Democratic Socialists of America Founding Member Quits Over Hamas Massacre Response

A prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America has announced his departure from the group in an op-ed published by The Nation, citing opposition toward its “politically and morally bankrupt response” to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that resulted in the killing of over 1,400 Israelis. Maurice Isserman expressed doubt about the future of the organization, drawing a comparison to Students for a Democratic Society, which fell apart in 1969 due to infighting on issues such as Black power and the Vietnam War. He decried the noise coming from “entryists,” or smaller sects that don’t share the values of the leftist organizations they are a part of, arguing that they “wreck” and cause “political oblivion” within the DSA. He named some of them, including “Red Star,” “Marxist Unity Group,” and the “Communist Caucus,” saying they aim to break the DSA from the mainstream Democratic Party. Isserman took issue with the organization opposing Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), two leading members, for condemning Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack. He then sided with actor Sarah Silverman’s DSA departure announcement, noting that “any organization that believes the slaughtered Jewish civilians, including children and infants, are ‘military assets’ who deserved their fate has forfeited the right to call itself democratic socialist.”