Leftists: Champion post-Trump prosecution

Granby, Conn.: As a longtime observer and recent member of the Democratic Socialists of America, I’ve found it strange that the leftist group doesn’t seem to do messaging about the need to lock up the fascist criminals in President Trump’s administration. I associate those kinds of demands with mainstream liberals or alienated conservatives. Yet, punishing such authoritarian lawbreakers for their domestic and international crimes is essential, in my view. Without severe consequences, Republicans have demonstrated they’ll continue to radicalize.

On DSA’s internal forums, I’d recently caused a stir by arguing the socialist group should vote against self-avowed Marxist Leninists seeking positions of DSA leadership, as Stalinism and its descendant ideologies were unapologetically anti-democratic. Prosecuting Trump and his cronies, who have tried to overthrow the limited self-government we have, is very different from Stalinist show trials.

DSA should take the opportunity to give mainstream liberals what they want while distinguishing the organization from the do-nothing Democratic establishment. President Joe Biden’s administration shows that attempts to turn the page on fascist criminality without imposing stiff legal consequences will only result in the far right coming back stronger and more radicalized. Most Democratic politicians are conflict-averse. Unless there’s an overwhelming drumbeat within the party’s base demanding accountability for Trump and his coterie of fascist gangsters, liberal politicians will repeat the Biden administration’s mistakes. DSA should beat this drum as hard as it can.

Bellerose: In the........

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