movement."
Crank described the DSA as "anti-American" and "anti-Constitution," accusing its members of hostility to free speech and anti-Semitic advocacy against Israel. He recalled a February protest in which San Francisco DSA members disrupted a news conference held by Jewish Mayor Daniel Lurie, with demonstrators chanting "tax the rich" and one woman shouting "tax the Jews."
The congressman also took aim at the DSA's broader platform, which calls for abolishing the Senate and replacing the Supreme Court with "a judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress." He called Mamdani the "first verified failure of socialism," citing the mayor's pied-a-terre tax on large homes as a policy that drives taxpayers out of New York.
"You're seeing socialism at its worst in places like New York," Crank said. "People can choose to not have a house in New York. So they leave. It doesn't work."
The resolution will be considered by the House Rules Committee on Monday, with a floor vote likely sometime next week. It needs only a simple majority to pass, and Republicans are expected to use every Democratic "no" vote as ammunition heading into the midterms.
The DSA has reached more than 120,000 members this year, making it the largest socialist organization in American history. With DSA-backed challengers knocking off establishment incumbents in primaries across the country, the vote gives Democrats a stark choice: publicly break with the socialist movement or let the GOP define them by it.
Republicans are forcing a House vote on a resolution condemning socialism and naming the DSA directly, daring Democrats to oppose the socialist movement they claim to reject.
freedomlinedispatch.com
