Meet the DSA
Efforts to reshape the City of Portland are authored and driven by an extreme national political group called the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA boasts over 90,000 dues-paying members across the country, wields a multi-million dollar budget, and is notorious for its bullying political tactics.
The Democratic Socialists of America take some pretty extreme positions. Here is a small sampling:
- Advocates for the “abolition of capitalism.”
- Advocates for the abolition of police and prisons.
- Supports the “democratically elected” dictator of Venezuela, a brutal authoritarian who has been cited for committing crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
- Blames the US for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Advocates for the elimination of the United States Senate.
- Endorses a new political order through a second constitutional convention to rewrite the founding documents for a new socialist democracy.
Locally, the Democratic Socialists of America are employing its national organizing infrastructure to overwhelm our referendum and city council system in an effort to initiate their extreme policy concepts. The Democratic Socialists of America told the Portland Press Herald that their goal is to implement the “most radical socialist agenda in America” right here in Portland, through the adoption of these referendum measures.
The Democratic Socialists of America are closely aligned with former Portland mayor Ethan Strimling, whose bullying tactics and extreme agenda were roundly rejected by Portland voters when he was defeated in every part of the city, coming in third place in his reelection bid in 2019. The Democratic Socialists of America teamed up with Strimling to create a shady PAC to fund a primary challenge to Governor Janet Mills.
Democratic Socialists of America members in Portland are organizing and raising money to pass these ballot questions, with the help of their national organization. DSA members use what they call “Call a Comrade” events to reach out to Portland voters, and have even put together a “Russian Revolution Reading List” to help educate people about their ideology.
The Democratic Socialists of America are an extreme, out-of-state organization with no regard for Portland’s future, our workers, our businesses, or our citizens. As Portland voters, we need to stop their efforts before they do more damage to our city.
