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Making Sense with Sam Harris
Making Sense with Sam Harris

#491 — The Suicide of the Left

September 01, 2026

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

Sam Harris and journalist James Kirchick discuss the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and its influence on the Democratic Party. They explore how the DSA's extreme platform—calling for the abolition of capitalism, private property, and democratic institutions—represents a dangerous ideological shift that mainstream Democrats have failed to adequately confront. The conversation examines the alliance between the far left and Islamist movements, the rise of politicians like Zohran Mamdani, and why liberals struggle to draw boundaries against extremism within their own coalition.

The DSA's Radical Platform and Democratic Complicity

Kirchick outlines the DSA's extreme agenda, which includes abolishing the presidency, Supreme Court, Senate, Pentagon, police, prisons, border enforcement, all debt, capitalism, and private property. He argues that mainstream Democrats have failed to recognize the DSA as toxic, drawing parallels to Cold War-era fellow travelers who refused to see the danger of communism. While some moderate Democrats like John Fetterman have spoken out, there remains a troubling tolerance for DSA-aligned politicians among the Democratic establishment.

  • DSA platform calls for abolishing the presidency, Supreme Court, Senate, Pentagon, police, prisons, border enforcement, all debt, capitalism, and private property
  • Historical pattern of liberals refusing to see dangers from the far left, dating back to the Progressive Party and Communist fellow travelers
  • Some moderate Democrats like Josh Gottheimer, Jared Moskowitz, Tom Swasey, and John Fetterman have spoken out against the DSA
  • The DSA's foreign policy platform endorses solidarity with communist dictatorships including North Korea and Cuba
  • The DSA Politburo is composed mostly of openly declared Marxists
" I think among the kind of intellectual class, you know, like sort of journalist types, the Ezra Clines, if you will, it's a fear of not being seen as cool, right? Because the DSA is cool. They're the cool kids at the cool kids table. "
" If you're a liberal democrat you really do not share anything in common with the dsa okay because they are not democratic. "

The Electoral Suicide Pact

Harris articulates his core concern: how mainstream Democrats can embrace politicians proudly affiliated with a platform calling for the abolition of private property and capitalism without recognizing this as political suicide. He argues this strategy could lead to the election of a Trump-style figure or worse in 2028, as Americans would choose fascism over communism if forced to make that choice. The discussion touches on El-Sayed in Michigan and the broader pattern of Democrats tolerating extremism.

  • If Americans are given a choice between communism and fascism, they will choose fascism every time
  • This pattern is what led to fascism in Weimar Germany
  • Democrats risk nominating candidates who can be credibly tarred as communists at the national level
  • El-Sayed in Michigan, who blamed Israel for a Hezbollah supporter's attack on a synagogue, could become a senator
" If you give the American people a choice between communism and fascism, they will take the latter every time. And it's what happened in Weimar, Germany and other societies at the time. "
" How is it that mainstream Democrats, literally every mainstream Democrat, hasn't recognized that this group and their consultation, their approval, their any any input from them at all should be treated like plutonium? "

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