Democratic Socialists don’t need to pretend anymore
Barack Obama really got the ball rolling, and the party is squarely theirs now.
Susan Quinn | June 26, 2026
Anyone who denies that the Democratic Socialists are on a political roll are either foolish or naïve. All over the country socialists are gaining ground, and it’s not clear whether the Republicans are taking their progress seriously or not. It’s important to remember that this ideology was given new life with Barack Obama, even though he hid his allegiances to socialism. When Obama first ran for the presidency, Stanley Kurtz warned us of his commitments:
A personable figure, a thoughtful politician, and an inspiring orator, Obama has hidden his core political beliefs from the American people—sometimes by directly misrepresenting his past and sometimes by omitting or parceling out damaging information to disguise its real importance. The president presents himself as a post-ideological pragmatist, yet his current policies grow directly from the nexus of socialist associates and theories that has shaped him throughout his adult life.
Since entry onto the national stage, Obama pursued a “stealth socialism” strategy, which continued after he left office. This entailed presenting himself as a mainstream candidate, and after he was elected, a subtle promotion of socialist rhetoric:
Obama’s true convictions would occasionally surface spontaneously, most notably when he spoke of ‘spreading the wealth around,’ proposed a ‘civilian national security force,’ and declared ‘we are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.’
Once in office, Obama threw his voters under to [sic] bus to pursue his socialist agenda that no one voted for.
Obama’s stealth agenda was successful, and now we have candidates all over the country who openly own their democratic socialist positions. These people run for office at various levels of government, from governors to city councils. Some of them even managed to fool their citizens by using Obama’s strategy: presenting themselves as mainstream candidates, but as soon as they enter office, promoting socialist strategies. For example, Governor Abigail Spanberger, who ran as a “moderate,” has decided not to cooperate with I.C.E., and she is also pushing for legalized recreational marijuana. I’ll let you decide whether those actions are moderate or not.
Stealth socialists have successfully misled people who think they know the positions of the candidates in their own party. Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, a center-left think tank, doesn’t even realize he’s been misguided: he believes that Gov. Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill are centrists. Although both women tried to present themselves as moderates, their actions reflect socialist policies.
more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/06/democratic-socialists-don-t-need-to-pretend-anymore/
