Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, is a communist and Marxist and refers to her as “Comrade Kamala.” While it’s doubtful that Trump’s name calling helps him win over voters, if he has to call her something, he should have tagged her as a socialist. That’s because Harris’s major policy proposals are almost identical to those promoted by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
The DSA lists 10 policy positions under the heading “Our Platform.”
First up is “Deepening and Strengthening Democracy.” Of course, President Biden, Harris and nearly all Democrats repeatedly claim “democracy is under attack” and that Trump is a “threat to democracy.”
The DSA says it wants to “end minority rule” by getting rid of the Senate and the Electoral College. Harris would likely settle for ending the Senate’s filibuster so bills and all presidential appointments could be decided by a majority vote.
In addition, the socialists want to add seats to the U.S. Supreme Court (court packing) and impose term limits on the justices. Harris and most Democrats are pushing both SCOTUS reforms.
The DSA’s second item is “Abolition of the Carceral State” (“carceral” refers to prison and jail time). The DSA wants to “defund the police” — where have you heard that before? — and “free all incarcerated people.” Harris supported the “defund” movement and eliminating bail for some crimes until those positions became political liabilities. Now she tries to hide her soft-on-crime policies by stressing her background as a prosecutor.
Under “Abolish White Supremacy,” the DSA wants the government to pay reparations to Black people, “extend and expand sanctuary protections across the U.S.” and “end environmental racism.” Harris is on board with all of those, or at least she used to be.
There is a long DSA list of demands under “A Powerful Labor Movement,” including a right to unionize and an end to “right to work laws.” Isn’t the Biden-Harris administration supposed to be the most pro-union in history?
One of the DSA’s biggies is “Economic Justice,” where we find a whole host of demands, including free public college, canceling all student loan debt and medical debt and massive new regulations. Harris’s “opportunity economy” includes all three.
Of course, you had to assume “Gender and Sexuality Justice” would be on the DSA’s list, which includes “reproductive justice for all” (i.e., abortion) and a “guarantee of queer-friendly and gender-affirming healthcare.” Harris embraces both.
Next is the “Green New Deal,” which isn’t green or new. The GND has always been a social justice program masquerading as environmental policy. Harris was one of the original GND co-sponsors.
Under the topic of “Health Justice” the DSA supports Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) Medicare for All bill — which is a government-run health care system and has no resemblance to Medicare. Harris was a co-sponsor until she decided it would be a political liability.
The ninth DSA item is “Housing for All.” Wait, has Harris been talking about expanding government-built housing and providing a $25,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers? Yes, come to think of it, she has.
The DSA’s last heading proposes “International Solidarity” and “Anti-imperialism.” It’s not clear what Harris’s foreign policy is, but it likely reflects Biden’s appeasement policy with respect to China and Iran.
To be sure, the DSA’s agenda goes into much more depth on each major point than Harris does. But then who doesn’t go into more depth that Kamala Harris? So, while it’s possible that Harris would disagree with some DSA sub-points, it’s undeniable that she agrees, or has agreed, with the socialists on their major themes.
Harris has tried to separate herself from some of her past publicly stated positions — thus hoping to be “unburdened by what has been.” But she hasn’t made a meaningful shift on any issue. She made that clear in her softball interview with CNN’s Dana Bash when she asserted her “values haven’t changed.” That was a wink to anyone who was concerned Harris might have moved toward the center.
Her values — and those of today’s Democratic Party — are essentially identical to those of the Democratic Socialists of America. The only major difference is DSA members aren’t trying to hide their socialist beliefs; Harris is.
Merrill Matthews is a public policy and political analyst and the co-author of “On the Edge: America Faces the Entitlements Cliff.” Follow him on X@MerrillMatthews.