MarinIJ: Dick Spotswood: How is Democratic Socialism Impacting Marin?

The election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s mayor is the subject of much chatter. It’s accompanied by impressive congressional wins by other members from the Democratic Socialists of America organization – including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar from Minneapolis and 29-year-old newcomer Melat Kiros, who recently won a primary election in Colorado. Their national leader is Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

All were elected in politically “deep blue” strongholds. They defeated incumbent Democrats. Their successes demonstrate distinctions that baffle Republicans who take President Donald Trump’s word that everyone to his left is “a communist.” Democrats divide into ideological factions: centrists, traditional liberal and progressives, which occasionally include DSA members.

To understand DSA, voters must navigate terms with vague definitions. To understand their meaning, I consulted the Marin DSA co-chair, San Anselmo’s Curt Reis. He offered a fundamental socialist principle: “Capitalism is a broken way to organize society.” I followed up by asking, what’s “democratic socialism?”

He explains, “Democratic socialism is a society that functions democratically to meet everyone’s basic needs and encourage human flourishing without exploitation or domination. This stands in stark contrast to our current system, capitalism, which functions solely to maximize profits for the wealthy elite by exploiting and dividing ordinary working people.”

Democratic socialism is often wrongly considered the same as Scandinavian-style social democracy. The latter delivers an expansive social safety net financed by high taxes while retaining a wealth-producing capitalist economy.

Reis’ perspective: “Social democracy represents a fragile compromise between workers and capitalists, where the state plays a major role in providing generous social welfare programs, but billionaires and corporations maintain control over the economy.”

Historian Sarah Pruitt, in a post on history.com, explains how socialism and communism differ. “Under communism, there is no such thing as private property. All property is communally owned and (theoretically) each person receives a portion based on need. … Under socialism, individuals still own property. But industrial production, or the chief means of generating wealth, is communally owned and managed by democratically elected governments.”

Marin DSA’s webpage outlines their current focus.

“Fight the Right: Resisting the oligarchic Trump/Musk takeover of the federal government and the billionaire assault on workers, unions, and public programs.

“Immigration Justice in Marin: Standing in solidarity with immigrant neighbors and communities against mass deportation and (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) enforcement in the Bay Area.

“Housing Justice in Marin: Fighting for housing as a human right and organizing against displacement and rent hikes.

“Palestine Solidarity: Opposing U.S.-funded military operations and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.”

That’s the end of the tutorial. Here’s the shift to my opinions.

DSA’s success in deeply blue areas raises this question: Might classical socialism, not Swedish social democracy, find a receptive Marin audience? Answer: No.

Two years ago, DSA played a pivotal role in crafting and campaigning for rent-control laws in Marin. The outcome was their overwhelming defeat.

San Anselmo’s Measure N would retain a Town Council-approved rent-control ordinance. It was defeated with 65.76% of votes no. The town’s Measure O, to penalize larger property landlords who terminate tenancies due to no fault of the tenant, went down with 69.06% opposed.

In Larkspur, Measure K would’ve made existing rent control stronger and added tenant protections. There, 62.85% voted against it. Fairfax, hardly a conservative bastion, passed Measure I, repealing town-council-enacted rent control and tenant protection with 63.2% in favor.

These results indicate that at least one of DSA’s core issues fails to resonate in deep blue Marin.

Democrats of all stripes and DSA adherents agree on one strategy. They back candidates who don’t mince words and are effective opponents of Trump and his authoritarian movement.

Marin residents are typical American college-educated suburbanites, often homeowners, who are traditional liberals (like former Gov. Jerry Brown). They may support Medicare-for-All and are appalled by ICE’s gestapo tactics and its racism. Yet, they appreciate that incremental improvements – instead of “all or nothing” – are the most effective strategy to raise the quality of life of all Americans.

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.